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The following are the main suggestions of the Board:—
1. Notification of Births and home visiting in regard to the feeding and
the care of Infants
2. The exercise of certain precautions in regard to the method of storing
milk and other food, and the condition of the vessels in which such are kept.
3. The necessity of ensuring that vigorous efforts are made to prevent the
accumulation of decomposed animal and vegetable matter or other refuse in
the neighbourhood of dwelling-houses.
4.. The destruction of flies.
The above suggestions are carried out as routine by my Department.
The Corporation have always taken a particular interest in the welfare of the
young, and a considerable proportion of the time of one of its Women Sanitary
Inspectors is devoted to the work of Infant visiting.
It is gratifying to report that during the present year Diarrhoea has only been
responsible for the death of one City child.
ENTERIC FEVER AND PERIWINKLES.
Enquiries into three cases of Enteric Fever occurring in June last in an adjoining
borough, elicited the fact that in each case there was a possibility of the disease being
associated with the partaking of Periwinkles.
The circumstances were such that I deemed further enquiries necessary, and with
the assistance of the Officers of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, I
ascertained the name of the retailer supplying the patients, the date of the purchase of
his stock, the name of the wholesale dealer, and the source from which the winkles
were obtaiued.
Samples were obtained and these were submitted to Dr. Andrewes for bacteriological
examination.
The bacteriological report with regard to one sample showed that it was improbable
that the outbreaks of Enteric Fever were associated with their consumption as at first
seemed possible.
Neither the Bacillus Coli Communis nor the Bacillus Enteritidis Sporogenes was
found, though Dr. Andrewes found Streptococci present in 1/10th but not in 1/100th of a
periwinkle. Although it was not possible to state that the winkles were sewage
polluted, the presence of Streptococci is objectionable.
The report of Dr. Andrewes with regard to another sample was as follows:—
"These periwinkles show evidence of sewage contamination. They were examined
with the same aseptic precautions as the previous sample.
"Bacillus Coli.—6 entire winkles examined separately showed the same presence
of lactose fermenters—with gas formation. Two tubes were planted out and yielded
typical B. Coli Communis (saccharose negative) and also in smaller numbers a bacillus
resembling B. fæcalis alkaligenes. 5 winkles were chopped up and diluted to 50 c.c.,
1 c.c.=1/10 winkle. Two tubes each inoculated with 1/10 winkle gave no evidence of
B. Coli.