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In four cases the type of the infection was unknown and in 26 cases was identified
as follows:-
Salmonella Typhi Murium 17
Staphylococcal 7
Salmonella Enteritidis 1
Salmonella Reading 1
Of the thirty cases, seven occurred in one household, and three in another, the
others being single cases spread throughout the district.
FOOD POISONING OUTBREAK IN A GRAMMAR SCHOOL IN THE BOROUGH.
An outbreak of food poisoning occurred in a Grammar School during the week ending
17th September, when some 409 pupils, 24 teaching staff and 7 of the kitchen staff
were affected during the Thursday evening and night.
Most cases recovered quickly and only 68 pupils failed to attend school on Friday
the 18 th.
The symptoms of the illness were abdominal colic, followed by diarrhoea but without
any vomiting, and as no cases were actually notified by General Practitioners, the
illness can be considered a mild one.
The type of illness suggested a food poisoning due to infection with Clostridium
Welchii, outbreaks of which are usually associated with the practice of re-heating
previously cooked meat.
The meat served on Thursday mid-day, 15th September, to some 591 persons, was
suspected because the illness in most instances started some 9 to 15 hours afterwards.
Specimens of the cooked meat were examined and showed the presence of the organism
Clostridium Welchii (Provisional Serological Type 3). The same organism was also found
in a sample series of 15 stools taken from some of the affected pupils and staff. The
organism was not found in any other items of the menu but 75 lb. of meat which had been
prepared for dinner on Monday, the 19th, was removed for destruction as it was thought
that it might have been infected and a subsequent bacteriological report proved that
this was so.
Contamination could have occurred either from the raw meat as a result of slaughterhouse
contamination, or from a human source due to a fault in personal hygiene.
A specimenof the fresh meat from the butcher's shop showed no Clostridium Welchii,
although that does not definitely prove that the meat was not infected at this source.
The meat suspected was 10 imported lsgs of New Zealand Mutton, each weighing about
6 or 7 lb., delivered on the morning of the 14th and boiled within an hour of arrival
for three hours. The meat was then removed from the boiler and placed on trays away
from the main heat of the kitchen to cool for about an hour before being put into the
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