View report page

65
an organism of the Salmonella Group, which eventually proved to be the B. Thompson. Thus,
this person who handled the pies before they were sold, was infected with the organism which
was found in the pies and in those who ate the pies. She might have conveyed the infection to the
pies ; or she might have been infected by them, although she stated that at no time did she taste
them.
Three other workers in the bakehouse were found to be infected with the same organism. In
these three there was no evidence of any recent illness and they were possibly "carriers."
An examination of the constituent parts of unconsumed pie secured from the three houses
showed that the meat was more heavily infected than the other parts. As the particular kind of
flesh is known to be capable of carrying this infection, this foodstuff was traced back to the slaughterhouse
in Northamptonshire. No further evidence could be obtained that this article was responsible.
Precautionary Measures.
Before all the facts were known it appeared that the most important step to take with a view
to terminating the epidemic was to stop selling the pies, and the proprietor of the food shop adopted
my recommendation. The pies already made and unsold were voluntarily surrendered and
destroyed. It should be added that bacteriological examination of these pies before destruction
failed to show any of the Salmonella Group of organisms.
The employee who had suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting and the three others found to
be infected were excluded from work until certified free from infection.
Conclusions as to the Cause of the Outbreak.
A full consideration of the facts, of which this report contains only a brief outline, led to the
conclusion that the meat was infected before it arrived at the shop and that the woman worker
and the other three workers became infected by handling the pies ; also that the twenty customers
were infected by consuming them.
THE PREVENTION OF, AND CONTROL OYER, INFECTIOUS
DISEASE.
NOTIFIABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The following diseases are compulsorily notifiable in Kensington:—
Acute Encephalitis Lethargica. Influenzal Pneumonia.
Acute Polio-encephalitis. Malaria.
Acute Polio-myelitis. Membranous Croup.
Acute Primary Pneumonia. Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
Acute Rheumatism. Plague.
Anthrax. Puerperal Fever.
Cerebro-spinal Fever. Puerperal Pyrexia.
Cholera. Relapsing Fever.
Continued Fever. Scarlatina or Scarlet Fever.
Diphtheria. Small-pox.
Dysentery. Tuberculosis.
Erysipelas. Typhoid or Enteric Fever.
Glanders. Typhus Fever.
Hydrophobia. Zymotic Enteritis.

Cases of mistaken diagnosis are excluded from the above table.
† Puerperal Pyrexia became notifiable on October 1st, 1926.
‡ Acute Rheumatism in children under 16 years of age became notifiable in Kensington on October 1st, 1927,
* Zymotic Enteritis in children under 5 years of age became notifiable in Kensington on July 1st, 1924. The other London
Boroughs in which this disease is notifiable are Fulham, Finsbury, Poplar, Southwark, Deptford, Greenwich,
Woolwich and Paddington.