London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Lambeth 1925

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth Borough]

This page requires JavaScript

118
infected meats was very great—only 4 persons, who partook of the
infected meats, escaping infection out of a total of 28 who have been
traced and proved to have actually partaken of the beef or pork or
both. No herpes or other skin eruptions were noticed.
The unsatisfactory arrangements which were found to exist in
connection with the process of preparation of the cooked meats have
been altered, and the two fat and trimmings and other refuse cupboards,
and the fixed dust receptacle or ashpit have been done away with, and
other more sanitary appliances substituted; whilst other precautions
are also being taken in the way of carrying on the cooking and pressing
of meats under proper cleanly conditions which will prevent any future
outbreak of food poisoning due to contamination such as is described
in this report.
There can be but little doubt that the poison in this outbreak was
exaggerated and became more virulent by virtue of the recent spell of
abnormally hot weather, with the result that (as already stated) 29
persons out of a total of 33, who actually partook of the poisoned food,
were effected—the large proportion of 87.9 per cent. of the cases
actually traced. Fortunately, no death has been reported. The layers
of gelatine were a most suitable breeding ground, or nidus, for the
germs found.
The great lesson to be learned from the outbreak is the need for
scrupulous cleanliness being enforced in connection with all trades
dealing with foods prepared for human consumption, and the great
value of bacteriological examination in investigating food poison
outbreaks.
The Report of the outbreak emphasises also two methods of
enquiry that should be available in all such investgations and that are
dependent upon
(1) Circumstantial evidence ;
(2) Bacteriological and serological investigations.
(1) Ciriumsiantial evidence.
This evidence was very definite, all pointing to a distinct source
of infection on one special date, and in connection with one special
cooking and preparation of joints of salted beef and pork on May 13th,
1925. The particular shop involved was old-established, and for
many years past had cooked and prepared salted beef and pork, and
sold the same to hundreds and thousands of customers without a single
instance of food poisoning in connection therewith having been
officially reported, although the actual conditions under which the
salting, cooking, and preparations of the beef and pork were carried
out were, as far as the neighbouring w.c., dust receptacle or ashpit and
fat and other refuse cupboards were concerned, in every way identical
with those of previous years, with the sole exception of the abnormally