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40
Medical Officer for Southwark, kindly visited these premises and
enquired as to the health of the people concerned. He ascertained that
"T"s watercress was obtained from two sources, viz., from "W" in
Hertford and from "S" in Kent. Samples of "T"s watercress were
taken for bacteriological examination and letters were sent to the Medical
Officers of Health for the Counties of Hertford and Kent asking
whether the watercress beds were sewage contaminated. While
awaiting replies, the places of business at which the patients worked
were enquired into, but without result.
The ice cream firms were taken in hand and a local depot was
examined and found to be clean. The Medical Officers of the districts
in which the ice cream was manufactured were asked to visit the
factories concerned to enquire as to the health of the staffs and as to
methods of manufacture, etc. It was ascertained that none of the staff
nor their families had ever suffered from gastric or abdominal trouble.
Sundry other enquiries were made such as an examination of water
supply and the bacteriological examination of a sample of excrement.
Evidence gradually pointed in the direction of the watercress as the
peccant food.
In neither case did the samples of watercress, originally hailing from
Kent and Hertford, present the germ on bacteriological examination—
admittedly a difficult thing to find, just like looking for a needle in a
haystack. There was, however, evidence of Colon germs (intestinal
germs) present. The Medical Officer for Hertfordshire wrote that he
had visited the watercress beds and had found the water supply of the
same was spring water of good quality and pure. None of the workers
living in the vicinity had any history of illness. Some of the houses
were in rather close proximity to the watercress beds and there was a
possibility of occasional contamination; he added he was referring the
matter to the local Medical Officer of Health who, at the time, was
away on holiday. Later, the County Medical Officer wrote again
saying : "A cesspool in a field which takes the sink waste from a house
overflows into the cress beds from which the cress was obtained. The
matter is being taken up with the owner of the property and I trust to
be able to prevent the pollution in future." Still later I was informed
that the cesspool had been cleaned out and arrangements made to do
away with the portion of the beds in proximity to the cesspool. It may
well be that this was the source of the trouble.