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at the various milk mixing and cleansing depots in the Borough to ascertain what
is done with the residue after the milk has been passed through the cleansers. It
was found in each case that this residue is at once destroyed.
Dirt in Milk.
During the year 100 samples were examined in the Health Office for dirt; 2 contained
dirt, one was grossly contaminated, 17 parts per 100,000 being present, the other
contained a faint trace.
This very dirty milk was stated by the wholesaler to be a mixed milk derived from
a creamery supplied by "many hundreds of dairies;" it was sold by them to one
retailer who sold it to another, neither of whom were known to us as retailing dirty
milk.
This milk reaches Euston Station consigned from the dairy farmers to the wholesale
milk sellers. In similar instances samples of the milk from individual churns
(which bear the farmer's name) can be taken by the Sanitary Authority in whose area
the railway termini are situated and the source of the dirt traced.
In six other cases the Borough analyst examined milk purchased from retailers
who had been proved by examination in the Health Office of milk sold by them to sell
milk which at any rate was occasionally dirty. All these six were found to contain dirt
the quantities being in parts per 100,000, 2.2 ; 2'0; 0.9; 0.8; 0.2and a faint trace.
The presence of two parts of dirt per 100,000 is sufficiently serious to warrant stringent
enquiry and serious warnings ; in one of the cases the wholesalers had, in consequence,
the milk delivered to Holborn retailers examined for sediment (dirt) and bacteriological
counts made.
Bacteriological Examination of Milk.
Eighteen samples of milk were examined for the presence of tubercle bacilli, six
of these were also examined to ascertain the number of organisms per cubic centimetre
and the smallest volume containing b. coli.
Examinations for tubercle bacilli were carried out by animal inoculation ; in two
cases (11 per cent.) evidence was established of tubercle infection in the milk.
The vendor of the first sample, who obtains milk from two sources, stated that
the sample in question was from a London wholesaler; on enquiry this milk was found
to be part of a consignment of milk originating from many hundreds of farms ; at the
mixing depot it is stated to be dumped into receiving vats, put through cleaners and
pasteurisers and over coolers. The second supply to this retailer comes from a
provincial source and particulars of the examination were sent to the County Medical
Officer of Health concerned, who replied that no action could be taken as the depot
was one dealing with mixed milk from a large number of farms. In this case a guinea
pig was inoculated on the 20th November 1923 and died on the 28th, the post-mortem
examination disclosed heavy infection of generalised tuberculosis, tuberculous nodules