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required under the Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1923, it being subject only to
the proviso that is shall be entirely "pure new milk . . . clean and perfectly sweet
on delivery."
With a view to securing a better control, however, the scheme referred to in my
report of last year, 1931, has been carried into effect. In order to include bacteriological
examinations, a standard has been devised of what would be regarded as
ordinary clean milk. The standard adopted was:—Bacteriological content—not more
than 300,000 per c.c.; B. coli not to be present in 1/1,000th c.c. If below these
standards the chief officer of supplies was informed that the milk could not be
regarded as satisfactory.
The results of these examinations are tabulated below:—
Raw Milk.
Conforming to standard
135
Not conforming to standard—
B. coli present in 1/1,000th c.c., but bacterial count below 300,000
42
Bacterial count exceeding 300,000 per c.c., but conforming to B. coli standard
9
Bacterial count exceeding 300,000 per c.c., together with excess of B. coli
10
61
Samples examined
196
Pasteurised Milk.
Open-air school—
Conforming to standard
1
Not conforming to standard—
B. coli present in 1/1,000th c.c., but bacterial count below 100,000
1
Bacterial count exceeding 100,000 per c.c., but conforming to B. coli standard
1
Bacterial count exceeding 100,000 per c.c., together with excess of B. coli
2
4
Samples examined
5
In my report of last year I referred to the arrangement then being made for the
co-operation of the medical officers of health of the metropolitan boroughs in the
examination of milk supplied to the Council's schools in their respective boroughs.
From results received under this arrangement it is found that 687 samples of
supplies have been examined chemically and 135 bacteriologically during the year.
Of the former number about 4.5 per cent. were found to be unsatisfactory whilst
of the latter about 5 per cent. failed to conform to the standard as to 300,000 bacteria
per c.c. or to the presence of B. coli in 1/1,000th c.c. In all these cases suitable action
was taken by the medical officer of health of the borough concerned.
It will be seen that the medical officers of health of the metropolitan boroughs
have rendered valuable assistance in this work of safeguarding the quality of the milk
supplies to necessitous and other school children.
Provision of
mealscomparative
inquiry.
In June, 1932, the education officer and school medical officer were instructed
to select certain provided and non-provided schools from a list supplied by the
comptroller of the Council for a detailed comparative enquiry as to the provision of
meals therein.
The medical enquiries arising out of this instruction were carried out by Mr. R. H.
Simpson, M.D., M.R.C.P., an assistant medical officer. Dr. Simpson's report
covered four lines of enquiry, as set out below:—
(i) The examination of children who were having dinners.
It was found that the necessitous children provided with free dinners
were generally healthy and in a good state of nutrition. Only 5 children
out of 174 examined were considered to be undernourished.
The proportion of the children in the non-provided schools having free
meals exceeded that in the provided schools by about 4 to 1. It was
thought that divergence of opinion as to the standard of necessity could
not account for the whole of this disproportion, although the adoption of a
less critical attitude in certain non-provided schools contributed in no small
measure to the disproportionate result.