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(4) One of the disinfecting staff of the Corporation was posted to the School to disinfect all
sanitary accommodation. It was arranged that such spraying should take place at the
end of each "break" in the school curriculum, i.e. at 10.30 and 11.30 a.m. and at 2.0
and 4.30 p.m. each day. In addition all the water closet seats were swabbed with a
disinfectant solution and a quantity of the latter poured into the water closet pan to overcome
the effects of splashing when the children used the water closets. This routine
was followed until seven days after the last case was notified —a period of three weeks.
Suitable notices were posted in all water closets and lavatories to draw attention to the
need for the washing of hands.
(5) Absentees or cases of suspicious illness were immediately notified to enable appropriate
follow-up measures to be taken.
Your Medical Officer did not consider the closure of the School was warranted since not
only would it have meant a severe dislocation of school life but it would also have resulted in
the loss of adequate control of potential cases or carriers of the disease.
All in all, not only did the measures undertaken quell the outbreak of the disease, but it
provided a very useful lesson to all those attending the School on the need at all times to
practice those elementary precautions so necessary to prevent the spread of diarrhoeal illnesses
associated with food poisoning, dysentery, typhoid, etc.
Incident 2.
On Wednesday morning 17th August, 1960, your Medical Officer was notified that some
members of an Office Staff had been ill overnight with symptoms which indicated that food
poisoning might have been the cause.
From subsequent enquiries it was ascertained that 30 people were affected in some degree
and that the item of food suspected was Curried Beef eaten at mid-day on the 16th August.
Everyone had similar symptoms — abdominal pain and diarrhoea — with an average time of 10.3
hours from taking their meals to the onset of the symptoms and the majority were feeling reasonably
well within the next 24 hours. Although these symptoms and the time factors indicated that
the food poisoning might have been due to a toxin of a heat resistant strain of Clostridium
Welchii, the bacteriologist was unable to isolate these organisms from the specimens submitted
to him.
This was the third occurrence of food poisoning in this canteen during the past 18 months
and on each occasion a thorough investigation was made to ascertain the cause. On the two
previous occasions certain deficiencies in the handling of food were obvious and could have
accounted for these outbreaks. This latest incident, however, was quite unresolved, but certain
staff changes were subsequently made by the Caterers which may result in better supervision of
the catering staff and better food handling in general.
The canteen in this case was the City of London Corporation's own Staff Dining room at
Guildhall, where general inspectorial advice and supervision of the personnel engaged are at an
optimum. Even in these circumstances, however, food poisoning due to negligence of catering
personnel does occur, which fact enhances the contention that without maximum care in matters
of hygiene by those engaged in the handling of food, such outbreaks cannot be eliminated.
Below is a copy of the Annual Return made to the Minister of Health on food poisoning in
the City of London during I960.
ANNUAL RETURN OF FOOD POISONING IN THE CITY OF LONDON
1. YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1960.
2. (a) FOOD POISONING NOTIFICATIONS (Corrected) as returned to Registrar General:-
lst Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
(b) Cases otherwise ascertained:—
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
Nil 1 1 Nil 2
(c) Symptomless Excreters
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
(d) Fatal Cases
1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
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