London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Finsbury 1905

Report on the public health of Finsbury 1905 including annual report on factories and workshops

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83
of such glands did not remove the virus from the tissues of the
carcase, which, without the glands, would still be unfit for food. He
replied to the effect that if the diseased glands were removed the
meat should be considered lit for food. I then reminded him that
two years ago (November 1903) I had occasion to tell him exactly
the same thing, namely, that the removal of glands did not necessarily
remove the virus of the disease. Mr. Carmichael then said that the
practice of the firm was to remove all glands healthy or otherwise, as,
in any event, they could not be used in sausage making. Inspector
Billing disputed that statement and said that glands could be used in
the process, and by other firms were in fact used, if healthy. On
looking round the factory we found that the practice of gland removal
was not either invariable or uniform even at Messrs. Lipton's, for we
found some glands going into the mincing machine. I am bound to
say I saw no evidence of careful inspection of the meat that was being
prepared, though I saw abundant evidence of the removal of glands by
the boners then at work. The glands were not examined in any way,
but were at once thrown under the tables or cast aside. In the
pile of glands above referred to (numbering 44) we found that eight
were tuberculous. Mr. Carmichael informed me that since November,
1903, all the pork carcases received in this factory (about 200 a week)
were treated in this way, and many of them were delivered with the
chief superficial glands already removed. I pointed out that the entire
practice was open to grave criticism as by such stripping of glands,
the very signs of disease by which tuberculosis could be diagnosed
were being removed before inspection could be made either by the
Sanitary Authority or by the firm. Mr. Carmichael claimed that this
pork had come from the Islington Cattle Market, and had therefore
been already inspected and passed for food by Inspector King.
The head, having 14 tuberculous glands or parts of glands still
remaining attached to it, the "collar" and" pillars," and the two sides
were seized and subsequently further examined by me at the Town
Hall, and condemned by the Magistrate (Mr. Cluer) at the Worship
Street Police Court. They were all affected with generalized tuberculosis.
Subsequently the meat was seen by Dr. Collingridge, the
Medical Officer of Health of the City of London, as statements were
being made that the disease might not after all be tuberculosis, and
corroborative medical evidence was therefore thought advisable.
Dr. Collingridge was of opinion that there could be no doubt whatever
that the whole of the seized meat was affected with generalized
tuberculosis. It was alleged by Mr. Carmichael that in the seizure
which had taken place the whole of this tuberculous carcase had been