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104
Council are strongly of opinion that power should be given to
Borough Councils, under the Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops
Order of 1889, article 2, and of 1885, article 15, to remove and place
in temporary quarantine any milch cow suspected to be diseased or
tubercular, until the animal is released or condemned by the
Veterinary Inspector, under the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts,
and to pay reasonable compensation to the owner for such quarantine
or detention.
(c) That a copy of the foregoing report of the Medical Officer of Health,
and of the communication to the Local Government Board, the Board
of Agriculture, and the London County Council on the subject, be
sent to each of the Metropolitan Borough Councils, asking them to
support the representations made by this Council in the matter.
Your Committee instructed me to have samples of milk drawn from all the
cows in the cowshed in which the two tuberculous cows were discovered, and
the ten samples numbered consecutively from 33 to 42 inclusive represent the
samples so drawn. It will be observed that in 8 of the 10 famples the deposit
consisted entirely of pus cells, in one of a considerable number of pus cells, and
that only one of the samples was free from pus cells. The inference to be
drawn from this is that the cows were habitually stripped to such a degree as
to produce chronic irritation of the mammary canals and the production of pus.
The stripping of cows, that is, the drawing of the very last drop of milk from
the udder by pulling on the teats until no more can be drawn, is habitually
practiced in order to stimulate the mammary glands to se jrete the maximum
amount of milk. This amount can also be increased by milking the cow more
often, say three times instead of twice in 24 hours, and also by feeding the cow
on more liquid or more liquid food. '1 here is also an impression that feeding
the cows on mangolds and brewers' grains (cheaper forms of food than those
usually given) tonds to increase the quantity of milk, overlooking the fact that
they render the milk injurious to suckling infants and sick persons
A lady recently returned from Belgium told me that she was astonisheu at
the enormous quantity of milk produced by a herd of cows near where she was
staying until she found out that the cows were excessively stripped, milked
three times in the twenty-four hours, and fed upon semi-liqui 1 mashes instead
of solid food. The dairy-farmer was vastly proud of his success.
It is obvious that unless there is control over the management of cows,
especially the feeding and milking, in the production of nursery milk, the
control over the buildings and the management of subsequent processes during
and after the drawing of milk, are of little avail in obtaining a milk of fit
quality for sick persons and suckling infants. In this respect " nursery milk"
would be better termed nursing milk, in so much as it is intended to be used
as the standard food for the maintenance of life in those who are sick and
suckling, and therefore require nursing, and is of infinitely more importance
than ordinary commercial milk, which is mainly consumed by the healthy, who
have many other foods at their disposal, and upon whom the quality and purity
of the milk has little or no effect unless extremely bad or infected with
specific disease.