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is considered and the ample opportunities that existed
of children in the district being exposed to carriers and
mild abortive cases of the disease in other areas.
Scabies.
There was a welcome decrease in the incidence
of scabies, 34 notifications compared with 78 in the
previous year. The facilities for treatment in Loughton
and Buckhurst Hill remained unchanged.
Food Poisoning.
A notable outbreak of food poisoning occurred in
June at a wedding feast at a farm in the district. When
visited at about 6 p.m., some 30 out of approximately
100 guests were found in varying degrees of prostration
from gastro-intestinal symptoms. A large variety of
samples of food consumed by the guests was taken for
bacteriological analysis, but no pathogenic germ was
found in any of them.
Unfortunately (it was a hot day) all the ice cream
had been consumed and its container removed, before
the arrival of the Medical Officer of Health and it is
possible that this was the food at fault.
Subsequent examination of one of the patients
made it probable that the outbreak was caused by a
toxin producing germ responsible for many such outbreaks.
The germ rapidly multiplies in certain foodstuffs
and its poisons produce symptoms with great
rapidity in those consuming the contaminated food.
Two of the sufferers were ill enough to be removed
to hospital but rapidly recovered.
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