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7
culosis was 0.22 per 1,000 of population, which is an improvement
on the rates for 1949 and 1948 which were respectively 0.36 and
0.49.
From the information given in Table V it will be seen that as
is usually the case, the heaviest incidence of new cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis was in the age group from fifteen to forty-five, and
among females it was particularly high between the ages of fifteen
and thirty-five.
Food Poisoning.
Sixteen cases of food poisoning were notified during the year.
In most of the cases the evidence implicating any individual article
of food was very indefinite, and bacteriological investigation failed
to show any bacterial contamination of food. In nine cases only
one member of a household was affected. In one case two members
of a household were affected, and in one case no fewer than five
members of a household of six were involved. In this last case
sudden illness characterised by diarrhoea and vomiting occurred
very shortly after a meal, in which all those affected had partaken
of canteloupe melon, which had not been eaten by the only member
of the household not affected. One of those affected, a visitor to the
district, an elderly lady of 69 years, died within 12 hours, but it was
known that she had suffered from a heart affection for some years
and after a post-mortem examination, death was certified by the
Coroner as due to coronary occlusion, accelerated by excessive
vomiting' arising from poisoning of unknown origin. The most
exhaustive investigation both chemical and bacteriological failed
to reveal the actual cause of the poisoning, but none the less this was
obviously an outbreak of food poisoning.
SCABIES.
Only three cases of scabies, one school child and two adults,
requiring treatment during 1950 were sent to the Hornsey Cleansing
Station. The arrangement with the Hornsey Borough Council for
treatment of Wood Green cases was discontinued in November,
owing to the shortage of nursing staff to undertake the work. The
number dealt with in the previous year was seven.