Report of the Departmental Committee apointed to inquire as to precautions for preventing danger of infection from anthrax in the manipulation of wool, goat hair, and camel hair.

  • Great Britain. Committee on Anthrax.
Date:
1918
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Departmental Committee apointed to inquire as to precautions for preventing danger of infection from anthrax in the manipulation of wool, goat hair, and camel hair. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    337/356 (page 3)
    REPORT OF THE Departmental Committee on Disinfection of Horsehair on the Experimental Work carried out with a view to applying to Horsehair the method devised for the Disinfection of Wool. The Right Honourable EDWARD SHORTT, K.C., M.P., His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, Home Office, London, 8.W.L. Sir, We have the honour to report as follows on the experimental investigation as to the practicability of applying to horse hair the method devised for the disinfection of wool :— INTRODUCTION. On the presentation to the Secretary of State of Volume 1 of the Report of the Depart- mental Committee on Anthrax,* in which the experimental work undertaken in devising a successful method for the disinfection of wool was described, the Secretary of State, by letter, drew the attention of the Chairman to the unsatisfactory position in relation to horsehair, and asked if the Committee would be willing, after such further inquiry as might be necessary, to advise him as to the practicability of disinfection of horsehair. The members having agreed to this proposal, the Committee was reconstituted for the purpose of the suggested inquiry, the following representatives of the horsehair industry being appointed as additional members of the Committee :— (1) Albert Webb, Esq. (Managing Director of Messrs. Edward Webb and Sons (Worcester) Ltd., Horsehair Manufacturers). (2) J. Williams, Esq. (Managing Director of The Ripley Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Horsehair Manufacturers). 1. SoHEME OF THE EXPERIMENTS. The inquiry has been conducted on lines similar to those of the wool inquiry. These having already been fully described need only be briefly referred to.* The condition of the material (horsehair) to be disinfected was first investigated in order to ascertain the difficulties likely to be encountered. Standard infected test material was then prepared resembling in its condition as nearly as possible the hair met with in practice. Hair, having samples of the infected test material among it, was treated in a small experimental plant, and after bacteriological examination of the test samples had proved the destruction of all anthrax spores to be complete, was first examined by experts and sub- sequently manufactured in order to ascertain the effect of the process on the hair from the commercial aspect. Finally, experiments were made to ascertain if machinery could be used for disinfection without causing manufacturing difficulties. 2. BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION AND ContTrRoL TESsTs. The general bacteriological examination of all samples was made by Dr. F. W. Eurich in the Public Health Laboratory of the Bradford City Council by cultural methods exactly similar to those used by him in the wool inquiry.t In order, however, to test the method of disinfection still more stringently, and to secure outside independent observation on the efficiency of the experiments, Dr. Arthur Eastwood, Bacteriologist to the Ministry of Health, was asked through the Local Government Board (now the Ministry of Health) if he would undertake a control examination of all samples used in the experiments. His department being willing, Dr. Eastwood consented to do this, and one-half of every sample was, therefore, sent to his laboratory, where he submitted it to tests both by cultural methods and by animal inoculation. Dr. Eastwood’s report is given later (page 12). * Report of the Departmental Committee appointed to inquire as to precautions for preventing danger of infection by anthrax in the manipulation of Wool, Goat Hair, and Camel Hair, Vol, I., Report of the Disinfection Sub-Committee [Cd. 9057]. Price 1s. Published by H.M. Stationery Office, Imperial House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2. + Page 11 of Vol. I. of the Report of the Committee. See footnote above.