London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

London County Council 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

58 Annual Report of the London County Council, 1913.
Farms
inspected in
English
counties.

The following table shows the number of farms visited, the number of cows inspected and the number of cows certified to have tuberculosis of the udder during the year:—

County.No. of farms inspected.No. of cows inspected.No. of cows with tuberculous udders.
Bedfordshire3621
Berkshire155583
Buckinghamshire72741
Cambridgeshire246-
Cheshire21201
Derbyshire281,0022
Dorsetshire5248-
Essex7586-
Gloucestershire253-
Hampshire398-
Kent4126-
Leicestershire235754
Norfolk125-
Northamptonshire10256-
Nottinghamshire110-
Oxfordshire51731
Shropshire132-
Somersetshire358861
Staffordshire206521
Surrey31262
Sussex (East)1501
Sussex (West)134991
Warwickshire370-
Wiltshire693,2217
Total2639,74826

This table shows that 0 27 per cent. of the cows examined were certified by the Council's
veterinary inspector to have clinical symptoms of tubercular disease of the udder. The supply of
milk for human consumption from the cows thus affected was immediately stopped.
It will be observed that inspection was made of the cows at 263 farms and only 26 cows were
certified to be suffering from tuberculosis of the udder. It should be borne in mind, however, that
various circumstances prevent the discovery at every farm of a cow suffering from tuberculosis of the
udder. In a number of cases, for instance, the farmer whose name was on the churn was found, on
inquiry, not to have sent the milk into London on the date on which the sample was taken. In other
instances, diseased cows had been removed before the inspector's visit. In nearly every case in
which a tuberculous cow, or a cow suspected to be tuberculous, was found, the farmer undertook to
withhold the milk of the suspected animal from London. The farms, moreover, are as far as practicable
reinspected within a few weeks
Since the introduction of the Tuberculosis Order of 1913, it has been the practice to notify the
county council concerned of all cases presenting symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis in one of the
forms specified under the Order, although the clinical signs were insufficient to enable the Council's
veterinary inspector definitely to certify the cases. In several instances this action has led to the
slaughter of animals giving tuberculous milk.

Offensive Businesses.

In the year 1913 the County Council received 226 applications for licences for slaughter-houses and granted 223. The following table shows the numbers of applications received and the numbers oi slaughter-houses licensed in recent years. It will be seen that the numbers of these premises is continually decreasing:—

Year.No. of applications reoeived.No. of premises for which licences were granted.Year.No. of applications received.No. of premises for which licences were granted.
18925435371903350346
18935385291904338333
18945185061905322318
18954974851906310308
18964784701907301294
18974604601908281273
18984424291909265264
18994194111910257255
19004053931911247243
19013843811912235234
19023713621913226223

Slaughter
houses.