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ADMINISTRATIVE WORK.
In view of the great importance of Prof. Koch's dictum, the Government in the autumn
appointed another Royal Commission(the third on the tuberculosis question) to inquire and report: —
(1) Whether tuberculosis in animals and man is one and the same disease;
(2) Whether animals and man can be reciprocally infected with it;
(3) Under what conditions, if at all, the transmission of the disease from animals to man
takes place, and what are the circumstances, favourable or unfavourable, to such
transmission.
The Commission cannot be expected to report for some time to come. In the meantime the
only logical course is to act on the rules which have hitherto prevailed—to accept the two forms of
the disease as identical and reciprocally transmissible, and to spare no effort to prevent such
transmission.
Infectious Disease and Milk.—In June of last year the London County Council issued a
circidar letter embodying reports of their Public Health Committee of 9th May and 11th June,
dealing with certain difficulties which the Committee had experienced in dealing with an outbreak of
scarlet fever due to an infected milk supply in North-East London. The Committee recommended
the Council to initiate legislation to increase the powers of local authorities to check epidemics due
to milk in several important details, and to obtain for themselves power to stop the sale of milk in
London as a whole. The same report also dealt with the question of milk from cows affected with
tubercular disease of the udder. The Committee recommended the Council to seek large powers to
prevent the sale of such milk, and to prevent tubercular cows being kept in dairy sheds. The
Committee's recommendations were adopted, and the provisions required are included in the
London County Council's (General Powers) Bill, 1902, Part VIII.
Ice-Ckeam.—On 17th July, 1901, the London County Council issued a circular letter covering
copy report of their Public Health Committee (dated 4th July) on the question of the manufacture
and storage of ice-cream—or more correctly, " hokey-pokey." The Committee recommended that
powers should be obtained to regulate the manner of making and storing ice-creams, and to secure
prompt report of the occurrence of infectious disease. The Committee's proposals were adopted, and
the necessary clauses included in Part IX. of the General Powers Bill already mentioned.
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.—A summary of the articles submitted to the Public Analyst
during 1901 will be found in Table IX, Appendix. The results of the legal proceedings instituted
with respect to the adulterated samples are set out on page 73, together with notes of previous
convictions on record against the defendants, and other notes (page 74).
The average amount of fine and costs per conviction fell last year to £2 16s. and 15s. respectively,
making £3 Is. in all, as compared with £4 6s. 3d. in 1900, and £3 19s. in 1899. These results
point to the necessity of having a minimum limit for fines for second and subsequent offences. By
the Act of 1899, increased maxima were enacted for such offences, but nothing was done to prevent
trifling fines being imposed. Adulteration is so profitable that an occasional fine has but little
deterrent effect. For some reason the cases are but rarely reported in the daily press.
On August 5th last, the Board of Agriculture, in exercise of their powers conferred by Section 4
of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899, made the following regulations fixing a standard for
milk:—
Milk.
1. Where a sample of milk (not being milk sold as skimmed, or separated, or condensed, milk) contains less
than 3 per cent, of milk-fat, it shall be presumed for the purposes of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, 1875 to 1899,
until the contrary is proved, that the milk is not genuine, by reason of the abstraction therefrom of milk-fat, or
the addition thereto of water.
2. Where a sample of milk (not being milk sold as skimmed, or separated, or condensed, milk) contains less
than 8-5 per cent, of milk-solids other than milk-fat, it shall be presumed for the purposes of the Sale of Food and
Drugs Acts, 1875 to 1899. until the contrary is proved, that the milk is not genuine, by reason of the abstraction
- therefrom of milk-solids other than milk-fat, or the addition thereto of water.