Report of the Board of Health on plague in New South Wales.

  • New South Wales. Board of Health.
Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Board of Health on plague in New South Wales. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Case N, F.L., m., wet. 44, married, labourer. Not inoculated; no previous attack ; employed on same ship as J.C., Case M. Residence, 19, Theodora-street, Balmain ; employment, Adelaide 8.8. Co.’s works, Nicholson- street, Balmain. Last employed, 4th May, on the ss.“ Innamincka” ; 3rd May, s.s. ‘* Innamincka” and “ Adelaide” ; 2nd May, on s.s. “ Mintaro” and the wharf; Ist May, in bunkers of the “Ouraki”; 29th April, in limbers and holds; 28th to 25th April, on deck of forepeak. Notified by Dr. Carruthers, 5th May, 9 a.m,; visited (RJ.M.), 10:15 am.; admitted to Coast Hospital, 4 p.m. ; discharged 31st May ; ; duration, 28 days. Attack: 4th May, felt heavy on waking ; went to work ; pain in right g groin at 10 a.m. ; ceased work at 2°30, having apparently become extremely weak, since his fellow-workmen gave him whisky before he could leave for home ; at night, rigors, feverish, bad headache, light-headed ; 5th, on examination, three oblique inguinal glands ‘enlarged, very tender, some periadenitic effusion ; films and cultures positive ; lesions within. drainage area, none. Rats.—At residence, no signs ; at employment, see Case M. Connected Cases.—See Case M. CasE O. E.O., f., et. 40, married, dressmaker ; last employed, 10th May. Not inoculated; no former attack ; not connected with any previous case. Residence, 101, Moncur-street, Woollahra; employment, 38, Elizabeth street, City. Notified by Dr. Johnson ; visited (T.W.S.), 13th May, noon ; admitted to Coast Hospital, 13th May; discharged, 9th June; duration, 38 days. Attack, 2nd May, 7:30 p.m. ; pain in right groin, shivering, headache, but swelling in groin first noticed by patient, 5th ; the same symptoms- continued, but she supervised her shop till 10th, when she was obliged to give up. On examination exhibited a tender inguinal gland the size of an almond; lesion of drainage area, none; films and cultures made with material taken 13th May, both positive. Rats.—At residence, signs of recent infestation in rat-holes and fresh droppings, one carcase found, too putrid for examination ; at employment, no signs. The fence at bottom of patient’s yard is also the back fence of Lynch’s dairy premises, on which many plague-rats were found. Connected Cases.—None. Case P. B. de G., m., eet. 34, married, furniture dealer. Not inoculated ; no former attack ; no communication with any other case. Residence, 49, Underwood-street, Paddington ; employment, 1214, Castlereagh street, City ; last employed, 13th May. Notified by Dr. Walton Smith, 15th May ; visited (T.W.S.), 2 p.m. ; admitted to Coast Hospital, 7 p.m. ; discharged, 13th June; duration, 3i days. Patient was extremely deaf, and his memory apparently not good; but the following account was got with assistance of his brother, and of the Medical Officer of Health, Newcastle :—For some days prior to 5th May he had been employed at a furniture shop, 199-205, Hunter-street, Newcastle, and on that day was watching cleansing operations necessitated by discovery of a large number of plague-rats on those premises ; the same night he returned to Sydney. On 9th May he attended a lodge meeting, and during the evening he became so ill he was obliged to go home—headache and extreme general malaise. He was a little better 10th, and went about his business, though feeling ill; on 13th, the headache and general malaise returned somewhat severely during the ev ening ; ; l4th, had much nausea, vomited once, and during the day felt pain in the left groin ; on examination, 15th, a left femoral gland was found slightly enlarged and rather tender ; lesions of drainage area, none ; films and cultures, ‘positive. Rats.—At residence, re traces, none present, no carcases ; search of neighbourhood failed to raise suspicion of plague; the house was a mile distant from Moncur-street. At employment, few traces. (See Case O.) Connected Cases.—None. CASE Q. P.F., m., et. 20, single, grocer, Not inoculated ; no former attack ; no communication with any other case. Residence, 136, Oxford-street, Paddington ; employment, 277, Sussex-street, Darling Harbour; last employed, 20th May. Notified by Medical Supe a (Dr. platy Sydney Hospital, 23rd May, I] am.; visited (F.T.), 11:10; admitted to Coast Hospital, 2 p.m. ; died, 23rd May, 10 p.m. ; duration, 2 days. Attack, 21st May, 3-30 p-m., shivering and pain in left groin. On 20th May (Saturday) was kicked at football in the left groin, and ceased play for five minutes ; “21st, no pain in groin on waking, but in afternoon the pain suddenly returned, accompanied ly a violent shivering fit; he vomited ; was delirious at night ; became unconscious, and remembered nothing till he found himself at Sydney Hospital 23rd morning, when he recovered his senses. On examination, swelling of glands of left femoral chain, considerable periadenitic effusion, but slightly painful, extremely tender; lesions of drainage area, small recent abrasion on shin received 20th, no other ; films and cultures, positive. Rats.—At residence, no signs ; at employment, evident signs of infestation ; on turning over the stock, carcases of 7 rats and 18 mice were found either dried up or advanced in putrefaction. vA plague- rat had been got at No. 271 (next door but two) on 4th May. Connected Cases.—None. CasE R. R.D.A., £., et. 84. Residence, 16, Burton-street, Camperdown ; attended school (St. John’s) last, 22nd June ; not inoculated ; no former attack ; no communication with any other case. Reported after death by Dr. Buchanan, Pathologist, Prince Alfred Hospital, 10th July. Cultures then submitted by him made from heart’s blood were found to be positive ; subcultures from them yielded no growth; guinea-pig inoculated with them died of plague. He also referred cultures from heart’s blood and spleen of. a guinea- pig
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