[Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Saltburn & Marske-by-the-Sea U.D.C.

  • Saltburn and Marske-by-the-Sea (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Saltburn & Marske-by-the-Sea U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    They diminished more irregularly than the deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis and reached their lowest level in 1943—44. In the following two years, 1945—46, they have risen again sharply, to as many as in 1931—32. There are two main varieties of the tubercle germ, the human type, found in practically all cases of tuberculosis of the lungs in man, and the bovine type, found in tuberculous cows and also in a very considerable proportion of cases of tuberculosis in children affecting other parts of the body than the lungs. This rise in the death rate from tuberculosis of other parts of the body than the lungs should lead one to pay special attention to the possibility of tuber¬ culous milk being a present danger, especially in view of the increased quantity of milk consumed by children in the last few years. All milk for children should either be from tuberculin-tested cows, or should be pasteurised, or, failing that, boiled, to ensure that any tubercle germs it may contain are killed. Foods. One sample of milk pasteurised in the district was submitted for laboratory examination in July. The report was that the Phosphatase Test placed it in Group I, and the bacterial count per c.c. was satisfactory, at 26,000 ; coliform bacilli were, however, present in 1/100 c.c. Nine samples of ice-cream on sale in the district were submitted in August and September by your Inspector for bacteriological examination, from seven retailers. Four were reported as giving bacterial counts of under 100,000 per c.c., and five over that figure. Of the four with low or moderate bacterial counts three showed an absence of coliform bacilli in 1/10 c.c.; of the five with high bacterial counts, four showed coliform bacilli present in 1/1000 c.c. Regulations made by the Minister of Health in the Autumn should lead to an improvement in the standard of cleanliness of this commodity. On receipt of a complaint that shell-fish (i.e. winkles) collected from possibly sewage-contaminated rocks within the district were being sold for human consumption, a sample of winkles from this source were submitted for laboratory examination in July. The report stated that the winkles were heavily contaminated with B. Coli. The Council then proceeded to make an Order under the Shell-fish Regulations, 1934, prohibiting the sale for human consumption of shell-fish collected from layings within the district. Water Supply. The Urban District, except for a few houses in Marske, depen¬ dent on wells, is supplied with water by the Cleveland Water Co. from its main reservoir at Lockwood Beck and a subsidiary one at Upleatham. It was reported at the end of January that, after a year of under-average rainfall, the Lockwood Beck reservoir was not full. The first half of the year was drier than usual so that the level of the reservoir fell seriously. Discussions were held between the Water Company and the districts concerned and the Company sought powers to execute a temporary scheme to pump water from the Sleddale Beck at Commondale into their reservoir and also to carry out a long term plan to obtain more water by constructing a new reservoir near Scaling to collect water from a moorland gathering ground there. A Ministry of Health enquiry was held and approval given to the short term plan: A sample of water was submitted by your Inspector on June 24th, from a tap on the Cleveland Supply at Marske. This sample showed slight bacterial impurity, with