MOUTH AILMENT

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIV, Issue 22738, 12 November 1943, Page 4

MOUTH AILMENT

Incidence in Auckland CONDITION OF CROCKERY There has been a mild epidemic of sore mouths among Auckland people in the last few days, most of the complaints coming from women, who have expressed the fear that the infection might have resulted from visits to tearooms. Medical authorities said that they had noticed no increase in the incidence of sore mouths lately, but agreed that it was possible to be infected by contact with unsterilised The Medical Officer of Health. Dr. T. J. Hughes, said there had been trouble some time ago as the result of the use of chipped crockery in tearooms and restaurants, but there had been an improvement through the efforts of his department to obtain replacements of crickery for these places. Local manufacturers had helped and supplies had been obtained from England. Infection was more likely where chipped crockery was used, as it was not so easily cleaned. He would like to see the thorough sterilisation of eating and drinking utensils, either by boiling or by steam, but there were difficulties as the result of the war. such as the amount of gas or electricity needed. When the symptoms were described to a doctor he said the condition was similar to that commonly known as trench mouth. It was highly infectious and was not unusual among children, but he had not noticed any increase. He expressed the opinion that the proper sterilisation of eating and drinking utensils should be more widely adopted and that after the war. when the present difficulties were lessened, there should be a drastic tightening-up of the regulations relating to eatinghouses.