London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The following table shows the number of samples taken during the period under review, 18th January to 31st December, 1909, the counties from which they were derived, and the results of the bacteriological examination at the Lister Institute.
| County. | No. of samples taken, from churns for examination. | No. of samples found to be tuberculous. | No. of samples found not to be tuberculous. | No. of Bamples the examination of which was not completed owing to accident and other causes. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire | 37 | 3 | 29 | 5 |
| Berkshire | 162 | 11 | 134 | 17 |
| Buckinghamshire | 117 | 7 | 103 | 7 |
| Cambridgeshire | 28 | 2 | 19 | 7 |
| Derbyshire | 113 | 27 | 79 | 7 |
| Dorsetshire | 20 | 3 | 16 | 1 |
| Essex | 324 | 27 | 173 | 124 |
| Gloucestershire | 29 | _ | 28 | 1 |
| Hampshire | 160 | 16 | 136 | 8 |
| Hertfordshire | 89 | 10 | 56 | 23 |
| Huntingdonshire | 3 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Kent | 29 | 1 | 21 | 7 |
| Leicestershire | 200 | 22 | 152 | 26 |
| Lincolnshire | 12 | — | 11 | 1 |
| Middlesex | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Norfolk | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Northamptonshire | 124 | 6 | 111 | 7 |
| Nottinghamshire | 17 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| Oxfordshire | 114 | 4 | 101 | 9 |
| Kutlandshire | 2 | — | 2 | — |
| Somersetshire | 36 | 3 | 24 | 9 |
| Staffordshire | 98 | 7 | 78 | 13 |
| Suffolk | 17 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| Surrey | 53 | 8 | 39 | 9 |
| Sussex | 227 | 12 | 169 | 46 |
| Warwickshire | 42 | 1 | 39 | 2 |
| Wiltshire | 260 | 24 | 212 | 24 |
| Worcestershire | 2 | — | 2 | — |
| Total | 2,325 | 205 | 1,761 | 359 |
This table shows that out of 1,966 completed examinations of samples taken from churns consigned
to London, 205 proved to be tuberculous, i.e., 10"4 per cent. Some of the samples were derived
from the milk of more than one farm.
The last annual report gave a similar account of 528 samples of milk examined in the period 1st
July. 1908. to 16th Januarv. 1909. of which 61. or ll.fi nrr cent,., were found to be tuberculous.
The following table shows the number of farms visited, the number of cows inspected and the number of cows certified to have tuberculosis of the udder during this period :
| County. | No. of farms inspected. | No. of cows inspected. | No. of cows with tuberculous udders. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire | 2 | 103 | 4 |
| Berkshire | 9 | 354 | 8 |
| Buckinghamshire | 7 | 201 | 5 |
| Derbyshire | 181 | 2,828 | 47 |
| Essex | 34 | 1,952 | 36 |
| Hampshire | 18 | 765 | 18 |
| Hertfordshire | 8 | 333 | 11 |
| Leicestershire | 14 | 319 | 8 |
| Nottinghamshire | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| Somersetshire | 42 | 826 | 5 |
| Staffordshire | 9 | 265 | 7 |
| Suffolk | 3 | 124 | 4 |
| Surrey | 9 | 442 | 14 |
| Sussex (East) | 30 | 458 | 2 |
| Sussex (West) | 23 | 312 | 11 |
| Wiltshire | 49 | 1,705 | 38 |
| Totals | 439 | 11,004 | 219 |
This table shows that 2 per cent, of the cows examined were found to have clinical symptoms
of tubercular disease of the udder. The supply of milk for human consumption from the cows thus
a fleeted was immediately stopped.