View report page

88
tory examination. A difficulty with which doctors have
to contend is that the agglutination test does not usually
become positive until at least seven days after the onset
of the illness and by that time the patient may have
recovered and the doctor may have ceased his attendance
The actual source of food poisoning cannot he determined
unless some of the food which has been consumed
remains for examination and unless this is so the cause
can only be presumed.
During the latter part of the year after the Act
came into operation 14 patients were notified as suffering
from this condition. Six of the cases occurred at a
wedding party, five at a boarding establishment and the
remainder were isolated cases. All were extremely mild
and recovered within a few hours or days.
Facilities are available for medical practitioners in
the Borough for bacteriological and other necessary
laboratory examinations and full investigations are made
by the Public Health Department regarding the source
of infection.
I have to acknowledge with thanks the help and
advice in food poisoning investigations given by Dr.
Scott of the Ministry of Health, who carried out a
number of bacteriological tests of specimens submitted
to him during the year.