§ Sir F. Fremantleasked the Minister of Health to give the number of cases and deaths hitherto notified in the present outbreak of typhoid fever in the county of Somerset; and will he state whether the cause has now been traced?
§ Sir K. WoodThirty-six cases, of which the last 10 are secondary, have been confirmed,2096W and six, I regret to say, were fatal. The cause of the outbreak has not yet been determined. I will let my hon. Friend know when he can put down another question on this point.
§ Lieut.-Colonel Acland-Troyteasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the report of the county medical officer of Somersetshire that typhoid fever can be conveyed by eggs; and whether he will take steps to prohibit the importation of Chinese liquid eggs to prevent the risk of infection from this source?
§ Sir K. WoodI am not aware of the report mentioned in the question. I have seen a statement in the Press, attributed to an unnamed doctor, that ducks' eggs may transmit typhoid bacilli, but I am advised that there is no evidence to this effect. I see no reason, therefore, for the steps suggested in the second part of the question, especially as laboratory examinations of Chinese eggs have not revealed the presence of any disease-producing organisms.