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from abroad. The clinical features of the cases were nausea and abdominal pain within
half an hour followed by diarrhoea lasting 24 hours.
The second outbreak occurred in a party of 40 children who travelled by coach to
a Youth Hostel in the West Country to spend a week's holiday. At firsts investigations
indicated that the source of infection was a boy who was ill at home on the day
before he left on the trip. Pathological findings threw some doubt on this, three
organisms, salmonella typhimurium, salmonella heidelberg and salmonella Chester were
recovered. Salmonella heidelberg was recovered from specimens submitted from the
suspected boy and salmonella typhimurium and salmonella Chester from specimens
submitted from the other patients, both types in some cases from the same patient.
A report received from the Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale, indicated that
during this period, seven outbreaks occurred over a widespread area and that in four
of the outbreaks all three serotypes were isolated, while in three, two of the serotypes
were isolated. It seems therefore that the illness was caused by infected food eaten
soon after the party's arrival at the Hostel. The clinical features were nausea, temperature,
headache, vomiting and diarrhoea for a period of 24 hours.
The third outbreak affected 17 persons out of a total of 21 at risk all of whom
had eaten lunch at a cafe in the Borough. There was no food or drink consumed in
common and no foodstuffs left over. The proprietress of the cafe had suffered from
diarrhoea the previous evening; her husband was unaffected but had a heavy cold.
Faecal specimens from them and three patients were found to be negative. The
clinical features were sickness and diarrhoea for a period of 24 hours.
Measles
The incidence of measles reaches epidemic proportions about every other year
and from the figures given it will be seen that this was not an " epidemic " year.
Paratyphoid
One sporadic case of paratyphoid occurred during the year.
Poliomyelitis
For the fifth year running there have been no cases of poliomyelitis.
Puerperal Pyrexia
Twenty-eight cases were notified, one of which was a home confinement and a
Finchley resident; the remainder occurred in the North Middlesex Hospital Annexe in
The Bishops Avenue and were residents of other districts.
The Puerperal Pyrexia Regulations, 1951, require medical practitioners to notify
to the medical officer of health all cases of puerperal pyrexia which is defined as
being "Any febrile condition occurring in a woman in whom a temperature of 100.4°F
(38°C) or more has occurred within 14 days after childbirth or miscarriage."
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