View report page

74 FOOD SUPERVISION.
In May of last year summonses were heard at the Guildhall Court touching pigs which
were purchased at the Central Meat Market and condemned on inspection by the Council's
staff after delivery at the local shop. A summary of the cases will be found under Legal
Proceedings.
The "pork season" lasts from August to April, and it was anticipated that the number
of pigs showing evidences of tuberculosis would be much the same during last winter's season
as in the previous vear. A practice has, however, been adopted which renders it impossible,
except on rare occasions, to say whether the "dressed" carcasses are or are not tubercular.
The lymphatic glands, tonsils, &c., are usually so minced up—when not cut out—that it is
impossible to form any opinion as to their freedom from disease. The practice is in effect
identical with "stripping" of the pleura in cattle. In the latter case the direction of the
Local Government Board is that the whole carcass is to be condemned as unfit for food, and
logicallv the same course should be adopted in dealing with pigs' carcasses from which the
glands have been removed. Carcasses for deliverv in Paddington are almost always held
back for special inspection, but where the "stripping" takes place is not definitely known.
It is not done in the Borough.
The facts of the case have been laid before the Local Government Board, who have
ordered a special inquiry to be held as to meat inspection in the Metropolis. Communications
on the subject have also been addressed to the Consul-General of the
Netherlands, whence a large proportion of the pigs are imported. In that country there
is a complete system of inspection and labelling of carcasses.
It is an unfortunate circumstance that butchers are in general so ignorant of the signs of
a disease such as tuberculosis. In the only case taken at Marylebone Police Court during
the past year, the defendant's manager stated in evidence that he had had many years'
experience and saw nothing wrong with the carcass. The head had been cut off from the
trunk before the Inspector saw the meat, and the knife had gone through the tonsil. This
gland was much enlarged, contained masses of tubercle easily visible to the naked eye, and
there was an abscess full of pus in the centre of the cut. The conditions were so patent as
to attract the attention of the Inspector in passing the shop window. The lesions discovered
on further examination were as here set out:—
Both tonsils much enlarged, studded with tubercular deposit, some caseous, some purulent;
pleural surfaces, tubercular nodules on ribs, and remains of tubercular pleurisy; all lymphatic
glands enlarged, many of them caseous, others gritty.
The carcass had been partially cut up for sale.
Food Adulteration.—During the year 512 samples were submitted to the Public Analyst,
of which 46 (or 8.9 per cent.) were found to be adulterated. The proportion adulterated was
a little higher last year than in 1903 and 1902, but lower than in 1901. The percentages for
those years were—1903, 6.9 ; 1902, 8.8; 1901, 10.9.
The increase in the percentage last year was largely owing to the examination of
samples of soda (33.3 per cent. adulterated) and of brandy (25 per cent, adulterated).