§ MR. HENEAGE (Great Grimsby)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he can give any definite and reliable information with regard to the number of eases of Asiatic cholera in the Humber ports?
SIR W. FOSTERI am sorry to have to inform the right hon. Gentleman and the House that we have received from the Humber ports news of a very unsatisfactory character. Early last week it came to the knowledge of the Local Government Board that a fatal form of diarrhœa was prevalent at Grimsby. On obtaining that information we immediately sent an Inspector to that port, and he found that the persons who had already died had been speedily buried. While he was there—in fact, on the day after his arrival—another death occurred, which has since, from post mortem examination and subsequent investigation by experts, proved to be a case of Asiatic cholera. There was a second death on August 31, and two 1887 deaths on September 2, in the Grimsby district, from Asiatic cholera. As regards the Port of Hull, three deaths, at least, from cholera have occurred within the last few days. We have no information from Hull or Grimsby as to the course of the disease yesterday, and that is, so far, favourable as regards the position since Saturday.
§ MR. HENEAGEIs it not a fact that the number of cases which have been actually ascertained to be Asiatic cholera is limited to five at Clee and two at Cleethorpes, and that there is not a single case in the town or Port of Grimsby?
SIR W. FOSTERThe cases are given to me as occurring in those ports to which the right hon. Gentleman alludes—the two cases at Cleethorpes occurred, one on August 31 and the other on September 1; but the serious element in the situation lies not so much in the number of cases, as in the fact that, for some weeks past, there has been a fatal form of diarrhœa prevalent in that port.
§ MR. HENEAGEAre not all the five cases at least a mile from the town or Port of Grimsby?
SIR W. FOSTERI do not dispute the accuracy of the topography of the right hon. Gentleman. The cases are returned to us by the Urban Sanitary Authority; and, therefore, I have been obliged to give the facts broadly as occurring within their district. We have every reason to think that during the past week, and possibly previously, the Local Authorities have done all they can to prevent the spread of the disease.
§ COMMANDER BETHELLCan the right hon. Gentleman say definitely what is the character of the disease which has broken out at Hull?