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74
Sanitary Administration.
They should all know by this time that dust and dnrt convey
the germs of disease, and it should require no great effort of the
magination to picture the wily microbe having a "joy ride" on the
back of a particle of dust as it is chivvied about from place to place.
Milk should be supplied to every householder on the sterilised
bottle system, after severe tests at the farm before it leaves
for the dairy.
Two acts of thoughtless kindness impressed me recently in
this district; in one case, on a Sunday morning, a gill of milk was
sold to a customer on the pavement and was consumed there and
then out of the milk measure; in the other case a small milk can,
such as is left on doorsteps, was put in the road—upside down—
and a little milk allowed to drain into the inverted and open lid,
and this was offered to a cat which promptly lapped it up.
Bread.—There is far too much handling of bread after it leaves
the oven, and the final handling outside the house is often by a
dirty boy who ought to be at school. Bread should invatiably
be wrapped in paper before it leaves the shop for the van, the
basket and the dirty hand.
Meat.—Meat as a rule gets quite a " rind" of dirt on it before
it reaches the householder; the handling at the slaughter house,
the hanging at the abattoir, the handling of inspectors and buyers,
the carting of it in dirty carts through the dirty streets, where it is
sat upon by dirty men, all add their quota. The householder
should sponge all meat well with clean cloth and salt water or
vinegar before roasting or boilng it.
Fruit and Vegetables are essentially dirty food products
from the manner of packing and storage.
All fruit should be washed or held under the tap before being
eaten, especially grapes and succulent fruits. Dates are about the
worst offenders in this respect.
Sweets.— Sweets should not be exposed for sale uncovered, and