246 ELEMENTS OF WATER BACTERIOLOGY 



In 1893 Thorne-Thorne, in a report to the Local Gov- 

 ernment Board, wrote that, in his opinion, certain 

 cases of cholera which had occurred that year at various 

 inland towns in England were due to eating contam- 

 inated oysters from beds at Grimsby, where there 

 had been a small cholera epidemic. Following ' the 

 suggestions embodied in this report the English Govern- 

 ment began a series of investigations which have made 

 many important additions to our present knowledge 

 of the subject. 



In 1902 the famous oyster epidemics at Winchester 

 and Southampton, England, were proven beyond 

 reasonable doubt to have been caused by contami- 

 nated oysters taken from grounds at Emsworth. Here 

 again we have to deal with banquets given in different 

 cities where the only common source of infection 

 appears to have been contaminated oysters. Of the 

 267 guests at these banquets 118 were attacked with 

 intestinal disorders and 21 cases of typhoid fever 

 developed, 5 of which were fatal. 



Although a great many sensational attacks have 

 been made against oysters as carriers of disease germs 

 which have been based on little or no evidence, the 

 above-mentioned investigations and others, among 

 which might be mentioned those of Thresh, Marvel, 

 and Soper, have brought out sufficient trustworthy 

 evidence to show that contaminated oysters must be 

 considered as a real factor in the dissemination of 

 typhoid fever and other water-borne diseases. An esti- 

 mate of the extent to which such illness is due to 

 oysters would be impossible at the present time. The 



