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B A R N E T URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL.
CHIEF SANITARY INSPECTOR'S REPORT,
Public Health Department,
31 Wood Street,
Barnet.
To the Chairman and Members of
the Barnet Urban District Council.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present to you my Annual. Report giving details of the
work of the Department during the year 1951 in administering the various Acts,
Regulations and Byelaws in force in the district.
The ten cases of food poisoning notified in the district this year, although
not an alarming figure, do show an increase over the previous year. This, in
spite of the attention being paid by all concerned to the preparation of food in
cafes, restaurants etc.
In point of fact all ten cases arose from eating, at home, food prepared in
the home. Eight people suffered, in varying degrees, by a housewife using a raw
duck egg to whip up with some cream "to make it go round". Attention has been
drawn to the necessity of boiling duck eggs for 15 minutes, or otherwise properly
cooking them, e.g. as in cake making. The suspected food in the other two cases
was ox tongue which had been cooked and pressed at home.
The food poisoning outbreaks which receive the greatest publicity are those
affecting large numbers of people at one time as at wedding receptions, beanfeasts,
canteens or restaurants. In the homes, where only two or three persons are at
risk, throughout the year there must be far more affected and a considerable
amount of working time is lost due to the so called "chill on the stomach", quite
often a doctor is not consulted and the cose is never officially notified.
INSPECTION OF DISTRICT.
General Inspections of the district have been carried out periodically and
all complaints investigated.
The process of serving a preliminary or intimation notice upon the person in
default, specifying the works necessary to remedy the defects found, is usually
followed. It was found necessary to ask your authority to serve only sixteen