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cerned in the cases of illness in the City mentioned above. Dr. Newman states that the premises
concerned were insanitary. He gives particulars of the Italian quarter in Finsbury, aud states
that efforts have been made for a number of years to supervise the ice cream industry, and that
already 94 premises on which this business is carried 011 were known to the sanitary authoritv.
In Paddington a list of 25 makers and vendors has been compiled, 12 being Italians selling from
street barrows. Of these, 3 were found to make ice creams in stables where animals were kept, one
in a disused stable, one in a living and sleeping room, and seven in sculleries and open yards. In
Kensington the medical officer of health visited the premises on which ice cream was manufactured.
In Hammersmith there are 20 such premises, the inspection of which was allotted to the inspector
employed in connection with smoke nuisance, and G notices were served. I11 Fulham the various
vendors were informed of the requirements of the Act; arrangements have been made for the
regular inspection of the premises, and six samples of ice cream were examined bacterioiogically.
In Westminster the requirements of the Act were made known to the various vendors. In
Hampstead a list of vendors was prepared, all of whom were notified of the requirements of the
Act and their premises regularly inspected. In Islington there are 183 places known in which
the manufacture of ice cream is carried on. The provisions of the Act were brought to the knowledge
of the vendors, and Dr. Harris says that already there has been great improvement in the
manner in which ice creams are made. The medical officer of health of Hackney points out the
need for interchange of information between the various sanitary authorities as to ice cream vendors
who manufacture in one district and sell in another. In Holborn notices were exhibited
throughout the borough showing the provisions of the Act. All the premises were inspected and
the Act enforced; many of them will no longer be used for this purpose. In the City 32 premises
on which ice cream is manufactured were inspected and 15 were found to be insanitary. The
medical officers of health of other districts were communicated with concerning 141 vendors in the
City who manufactured their ice cream in 48 places in other parts of London ; of these places 9
were stated to be in an unsatisfactory condition. Notices were served when necessary concerning
the places in the City where this ice cream was sold. In Shoreditch 63 ice cream shops were inspected
and insanitary conditions of major or minor importance found in 25. In 3 instances
water-closets were in dangerous proximity to the place where the ice cream was made, in one case
it was discovered that the copper used in its preparation was utilised for the boiling of dirty underclothing,
and in another the ice cream was manufactured in a room used for living and sleeping.
Samples of ice cream were bacterioiogically examined. In Bethnal-green there were 53 places
where ice cream was manufactured, of which 22 were found to be insanitary. Each proprietor was
served with a notice of the requirements of the Act. In Southwark there were 50 inspections
and 123 re-inspections of premises used for the manufacture of ice cream, 27 intimation and G statutory
notices being served for the remedy of defects ; these were complied with, or the use of the
premises abandoned. In Bermondsey there were 68 premises, the occupiers of which were notified
of the requirements of the Act. All were inspected and improvements effected where necessarv.
I11 Lambeth samples of ice cream were examined barteriologically. In Battersea there were 80
premises used for the manufacture of ice cream, 12 of which were occupied by Italians. Various
insanitary conditions were found, including the manufacture of the ice cream in living-rooms in 29
instances, and in rooms communicating with a water-closet in 7 instances. In 6 instances structural
alteration of the premises was required. In Camberwell there were 242 inspections of ice
cream shops. In Deptford copies of the provisions of the Act were posted and bills distribuled. In
Greenwich a circular was sent to the occupiers of some 100 premises. In Lewisham 110 action was
taken during the year.
Unsound food.
The annual report of Dr. Collingridge shows that the supply of meat to the Corporation
Markets, Smithfield, was 405,019 tons in 1902, and that 8G5 tons were seized during the year, the
latter amount including 257 tons of imported frozen and chilled meat. In 23 instances there were
prosecutions and in 22 instances penalties were recovered. In the remaining case it was shown
that some other person, and not the person summoned, was responsible. Dr. Collingridge states that
for the first time Servian sheep were sent into the market. He writes, "They were to a great
extent badly selected, weak and poor, to which defects emphasis had been given by most indifferent
dressing, in course of which a small piece of liver had, in most cases, been left in the carcase
between the diaphragm and kidney. Many of these livers were full of flukes, which in some cases
were found singly or in bunches on the surface of the chest wall, clearly showing the reason for
their condition. As a consequence, a large proportion of the carcases were seized. In spite
of this, they continued to come in varying numbers and at irregular intervals for several weeks.
A rumour then reached us that owing to the large number seized in the City, it was intended to
avoid the London market and send them to provincial towns for sale. The Port sanitary authority
were at once communicated with, with a view to their inspection at the point of debarkation,
and some considerable number were seized by their officers. Notwithstanding these preventive
measures, diseased sheep from this source continued to arrive on the London market up to Kith
January. It is understood that larger consignments will be sent next year." Dr. Collingridge
suggested that in such event it would be well to bring these facts to the notice of the Servian
Government.
In Finsbury a large meat trade is carried on in the neighbourhood of the City markets,
and a special meat inspector is employed. During the year more than 75 tons of meat were
surrendered or seized. There were 18 prosecutions in connection with the seizure of meat. In
three cases the defendants were sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine, and in
other cases fines varying from £50 to £2 were inflicted.