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meat slaughtered in small quantities in private slaughterhouses
keeps and looks better and is less handled than that
slaughtered in public abattoirs. Having regard to the fact
that comparatively little slaughtering of cattle takes place in
this parish, especially in the neighbourhood of crowded districts,
the Public Health Committee of your Yestry declined
to support the opinion of the Board of Works for St. Giles.
In connection with this subject may be noticed the issue
of the Report of the Royal Commission "on the effect, if
any, of food derived from tuberculous animals on human
health, and if prejudicial, what are the circumstances and
conditions with regard to tuberculosis in the animals which
produce that effect upon men."
Experiments were undertaken on a number of animals by
adding either milk or uncooked meat derived from tuberculous
animals to their ordinary food. Many of the animals
became affected with tubercle, and the Commission draw
general conclusions to the effect that there is ample evidence
that food derived from tuberculous animals can produce
tuberculosis in healthy animals, while there is no reason to
suppose that the human race possesses any exception in this
respect.
The parts of an animal which are the most common test of
tubercle are removed by the butcher in the course of preparation
for the market; the flesh is seldom affected. It is
known that the deposit of "tubercle" is caused by the invasion
of a bacillus, first discovered by Koch, in 1882, and in
man tubercle is commonly found in the lungs, resulting in
consumption, and in the joints, glands and membranes of the
brains of children.