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" Conclusion.—In London there is no complete or satisfactory
system of preventing the introduction of diseased meat,
whether from the country or abroad. The great bulk of
the meat sold in London is killed elsewhere, is not
guaranteed as passed by experts, and cannot be
efficiently inspected in London.
On the other hand, many local sanitary authorities, including
your Council, are active in inspecting and seizing
diseased meat, and the resulting loss to traders acts as a
deterrent to the sale of such meat. The final line of
resistance to the consumption of the germs of disease is
also generally applied, viz., such cooking of meat as
would destroy the germs.
Recommendation.—I cannot do better than endorse the
following recommendations made by Sir Shirley F.
Murphy in his report on Slaughterhouses in 1898:—
For the purpose of complete inspection of London meat it
would be necessary (a) to provide public slaughterhouses
in substitution for private slaughterhouses, and to inspect
the meat killed in these public slaughterhouses;
(b) for a more thorough system of inspection to be organised
at the Deptford slaughterhouse and at the
slaughterhouses in the Islington Cattle Market; (c) to
provide in London a small number of stations at which
meat, sent up dead from the country to meat vendors
shops (without passing through the Smithfield Market)
could be taken for the purpose of inspection. Any
public slaughterhouses provided in London might be
utilised for this purpose, and additional stations provided
where necessary. Meat killed in a public slaughterhouse,
under the control of other municipal authorities,
and bearing evidences of inspection, might be taken
direct to meat vendors' shops without further inspection
in London.
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