MANY NURSES ILL MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 118, 15 November 1945, Page 9

MANY NURSES ILL

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

DUCK EGGS SUSPECTED

O.C. AUCKLAND, November 13. About 100 members of the nursing staff of the Waikato Hospital became ill on Sunday following a meal which included Spanish cream made with duck eggs. The nurses suffered from severe vomiting and fainting and some lost consciousness for several hours.

Most of them made a quick recovery and the remainder improved today, although some were not fit for duty.

No reference to-the occurrence was made at a meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board yesterday. A number of cases of food poisoning which occurred in Auckland last summer were attributed to the use of duck eggs. At the time the danger of eating duck eggs which have not been thoroughly cooked, or prepared foods made with raw duck eggs, was emphasised by an officer of the Health Department. An investigation revealed that a small percentage of duck eggs was infected with a disease to which many people were easily susceptible. Thorough cooking of the eggs killed the germ of the disease and made them safe for eating. It was found that Spanish cream, meringue pudding, or lightly-cooked custards, if there was any infection in them, provided ideal culture media for dangerous bacteria.

The following cases were heard before Messrs. W. E. Leadley and J. I. Goldsmith, J.P.s, in the Magistrate's Court yesterday:— Thomas Charles Edward King, pensioner, 38, pleaded not guilty to a charge of breaking and entering the Paramount Butchery, Courtenay Place, on November 6 with intent to commit a crime and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Henry George William Harrison, truck driver and labourer, 26, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering on October 30 the Railway Hut of the Salvation Army, Waterloo Quay, and committing theft and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.

Richard Stanley Wratten, carpenter, 23, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking and entering 'on November 7 the shop of Electrical Refrigeration (N.Z.) Ltd., Lambton Quay, and there stealing two keys valued, at 2s, and also pleaded guilty to a further charge that on November 6 he attempted to break and enter the shop of Clifford Keith Vercoe, Lambton Quay, with intent to commit a crime. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on each charge.