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51
South Eastern and Chatham Railway. Snow Hill, Ludgate Hill
and Holborn Viaduct Stations.
Carriages swept at Holborn Viaduct and cleansed at Loughborough
Junction. No disinfectant used. Sprinkled with water before sweeping in
summer months. Platforms, stairs and booking halls swept twice daily. No
disinfectant used.
Spitting Notices on platforms and booking hall at Snow Hill, on stairs and
booking hall at Ludgate Hill, and in booking hall and waiting-room at
Holborn Viaduct; more are required. There are no Spitting Notices in any
of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Company's carriages.
As to the possibility of the spread of tuberculosis through eating meat of
animals affected with this disorder, it is obvious that the flesh of animals
affected with any acute specific disease should be rejected owing to the risk
of the consumer becoming infected by it. In August, 1901, a Royal
Commission was appointed to enquire and report with respect to tuberculosis—
(1) Whether the disease in animals and man is one and the same;
(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.
This Commission was necessary on account of the pronouncement of
Dr. Koch at the British Congress on Tuberculosis in 1901, when he stated:—
"I feel justified in maintaining that human tuberculosis differs from
"bovine, and cannot be transmitted to cattle." .....
"The infection of human beings (from animals) is but a very rare occur"rence,
I should estimate the extent of infection by the milk and flesh
"of tubercular cattle, and the butter made of their milk, as hardly greater
"than that of hereditary transmission, and I therefore do not deem it
"advisable to take any measures against it."
These views did not commend themselves to the majority of scientific men
who had studied the subject, and numerous observations have since shown
that they are untenable. But in view of the high standing of Dr. Koch, and
the practical bearing upon the agricultural question in this country, the
acceptance of this theory would at once involve the abandonment of all
inspection and destruction of meat affected with tuberculosis, it was felt that
an immediate and exhaustive investigation was imperative.