In 1964, there was an outbreak of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

in the city of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland. The first two cases were identified on 20 May 1964; eventually over 400 cases were diagnosed and the patients were quarantined at the City Hospital in Urquhart Road,

Woodend Hospital Woodend Hospital is a health facility located in the Woodend area of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Grampian. History The hospital, which was designed by Brown & Watt, opened as the Old Mill Poorhouse and Infirmary in May 1907. It bec ...

in Eday Road, and Tor-na-Dee Hospital in

Milltimber Milltimber is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen city centre. From 1854 to 1937 the area was served by Milltimber railway station on the Aberdeen suburban railway. Along with the nearby settlements of Cults and Bieldsid ...

which was used as an overflow hospital for typhoid cases. There were three deaths connected with the outbreak. Dr Ian MacQueen, the Medical Officer of Health for Aberdeen, became well known in the media for his twice-daily briefings. The outbreak was eventually traced to contaminated tinned corned beef from

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and sold in the city's branch of the Scottish grocery chain William Low. Pollution from the waters of the

Uruguay River The Uruguay River ( ; ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La Mesopotamia from the other two countr ...

(which flows into the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

) appeared to be the source of the contamination, probably through water entering a defective tin through a small puncture. The infected meat then contaminated a meat slicing machine within the William Low shop, leading to the spread of the disease. The bacteria multiplied further in the meats as they were placed near a window and exposed to sunlight.

Aftermath

The reputation of Aberdeen as a safe city to visit, live and work in was briefly harmed by the media coverage of the outbreak. In July 1964, following the end of the outbreak, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

made a high-profile visit to boost morale and to help rehabilitate the city's reputation. An official enquiry and report into the outbreak was commissioned by the

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...

. The enquiry was headed by Sir David Milne and his published findings became known as the Milne Report. The reputation of William Low was irrevocably damaged within Aberdeen and the city's store, the source of the outbreak, closed for good three years later. Dundee-based company William Low subsequently opened many other stores around Scotland, but remained absent from Aberdeen. William Low was eventually taken over by

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

in 1994. Public perceptions of the safety of Fray Bentos tinned meats also contributed to significantly diminished income. The outbreak was successfully handled, although there were three fatalities confirmed. The outbreak drew attention to the need for better standards of hygiene, notably in the cleaning of food processing machinery. The

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

went on to develop an international reputation in the field of disease control, notably in the appointment of Professor Hugh Pennington to the post of Professor of Bacteriology from 1979 until his retirement in 2003.

References

The Little History of Aberdeenshire by Duncan Harley (Ch10 - Health Matters)

External links

Typhoid left city 'under siege', BBC news, 2008

50th anniversary of the outbreak, BBC news, 2014

History of the typhoid outbreak of 1964, University of Aberdeen

Parliamentary reports (Hansard), House of Commons, 29 July 1964

The 1964 Aberdeen Typhoid Epidemic -Part One, Aberdeen Voice, 23 May 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:1964 Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak Food safety scandals Food safety in the United Kingdom Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak Typhoid fever 1960s in Aberdeen 1964 disease outbreaks Disease outbreaks in Scotland Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak Aberdeen Typhoid Outbreak Beef

Aftermath

See also

References

External links