London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hillingdon 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
This page requires JavaScript
82
Environmental Health
The following table gives details of the number of samples of milk taken together with the results:—
| Phosphatase | Methylene Blue | Turbidity | Colony Count | T.T.C. | Brucella Ring | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The total number taken | 55 | 72 | 87 | 214 | ||
| Unsatisfactory | Nil | 2 | Nil | Nil | 3 | 34 |
The presence of antibiotics was indicated in three samples of milk taken on the same occasion
from one farm and was due to a failure to reject milk from a cow being treated for mastitis. Action
in this case was confined to a warning letter.
Guinea pig inoculation confirmed the presence of Brucella abortus in milk used for cream
production without being heat treated and in order to prevent the sale of infected cream a prohibitive
order under Regulation 20 of the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations 1959 was served on the
producer requiring all the milk to be sent for heat treatment. Individual cow samples were taken
to ascertain the cows affected. These were subsequently disposed of and the order was lifted when
further tests indicated the herd to be free from infection. A further order had to be made in December
when samples of milk were again found to contain Brucella organisms. This order was still in operation
at the end of the year.
Brucellosis is a hazard associated with the drinking of raw milk and the consumption of raw
cream. The eradication of Brucellosis from dairy herds will eventually provide a safeguard against
this particular organism, but the only effective protection to public health will be the proper heat
treatment of all milk and cream.
Milk Processing
The two milk processing plants operating within the Borough are concerned solely with the
pasteurisation of milk.
The following table shows details of rinses submitted to the laboratory, together with the results of examinations.
| 15 | — | ||
Cream
The sales of cream have increased considerably during recent years and, although there are no
Statutory bacteriological tests prescribed for cream, laboratory examination provides a useful guide
as to the bacteriological quality at the time of sampling. High bacterial counts may be due either to
hygiene faults during production processing or packaging, to the cream being transported or displayed
at unfavourable temperatures or from being kept for over long periods by the retailer. In addition,
the sampling at retailers and producers samples are also taken from confectionery bakehouses and
catering establishments where the results obtained are a useful indication as to the hygiene standards.