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1932]
68
or becomes aware that such person is suffering from food poisoning forthwith send
to the Medical Officer of Health of the district in which such person is, a certificate
stating the full name and the age and sex of such person, the full postal address
of the house or premises at which such person is and particulars of the food
poisoning from which such person is or is suspected by such practitioner to be
'suffering and stating also whether the case occurs in the private practice of such
practitioner or in his practice as a Medical Officer of any public body or institution.
DEFINITION OF FOOD POISONING.
For the convenience of medical practitioners, the Medical Officer of Health
issued a circular to the local medical practitioners giving details of the requirements
of the Act, and intimating that the purpose of the notification of food
poisoning is obviously to trace poisoned food. Food poisoning therefore is where
the food itself is poisoned either by bacteria or other poison and the individual is
poisoned by partaking of the same. When a person suffers from faulty digestion
or otherwise and partakes of food which disagrees owing to the particular idiosyncracy
of the individual, this is not food poisoning. Many individuals are susceptible
to certain articles, such as strawberries, tinned salmon, shell fish, etc., and
after partaking of these show an eruption or rash on the skin, and are rendered
unwell. These are technically classed as " allergic " cases and should not be
notified as food poisoning, as they are merely the reaction of the sensitive individual
to something which disagrees with him. The food poisoning notifiable under this
Act is, as stated, a matter of the food itself being affected by bacteria or other
poison, and owing to this the partaker being in turn poisoned.
During the portion of the year the Act was in force, six such cases of food
poisoning were notified, the alleged poisoned foods being, 2 fish, 2 fish paste,
1 roast pork, and 1 shrimps.
ARTIFICIAL CREAM ACT, 1929.
This Act is for regulating the manufacture and sale of reconstituted cream, a
subject to which reference was made in the Annual Report of the Medical Officer
of Health, 1929, page 74. This "cream " is made by emulsifying butter with
dried skimmed milk powder and water. The number of applications received
during the year was one (for temporary registration only). At the end of the year
the number still remaining on the register was 2.
PUBLIC HEALTH (CONDENSED MILK) REGULATIONS, 1923 and 1927.
During the year 4 informal samples were taken under the above Regulations.
PUBLIC HEALTH (DRIED MILK) REGULATIONS, 1923 and 1927.
Seven informal samples were taken and found in order.
MILK AND DAIRIES (CONSOLIDATION) ACT, 1915.
For prosecutions under this Act see page 78.
Milk Purveyors and Dairies.—At the close of the year there were 698
milk purveyors and dairies on the register, 69 having been added to it, while 27
were removed. The District Sanitary Inspectors paid 1,068 visits to them, and
served 36 notices for the carrying out of various sanitary improvements and the
cleansing of dirty utensils.