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7
was a coagulase positive staphylococcus. The illness, although severe
at onset, was of short duration.
Four of the cases occurred in an outbreak in a food factory of a
neighbouring area, when a meal of stuffed ox heart and sauce served
in the canteen was suspected as being the cause. The illness was
slight.
The remaining five were single cases, where it was not possible to
discover the cause. In some cases there was none of the suspected food
available for examination, and in others no specific organisms were
isolated.
FOOD
The conditions under which food is stored, prepared or offered
for sale have again received considerable attention. It is gratifying to
note that there were no serious outbreaks of food poisoning originating
in this district. The obscurity of the causes of infection emphasises
the need for sustained vigilance and the maintenance of a high standard
of conduct and premises in the catering trades. A single lapse from
strict cleanliness may lead to severe illness or even death. There
must be many cases of minor food poisoning which are not reported
and investigated. It is the policy of the Department to inculcate the
simple principles of food hygiene whenever the opportunity occurs
during inspections of food premises. Some food handlers are naturally
clean in their persons and habits. Others require continual supervision,
and it should be possible to exclude these persons from employment
in the food trades. One local food trader, on being requested to
protect some exposed food from flies, promptly pulled out his pocket
handkerchief and " flicked " the flies from the food, which incidentally
was of a nature highly susceptible to infection !
HOUSING
It is the declared policy of the Government that the pre-war
campaign against bad housing conditions shall now be resumed.
The general position in Barnes is that there are no large scale areas for
slum clearance. There is a considerable amount of bad housing through
improper conversions and adaptations of old property, and there is
also a certain amount of property which is nearing the end of its useful
life. These conditions are not to be compared with those existing in
the large industrial towns, nor in the crowded districts of the East End
of London. Nevertheless, poor housing causes a great amount of
discomfort and unhappiness, and vigorous action can now be taken to
improve the general standard of housing accommodation.
It will be necessary for a fairly detailed survey to be made so that
proposals can be formulated and a policy decided. Unfortunately
the tempo of the campaign must be regulated to the rehousing
position.