View report page

12
The Ministry of Health in their Bulletin for March, 1947, in
describing the methylene blue test, stated that this test of icecream
is a "good indicator" of general bacterial contamination and
a "fairly good indicator of excretal contamination" and that the
results showed that the methylene blue reduction test afforded a
"good index of the degree of presumably excretal contamination
of the product.''
In the most recent Bulletin, however, it is stated that there is
"little justification" for the "widespread belief" that the presence
of coliform organisms is an index of excretal pollution and that
"even the presence of foecal coli organisms themselves is not
necessarily indicative of direct excretal pollution" although the
test is still considered to afford a simple and practicable means for
the routine grading of bacterial cleanliness of ice-cream. Thus,
the position is now altered and we are, more or less, back where we
started except, of course, that the test has been very useful as a
means of indicating premises and methods that were unsatisfactory.
It is, however, a great relief to know that the widespread belief
arising from the statements contained in the Bulletin of March,
1947, had little justification.
However, the whole position is so very unsatisfactory, since
ice-cream can be sold from stalls and tricycles where cleanliness
is practically impossible, that it would seem that there is little to be
gained by being unduly particular as regards applicants for registration
of premises. The situation generally savours of the ridiculous
and the following extract from an article appearing in "The
Medical Officer," dated 17th December, 1949, sums up the position
very well:—
"I have actually observed a food-vendor at a seaside
resort, entering such a convenience, staying there for a long
enough time for one to be able to infer the purpose of his visit,
and then emerging and returning to his motor coffee-stall, and
carrying on with cutting the sandwiches and carving the cake !
Still—(happy thought)—he may soon have had to wash up
some teacups in a small amount of luke-warm and greasy water !
The purpose of the foregoing remarks is to stimulate the
imagination as regards the need for realism in the design of
public conveniences, and to stress the point that there should
be every possible inducement to wash there. It should be
illegal to construct a water-closet without a wash-basin hard by.
What can be done in the food-factories, canteens, hotel
kitchens and the like? Here, I suggest, that a conscientious,