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cases suggested that the symptoms were due, not to a toxic
infection, but to living organisms.
During the outbreak, 33 cases of suspected food poisoning in
27 households were notified, the practitioners in the neighbourhood
having been warned of the outbreak. On enquiry, however, these
cases were found to have no connection with the outbreak under
investigation or with one another. Some appeared to be ordinary
gastric upsets occurring in susceptible persons, but in one instance
the B. aertrycke was isolated from the stools.
In ordinary times many of these cases would never have been
brought to the notice of the Health Department.
At the beginning of the outbreak it was found that the
sufferers, including four St. Pancras cases, had all obtained ham
(on Saturday, 21st August, or Monday, 23rd August) from
a provision shop in the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury, and
attention was immediately directed thereto. Detailed investigations
and enquiries were made.
Premises.—The shop, a grocer's and provision store, consisted
of a ground floor front room (converted into a shop), communicating
directly with the ground floor back room (shop parlour) and a back
basement. In the back room there was a gas stove used for cooking
light meals for the staff; this room could also be approached from
a door in the passage. The only water supply for the use of the
shop was by means of a tap in the yard ; there was no sink in the
house. The water closet was situated in the ground floor back
passage, and was used by the occupants of the top floors. A water
supply was provided on the landing for the use of the tenants
upstairs.
The back basement was entirely separated from the front
basement, the side door being closed, and was approached from
the shop by means of a trap door and wooden stairs. It was used
for storage purposes—eggs, tinned goods, cheese, tea chests and
the like, no unwrapped food being kept in this part of the shop.
A portion of the back yard was used for the storage of old tins
and boxes connected with the business.
The front basement room was occupied in conjunction with
rooms on the upper floors, the access to which was by means of
a separate front door.
No undue presence of flies was noted on the premises.