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Dr. Hamer's inspection of these premises will be found in his report (Appendix I.), and it will
suffice to state here that this report showed the need for sanitary authorities to be empowered to
require that food shall be kept under conditions which do not expose it to risk of contamination.
In the matter of ice cream there are grounds for justifying a claim for more complete control
than in the case of other articles of food. Such power has already been obtained in Glasgow
and Liverpool.
Samples of ice cream purchased in the street were examined by order of several sanitary
authorities, and the following references to the subject are found in the reports of medical officers
of health—
Paddinc/ton—The examination of samples of ice cream sold by street vendors and in shops
showed that the compound sold by the street vendors, and which is boiled previously to being
frozen, contained fewer micro-organisms than that sold by better-class manufacturers who make
their cream ices from cream and fruit and not from custard, and that there was need for the supervision
of the premises of the street vendors, to ensure that the ices shall not be exposed to
exhalations from drains, &c. As a result of the work of 1898 these places were much improved.
St. Pancras—Eight samples of ice cream were examined, and the results stated to be
" anything but satisfactory." The vestry asked the Local Government Board to obtain for them
powers to prevent the preparation, storage, and sale of food in places which they may consider
unfit for the purpose.
Strand—The medical officer of health discusses the conditions under which ice cream is
manufactured, and the opportunities which exist for its contamination, and he says " It must be
evident from the above report that proper control over this industry is urgently required." And
" it would be well also to prohibit the use of any place for the preparation for sale, storage, or
sale of food until it has been pronounced fit for such purpose."
City—" Samples of ice cream were taken from shops and itinerant dealers, and found free
from injurious ingredients, but had been prepared in dirty utensils. Upon investigation " it was
ascertained that most of the goods had been manufactured outside the City."
Shoreditch—The medical officer of health gives account of the conditions found a few years
ago to exist on premises occupied by an ice cream manufacturer, and in which were two
cases of enteric fever. Inspection in the summer of 1898 of thirty premises at which ice cream
was prepared and sold gave the following results—" In fifteen, insanitary conditions of more or less
gravity were found existing, including defective drains, untrapped sinks, defective water-closets,
defectively paved yards, and want of proper attention to cleanliness. In five instances it was
necessary to reconstruct the drains. In nine instances cleansing and lime washing were required.
In one case the premises were overcrowded."
Bermondsey—A register of ice cream manufacturers has been prepared and the premises
inspected from time to time to see that they are kept in a cleanly and wholesome condition.
Deptford—" Constant supervision was exercised over the manufacture and storage of ice
cream with very satisfactory results."
Unsound Food.
The food, other than meat, seized in London by the officers of the sanitary authorities as
unfit for human consumption, consisted for the most part of fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and
poultry. Such food was seized, or surrendered and destroyed, in Chelsea, Hampstead, St. Pancras,
Hackney, St. Giles, Strand, Holborn, St. Luke, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, St. George-in-the-East,
Limehouse, Poplar, St. Saviour, Southwark, St. George-the-Martyr, Newington, St. Olave,
Bermondsey, Lambeth, Battersea, Wandsworth, and Greenwich. Food, the nature of which was
not specified was seized in Paddington, Chelsea, St. James, Westminster, and Marylebone. In
the City 1,0(58 tons were condemned and destroyed by the "fish meters" at the expense of the
Fishmongers' Company.
In the City, the officers of the Corporation, the market authority in London, seized 884 tons
1 cwt. of meat, of which the medical officer of health states 713 tons were putrid, 133 diseased,
and 38 tons unsound from "accident or other causes. He gives an interesting account of the sequre
of 1,657 carcases out of a consignment of 3,040 carcases of sheep from Queensland. He describes,
the appearances of the carcases, and states that " In the state of health indicated by these
appearances, animals would be prone to diseases of various kinds, especially those induced by
parasites, and although not easily recognizable when the carcases were trimmed and dressed for
sale at market, would be quite unfit for human food under the circumstances above described."
He adds—" I have been informed that the owner gave no directions to his agents for this lot of
sheep to be shipped from Queensland, intending them only to be slaughtered and boiled down in
that place. If this be true the shipment must have been made in error. To verify this statement
it would occupy considerable time. I have since ascertained that some of the Australian Governments
have determined that, in future, no frozen meat shall leave the colonies without proper
inspection at the port of shipment, and that meat passing this supervision shall be marked."
In other London districts the seizures of meat unfit for human consumption were shown by
the reports of medical officers of health to be as follows—Hammersmith, 3 pieces of pork
(prosecution and penalties of £50); Fulham, 116 pieces of pork (prosecution and penalty £40);
Hampstead, " stale meat" ; St. Pancras, a piece of bullock's lungs and two melts (prosecution and
penalty £10); Hackney, 11¼ cwt. of meat; Holborn, 4,328 stone (exclusive of offal); the medical
officer of health states that this is less than was seized in the first quarter of 1896, and he comments
on the improvement of the meat supply; St. Luke, 268 lbs. of meat of various sorts; Shoreditch,
veal, 11 pieces mixed cuttings, 58 lbs. mutton, 2 halves of sheep, sausages 3 lbs., beef 2 cwt,, pork
73 lbs.; Limehouse, one sheep; Mile-end Old-town, " A large part of the stock of a butcher,
including several emaciated sheep that had been suffering from tubercular disease, and other large