[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Cork County Borough.

  • Cork (Ireland). County Borough Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Cork County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    21/128 (page 15)
    Sub-section (3) of this Article is also an important provision since it places a direct obligation on the proprietor of a food business to obtain a specific state- ment from anyone proposing to take up employment m his business that he is not suffering from or a probable source of infection with any of the scheduled infectious diseases or whether he has ever suffered from typhoid or para-typhoid. Again we find an embargo on the use of “ any container or utensil which is chipped or cracked.” It has been found beyond doubt that the chips and cracks of such vessels may harbour the organism of septic sore throat and that, in fact, outbreaks of sore throat have been caused by the use of such vessels. There are numerous instances in which outbreaks of food poisoning of an acute dysenteric character have been traced to unsuitable premises and unsatisfactory methods of preparation. I have in mind one case in which practically all the visitors in a certain seaside hotel went down with acute dysentry. In this case the normal complement of visitors was greatly exceeded and the normal services of meals had to be duplicated and re-duplicated. It is not difficult, in such cir- cumstances, to visualize the congestion which must have occurred in the kitchen and there is little reason to doubt that there was a breakdown in ordinary arrange- ments and that one carrier, either a visitor or a member of the kitchen staff may have initiated the outbreak. Such episodes are very damaging, yet they may be completely avoided by adequate supervision. In another instance in which I was indirectly concerned some years ago there was a serious outbreak of typhoid fever among the guests of a hotel—again at a seaside resort. In this case, unfortunately, a number of the affected persons died and the reputation of this place suffered very severely. The origin of this outbreak was a grossly polluted water supply. I cite these two incidents by way of introduction to a brief discussion of the subject of inspection of food premises. Article 18 empowers the local chief medical officer or an authorised officer to inspect, at all reasonable times all premises in his area in which food for human consumption is prepared, which is intended for sale. In view of what has just been related can anyone reasonably deny that inspection of food premises is long overdue ? We have every reason to believe that in many cases such food premises are entirely unhygienic and unsuitable for the preparation of food. This applies particularly in the case of ice-cream—-another article of food which has been responsible for outbreaks of food poisoning and enteric. In order to ensure that all food premises shall come within the ambit of control the Regulations provide for registration (Article 40) and anybody carrying on a “ food business ” must within one month of the commencement day apply to the local health authority for registration. The authority may grant either registration or provisional registration or refuse registration altogether. Further- more the authority must keep a register of all “ food premises.” Now the relevant definitions in regard to food, food premises, food business, etc., embrace every sort of premises that, in any way, undertakes the handling of any article that could conceivably be regarded as food, in fact practically everything that we eat. It embraces an enormous range of premises in any urban area and entails a tremendous amount of work and supervision. Administrative problems of great magnitude are raised which involve, not only the keeping of voluminous registers, but also the provision of trained personnel to maintain supervision of the many premises involved. However, the Minister has made it clear that it is his policy that the Regu- lations should not be administered in an unreasonable manner and health authorities have been advised not to concentrate on prosecutions but on advising and guiding traders and on persuading them to attain the standards aimed at! Such an approach, he believes, gives the best results in the long run. There will, I think be universal agreement with this view and I feel sure that this will be the spirit in which the Regulations will be administered by health authorities and their officers. It is not necessary to stress the arduous task which now confronts local authorities in the matter of these Regulations. Already the Department of Health has payed the way by selecting senior health inspectors from different areas and sending them for a course of training abroad. These inspectors in turn W1. J bave the task of training their junior officers. It will be necessary to appoint additional inspectors and provision will have to be made for dealing with a great increase in administrative routine. In all this, however, there does not appear to me to be any insurmountable obstacle granted the will to implement the Regu- fi, • W. s.carcely be denied that they are long overdue nor can it be denied that their aim is the welfare of the community. Their ultimate success will r epend entirely upon the acceptance of their responsibilities by local authorities and the efficient administration of the provisions contained in them.