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America, Commonwealth of Australia, Dominion of Canada, Union of South Africa,
the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, shall, after the tongues have been removed
therefrom, forthwith be destroyed by fire by the owner of the tongues at the time of
removal, and shall not be permitted to come into contact with any animal.
It is hoped that now the facts of the case have been brought to their notice, that
the firms exporting tongues from Russia will exercise every vigilance in ensuring
that such tongues shall not be exported to this country.
If this action is not taken, it may be necessary to refuse to admit them, as it is
obviously unreasonable for your Inspectors to be called upon to sort such consignments
for the purpose of removing such as are obviously diseased from those which are fit for
human consumption.
ACTINOMYCOSIS IN ARGENTINE OX-TONGUES.
The joint report by the Medical Officers of Health for the City and the Port of
London, dealing with the subject of Actinomycosis in ox-tongues exported from the
Argentine, was submitted to you for consideration in November.
It was found that practically 6 per cent. of the tongues arriving from that country
were affected with Actinomycosis.
The details are set out in the report above referred to, and on the present occasion
it need only be said that a considerable improvement has now been effected, and each
tongue and the glands attached to the root of the tongue are now carefully examined in
Argentina before exportation.
The conclusions arrived at were as follows:—
(1) The number of lesions discovered indicated that the condition coming under
observation was one which is widely prevalent among Argentine cattle.
(2) The frequency of the lesion in the glands indicated the necessity for importers
ensuring that the glands are left attached to the tongue, and not removed, as was the case
in a percentage of tongues examined in certain consignments.
(3) Until action is taken in the Argentine, which will ensure that these tongues are
carefully examined, and all those presenting lesions are withdrawn, it will be necessary
for your staff to continue the present arrangement of examining every tongue received at
the Port and City.
The recommendations which your Officers submitted were as follows:—
That the facts as set out in the Report be forwarded to the Local Government Board,
and that the Board's attention be directed to—
(1) The number of instances in which evidence of disease was observed among
tongues received at the Port and the City of London.
(2) The conclusion therefrom, viz., that the condition chiefly observed is obviously
wide-spread in that country, and that the supervision exercised to prevent the exportation
of such affected organs is inadequate in respect of this particular matter.
(3) The necessity which exists, in the interests of meat inspection coming within
your jurisdiction, that these matters should receive attention with as little delay as possible
So long as the present condition exists the time of your staff will be unduly taken up by
this work to the possible detriment of inspection work in other directions. Although we