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APPENDIX IV.
PLUMSTEAD VESTRY.
Recommendations to Dairymen and Cowkeepers, who supply milk
in Plumstead, for the Prevention of Infectious and other Diseases.
The following recommendations are intended to supplement
the County Council Regulations.
1. Of all foods none ia so likely to convey infectious disease as milk,
and, therefore, all possible means should be taken to secure its purity.
2. Disease may be conveyed through milk in three different ways:—
(1) By illness of the cow; (2) by illness of the milkers or other persons
who have to do with the milk; (3) by dirt accidentally conveyed to the
milk.
3. Cows should be frequently inspected by a Veterinary Surgeon, so
that illness may be detected, and the proper measures be taken.
4. All cows who are in any way sick should be separated from the
others, and kept in a distinct shed.
5. Cows should always be carefully kept clean. The udders and teats,
if necessary, should be cleansed before milking.
6. The floor of the cowshed, besides being frequently washed down,
should be swept several times a day, so that dung is never allowed to lie
on the ground.
7. The walls and roofs of cowsheds should be kept scrupulously clean.
8. It is most important that sheds should be well ventilated, and the
best ventilation is by means of openings in the walls on each side, just
above the level of the cows' heads.
9. No doubt cows kept warm yield more milk, but if the warmth is
obtained at the expense of fresh air, the cows will sicken and, in the end,
yield less milk.
10. Those who milk, or attend on the cows, should be obliged to report
themselves whenever suffering from any illness, and produce a Medical
certificate. It is most important that no one suffering from infectious
disease or consumption, and no one exposed to infectious disease at their
home, should be allowed in any cowshed or dairy.