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from a grocery store In the neighbourhood, and cooked in fat
in the oven, These were served as sandwiches in bread rolls.
About 15 employees partook of the meal, and 6 or 7 felt ill
about 9 p.m. and later.
Other foods eaten were tomato soup, blue vein cheese,
cream cakes, bread and butter, tea or coffee. Some had
their own sandwiches, and 4 of these were also taken ill.
Jan.l. Cook vomited in morning. Served above type of lunch
and went home at 2.30 p.m.
Jan.2. Same type of meal eaten by employees, 1 p.m.
Several ill, 9 p.m.
Jan.3. Similar meal eaten. No ill effects.
On 3rd January, the day of investigation, no samples
remained of the sausages eaten on the 2nd, but samples were
taken of those eaten on the 3rd, and of the fat in which they
were cooked. Samples were also taken of synthetic cream
cakes.
On 4th January the cook was interviewed. She had quite
recovered, and had not seen her doctor. No evidence was seen
of septic sores.
On 7th January all the affected staff had recovered from
their illness.
Bacteriological Reports.
Sausages - no food poisoning or pathogenic germs.
Unused Cooking Fat - light growth of staphylococcus albus.
Used Cooking Fat - mixed growth of staphylococcus aureus
(coagulese negative) and B.Subtilis
present.
Synthetic Cream - culture negative.
From the above bacteriological report it is possible that
the used fat was the cause of the outbreak.
Measles.
Notifications for the year numbered 1,284, and there were
no deaths. There were 1,459 cases in 1951.
One measles epidemic reached its peak in March 1951 and the
33.