On conditions necessary to obtain a clean milk supply and on methods of testing cows' milk in relation to standards of cleanness : report to the Sub-committee on clean milk / by S. Delépine, June 16th, 1918.

Auguste Sheridan Delépine

Date:: 1918

Credit: On conditions necessary to obtain a clean milk supply and on methods of testing cows' milk in relation to standards of cleanness : report to the Sub-committee on clean milk / by S. Delépine, June 16th, 1918. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$ON CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A CLEAN MILK SUPPLY AND ON METHODS OF TESTING COWS’ MILK IN RELATION TO STANDARDS OF CLEANNESS. Report to the Sub-Committee on Clean Milk. By S. Delepine. June 16th, 1918. At the meeting of the sub-committee held on May 18th, 1916, at the Civic Buildings, I was invited to prepare a report upon methods available for determining the state of cows' milk as to cleanness. I made a brief statement based upon the experience gained in the course of some 25 years at the Public Health Laboratory regarding the relative value of the various kinds of tests in current use. The sub-committee requested me to prepare a statement based upon my previous work, and to arrange v/ith Dr. Niven for the examination of a new series of samples for the purpose of ascertaining by various methods the present state of the milk supplied to the town at various stages of its distribution. The part taken by the Laborator}’ in the testing of the samples in con¬ nection v\ith the Farmers’ Milk Competition at a meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society, held in Manchester during the inonths of May and June, made it impossible to begin the clean milk investigation immediately. The work done for the Agricultural Society has, however, supplied data which I am authorised to place at the disposal of the Com¬ mittee. The regular examination of the new series of samples collected in Manchester was considerably delayed by the calls made upon the Labora¬ tory by the Military Authorities. The work began in November, and samples continued to be collected with unavoidable interruptions until the 21st May. The results of the last inoculation tests were obtained on the 25th June, 1917. The selection of places where representative samples of town milk had to be collected was made by Dr. Niven, who {ilso took charge of the arrangements necessary for the collection of samples by the inspectors. The exceptional difficulties which had to be overcome both at the Health Office and at the Laboratory under existing war conditions made it necessary to spread the work over a much longer period than would otherwise have been required.$