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
Ealing 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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During the year licences for the sale of milk under the Mi]k (Special Designations) Regulations were granted as follows:-
| Dealer's Licences | Supplementary Licences | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuberculin Tested Milk | 51 | 9 | 60 |
| Pasteurised Milk | 62 | 10 | 72 |
| Sterilised Milk | 51 | 10 | 61 |
Under the provisions of the Milk (Special Designations)
(Specified Area) Order 1951, all milk sold by retail in
the Borough must be "designated milk," i.e. Tuberculin
Tested, Pasteurised or Sterilised Milk.
24 samples of milk were taken and submitted to the Methylene Blue and Phosphatase Tests at the Public Health Laboratory, Ealing.
The results were as follows:-
| Designation | Samples | Phosphatase | Methylene Blue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passed | Failed | Passed | Failed | ||
| Pasteurised | 17 | 17 | - | 14 | 3 |
| T.T. Pasteurised | 7 | 7 | - | 7 | - |
In addition 128 samples of Pasteurised Milk from
processing plants in the Borough were taken by the Officers
of the County Council who are the licensing authority
under the Milk (Special Designations) Regulations.
Identification of Milk Bottles.
The Public Health Committee gave consideration to a
complaint concerning the dirty condition of a filled milk
bottle delivered to a resident in the Borough This
appeared to be a case for action under Article 27 of the
Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959, which
requires every vessel used for containing milk to be in a
state of thorough cleanliness immediately before filling.
The bottle was supplied by and bore the name of a multiple
Dairy Company, but there was no means of proving
the actual dairy premises at which the bottle had been
filled, which would be a necessary part of any legal
proceedings. Representations were made to the Association
of Municipal Corporations that legislation should be
introduced to require dairies to provide some mark of
identification on their bottles which would indicate the
depot at which the bottle had been filled. The Association
have considered the question and are to recommend that in
the next revision of the Pood & Drugs Act, it should be
made an offence to sell milk in a dirty bottle. This would
undoubtedly enable action to be taken in suitable cases.