Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne.

  • Melbourne (Vic.). Health Committee.
Date:
[1945]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Health Committee's report / City of Melbourne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/38 page 27
    The attached Table “A” gives a comparative summary of the average counts of the diff¬ erent milks, which are slightly less than those of last year. Table “B” gives a comparative summary of the averages for the periods 1941-1945. BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF MILK SAMPLES — 1945 TABLE “A” COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF AVERAGE COUNTS OF DIFFERENT MILKS The Counts give the number of Germs per cubic centimetre of milk. Vendor No. of Samples Microscopic Count Average % of samp] (Logarithmic) under ] million Agar Plato Count es Average % of sample: (Logarithmic) under 50,009 E. coli s in 1 ml. Percentages Remarks All Sources ... . 257 180,000 76-2% 51,000 57.2% —77.2% +22.8% 70 letters 3 ev. s. mastitis 10 ev. gen. bac. contamn Vendor “A” Pasteurised . 43 73,000 97.6% 23,000 79-0% —93.0% + 7 0 % 4 letters Vendor “B” Pasteurised. . 41 110,000 97.5% 83,000 75.6% —90.2% + 9.8% 4 letters Vendor “C’’ Pasteurised Metropolitan . . 44 Hospital 220,000 81.8% 31,000 52.2% —97.6% + 2.4% 13 letters 2 ev. s. mastitis 2 gen. bac. contamn. Milk carts delivery and in course of 129 other sources 320,000 75.9% 84,000 45.7% —60.9% +39.1% 49 letters 1 s. mastitis 8 ev. gen. bac. contamn. COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF MILK SAMPLES FOR THE YEARS, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945. TABLE “B” A. Milk bottled in City, pasteurised at country depot B. Milk bottled in City, pasteurised at country depot C. Milk delivered in bulk, pasteurised on farm D. Various milk carts 1. 2. 3 Microscopic Count Living Germs Percentage of Samples Percentage of samples Percentage of samples showing absence ot showing under 1,000,000 showing under 50,000 E. coh in 1 ml., per c.c. per c.c. 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 92% 95% 98% 97% 9'7% 56% 82% 67% 59%, 79% 90% 74% 81% 86% 93% 92% 83% 91% 86% 97% 60% 62% 73% 58% 75% 71% 64% 41% 63% 90% 81% 70% 95%, 86% 81% 70% 52% 71% 9% 52% 93% 88% 88% 93%- 97% 69% 71% 82% 69% 75% 37% 57% 51% 29% 45% 44% 31% 50% 42% 60% Under present conditions a sample of milk may reasonably be expected to contain less than 1 million germs per cubic centimetre as shown by direct microscopic count (Column 1), less than 50,OCX) germs per cubic centimetre capable of growing at blood heat (Column 2), and ab¬ sence of bacillus coli which is derived from filth, in one-hundredth part, of a millilitre (Column 3). ■ The Table shows what proportion of the samples attained this standard. SWIMMING BATHS Following the customary practice, regular samples of water from the various pools throughout the City were taken during the warm weather and submitted for bacteriological examination. All the samples were taken during the afternoon when the pools were in use by a good attendance of bathers. The results of these examinations, as will be noted from the re¬ port of the Director of the Bacteriology Department of the Melbourne University, indicate that the purification plants were working satisfactorily. RAT DESTRUCTION The work of rat destruction has been maintained throughout the year, although the staff is still depleted. The foreman of the gang, Mr. A. E. Clarke, was released from the Military Service and resumed duty in October. Considerable press publicity was given throughout the year to the importance of rat de¬ struction. This, together with the work of the Rat Advisory Committee appointed by the Commission of Public Health, of which the Chief Health Inspector is a member, was responsible for a Metropolitan Rat Campaign being held during the last week in November. Acting under the advice of the Advisory Committee, all municipalities adopted a uniform method in conduct¬ ing the campaign in the distribution of leaflets, advertising by posters and on the screen of local cinemas, and making rat poison available to ratepayers. In the City 35,000 leaflets were deliver¬ ed to householders and scholars in various schools; advertising posters were placed on all Coun¬ cil Cleaning vehicles and in ironmongers and chemists shops where agreeable, and by advertising
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