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99
FOOD POISONING.
No cases of food poisoning came to the knowledge of the
Department during the year but one suspected case was investigated.
In September I was informed by the Acting
Medical Superintendent of Lewisham Hospital that a woman
had been admitted there three days previously and that it
was believed she had died from food poisoning. I attended
the post-mortem and sent material obtained there to the
Ministry of Health laboratory, where it was examined for
the presence of organisms associated with food poisoning.
The examination was negative, there being no bacteriological
evidence of the cause of death. Enquiries made regarding
the food under suspicion were equally negative, and, in
possession of this information, I gave evidence at the
inquest to the effect that there was no evidence supporting a
diagnosis of food poisoning. The evidence of the pathologist
was to the effect that the woman died from phlegmonous
gastritis and the Coroner recorded a verdict of death from
natural causes.
SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS.
These Acts provide for the appointment of a Public Analyst,
for the purchase of food and drugs for the purpose of analysis,
and for subsequent proceedings where adulteration is found.
The number of samples taken, and the result of the various
analyses made, are given in the following Table No. 42
The percentage of adulterated samples was 3.9 compared
with 3.6 in 1924. Eleven samples were taken on a Sunday,
but none of these were adulterated. There were 10 informal
samples adulterated, but when formal samples of the same
articles were purchased only four were found adulterated.
The impression gained, by a review of the sampling under
the Food and Drugs Acts during the past five years, is that