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71
ROYAL SANITARY INSTITUTE CONGRESS.
This Congress was held at Cardiff from the 15th to 18th July, and was
attended by Frederick Link, Esq., J.P., and Sigismund Pollitzer, Esq.,
respectively Chairman and late Chairman of the Sanitary Committee, and
by Dr. Williams, Acting Medical Officer for the City, as delegates of the
Corporation of London.
A Conference of Municipal Representatives was held, at which a paper was
read on the Notification of Births. This was of great interest, giving the
experience gained at a large City like Glasgow. There they had originated a
system of voluntary visitors, and had established five consultation rooms, at
three of which milk was provided for the feeding of infants.
The discussion which followed was strongly in favour of the efficiency of
the Notification of Births Act, and it was pointed out that even if it had no
other effect than the prevention of ophthalmia in children, owing to the want
of early treatment, the passing of the Act would be fully justified.
There was a discussion on the construction and management of Crematoria.
Many details were given of the Crematorium at Leicester, and an opportunity
was taken during the discussion by your Acting Medical Officer of giving some
particulars with regard to the working of the City Crematorium at Ilford.
In the section on Sanitary Science and Preventive Medicine some interesting
papers were read—notably one on the examination of sausages and their
hygienic preparation. The result of twelve bacteriological examinations
showed that the sausages contained the bacillus coli in many instances, varying
from 100 to 120,000 per gramme of sausage. Stress was laid on the condition
of the premises where the sausages were prepared, and one of H.M. Inspectors
of Factories read from a Blue Book an account of visits which he had paid to
eight places in the Southern District where sausages were made.
His inspections revealed an extremely unsatisfactory state of affairs.
Sausages were made in cellars, which apparently had never been whitewashed,
the walls were covered with dirt, and the floors uneven and studded with pools
of stagnant, dirty water.
Papers were also read at the Conference of Medical Officers of Health with
regard to the necessity of establishing a standard of cleanliness in all milking
competitions at Agricultural shows. At first sight it would appear that, if
anywhere, a standard of cleanliness would be observed at such competitions.
The writer of the paper had visited a large Agricultural Show, and gave the
results of his observations, which showed that there was a great want of even
ordinary methods of cleanliness, and in one instance he noted faecal matter
falling into the pail, which added considerably to the weight of the pail of
milk, and if this be the state of affairs at an agricultural show under the
immediate observation of the public, it is not difficult to imagine the insanitary
and unhygienic method of obtaining milk from cows in small dairy farms in
the country.