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Wednesday, '49th June, 1910.
*21. Earl Winterton.—To ask the President of the Local
Government Board, whether his attention has been drawn to the
statements made by Drs. Michael, of Camberwell, Forbes-Ross,
Ryan, and others, citing cases where infection has been carried
through bread sold in chandlers' shops and on unsanitary and
disease infected premises, or through exchanged bread; and, if so,
what action he proposes to take to prevent the continuance of this
practice in the future.
Mr. Burns—My attention has been drawn to certain newspaper
paragraphs in regard to this matter, and I propose to make
some inquiry respecting the allegations.
22nd July, 1910.
Sir,
Re Alleged Danger to the Public Health arising from the
Sale of Bread in Chandlers' Shops, etc.
Your letter of the 6th instant, addressed to the Town Clerk,
has been forwarded to me, and I beg to state that the Sanitary
Inspectors have had instructions to enforce in respect of places in
which bread is sold the provisions of Section 8 of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1908, which deals with
premises used for the sale, etc., of food for human consumption. I
consider that these regulations preclude the deposit of bread in a
place where coals are kept, and so far as paraffin is concerned I
think that should bread in any way become soiled with it the bread
would become unsaleable.
So far as infected premises are concerned the usual practice is
to endeavour to have the patient removed and the premises
disinfected immediately. Removal of the patient is generally
adopted, but should an infectious case be treated at home in
connection with premises on which food is sold or prepared the
medical attendant would be communicated with and removal sought
and failing its adoption there would be advised isolation and strictest
precautions against the spread of the disease and infection.
Of late years there has been very little difficulty in Poplar
(with its teeming poor) in obtaining the removal of patients
suffering from infectious disease. The inhabitants recognise the