§ Mr. Windsorasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that 14 members of the crew of the oil tanker "British Petrol," lying at Purfleet, Essex, were 1020W detained in the Denton Isolation Hospital on 27th November, suffering from an illness which had not been diagnosed; and whether he has now any information as to the nature of the illness and its cause?
§ Mr. BernaysI am informed that 21 members of the crew of this ship were admitted to hospital in London suffering from colic accompanied by diarrhoea and fever, and that two further cases were reported when the ship reached the Tyne. It appears that the illness was the result of food poisoning due to one of the salmonella group of organisms, but it is not now possible to ascertain to what particular article of food the infection was due.