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The metropolitan branch
284
PUBLIC
and was otherwise in a fit state to undertake milking. The fault of the farmer was that he omitted a general supervision of the condition in respect of health of his workers before they commenced work. In summing up, the Sheriff remarked " it may well be that many dairymen neglect their duty in respect of the supervision of the health of their workers," and said that he had not been able to discover any previous case of the kind in Scotland. H e kept that fact in view in dealing with the q.uestion of penalty. The degree of fault on the Respondent's part, his Lordship thought, would be met by the imposition of a modified penalty of One PoUnd, the alternative being seven days' imprisonment. EFFECTS
OF
BAD
VENTILATION
SIMULATING
FOOD P O I S O N I N G .
The following Notes have been received from Dr. Johnston, Deputy Medical Officer of Health, County of Dumbarton. A suspected out-break of Food Poisoning was reported from a House Boat on the River Leven, at Balloch, on the 9th April, 1923, involving five persons, four adults and a boy of ten years. A visit was made by the Medical Officer of Health, and the following facts elicited. 1. The symptoms, which began about 5130 a.m., consisted of severe general headache, nausea and bilious vomiting. These were severe in one case, moderate in three cases and slight in one case. There was no abdominal pain or diarhQea. 2. At 11.30 a.m. the only signs made out were marked congestion of the face in all patients except the one with the severe symptoms, whose face was pale. Slight tachycardia in all cases and marked somnolence in the moderate cases, who wet:e recovering. The slight case, who, alone of the five, had been outside, was quite recovered. 3. The only article of diet open to suspicion was some boiled ham which had been eaten by the five patients and two guests about 5 p.m. on the previous evening. The ham appeared to be perfectly fresh and wholesome. 4. The atmosphere within the houseboat was stifling; all windows had been tightly closed (because of rain) during the night, and in the central apartment of the boat a cast-iron stove had been burning coal all night through. The two guests of the evening before were at once visited and were found to have had no
JuLY
HEALTH.
symptoms whatever. All the patients had completely recovered by the evening, and there seems no doubt that the symptoms were due to the effect of bad, or rather, non-existent ventilation. THE
METROPOLITAN
BRANCH.
T
i DATE
OF A N N U A L M E E T I N G .
The Annual Meeting of the Branch will be held at the Society's house on Friday, July 6th, t923, the Council at 3.30 p.m. and the Branch at 4 p.m. Agenda papers will be circulated separately. ROYAL S A N I T A R Y I N S T I T U T E
CONGRESS.
The programme of the Sanitary Science Section of this Congress--the thirty-fourth of the series-to be held at Hull, is now completed and includes the following papers : - - F o r the first session, Tuesday, JuIy 3 1 s t . - - " T h e Detection and Prevention of Tuberculosis amongst Workers over 16 years," by Dr. James A. Raeburn, Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Cottingham, E a s t Yorks. ; " S o m e O b servations upon the Training and Employment of Tuberculosis Persons," by Dr. Noel Bardswell, M.V.O., London County Council ; and " The Use of Diathermy in Pulmonary T ubercutosm, " " by Dr. Percy Halt, Hull. For the second session, Wednesday, August 1st.--Papers on " T h e Prevention of Cancer," by Dr. \ ¥ . Allen Daley, M.O.H., Blackburn, and Dr. Alex. Theodore Brand, Driffield Poor L a w Infirmary, East Yorks, and one on " Diphtheria, with special reference to the Schick Test and Active Immunisation," by Dr. R. A. O'Brien, Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories. Sir William Hamer and Dr. Charles Porter, President and Hon. Secretary respectively of the Section, extend to all members who propose going to Hull a cordial invitation to take part in the discussions which will follow the reading of the various papers. \¥EST THE
SOCIETY
OF
ENGLAND
AND
THE
BRANCH.
ASSOCIATION.
Another step along the road which is leading towards a complete and effective co-operation between the Society and the British Medical Association was taken at Exeter on June 1st. A joint meeting of the West of England Branch and the loca[ Division was held at the Devon and County Hospital immediately after the business meeting of the Branch at the same place. The
PUBLIC
and was otherwise in a fit state to undertake milking. The fault of the farmer was that he omitted a general supervision of the condition in respect of health of his workers before they commenced work. In summing up, the Sheriff remarked " it may well be that many dairymen neglect their duty in respect of the supervision of the health of their workers," and said that he had not been able to discover any previous case of the kind in Scotland. H e kept that fact in view in dealing with the q.uestion of penalty. The degree of fault on the Respondent's part, his Lordship thought, would be met by the imposition of a modified penalty of One PoUnd, the alternative being seven days' imprisonment. EFFECTS
OF
BAD
VENTILATION
SIMULATING
FOOD P O I S O N I N G .
The following Notes have been received from Dr. Johnston, Deputy Medical Officer of Health, County of Dumbarton. A suspected out-break of Food Poisoning was reported from a House Boat on the River Leven, at Balloch, on the 9th April, 1923, involving five persons, four adults and a boy of ten years. A visit was made by the Medical Officer of Health, and the following facts elicited. 1. The symptoms, which began about 5130 a.m., consisted of severe general headache, nausea and bilious vomiting. These were severe in one case, moderate in three cases and slight in one case. There was no abdominal pain or diarhQea. 2. At 11.30 a.m. the only signs made out were marked congestion of the face in all patients except the one with the severe symptoms, whose face was pale. Slight tachycardia in all cases and marked somnolence in the moderate cases, who wet:e recovering. The slight case, who, alone of the five, had been outside, was quite recovered. 3. The only article of diet open to suspicion was some boiled ham which had been eaten by the five patients and two guests about 5 p.m. on the previous evening. The ham appeared to be perfectly fresh and wholesome. 4. The atmosphere within the houseboat was stifling; all windows had been tightly closed (because of rain) during the night, and in the central apartment of the boat a cast-iron stove had been burning coal all night through. The two guests of the evening before were at once visited and were found to have had no
JuLY
HEALTH.
symptoms whatever. All the patients had completely recovered by the evening, and there seems no doubt that the symptoms were due to the effect of bad, or rather, non-existent ventilation. THE
METROPOLITAN
BRANCH.
T
i DATE
OF A N N U A L M E E T I N G .
The Annual Meeting of the Branch will be held at the Society's house on Friday, July 6th, t923, the Council at 3.30 p.m. and the Branch at 4 p.m. Agenda papers will be circulated separately. ROYAL S A N I T A R Y I N S T I T U T E
CONGRESS.
The programme of the Sanitary Science Section of this Congress--the thirty-fourth of the series-to be held at Hull, is now completed and includes the following papers : - - F o r the first session, Tuesday, JuIy 3 1 s t . - - " T h e Detection and Prevention of Tuberculosis amongst Workers over 16 years," by Dr. James A. Raeburn, Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Cottingham, E a s t Yorks. ; " S o m e O b servations upon the Training and Employment of Tuberculosis Persons," by Dr. Noel Bardswell, M.V.O., London County Council ; and " The Use of Diathermy in Pulmonary T ubercutosm, " " by Dr. Percy Halt, Hull. For the second session, Wednesday, August 1st.--Papers on " T h e Prevention of Cancer," by Dr. \ ¥ . Allen Daley, M.O.H., Blackburn, and Dr. Alex. Theodore Brand, Driffield Poor L a w Infirmary, East Yorks, and one on " Diphtheria, with special reference to the Schick Test and Active Immunisation," by Dr. R. A. O'Brien, Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories. Sir William Hamer and Dr. Charles Porter, President and Hon. Secretary respectively of the Section, extend to all members who propose going to Hull a cordial invitation to take part in the discussions which will follow the reading of the various papers. \¥EST THE
SOCIETY
OF
ENGLAND
AND
THE
BRANCH.
ASSOCIATION.
Another step along the road which is leading towards a complete and effective co-operation between the Society and the British Medical Association was taken at Exeter on June 1st. A joint meeting of the West of England Branch and the loca[ Division was held at the Devon and County Hospital immediately after the business meeting of the Branch at the same place. The