Dr. S.W. Wheaton's report to the Local Government Board on enteric fever among hop pickers in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in 1909.

  • Wheaton, S.W. (Samuel Walton)
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. S.W. Wheaton's report to the Local Government Board on enteric fever among hop pickers in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in 1909. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    in keeping under observation the persons who had been in contact with the sufferers so as to detect the apj)earance of any suspicious illness among them. All the eighteen cases with one exception were removed to hospital. Enteric Fever in Rowley Regis Urban District in 1909. The early history of enteric fever prevalence in this district in 1909 is similar to that at Dudley. In December, 1908, nine attacks occurred in three families in Dudley Road; in January, three additional cases occurred in two families in this road, and one in Mott Street; in May one case was notified, and on June 28th one case, both in fresh families in Dudley Road. As at Dudley, the sanitary officials could not find any definite explanation of the origin of the fever. All the patients were removed to hospital. From June 28th to October 15th no noti- fications of enteric fever were received. In this respect the history of the fever is also similar to that of Dudley. Between October 15th and November 8th, however, there were six noti- fications of enteric fever, and all were in persons who had returned from hop-picking. The dates of return were October 1st, 5th, and 6th. One patient was attacked six days before returning home; and two, three days; another 13 days; and tw’o, 19 days after return. The two latter may have been secondary cases, since they were children whose sister was attacked three days after return, and they may have contracted the infection from her after leaving the farm. At any rate, it is evident that the original infection was contracted away from home. Of these six persons, three had been hop-picking at the Eardiston Farming Company’s Moor Farm, where, however, they lived, not at the farm but in wooden huts “ Dumbleton Barracks,” about half-a- mile distant. They mixed with the pickers from the Moor Farm, and on occasion, as I am informed, visited it. Of the remaining three, one had been at Pigeon House Farm, the other two at Great House Farm. These are neighbouring farms before referred to, belonging to Messrs. Leeke. There was no extension of the disease in Rowley Regis apart from the two, possibly secondary cases, noted above. All the sufferers were removed to hospital promptly on receipt of the notifications. Enteric Fever in Stourbridge Urban District in 1909. Only one case of enteric fever occurred in this district previous to October 26th; this was notified on February 20th, and was of unexplained origin. In October, however, five cases were notified, while a further case was notified on November 4th and another on November 8th. Very scanty information could be obtained of two of these cases. They were children who had been wandering about with their mother for a long time, and no definite information as to the onset of their illness or the date of their leaving or returning home could be obtained. It was known that they had been hop-picking at a farm near Hereford, but they do not appear to have stopped there long. The remaining five cases were all