PTOMAINE POISONING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22024, 5 August 1933, Page 17

PTOMAINE POISONING

DEATH AFTER EATING NEW ZEALAND LAMB VERDICT OF MISADVENTURE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, June 23. Apart from the tragedy revealed at an inquest last week, it was unfortunate that the meat which caused ptomaine poisoning was a shoulder of New Zealand lamb. The inquest held before Mr R. Kemp, coroner, at Park Royal, was on George Rogers, aged 49, of Stonebridge Park, who died from ptomaine poisoning in the Central Middlesex Hospital. The case was fully reported in London evening papers. Mr George Creamer, step-son of Rogers, said on Sunday, June 4, the family had some lamb for dinner. The next day Mr Rogers was taken ill. Mrs Rogers was also taken ill, but she did not let the family know. The coroner: Did your father eat any fish or meat after his dinner on Sunday?—No. Alfred Wilson, butcher, of Hillside, Stonebridge Park, who said he had been in business for 30 years, stated that Mrs Rogers called at his shop on the Saturday week and bought a shoulder of frozen lamb. Afterwards this was put in a refrigerator to a wait delivery, and was sent out first thing Sunday morning. It looked quite sound. The coroner: I suppose New Zealand meat when it is frozen would go olf quicker than English meat?—lt all depends how it is kept. It is all inspected at the market. Answering further questions the butcher said he purchased the lamb at market on Friday morning, and it was put in a refrigerator. He sent out over 100 joints from that consignment of meat, and be had no other complaints. It was not possible for him to detect that there was anything wrong with the meat. Dr H. Broadbridge, of the hospital, said the man’s death was due to acute ptomaine poisoning. The coroner: Do flies carry this germ? —Yes. The coroner: And a small part of a joint might be affected?—Yes. Nothing would be noticeable. This matter was considered by Mr D. Jones and Mr R. S. Forsyth (chairman and London manager respectively of the New Zealand Meat Board), but they, naturally came to the conclusion, that nothing could be done to alleviate the damage, that might have been done to the reputation of New Zealand meat. It wa» certainly a case of " The less said, the sooner mended.”