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 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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59
ACTINOMYCOSIS IN OX-TONGUES IMPORTED FROM THE ARGENTINE.
At the end of July, I received information from the Local Government Board that
certain tongues which had been imported from the Argentine Republic had been found
to contain lesions of Tuberculosis and Actinomycosis.
A preliminary examination of some imported tongues, disclosed evidence of disease
which resembled Tuberculosis and Antinomycosis; this was chiefly situated in the
lymphatic glands, but in some cases the blades of the tongues were found to be infected.
Microscopic examination showed that the lesions were those of Antinomycosis,
though they presented to the naked eye appearance similar to those of Tuberculosis.
An examination was made of a number of tongues in order to ascertain whether they
were infected with Tuberculosis, but in no instance could the tubercle bacillus be
detected.
The following tables show the number of tongues examined each month, and at the end of the year the percentage of tongues rejected:—
| Month. | Number of Ox-Tongues Examined. | Number rejected as Diseased. |
|---|---|---|
| 1913. | ||
| August | 15,250 | 688 |
| September | 32,045 | 1,961 |
| October | 11,482 | 768 |
| November | 4,098 | 186 |
| December | 12,987 | 681 |
| Totals | 75,862 | 4,284 |
Percentage found diseased 5.64
Examination of Ox-tongues from Argentina.
The following table gives details of the examination by Officers of the Port Sanitary Authority of the various consignments of ox-tongues:—
| Date of Arrival. | Name of Vessel. | Number of Tongues. | Percentage of Consignment. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examined. | Found Diseased. | |||
| 1913. | ||||
| Aug. 2 | "Highland Rover" | 2,004 | 102 | 5.08 |
| Ditto | 2,112 | 116 | 5.48 | |
| Ditto | 7,180 | 212 | 2.95 | |
| „ 8 | "Highland Glen" | 3,000 | 240 | 8.0 |
| Ditto | 804 | 75 | 9.32 | |
| Ditto | 6,000 | 367 | 6.11 | |
| „ 16 | " Highland Piper" | 3,599 | 128 | 3.55 |
| Ditto | 876 | 87 | 9.93 | |
| Ditto | 5,966 | 375 | 6.28 | |
| Carried forward | 31,541 | 1,702 | ||