London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Walthamstow 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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Of these, 81 were genuine, and 8 were not up to the standard.
One prosecution involved five of these latter samples, and the others
were of a minor character and were followed up and further samples
proved genuine.
(d) Food Poisoning.
Particulars were received by your Medical Officer of Health on
25th July from H.M. Coroner of a fatal case of suspected food
poisoning. Arrangements were made for obtaining post-mortem
specimens and these, on examination at the Ministry of Health's
Laboratory, showed death to have been due to food poisoning caused
by Bacillus Aertrycke.
Detailed enquiries showed that the patient, his wife, his married
daughter and her daughter (the latter from a separate household) all
suffered from gastro-enteritis. The articles of food most under
suspicion were pork, veal, and ducks eggs, and the relevant information is set out in tabular form below.
| Deceased. | Deceased's wife. | Deceased's single daughter. | Deceased's married daughter. | Deceased's son-in-law. | Deceased's granddaughter. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pork eaten | 11th & 13.7.31 | 11.7.31 | 11.7.31 | Nil | Nil | Nil. |
| Veal eaten | 12.7.31 | 12.7.31 | 12.7.31 | Nil | Nil | Nil. |
| Ducks' eggs eaten | Two on | Nil | Nil | One on | Two on | (?). |
| 13.7.31 | 12th & | 12 & | ||||
| 13.7.31 | 13.7.31 | |||||
| Illness began | 13.7.31 | 12.7.31 | Nil | 21st.7.31 | Nil | Yes. |
| Investigations | P.M. specimens | Blood agg. | Faeces negative | Blood negative | Nil done | Faeces B. aertrycke. |
| B. aertrycke | 1/120 faeces B. aertrycke | faeces negative |
Infection was probably carried by the pork and ducks' eggs
and not by the veal (the single daughter ate most of this). The
deceased had not only eaten a double quantity of pork, but had also
consumed two ducks' eggs. The finding of Bacillus Aertrycke
(one colony only) in the grand-daughter's faeces is inexplicable—
unless she was given a spoonful of duck's egg.
No other cases of suspicious illness were found in spite of
enquiries at the shops where each of the three articles of food were
sold.
The pork was from a pig slaughtered locally on the 9th July
and passed for consumption when inspected after slaughter. It was
one of a batch bought in an adjoining area, removal of which had been
sanctioned by the Local Authority of the area under the Regulation