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cases had been nursed in the same ward and all children who had
been recently discharged from that ward were visited and, fortunately,
found to be well.
On the 17th June the doctor attending the second family drew
attention to suspicious symptoms in two children in the adjoining
house who had played with the latter. Later two of these children
were found to be suffering from Dysentery of the same type (Flexner
W.).
Later in the year a further case of Bacillary Dysentery of the
same type was notified from another Hospital but no further cases
developed.
All the nine bacteriologically proved cases were treated in
Hospital with one death—primarily due to pneumonia following
Measles.
The general severity of the disease was definitely below that
which has been met with in a similar epidemic in another area.
The seven cases admitted to your Council's Isolation Hospital
made good recoveries and responded well to treatment with the
appropriate serum.
Grateful acknowledgment must be made to two local Doctors
but for whose help this small outbreak would probably never have
been discovered.
Food Poisoning.—A medical practitioner notified on June 3rd
that one of his patients had symptoms suggestive of Food Poisoning.
On visiting, the patient was found to be gravely ill with an almost
continuous watery diarrhoea and arrangements were made by his
own doctor for immediate removal to Hospital where a good recovery
was made.
After investigation of specimens at the Ministry of Health
Laboratory Dr. Scott reported the illness to be due to infection
with Bacillus Aertrycke.
The patient had consumed about 3 duck eggs on and after May
27th and sickened on June 2nd. No eggs from the same consignment
could be obtained but a dozen eggs from the same source (Dutch)
were examined by Dr. Scott with negative results.
A fatal case of food poisoning reported last year and in all
probability due to duck eggs will be recalled to mind.
Antimony Poisoning.—The Ministry of Health have recently
issued a Memorandum on the subject of Antimony Poisoning due
to the use of enamelled vessels of inferior quality for the preparation
of acid drinks such as lemonade. In such cases the enamel coating
of the vessel is attacked by the acid with the result that the lemonade
contains antimony in solution.