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9
uncleanly habits of the men who made them." Dr. Klein found a very large number of bacteria in
the samples examined, and commented upon the presence of bacillus coli, proteus vulgaris, and other
varieties of micro-organism in some of the samples. In 1895, Messrs. Macfadyen and Colwell reported
upon samples of ice-cream from ten districts of London. Chemical analysis failed to show anything
objectionable, but microscopically portions of human parasites, hairs (human and animal), epithelial
scales and muscular tissue were found.
*Dr. Nield Cook, in 1896, carried out some very interesting investigations concerning the
bacteriology of ice-cream. He describes how he made "microscopic examination of the ice-cream,
and found cocci, bacilli, torulse and cotton fibre, but" he adds, " I was not so fortunate as to discover
any such interesting remains as ' four fat lice' found by Dr. Albert Smith in a sample, or ' bed bugs,
bugs' legs, fleas, straw, human hair, cats' and dogs'hair, &c., found by Messrs. Macfadyen and Colwell."
Dr. Nield Cook then explains that he found about five million microbes per cubic centimetre in
samples of Italian ice-cream, and that it occurred to him that it was " desirable to ascertain the
bacteriological conditions of the best ice-cream procurable to give a standard for comparison." A
sample was accordingly purchased at the shop of a " well known west-end confectioner " and subject
to precautions detailed by Dr. Cook in his paper, removed to the laboratory and examined.
The result was " contrary to what one would naturally expect," inasmuch as the west-end
sample contained the larger number of microbes. Dr. Nield Cook suggests that " The greater number
of bacteria found in west-end ice-cream may be attributed to its containing a high percentage of the
products of the cow." He adds, " probably the Italian practice of boiling the ingredients may be
partly accountable for the lesser number in the Italian sample, as it limits the period of active multiplication
to that intervening between cooling and freezing." Dr. Nield Cook concludes " this much however
is certain, that if street ices are to be condemned, we are not justified in condemning them on
account of the number or species of bacteria contained in them, for in these respects they are no
worse than the best ices sold in the west-end of London."
Again during the past summer an examination of samples of ice-cream was made at the
instance of the Paddington Vestry, as the outcome of which results of a somewhat similar character
to those just detailed were obtained. Dr. R. Dudfield in reporting on this matter describes how
" altogether eleven samples of ices, three from shops and eight from barrows, with four samples from
the wash-tubs on street barrows were submitted to bacteriological examination." Mr. Foulerton, the
bacteriologist who examined the samples, found the number of bacteria per cubic centimetre ranged
from 162,500, the case in which it was lowest, to 7,400,000 in the case in which the number was highest.
Bacillus coli communis was found in nineoutof the eleven samples. In no case was evidence obtained of
the presence of the bacillus enteritidis sporogenes, the bacillus tuberculosis, the bacillus diphtheriae, or
the bacillus typhosus. Mr. Foulerton expressed the opinion that three of the samples were of reasonably
good quality, and fit for food; another, a shop-ice (Italian maker) " contained a considerable quantity of
foreign dirt." Another shop-ice (English maker) " had undergone a certain amount of souring, and was
not fresh." A barrow-ice (Italian maker) " was very dirty, containing over 4,000,000 bacteria per cubic
centimetre ; while another shop-ice (English maker) " was the worst one of the batch," the number of
bacteria being over 7,000,000 in the cubic centimetre. With regard to the remaining samples, there
was nothing special to be said, beyond stating " that they were all more or less dirty." What
Dr. Dudfield terms " a very instructive comparison," can here again be made between ices obtained
from street vendors and ices obtained from shops. Dr. Dudfield visited a number of the premises
upon which the ices were made, and found that the actual vessels used in manufacturing ices were
clean, but the living rooms in which the custard was prepared were as a rule dirty. He notes that
all the premises occupied by street vendors in Paddington are situated in mews, and points out that
"under any circumstances a mews cannot be considered a desirable place in which to prepare foodstuffs."
At about the same time that the inquiry above referred to was being prosecuted at the instance
of the Paddington Vestry, an examination was being made on behalf of the Council as to the
bacteriological peculiarities of Italian street-vendor's ice-creams, and also as to other kinds of icecream.
Samples having been obtained for bacteriological examination by Dr. Klein, as already
described, from the Italian quarter, it was decided also to procure samples of ice-cream from the westend
of London, and three samples, one from a club, one from an hotel, and one from a well-known
restaurant, were accordingly obtained. Dr. Klein reported upon these (samples A, B and C in Appendix),
and his report conclusively shows that as regards the number of organisms present, the Italian custard does
not compare unfavourably with the west-end ices. It is further noteworthy that while the latter contained
in each instance bacillus coli, none of the former yielded evidence of the presence of this organism.
It cannot, however, be too strongly insisted upon that the examination of west-end ices cannot be
regarded as in any way a " control experiment " for checking results obtained with regard to the " ices " of
itinerant vendors ; the composition and mode of preparation of the two commodities are so very
different. It is clear, however, from the results yielded by ices which must be regarded as above
suspicion, that there has been a tendency in the past to pronounce an unfavourable judgment upon the
ice-cream from barrows upon principles the soundness of which is now seen to be open to question.
The manufacture of Polish or Russian cheese—There are some ten or twelve sets of premises, consisting
of two or three storey houses with a small yard attached, in St. George's-in-the-East and
Whitechapel upon which this business, with the associated business of butter-making, is carried on.
The persons who make cheese and butter almost always sell " sour milk," and in some cases they sell
*Public Health, vol. viii., p. 252.
†In a paper on "Ice-creams, their manufacture and bacteriology," by John Wilkinson, M.D., which
appeared in Public Health of January, 1899, the subject of the conclusions to be drawn from bacteriological
examination is discussed. Dr. Wilkinson concludes that the method of manufacture of the custard ices "snould
make the comparison between the cream-ices and the custard-ices more favourable for the latter than we find to
be the case."
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