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"I am enclosing herewith a Seizure Notice in respect of imported livers and regret that it has
been found necessary for me to take this action at such short notice.
"I also regret that I shall be obliged to follow a similar procedure in respect to future consignments
but you may rest assured that I shall endeavour to carry put the examination
with the minimum of inconvenience and delay and to relax the extent of the examination
as soon as it is apparent that there is a definite improvement in the quality of livers shipped
to this country."
During the course of inspection at the Cold Store many different diseases were discovered
(e.g. Cavernous angioma, tuberculosis, distomatosis) but the chief cause of condemnation was
the overwhelming number of livers affected with single or multiple echinococcus cysts in a variety
of sizes and although it must be stated that the method of inspection employed in the exporting
country are mainly to blame for the non-detection of livers affected with echinococcus cysts, it is
also obvious that it would be of great economic value to the exporting country if they took steps
to rid their pastureland of this parasite and the treatment of farm and herdsman's dogs would
appear to be the first appropriate measure for the eradication of the tapeworm.
In the matter of inspection experience has also shown that unless an incision is made into the
thick part of the beef liver, no inspection routine can possibly be complete or effective where
parasitic cysts are endemic and it has been put forward as an excuse as to why this is not being
done, that by making such an incision the product would be mutilated with a consequent loss of
commercial selling value. Experience at the Cold Store, however, has shown that, provided the
incision is made correctly, no appreciable difference can be seen when the liver is again frozen
(it has, of course, to be defrosted for examination).
Many Importers have been put to a great loss and inconvenience by this rigid control, but it is
very gratifying to record that the meat trade has throughout been wholly co-operative in their
efforts to ensure that only disease free meat is imported.
It is interesting to note that over the period that this rigid inspection has been carried out it
has been established that livers bearing certain marks and from certain Establishments in the
exporting country have been consistently bad, whereas livers bearing other marks and from other
Establishments have been consistently good, and naturally, in the case of the latter, the routine
examination has been somewhat relaxed.
In a few instances Importers have requested that, in order to save time and money, their consignments
of livers should be allowed to proceed direct from the ship to an approved Cold Store
in the Metropolitan area, there to be dealt with under the supervision of the local Medical Officer
of Health. Such a store with the necessary personnel for carrying out an inspection by the same
standards as those employed at the Dock Store, is situated in the Borough of Finsbury and your
Medical Officer wishes to place on record his sincere thanks to the Medical Officer of Health of
Finsbury, Dr. Blyth Brooke, and his staff for their ready co-operation in accepting consignments
for examination.
At the time of writing this report it is regretted that only partial relaxation of control is permissible
and that it may be some time before improvement in inspection methods overseas will be
reflected in the results obtained from the inspection in this Port, but in the meantime your Medical
Officer is vigorously taking the matter up with the Agricultural Department of the country concerned.
DANGEROUS DRUGS
During the year fifty-four certificates authorising the purchase of scheduled Dangerous Drugs
were issued under the Dangerous Drugs (No. 3) Regulations, 1923, amending the Dangerous
Drugs Regulations, 1921, Regulation 15 of which is as follows :—
"If a foreign ship in any port in Great Britain requires to obtain a supply of any
of the drugs in order to complete the necessary equipment of the ship, the
master of the ship is authorised to purchase and be in possession of such
quantity of any of the drugs as may be certified by the Medical Officer of Health
of the Port where the ship is (or in his absence by the Assistant Medical Officer
of Health) to be necessary for the purpose, the quantity not to exceed what is
required for the use of the ship until it reaches its home port. The certificate
given by the Medical Officer of Health of the Port shall be marked by the supplier
with the date of the supply and shall be retained by him and kept available for
inspection."
PUBLIC HEALTH ACT, 1936, PART X - CANAL BOATS
Seventy-one inspections of canal boats were made during the year of which twenty-one were
found to have a total of thirty-nine defects, as follows:—
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