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147
No. 26. Cockles from the Maplins. Taken on 18th January (?). Putin
boiling water, taken out as the water boiled over. Time in water
3½ minutes.
No. 27. Cockles from Leigh Creek, where they had been relaid about
four weeks. Taken on the 20th January. Put in boiling water
and taken out when the water boiled over. Time in water 3¾ minutes.
No. 28. Cockles from Leigh Creek, where they had been relaid for about
four weeks. Taken on the 20th January.
No. 29. Cockles from the lower part of the Blythe. Taken on the 20th
January. Put in boiling water, taken out when the water boiled
over. Time in water 3¼ minutes.
No. 30. Cockles from Jenkin, opposite Isle of Grain (continuation of
Blythe Sands). Taken on the 20th January. Put in boiling water,
taken out when water boiled over. Time in water 3¼ minutes.
Of these seven samples, Professor Klein reported as follows:—
23rd January, 1903.
I beg to report herewith on the result of the bacterioscopic
examination of the seven samples of Cockles received here on January 21st.
Cooked, No. 24. Strongly polluted; abundant bacillus coli
communis.
Cooked, No. 25. Negative.
„ No. 26. „
„ No. 27.
In shell, No. 28. Strongly polluted ; abundant bacillus coli
communis.
Cooked, No. 29. Slightly polluted with bacillus coli communis.
„ No. 30. Negative (?).
E. KLEIN.
These results in no wise affect the position.
It is clearly impossible to rely for protection upon experimental results
derived from boiling cockles for any definite time, or to assume that in
all cases the temperature throughout is raised to the degree necessary to
secure theoretical safety. It would be, therefore, dangerous to allow cockles
to be sold for human consumption which are known to have been contaminated
with sewage, or to trust to an imperfect and unsupervised method of
cooking to ensure sterilization.
While strongly sympathising with the unfortunate fishermen, one must
protest against the running of a known risk to the public health, which can so
easily be avoided by prohibiting, under any circumstances, the use for food
of shellfish which is contaminated with sewage, either cooked or uncooked.