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64
On Friday, September 7th, I was informed by a medical practitioner (Dr. Bolt) that
on the previous afternoon and evening, Thursday, September 6th, he had been called to
attend a number of persons residing at the Green Cross Club, and that some form of food
poisoning was suspected.
The premises in question are used as a residential club for business women, and,
including staff, from 50 to 60 persons are usually in residence.
It was ascertained that between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday, September 6th, 22
persons had been attacked, and the following were the principal features of the illuess:—
diarrhoea, vomiting, pain in the back and limbs and more or less collapse. The temperature
in different case3 varied from 99° to 102° Fahr., and the pulse rate from 120 to 130. In
the majority of the cases the acute symptoms subsided within about 48 hours, but in a
few instances the symptoms were more severe and the illness of longer duration. All the
patients recovered.
I was informed that on Thursday morning, the day on which the attack occurred,
breakfast consisted of porridge, bacon, tomatoes, tea and coffee. Dinner, on the preceding
evening (Wednesday), comprised soup, veal, mutton cutlets, stewed (fresh) fruit, junket
and cornffour. The only article of food eaten in common by all the sufferers was the
junket, but unfortunately none of this was available for analysis. A certain quantity had
been left over from dinner, but one of the maids received permission to eat it. She was
the only member of the kitchen staff who had junket, and she was the only one of this
staff who suffered from the illness in question.
Samples of such of the foods as were available were collected by Mr. Auger (Food
Inspector) and were forwarded to the Pathological Laboratory of the Ministry of Health
for analysis, but the report stated that no suspicious organisms were discovered.
Samples of faeces from several of the patients were also forwarded for examination
and these were found to contain Gaertner Bacilli, a well known organism of food poisoning.
A sample of blood from the maid, previously mentioned, was also found to agglutinate
Gaertner Bacilli in a dilution of 1-320, which is proof of a recent infection with this
Bacillus.
One patient who had a rather severe attack was removed to a Nursing Home. A
sample of her faeces was examined by another Pathologist, who reported an abundant
growth of Gaertner Bacilli. The blood of this case also possessed strong agglutination
properties as regards the Bacilli in question.
Although the junket is considered to have been the cause of the outbreak, it has not
been possible to discover how the junket became infected with the Gaertner Bacillus.
This germ is frequently found in the lower animals, including rats and mice; it is also
possible for flies to act as agencies for the transmission of bactcrial infection. A few mice
and a large number of beetles are stated to have been seen at times in the kitchen, and at
that time of the year flies were prevalent.
Owing to the method of preparation, certain foods are more likely to become infected
than others, and junket is one of these. In the present case the milk was warmed soon
after delivery, about 11 a.m. the rennet was added, and it was then left exposed until
required for dinner in the evening. Any organisms which obtained access, would, therefore,
find themselves for some hours under ideal conditions, both as regards food and
temperature, for rapid growth and development. The warm weather prevailing at this
time was also extremely favourable for bacterial multiplication.