View report page

72
marking by Government officials, at a very small charge, of all meat intended for export." This
action, he says, has led to improvement in the quality of the consignments of Dutch pork to the
London market, and from information which Dr. Collingridge has received it would appear that
70 per cent, of the meat coming from Holland, chiefly pork, is thus examined and marked. Dr.
Collingridge expresses the wish that "the Great Eastern Railway Company could see their way to
fall into line with other carriers of meat from Holland, and refuse to ship any not bearing the
guarantee of the Netherlands authorities." With reference to Servian mutton, Dr. Collingridge
reports that this meat, as in the previous year, arrived in such bad condition that a large proportion
was seized. Seventeen prosecutions were successfully instituted for sending bad meat to
London, one for exposing unsound fish for sale and one for exposing unsound rabbits.
In the markets in the borough of Finsbury, situated immediately outside the City markets,
83 tons of decomposed and 18 tons of diseased meat were seized, and 24 prosecutions were instituted
in reference to meat which had been seized. In Islington, where systematic effort is made
to examine meat in the slaughter-houses (and in this connection the number of inspections of
slaughter-houses should be noted, see page 46), over two tons of diseased meat were seized. Dr.
Harris states that "one butcher who, not residing in the borough, formerly killed a great many
cattle, especially cows, at a slaughter-house in Roman-road, removed his slaughtering elsewhere,
as the supervision was too strict; or, in other words, animals or parts of animals that were diseased
were not allowed to be sold but were destroyed." He adds that "It is satisfactory to find that,
whereas in former years, before an inspector of meat was appointed, very many persons used to
come to the medical officer, complaining of the unsound food that had been sold them, such an
event is now a rare occurrence, a fact which proves that the mere presence of a skilled inspector
is sufficient to prevent dealers foisting unsound articles on their customers." Seizures of
meat, though in less quantity, were made in the following districts—Paddington, Westminster,
Hampstead, St. Pancras, Stoke Newington, Hackney, Holborn, Shoreditch, Bethnal-green, Stepney,
Southwark, Bermondsey, Lambeth, Battersea, Wandsworth, Deptford and Woolwich.
Prosecutions for the exposure of unsound meat for sale were instituted in several of these districts,
and penalties recovered, in some instances the defendants being imprisoned.
Other articles of food seized comprised, for the most part, fish, fruit, eggs and tinned goods.
In Stepney samples of tinned salmon were found to be contaminated with tin, due to escape, within
the tin, of the solder used in sealing it. The owners consented to surrender the whole consignment
as trade refuse and to pay all expenses incurred in the destruction.
A case of interest is mentioned in the report of the medical officer of health of Finsbury.
The death of a man occurred after eating cheese from which was isolated "a body which gave
marked reaction similar to those given by tyrotoxicon." Dr. Newman states that a few hours
after the meal, at 10,30 a.m., the patient, a carman, was taken ill. "The symptoms of his illness
consisted of frequent vomiting, extreme pallor, faintness, colic pains and profuse diarrhoea. The
onset was sudden and the symptoms very severe. The patient reached home early in the afternoon
and went to bed. His condition became steadily worse. He suffered from pains in the
legs, loss of voice, griping pains in the stomach, and collapse. He died at midnight. An inquest
was held, and I was present with Dr. Roe at the necessary autopsy. We found the body in a
healthy condition throughout, except the stomach, which showed signs of acute poisoning."
In 1903 the Local Government Board held a public inquiry as to the desirability of extending
the powers of the port sanitary authority in the matter of unsound food over the wharves
forming part of or abutting on the port. This inquiry resulted from a complaint from the London
and India Docks Company, that the examination of food landed at the docks was of a more severe
character than that of food landed at the wharves. The proposal was opposed by the London
County Council and the riparian authorities who would be affected by such extension, and the
Local Government Board, finally decided not to make the Order which had been sought.
Manufacture of aerated waters.
The conditions under which aerated waters are manufactured in London was the subject of
inquiry by Dr. Hamer, who, for the purposes of his report, visited numerous premises in London in
which this industry is carried on. This report was presented to the Public Health Committee, and
submitted to the Council on the 23rd June, 1903.
The Council, on the recommendation of the Committee, adopted the resolution—"That a
"copy of the report be sent to the Local Government Board, with an expression of the opinion of
"the Council that it is desirable that legislation should be promoted in order to enable sanitary
"authorities to register makers of aerated waters, to inspect premises upon which aerated waters
"are manufactured, and to prevent the manufacture of such waters under cond;tions likely to
"give rise to contamination." Dr. Hauler's report is appended (see Appendix III.).
Disinfection.
The principal matters relating to disinfection mentioned in the annual reports of medical
officers of health may be summarised as follows—
In Westminster there are three stations, situated respectively at Horseferry-road, Commercial-road,
and Denzell-street. In 1903 the Washington-Lyons apparatus at Dufours-place
was removed to the Commercial-road station. Dr. Allan urges the need for a central disinfecting
station in replacement of the three which now exist. In Lambeth the whole of the work of
disinfection has been carried out at Wanless-road, where two Equifex machines are in use. In
Battersea the need of a laundry for washing articles which have been disinfected is mentioned
by Dr. McCleary, who hopes this provision will be made in the course of a year. Dr. Caldwell
Smith writes that he anticipates the new disinfecting chamber which it is proposed to erect at