London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Surbiton 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Surbiton]
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FOOD POISONING.
There were eight confirmed cases notified by general medical
practitioners; the causative organisms were identified as shown below:-
S. Typhi-murium 6 cases
S. Poona 2 cases
The ages of the eight persons were as follows:-
6/12 months S. Poona.
2 years Same family.
13 years 1
18 years 1
40 years 1
46 years 1
Husband and wife.
52 years 1
70 years 1
There was no connection between the families and no source of
origin of infection could be traced in any of the cases.
No outbreaks of food poisoning in the town were notified in 1963.
LABORATORY FACILITIES.
Extensive use is made of the facilities provided by the Public
Health Laboratory Service (directed by the Medical Research Council
for the Ministry of Health); and opportunity is taken gratefully to
acknowledge the co-operation of Dr. D.R. Gamble and his staff at the
Epsom Laboratory to which our specimens are taken.
Apart from routine samples of water, milk, ice-cream and other food (details of which are given under other headings) the undermentioned specimens were collected by the inspectors in the course of investigating suspected cases of dysentery, para-typhoid, food poisoning, etc. and taken to the Laboratory.
| Year | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faeces | 263 | 306 | 3,704 | 2,256 | 610 | 1,177 | 199 | 167 | 240 | 825 |
| Suspected Food | 8 | 10 | 6 | 24 | 13 | 36 | 3 | 59 | 16 | 3 |
EXCLUSION FROM SCHOOL.
One hundred and fiftyeight certificates were issued during the
year excluding and re-admitting school cases and contacts of infectious
disease.
16.