London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Greenwich 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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134
NOTIFICATION OF FOOD POISONING
Under the provisions of Section 26 of the Food and Drugs Act,
1955, every registered medical practitioner attending on any person
shall, if he suspects or becomes aware that any person is suffering
from food poisoning, forthwith notify such case to the Medical
Officer of Health.
There were 25 notifications received, one of which was subsequently
re-diagnosed as Typhoid Fever and two were corrected as
they referred to symptomless excreters. This gave a final total of
22 for the year. There were 42 cases in the previous year, 43 for
1959, 39 for 1958, 17 for 1957, 23 for 1956. 14 for 1955, 12 for
1954 and 9 for 1953.
All cases, which were of the sporadic type, were investigated with the following results:—
| No. of Cases | Organism (if known) | No. of Hospital Cases | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 | No particular food was suspected in nine cases. Eclairs (cream cakes) were suspected in the other case but could not be verified. | |
| 1 | 1 | No particular food suspected. | |
| 11 | Unknown | - | No particular food was suspected in ten cases. Canned baked beans were suspected in the other case but verification was not possible. |
| 22 | 6 |