LORD THURLOWasked the Lord Steward, Whether he is yet able to give any information respecting the reported outbreak of trichinosis in January last on board the reformatory school ship "Cornwall," lying off Purfleet, on the Thames?
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMr. Power was instructed by the Local Government Board last November, as the noble Lord is aware, to make inquiry as to an alleged outbreak of "fever" on board the Cornwall.He found that among 262 boys there had been 43 cases of sickness, with one death. In the course of a very laborious inquiry, he found peculiarities in the history of the outbreak that led him to doubt whether the "fever" was any of the usual fevers of this country, and, with the object of settling these doubts and of throwing new light on the nature of the disease, the body of the boy who had died was exhumed, and subjected to post-mortemexamination. It was found that the body was infected with trichinae, but gave no evidences of "fever" in the common acceptation of the word. Further review of the whole history led to the conclusion that the whole outbreak had been due to the same disease—trichinosis. A most able Report on the entire subject of the Cornwalloutbreak has been made by Mr. Power, and it is now with the printers, with the view of being laid upon the Table.