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34
preventing contamination of this kind, it can never be entirely obviated in
cases where the old-fashioned, badly designed churns are in use.
I am glad to say that, acting upon my advice, many of the large milk
trading firms are adopting more modern types of churns, specially designed
for excluding aerial and other contamination.
By direction of the Court of Common Council a copy of this Report was
forwarded to both the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Local
Government Board, with a representation to the latter Authority urging the
importance of obtaining further Parliamentary powers in relation to the
milk supply.
Of the 184 milk samples taken in the City between November, 1904, and
December, 1909, and specially examined for the tubercle bacillus, that
organism was present in 15 cases or 8.15 per cent.
In a report to the County Council of the Public Health Committee dated
3rd February this year, it is stated that since the Council obtained power
under Part IV. of their General Powers Act, 1907, for dealing with milk
supply (tuberculous), 1,930 samples had been examined, of which 187
or 9.6 per cent. were found to be tuberculous.
It is evident, therefore, that an enormous quantity of tubercular milk
is now, and has been for many years past, distributed throughout the
country. The mischief does not stop here, tubercular milk is not the only
class of milk that requires supervision, but it is known from my own
investigations and those of others engaged in similar enquiries that still
larger proportions of milk sold to the public are contaminated with other
pathogenic organisms. There is ample evidence that, owing to the
neglect of elementary precautions at dairy farms, their supplies more often
than not contain evidence of faecal contamination from the cows.
Again, the mode of distribution as ordinarily practised favour the further
pollution of the milk in transitu.
As showing the real danger attending the distribution of milk containing
tubercle bacilli, attention is directed to the following abstract of the Third
Interim Report of the Royal Commission on the relation between human
and animal tuberculosis.