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The patient's illness was complicated by a deep vein thrombosis affecting the right leg
and this required treatment with anticoagulants.
The patient subsequently became symptom free, there was minimal residual oedema with no
tenderness in the right leg and five consecutive stool samples failed to produce a growth of
Salmonella panama.
Lead Poisoning
There were four references to the department on the subject of lead poisoning during
1967.
Of these, the first referred to the high lead content in paint used on the beak of a
duck which formed part of a baby's rattle. The M.O.H. of the area in which the toys were
manufactured, subsequently reported that the factory had been supplied with lead-free paint
for over two years. It appeared, therefore, that the toy was one that had been in stock for
longer than that period and it was considered unlikely that there were any more of these in
circulation.
The second concerned a request from the M.O.H. of a neighbouring borough, for samples
of lead toys manufactured in Islington. This was to investigate a case of lead poisoning in
a child suffering from Pica, which took the form of wall plaster eating. The original
hypothesis for the source of the lead poisoning was thought to be the wall plaster, which,
in spite of the low lead content, could produce this form of poisoning simply from the
quantity consumed. Subsequently, however, it was suggested that the child had been chewing
a lead soldier manufactured in Islington. Finally it was ascertained that the firm had
discontinued the production of lead soldiers, and now are concentrating on the plastic and
zinc metal side of toy manufacture.
The third concerned a 3% year old male child who had been admitted to hospital with a
raised blood lead level, and a request was made for a domiciliary investigation into the source
of the poisoning. It was ascertained that the child was continually gnawing and licking
paint, particularly in the kitchen, W.C. compartment and external window-sills. As a result
of these investigations and the analysis report on the sample taken, it was agreed that all
lead paint surfaces be removed from the room.
The remaining reference concerned a complaint by a member of the public, of the sale of
wooden toys from Europe; similar toys had been reported in the National Press as being unsafe
by reason of paint with a high lead content. Subsequent sampling showed that the toys in
question were in fact contravening the Toys Safety Regulations 1967, by reason of the presence
in the dry paint coating of more than 11, 000 parts per million, (1.1 per cent). The toys were
manufactured in the U. S. S. R.
Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever
There was one confirmed case of typhoid fever and 8 confirmed cases of paratyphoid
fever, during the year as follows:-
Typhoid Fever
Information was received that a female Islington child aged 8& years, who was admitted
to an isolation hospital in March, was confirmed subsequently as suffering from typhoid
fever. This patient left England in January, for a visit to Karachi, Pakistan, and returned
in February. Onset date was some 11 days after return to this country, the child having been
in school three days prior to this. Domiciliary enquiries and routine bacteriological
investigation of Islington residential, school and other contacts was carried out with
negative results, and their practitioner informed.
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