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cases the food poisoning was merely suspected by the notifying
practitioner.
In 1946, in addition to the 3 notified cases, a report was received
from a local restaurant that several of the diners there had been
suffering from what was suspected to be a mild form of food
poisoning. An investigation was carried out, as a result of which
sliced cooked pork was suspected to be the cause. A sample of the
pork was submitted to the Council's bacteriologist but no organisms
of the Food Poisoning groups were found. The presence of B.Coli,
however, seemed to indicate that contamination had taken place
after the meat had been cooked.
A further mild outbreak occurred in 1947 at a school in the
Borough. Eleven of the teaching staff and some 20 to 30 children
were affected six hours after the meal. Two of the teachers complained
of double vision, but in most of the cases abdominal pain
and diarrhoea were the chief symptoms. These symptoms passed
off rapidly and the patients soon recovered.
The meal consisted of mutton and vegetables including tinned
beetroot.
A sample meal was submitted for bacteriological examination.
The mutton was found to have an unpleasant odour and putrefaction
had commenced when the sample was received at the Laboratory.
The organisms discovered were of the intestinal type and suggested
contamination by excreta. It was not possible to indicate which
item of the food was responsible for the outbreak as they had been
in contact with each other and cross contamination had evidently
occurred.
No formal notifications were received and it was therefore
assumed that the patients recovered without having to seek medical
advice.
This very satisfactory position, in my opinion, is due to the
cumulative effect of the activities of the Public Health Department
in such matters as the destruction of rats and the war on flies,
together with the continuous supervision exercised over food
premises.