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31
Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915.
For several years it has been the practice for the Council to take samples of
liquid milk arriving from the provinces, for biological examination for the purpose of
ascertaining the extent to which the milk supply on its arrival in London is
infected with tuberculosis. In the event of a positive result, the medical officer of
the county of origin is notified, when arrangements are made by him for the farm
from which the milk originated to be visited and the herd examined.
During 1933, 2,016 samples of milk, arriving in London by rail or road from 31
counties, were taken and examined (at the Southern group laboratory). Of these
samples, 84 were taken from large road or rail tanks, a comparatively recent method
of transporting milk.
Examination
of milk.

Of the 2,016 samples examined, 232, or 11.5 per cent., yielded tubercle bacilli,
as against 10.9 per cent, in 1932. Excluding tank milk, the percentage in 1933 was
8.5, compared with 9.2 in 1932.
From the reports forwarded by the county medical officers of health for those
counties from which the tubercular samples originated, it would appear that 74 cows
from the herds concerned had been found to be affected with tuberculosis and were
slaughtered under the Tuberculosis Order, 1925.
The obvious difficulty of tracing to their source infected samples taken from
milk in bulk in tanks creates a very unsatisfactory position as the usefulness of
sampling in London, for the biological test is largely negatived if the results are not
followed up, an almost impossible task in the case of tank milk. This matter was
made the subject of a special report by the Central Public Health Committee to the
Council and representation was made to the Ministers of Health and of Agriculture
with a view to seeking a solution of the difficulties in this respect, created by modern
methods of milk transport.
The cows kept at institutions under the control of the Council have been
inspected quarterly by the Council's veterinary surgeons. In addition, samples of
the milk have been taken twice during the year. The results of sampling and of
veterinary inspection were as follows:—
Institutions
under the
control of the
Council.

The percentage of samples found to be tubercle infected was 5.9.