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95
The inspection of slaughterhouses by the sanitary authorities has given some opportunity
for the inspection of the carcases of animals killed in them, but from the number of inspections
which have been made in some districts it does not appear that much use has been made
of this opportunity. On the other hand, in Paddington, the carcases of 4,570 sheep, 136 bullocks,
and of 26 calves were inspected. In St. Pancras, one inspector who saw 500 animals killed states
that the carcase of a pig and a number of lungs and livers were surrendered and destroyed. In
Islington the inspector examined 44,785 animals killed in the slaughterhouses, and the entire carcases
of 11 animals (6 cows and 5 sheep) were seized and destroyed ; among the animals killed 307
were found to be more or less diseased, 95 being affected with tuberculosis. In Hackney
slaughterhouses were visited, usually at the time of slaughter ; there were 2,110 oxen and heifers
and 26,387 sheep and lambs killed in these slaughterhouses in 1902; the carcases of 74 oxen and
heifers, of 267 sheep and of 3 calves were inspected, and the viscera of 6 oxen and 8 sheep found
to be diseased. In Wandsworth slaughterhouses were frequently inspected, not only for the
purpose of seeing that the by-laws were carried out, but also for the purpose of inspecting the
animals after slaughter.
There can, of course, be no complete inspection of all the animals killed in private
slaughterhouses, but it would be well for efforts to be made in this direction pending
the time when public slaughterhouses will be substituted for private slaughterhouses. Dr.
Annis, the medical officer of health of Greenwich, states in his annual report that, "when inspecting
these premises, especially in connection with the renewal or otherwise of their annual
licence, I found and reported to the Public Health Committee that these inspections had revealed
the fact that no less than three of these premises were not in actual use, and had not been
used for some considerable time; the butchers occupying the premises, preferring, for various
reasons, to make use of the public slaughterhouse, or buying the meat killed therein, thus showing
that, even with the much-vaunted facilities of the private slaughterhouse adjacent to the shop to
hand, such facilities appear to be overbalanced by other considerations in favour of the public
abattoir. This practice of the butchers themselves would seem to show that the argument so
frequently raised when the question of the provision of a public abattoir is brought to the front,
i.e., that the inconvenience attaching to the use of a public slaughterhouse, as opposed to a private
one, is too great, is raised from ulterior motives."
Seizures of meat are also recorded in the annual reports relating to Westminster, Hampstead,
Shoreditch, Bethnal-green, Stepney, Poplar, Deptford, and Woolwich.
Seizures of other articles of food are recorded in the annual reports relating to a number
of districts. In the City 362 cartloads of vegetables, fruit, condensed milk, etc., were surrendered
and 1,148 tons of fish were condemned in or near Billingsgate Market. The reports as
to many of the other districts show that seizures of other articles of food were made in Paddington,
Fulham, Chelsea, Westminster, Hampstead, St. Pancras, St. Marylebone, Islington, Hackney,
Holborn, Finsbury, Shoreditch, Bethnal-green, Stepney, Poplar, Southwark, Bermondsey, Lambeth,
Battersea, Wandsworth, Deptford, Greenwich and Woolwich. Among the articles thus
seized were fish, rabbits, fruit, vegetables, butter, eggs, tinned milk, and other tinned foods.
The largest amount of tinned food destroyed was in Stepney, in which district are wharves
on the river. Dr. Thomas states that notices were served on the various wharfingers, importers,
brokers, etc., calling their attention to the fact that unsound food, whether exposed for sale or
not, was liable to be seized, and this no doubt caused the surrender of a large quantity of canned
goods. Among the list of articles destroyed, which are stated in his report, are nearly 103,000 tins
of various articles of food. In Bermondsey there are also wharves on the river, and 820,146 tins of
food were landed in this district and a quantity of unsound food destroyed with the consent of the
owner, including 368 tons of grain of which notice was received from the medical officer of the
Port. Dr. Brown states that the appointment, of a special inspector for the examination of food
landed on the wharves will have to be considered.
The reports also show that in addition to those already mentioned there were prosecutions
in which penalties were inflicted in Paddington in 4 instances, in Fulham in 2, in Westminster
in 2, in Hampstead in 1, in St. Pancras in 2, in Bethnal-green 18, in Stepney 3, in Southwark
2, and in Woolwich in 2 instances.
Cases of poisoning from food are recorded by the medical officers of health of Westminster
and St. Pancras. Dr. Allan received complaints from persons in Westminster who became ill
after dining at a certain restaurant. An examination of the copper saucepans in use was made,
and it was found that they required to be re-tinned. Some tomato soup which was cooked in one
of them was, on analysis, found to contain 0.227 grains per pint of metallic copper, equal to 0.897
grains of copper sulphate. In St. Pancras eight members of a family suffeml from marked gastric
symptoms after eating some sausages, a polony, and a pork pie bought in Derby. Dr. Sykes states
that these were bought at the same shop as pork pies which caused at the same time in Derbv a
serious outbreak apparently due to ptomaine poisoning. Dr. Sykes says, "It was traced to the
eating of pork pies, the meat of which had become contaminated in the chopping house by excremental
matter and the large intestines of the animals slaughtered in an adjoining building. The
meat was chopped up in a place where the large intestines were being prepared for sale."
Among the articles seized in Westminster was a tin of tomatoes, the appearance of which
led Dr. Allan to send it for analysis. It was found to contain tin in soluble form to the amount
of two grains of metal in the pound. "The amount present in the whole sample was five grains of
metal, equivalent to eight grains of tin chloride."