London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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will show a proportion varying between 7 and 12 per cent., a state of affairs which
should not exist. When these cases are discovered, such action as is possible is always
taken to ensure that the contaminated supply is not sold to the public.
Energetic measures must be pursued if this dangerous condition is to be entirely
removed.
For purposes of comparison, I give the results obtained in previous investigations:—
| 1904. | 1905. | 1906. | 1907.8. | 1909. | 1910. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st. | 2nd. | |||||||
| per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | ||
| Fairly clean | 48.7 | 68.2 | 80 | 54.2 | 43.7 | 66.6 | 75 | |
| Unclean | 43.6 | 22.7 | 12 | 37.5 | 43.8 | 33.3 | 25 | |
| Tuberculous | 7.7 | 9.1 | 8 | 8.3 | 12.5 | 4.7 | 6.25 | |
| 1911. | 1912. | 1913. | 1914. | |||||
| per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | |||||
| Fairly clean | 28.6 | 79.9 | Clean | 83.3 | 97.9 | |||
| Unclean | 71.6 | 20 | Unclean | 16.7 | 21 | |||
| Tuberculous | Nill | 6.6 | Tuberculous | 10.4 | 10.2 | |||
The samples were taken under section 35 of the London County Council (General
Powers) Act, 1907, under which Act the City have concurrent powers with the London
County Council in respect of milk sold in the City of London.
During the first year (July, 1908.1909) of the administration of the Act under
which these samples were taken the percentage of tuberculous milk averaged 12.9 for
the whole of the County of London.
The percentage, however, for the period July, 1908, to September, 1913, was 9.9,
whilst that for the year 1914 is 8.9.
By arrangement with the London County Council details of instances in which
positive results have been obtained were forwarded to the Medical Officer of Health of
that body, whose practice it is to follow up the milk to its source, and when it has
been established that a cow is there suffering from tuberculosis of the udder, to take
such steps as the law permits. The following table indicates the results of the visits of
the Council's Veterinary Inspector:—
Sample No. No. of Cows Examined. Result Remarks.
3 * * *
21 52 2 cows tuberculous Cows now killed.
30 26 1 cow tuberculous Slaughtered previous to visit.
34 27 1 cow tuberculous The farmer stated that milk from the
cow in question would not be sent
to London again.
37 80 1 cow tuberculous The farmer stated that the cow would
be slaughtered.
* Results not yet communicated.