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115
FOOD.
At the present time local authorities can only endeavour,
very inadequately, to protect the public against contamination
of two articles of food—meat and milk.
The Bye-laws and other legal powers relating to food are
directed to securing ordinary sanitation of the premises; food
obviously dangerous to the public can be seized, but there are
practically no powers to prevent the [preparation of food in such
a manner that it is really dangerous to the public health, while
after treatment, appearing sound to ordinary inspection, if inspection
should come that way.
As regards the milk supply it is suggested that all milk
diould be partially cooked or sterilised in order to kill disease
germs, milk containing cooked disease germs instead of clean
milk being the highest attainable ideal, and the percentage of
Tuberculous milk detected in the London supply varying from
3 to 10 per cent, of samples.
One would think it obvious, for instance, that tuberculous
persons should not be engaged in handling food stuffs that are to
be consumed uncooked, but there is nothing to prevent this. I
reported on a recent case as follows:—
10th December, 1923.
"A case has recently been reported in the newspapers of a
man, engaged as a milk roundsman, who collapsed in the street
in Hackney and died from pulmonary tuberculosis, and the statements
made by the Coroner and the Home Office Pathologist,
accrding to the newspaper account, are as follows:—
'Dr. R. M. Bronte, the Home Office Pathologist, said
he should have thought that an ordinary medical examination
would have revealed the state of the man's lungs, as the
disease was well marked.'