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thoroughly sterilized during the manufacture, and when baked becomes comparatively
dry. The longer it is kept the drier it becomes, and at no time is the dampness
sufficient to permit it absorbing noxious micro-organisms. The worst keeping can do
is to render it hard and unpalatable. It is kept in dairies and small general shops,
where oil is often sold, but I have not in any case seen it kept in greengrocers or in
juxtaposition to old clothes or marine stores, or pure and simple oil shops.
Of all foods, bread, after thorough baking, is probably the least liable to absorb
noxious effluvia, and I did not see it stored in any shop in a position likely to specially
expose it to such absorbtion. The only way it might convey disease is by being handled
by a person suffering from some infectious complaint, and this applies to all articles,
whether food or not, I am not aware of a single instance of infectious disease being
conveyed by the food in question, and considering the amount of bread consumed,
some case would surely have been discovered had such taken place.
Ice.
The following report was brought before the Public Health Committee on June 30th:—
Ice is used mainly for two purposes in London, viz.:—Cold storage (when it is used
all the year round) and making cooling drinks (during summer). The latter being the
most important one in respect of the purity of the ice from a public health point of
view, I think the present an appropriate time to enquire from what source this ice
comes.
There are two kinds of ice used in London, viz., natural ice (which is imported)
and manufactured ice. In making the latter there are three sources of water; distilled,
metropolitan companies' water, and deep well water.
It is impossible to give the total amount of ice used in London unless one could
find out the amount manufactured. But to give some idea the following figures of the
amount of ice imported into London during the last three years are taken from " Cold
Storage," the ice trades Review :—
Tons.
Value.
1900
205,390 £123,463
1901
206,978 119,486
185,257 100,364
1902
Allowing that one-fourth of the ice used in London, and this is probably not very
wide of the mark, is manufactured, this would give an average consumption of ice per
annum of about 267,000 tons. Of this amount about 25,000 tons per annum pass through
our Borough from the Surrey Commercial Docks. It is obvious that, although only a
very small proportion is used as a food, from whatever source the ice comes it
should be above suspicion, since any particular consignment may be used either for
drinking or cold storage purposes.
The imported natural ice comes from lakes, rivers and fjords in Norway and
similar natural waters in Canada, and though I do not doubt that the most of it is
perfectly pure, still what guarantee have we that villages and towns do not drain into
these places whence the ice is derived ? Evidences of contamination may be difficult
to obtain by chemical and bacteriological methods, but it is well known that it may
exist when not demonstrable by ordinary methods, and that freezing does not kill but
only inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Similar remarks apply to the ice made from deep well waters. The ice, however,
made from the waters of the London companies is presumably suitable for manufacturing
ice from, as long as it is considered fit for drinking purposes. Distilled water is of
course the best for the purpose. Still, however pure the water used may be, it will avail
little as regards the purity of ice made from it, unless it is strictly guarded from
contamination during the freezing process and the subsequent handling. It must be
remembered that ice is eaten uncooked and can only be sterilised before freezing. As
in the case of the manufacture of aerated waters, its innocuousness or otherwise depends
upon the source of the original water.
I would recommend the Council to send a copy of this report to the London
County Council with the suggestion that they should hold an inquiry into the ice trade
of London, on similar lines to their recent investigation into the manufacture of aerated
waters.
I understand the London County Council are holding an enquiry in the matter.
Aërated Water.
Owing to a report on the above subject by Dr. Hamer, Assistant Medical Officer to the
London County Council, I was asked to give synopsis of this and express an opinion on the
matter. I advised the Committee to support Dr. Hamer's recommendation that "there would
clearly be an advantage in requiring registration of makers of aerated waters, and in insisting
that in the premises upon which these waters are manufactured a proper standard as regards
sanitary conditions shall be complied with."
Milk Supply.
A great deal of attention lias been given during the past year to the milk supply of the
Metropolis. The milk clauses of the London County Council General Powers Bill, 1902, were,
I regret much to say, knocked out on the second reading. Later, the subject of physical
degeneration, which has recently been brought prominently before the public, both in the medical
and lay press has given occasion for another onslaught on the milk supply of London.