View report page

42
visible uncleanliness showed no evidence of the danger to which the
public was exposed. There is no doubt that, in general, infection by
Enteric group infectious disease is not a question of visible uncleanliness
at all.
Bearing in mind the difficulties encountered by those local authorities
anxious to safeguard the health of the people, it almost becomes a
mockery to read the advice given to the public during the epidemics of
poliomyelitis, when circulars state "the apparent ineffectiveness of public
health measures must be due, at least partly, to there being perhaps
several hundreds of cases of abortive infection for every one diagnosed as
poliomyelitis"; and again, "parents should realise that they themselves
may be carriers of the virus and may infect their own children either by
droplets from the mouth or by handling food with contaminated hands";
and yet again, "for your child's own protection as well as protection of
others, teach him also to wash his hands without fail after using the W.C.
and before sitting down to meals."
At the time when this good advice is being given to the public, cafes
and restaurants, which do not need to be registered, and also registered
ice-cream vendors can remove a window from their premises and during
the dusty, dangerous months of the year sell ice-cream in cones, packets
or tubs to be eaten in the streets and public vehicles by children with
dirty hands.
The foregoing remarks draw attention to some of the more obvious
weaknesses in the Food & Drugs Act, which at present is the only legal
means of safeguarding food against contamination, and whilst agreeing
that it would be difficult to make the Act watertight none would dispute
the fact that some alteration in the law is urgently needed.
Faced with these difficulties, and until the very necessary improvements
in legislation are brought about, those local authorities anxious for
the well-being of the public are resorting, with the co-operation of traders,
to the formation of Clean Food Guilds and Associations as a means of
overcoming the loopholes which exist in the Act.
Milk Supply
At the end of the year there remained on the register 36 retail purveyors
of milk whose premises are situated in the Borough, and 26
retailers whose premises are situated outside the Borough.
Milk (Special Designations) Regulations 1936-1949
Under the Milk (Special Designations) Regulations, 13 principal
licences and 10 Supplementary licences were granted.