The Epping Jaundice

While the Epping Society is not a history organisation, we do get enquiries about past times and try to give helpful replies, often directing people to other sources. Recently we were reminded about The Epping Jaundice and thought that readers might find it interesting. Starting in February 1965, 84 people, largely Epping residents, became ill with fevers, stomach pains, swollen livers and the yellow skin colour of jaundice. Over 50 were severely ill. There was one victim in Harrow, but her husband worked here. The usual medical tests did not at first give any useful results. GPs had been quick to report instances and it soon became clear that this was not just random cases, but a significant local outbreak. Curiously nearly all the victims were middle class professionals, an early clue.

A team of doctors and research staff led by Dr Harry Kopelman, based at St Margaret’s Hospital, got to work; some inspired questioning and a little guesswork linked the victims to a specific type of coarse wholemeal bread, baked in Pearce’s, then a well-known high street baker (now the site of Pizza Express) who were immediately ordered to stop baking. Samples of this bread were soon tested and found to contain traces of a hardener for epoxy resin, but not from the bin of flour in the shop. It was eventually deduced that the contamination had been from a spillage in a delivery lorry; the tainted flour had been at the bottom of the sack, which when tipped out became the top of the bin, all of which had been baked.

All the sufferers survived, with no long-term consequences. The Epping Jaundice has been described as a world-first study in community epidemiology; it is still referred to in medical textbooks and training. Several publications and books have mentioned it and there has been a BBC radio play on the subject. An internet search throws up many pages of related material. We are working with the Town Council on a history plaque/board on the subject.