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62
In my opinion more serious attempts ought to be made to
improve the general milk supply and not merely improve special
qualities as the system of improvement above outlined under these
recent Milk Orders appears to have as its end result a considerable
depreciation of the general supply, for whilst milk containing
the germ of tuberculosis and above a certain number of
bacilli coli communis is to be excluded from these special sorts of milk
yet it is quite allowable for the same to be still in the general supply.
It is feared that the general public do not sufficiently realise that the
bacillus coli communis is the bacillus found in excrement, manure,
etc. Henoe, whenever this term is made use of, to those who know
it connotes " excremental contamination," and the sooner, in my
opinion, the general public begin to realise this fact, the better it
will be.
It has been repeatedly pointed out that until the law is altered
so as to compel the milk vendor to guarantee tubercle-free milk,
so long shall we have the human deaths from bovine tubercle infection.
The present position is that milk, which is a food necessary
to infants and invalids, may contain living cultures of the most
insidious and terrible poison extent.
The Medical Officer of Health for the City of London recently
found to be tuberculous one in four samples of milk purchased in the
City, and it is estimated that over 6 per cent, of all deaths from
tuberculosis are due to drinking tuberculous milk, or approximately
3,000 deaths annually in England and Wales.
Obviously it should be compulsory to test milking cows and
segregate or destroy those found infected. This would greatly
reduce the risk of infection and probably abolish, indirectly, many
other ailments which gain their foothold when the powers of resistance
are depleted. It would almost appear that the compensation
which would be necessary under such a Scheme is allowed to stand
in the way of human lives and health.
Professor Frederick Hobday, C.M.G., F.R.C.V.S., F.R.S.E.,
formerly Professor to the Royal Veterinary College, London, and
Honorary Veterinary Surgeon to H.M. the King, in an address given
bv him before the British Medical Association, makes the following
statement, on this subject, which I think is well worth the consideration
of the general public :—
" Given a free hand, we of the veterinary profession could
stamp out tuberculosis of cattle in the same way as we have
stamped out glanders and rabies. It would take time and
would cost money, but the saving of the suffering and misery