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51
was fully investigated with the help of Dr. Betty Hobbs, of Colindale.
Australian "boned" meat was suspected, but not proved
The next was a family outbreak of 3 cases probably associated
with a girl who attended one of the departments concerned in the
previous outbreak.
The fifith outbreak, also in July, related to 6 cases in two
related families, but neither food nor agent was identified.
Apparently "boned" meat, possibly Australian had been eaten.
The sixth outbreak (in August) included 3 cases probably
caused by eating cold boiled bacon kept for four days between
cooking and eating and which yielded a coagulase positive
staphylococcus, as did two of the patients.
The last outbreak also concerned two related families who had
eaten pork. A coagulase staphylococcus was grown from one
patient.
During the year a questionnaire was completed for the Ministry
of Health in regard to the adequacy of notification of food poison'
ing. This showed that from six practices of up to twelve medical
practitioners (with total lists of over 25,000 patients) who were
regarded as regularly notifying cases of food poisoning, there were
75 notifications in the six years 1951/56. This compared with only
48 notifications from the remaining 73 doctors practising in the
Borough and with lists of approximately 119,000.
During these six years three references had been made in
circular letters to medical practitioners stressing the need to notify
food poisoning immediately and preferably by telephone.
Early in 1958 copies of the Revised Memorandum 188/Med. in
regard to food poisoning were circularised to General Practitioners.
ANNUAL RETURN OF FOOD POISONING NOTIFICATION
1. Local Authority: Borough of Walthamstow. Year: 1957.
2. Food Poisoning Notifications (Corrected) Returned to R.G.
1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Total
1 4 28 6 39
3. Outbreaks due to Identified Agents.
Total outbreaks—5. Total cases—28.
Outbreaks due to:—
(a) Chemical Poisons: Nil.
(b) Salmonella Organisms: 2.
(c) Staphylococci (including toxin): 3.
(d) C1. botulinum: Nil.
(e) Other bacteria: Nil.