[Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Bootle County Borough.

  • Bootle (Lancashire, England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Bootle County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    same rooms. Popular instruction, by means of leaflets, may be of some value, particularly to tlioughtful persons, who will thus know the nature and means of propagation of this fatal disease, and by timely warning avoid the risk of infection ; but I believe legislative control is the only effectual remedy. Another important consideration in connection with this disease is its relation to food, and the liability of the tubercular bacillus being introduced into the body through milk or meat. Fortunately, the danger of milk from tubercular cows is obviated by boiling, and that of meat, to a great extent, by thorough cooking. In my opinion, however, it is better to condemn the whole carcase of an animal, if any decided sign of tubercle is found in it, for one can never be certain that the heat employed in cooking has thoroughly destroyed tubercle, if it is deep-seated next the bone in a joint of meat. Great care also should be taken by cattle-breeders and cowkeepers to keep tubercular cows out of a herd or a shippon, for the disease is known to spread rapidly when once introduced amongst a number of rows, and it will thus bring great pecuniary loss to the owner, and a danger to the purchaser. There is, I think, no doubt that insanitary shippons largely conduce to the development of this disease, for the disease is known to be rare in well-lighted, well- ventilated, clean and sanitary shippons, wheri as it is with ill-ventilated, dark, dirty, and insanitary shippons that tubercular diseases of the cow is associated, and it is when the udder of the cow is affected with this disease, that the danger of the contamination of the milk more especially arises. An interesting fact in connection with the construction and strict supervision of shippons was pointed out in a report by Dr. Hope, in tbe spring of last year. An investigation by bacteriologists proved “ that 2-8 per cent, of the samples of milk taken from city shippons in Liverpool, and examined by them, con- tained the tubercle bacillus. This is a matter of importance, and indicates the necessity for a rigorous application of the bye-laws. But important as this percentage undoubtedly is, it sinks into insignificance beside the large proportion of milk infected with tubercle which is sent in from the country, which is no less than 29‘1 per cent.” This astounding fact must prove, I think, the insanitary condition of many country shippons, and demands the serious attention of those who are responsible for the administration of those shippons. DISEASES OF THE BRAIN, SPINAL MARROW, &c. The number of deaths registered from this class of diseases in 1897 was 98. The total number was 35 less than in 1896, and the number of childx’en