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25th with similar symptoms, and was removed to hospital on
February 4th. Death occurred on February 12th.
A maid and one child in the same house had also been
suffering from a mild illness during this period.
A consignment of green parrots arrived at the house two
weeks before Christmas. One parrot died on Boxing Day after
having been drowsy for some time. The dead bird was burnt.
A second bird died two or three days later and was disposed of
in the same manner. A third bird died on February 6th with
similar symptoms. There were also two budgerigars and one of
these died on February 3rd. This bird was also burnt after
death. The remaining 5 parrots and budgerigars were forwarded
to the Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for observation.
They were ultimately destroyed.
The third case of psittacosis occurred in a patient who had
returned to Wimbledon after staying at the seaside, where shc
had been residing with her brother. A green parrot, which had
been bought as a Christmas present for her nephew, died on
New Year's Day. The brother-in-law was taken ill with
symptoms that were suspicious of psittacosis, and died on
January 18th. On returning to Wimbledon the patient became
seriously ill, suffering from an undoubted attack of psittacosis,
from which she untimately recovered.
No further case occurred in Wimbledon during the year.
Outbreak of Food Poisoning.—In the latter part of June an
outbreak of food poisoning occurred in the Borough. In all, 18
persons were taken ill, the predominant symptoms being sickness
and diarrhoea. All the patients stated that they had eaten a
certain type of cooked meat which had been prepared outside
Wimbledon. The Bacillus aertrycke, an organism often responsible
for food poisoning, was isolated from a number of the
patients.
Information was forwarded to the Medical Officer of Health
of the area in which the food was prepared. The patients made
good recoveries.
Typhoid and Enteric Fever.—Two cases were notified during
the year. In both cases the infection was due to the
type known as paratyphoid B.
These cases were removed to the Isolation Hospital at Gap
Road, where they made rapid recoveries. Full investigations
were made into the cause of the infection, but the actual source
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