From J.S. Bennett
Boston, Lincolnshire
I can clearly remember living in a country home where there was no mains
sewerage, no mains water and no electricity
(Editorial, p 3, and
This Week, p 4, 3 January).
The quality of a house was largely established by the “coolth” of
the pantry. The life of a piece of meat was established by a “nose test”. My
recollections are that there were few problems with food poisoning.
Fourteen years later I was serving in the merchant navy, visiting most parts
of the globe. We always filled the potable water tanks from the local dockside
mains. I know that the precautions that could be taken were taken, but they were
limited. In 12 years I cannot remember a single case of sickness on board that
could be attributed to the water. If you wanted a drink in the tropics you did
not go and boil the water first.
I wonder whether, in addition to problems with antibiotic-resistant bacteria,
we are actually losing the natural immunity that we used to acquire from birth.
Some time ago I saw an article in a Finnish magazine about gastric upsets, which
are a big problem for some Finns when they travel overseas. The writer made a
strong case against the excessively high standards that are maintained in
Finnish food production.
Advertisement
