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Food
poisoning.
12
During the year particulars of 419 cases of food poisoning, notified under the
provisions of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1932, were received,
compared with 466 during the period July-December, 1932. Four cases proved
fatal. In one case (a female aged 61 years), however, in which food poisoning was
stated to have been contracted through eating tinned salmon, a post-mortem examination
and an inquest were held and a verdict of death from disease of the coronary
artery was returned. One case (a male aged 56 years), who was admitted to the
Council's St. George-in-the-East hospital, died on the 13th October. A post-mortem
examination was carried out and a verdict that death was due to toxaemia from
food poisoning by jellied eels (bacillus aertryck) was returned at the inquest.
Two deaths occurred in an outbreak of food poisoning in October. The outbreak
was associated with the consumption of pease pudding prepared and sold at a
shop in St. Pancras.
As far as could be ascertained it produced 13 cases of illness. Six cases (aged
11-16 years) were admitted to Highgate hospital, two of whom died the same day.
A further case was admitted to University College hospital, and, although the child
was for a long time on the danger list, he ultimately recovered. An inquest was held
on the two fatal cases and was adjourned pending further investigations.
Specimens from four cases and post-mortem material from the two fatal cases
were examined at the group laboratory at. Archway hospital, and in each case the
Sonne bacillus was isolated. The University College hospital also attributed the
cause of illness to this organism in the case of the patient admitted to that hospital.
This type of dysentery bacillus is fairly commonly found in children suffering from
diarrhoea, but in these cases the strain was apparently of a virulent form.
The unsold portion of the pease pudding was examined by Dr. Teale of
University College hospital and was found to contain Sonne bacillus.
Samples of the peas were examined in the Council's laboratories and by the
Ministry of Health, and it was proved that the peas themselves were not responsible
for the poisoning.
At one time there was some doubt whether, in the process of cooking, the temperature
of the pudding would reach a point sufficient to destroy all micro-organisms.
Experiments were conducted by the Ministry of Health and it was definitely proved
that the temperature in the middle of the pudding was well above the lethal temperature
for the Sonne bacillus.
As a result of investigations carried out by Dr. Sowden, medical officer of health
of St. Pancras, a link was traced in a child who was proved to have come into contact
with the pudding after it was prepared ; this child was found to be a " carrier " of
the Sonne bacillus. At the resumed inquest, a verdict was returned that death was
due to dysentery contracted in all probability from contact with a carrier case, found
on examination of his stools, to be harbouring the Sonne bacillus.
In some instances several members of a family were affected by illness suspected
to be food poisoning, but in most of the cases notified the suspected food had been
eaten by all the family, and, as only one person suffered, it appeared that the illness
was not true food poisoning.

In six cases (1 male, 5 female) the ages were not stated.