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this cause, unfit for the food of man in time to seize the
bulk, are so great, that when taken in connection with the
fact that the person to whom the milk belonged, has a
good defence in saying, and probably truly, that he was
not aware of the presence of the disease germs, there
would be little hope of obtaining a conviction.
Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops Order.—Section 15 of
this Order provides, " that if at any time disease exists
among the cattle in a dairy, &c., the milk from a diseased
cow therein
(a) Shall not be mixed with other milk.
(b) Shall not be sold or used for human food."
Unfortunately, however, the Contagious Diseases
Animals Act, under which this Order is made does not
include tuberculosis, and even if it did the Authority for
carrying out the provisions of this Act is, for all districts in
London, the London County Council.
Only recently a Eoyal Commission has reported upon
the subject of tuberculosis, and Sir Eichard ThorneThorne,
the Medical Officer of Health to the Local Government
Board, has also dealt very fully with the dangers
arising to man from the source you have asked me to
report on, vide Table No. V., pages 12 & 13, and considering
the whole of the circumstances, I am of opinion that the
efforts of the Vestry to obtain the end they have in view
should in the first instance be directed to the bringing
about of an alteration in the law. This would enable
them to deal with what is admittedly a grave source of
danger to public health.
I do not think it wise that samples of milk should be
taken only to substantiate a fact so thoroughly proved as
this, when no definite results can be obtained in the present
state of the law. Neither does it seem advisable that a
circular should be sent to purveyors of milk until the
powers to deal with this cause of disease are increased,
because such warning might be the means of raising
opposition to more stringent legal remedies being obtained.
At a later date the Committee again had before them the
question of the sale of milk infected with "tubercle bacilli.''
I again advised that milk forms a ready medium for its
dissemination, and that there exists at present no law by
which the sale of milk so infected can be prohibited. After