[Report 1934] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council.

  • Middlesex (England). County Council. n 99020326.
Date:
1934
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1934] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    me very great pleasure to be able to state that everywhere I have been I have had every consideration shown me by the farmers, and I believe I have their confidence. To do this, frequently meant spending a fair amount of time with each farmer, but the future will show the benefit of this by a much closer co-operation than might otherwise have been the case. Travelling during the early part of the year was frequently hampered by fog, as the roads in the County were new to me, but this, I hope, will not be so serious in future. “ Although some farms have been built upon, other farmers have taken up the production of milk, and the number is increasing. Unfortunately, in this County, there are very few farms which have room to rear their own stock ; thus there is a continual introduction of fresh cows into most herds, so that it is essential that inspections should take place as frequently as possible. There is no doubt but that a “ self-contained ” herd is always the soundest and should be advocated whenever practicable. “ It has been possible to make a clinical examination of approximately 13,000 cows, and during these examinations 28 cows were found to be suffering from tuberculosis as defined under the Tubercu¬ losis Order of the Ministry of Agriculture. Of these, 11 were suffering from tuberculosis of the udder, whilst 17 were affected under the other sections of the Order, and were dealt with by the appropriate local veterinary inspectors. These numbers are over and above those cases which were reported by the owners direct, as the general symptoms to look for are always pointed out and owners are reporting suspected cases at an earlier stage than hithertofore. “ The provision of an electric centrifuge has enabled me to examine all the specimens that I have taken, and been the means of discovering infected milk in a very much shorter time than would be possible otherwise. Every advantage has been taken of using the laboratory, and during this period 175 samples of milk and sputum were examined. Of these I found 11 samples of milk to contain tubercle bacilli, and 6 samples of sputum to be likewise affected. These animals were dealt with under the Tuberculosis Order by the local veterinary inspectors, and post-mortem examination confirmed the diagnosis in each case. There have also been some 17 cases of suspected tuberculosis found during the inspections, and such animals are reported to the appropriate local veterinary inspector. “ One very striking fact stands out as the result of these microscopical examinations, and that is the large percentage of streptococcal infection. This is very noticeable after working in Herefordshire, where the percentage is small. I attribute this mainly to the fact that the milking cows are kept out much longer in Herefordshire, and are thus healthier. I am hoping to be able to reduce the incidence of streptococcal infection in this County, as the wastage causes too much loss—in fact some farmers are beginning to take steps to this end already. It is recognized by most farmers that milk thus pifected cannot be used, and I have had no difficulty as regards the use of this milk being stopped. “ The general condition of the cows has been satisfactory on the whole, especially considering the dryness of the summer, but here and there the herds are not up to standard. This fact has been pointed out, and I hope an improvement will take place. Wherever there has been a cow that has showed symptoms of disease that was incurable—such as Johne’s—I have always found the owner agreeable to taking advice to prevent further infection of his herd. “ During the year there have been two schemes promoted for the improvement of the milk supply of the nation, namely the attested and the accredited schemes, the first starting on February 1st, and the latter May 1st, 1935. They are undoubtedly two great steps in the right direction, although it will probably mean extra work. “ Owing to the comparative short time since my appointment, it is difficult to estimate the amount of infection in cows in the County, but I hope the next report will show a greatly increased number of examinations, with consequently a fuller report.” From the above report it will be observed that the County Council’s whole-time veterinary inspector was instrumental in removing 28 tuberculosis cows from Middlesex herds in the course of the year. In addition he took measures to stop the sale of milk in a large number of other instances in which various unhealthy conditions of the cows were detected by him. (3) The Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1923.—Licences for the production of “ Certified ” milk were granted by the Ministry of Health to four Middlesex milk producers during the year ; the licensed farms being situated in the Borough of Finchley and the Urban Districts of Enfield, Ruislip-North- wood and Wembley. Four dairymen were granted licences by the County Council to produce “ Grade A ” milk ; the farms concerned are situated in the Urban Districts of Harrow (2), Potters Bar and Ruislip-Northwood. (4) The Tuberculosis Order, 1925.—This Order of the Ministry of Agriculture is administered by the Diseases of Animals Sub-Committee of the County Council. The Clerk of the County Council informs me that during 1934, visits were made by the Council’s part-time veterinary surgeons to 86 premises on which bovine tuberculosis had been reported or was suspected. Veterinary examination of 1,618 animals was carried out and 87 animals were found to be suffering from tuberculosis as defined by the Order and were slaughtered. A sum of £626 12s 6c?., was paid by the County Council by way of compensation to the owners of the cows slaughtered (75 per cent of this amount is repayable by the Ministry of Agriculture).
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