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faults in hygiene. In three cases, the first case was the father; in only
one was it the mother. Most often one of the children was first affected,
in which case the mother was the adult most likely to have the secondary
attack. The secondary case was most often another child, though sometimes
it was one of the parents. In none of these cases was the diagnosis
confirmed by the laboratory examination, and it may be that some were
not true cases of food poisoning.
Salmonella typhimurium was recovered in a few instances, Salmonella
cholerae suis in one. CI. Welchii was responsible for two incidents. In
one of these, four notifications were received relating to some patients in
a nursing home. All had diarrhoea and vomiting in the early hours of a
Tuesday morning. The joint of lamb which was the main dish of the
midday meal on the Sunday was kept overnight in a larder at room
temperature and was eaten cold midday on Monday. The other incident
due to this organism in which no cases were notified was that at a boys'
school. Between midnight and 5 a.m. on the 23rd January 16 masters
and 207 boys at the school had diarrhoea, some with and some without
abdominal pain. The midday meal on the 22nd was silverside which had
been steamed for 2\ hours on the 21st and was put in the larder. The
joint was carved and warmed up just before dishing up. CI. Welchii was
recovered from the meat and from the feces of some of the sufferers. In
each of the last few years there has been a Welchii infection in this district.
In 1954 seven persons in a household were affected by a stew. In the
next year, the staff and patients at two homes for old people were involved.
In 1956 many of those employed at a factory in the district were affected
following consumption of a steak and kidney pie prepared at the works
canteen.
The number of households affected was greatest in the summer
months, 24 out of 46 incidents occurring in the four months June to
September.

The Monthly Bulletin of the Ministry of Health and Public Healt
Laboratory Service for December, 1957, gives a summary of food Poison
ing in England and Wales in 1956. "As in previous years, processed and