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this may have been due to the advanced age of the
patients.
Source of infection.—All the patients except three
ate tinned corned beef, served cold at the mid-day dinner
on Friday, 3rd September, and most of them, including
these three, had stew containing the remains of the
corned beef at dinner on the following day.
There was not the slightest suspicion against any
other article of diet nor any probability of infection
from animals in the institution. The water supply was
also beyond suspicion. The evidence was consistent with
the corned beef being the medium of infection, but was
not absolutely conclusive as none of the beef was left
after the suspected meal, so that it could not be examined.
There was, however, another possible source of
infection as two of the attendants (G. S. and E. W.)
who carved the corned beef and assisted in serving the
meals were found to have bacillus aertrycke in their
stools, although they had no symptoms of illness.
Either of them may, therefore, have been a carrier of
the bacillus.
G. S., however, admitted that he ate two ounces
of corned beef on the Friday, and E. W. stated that
he may have had some of the stew on the Saturday,
and they may have been infected in this way.
Food Preparing Places.
There are known to be 112 food preparing places,
excluding bakehouses, in the Borough.
These are as follows:—One large biscuit and cake
factory, one large sauce factory, three pie shops, seven
restaurants, nine ham and beef shops and 91 eating
houses or dining rooms.
These premises are under the supervision of the
woman sanitary inspector, Mrs. Davies, who made 272
visits of inspection during the year under review, compared
with 300 during 1926. Twelve notices requiring
cleansing were served during 1927.