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aged four years, who had been affected, were found to be positive, containing an organism similar to that found in the previous specimens.

The number of notifications amounted in all to 88. The outbreak lasted from 1st October, when there were four cases, to 16th October, when there was one. The ages of the patients affected varied within extreme limits, the youngest being four months old and the oldest 93 years. Nearly half the patients were children of school age or under. Fortunately, there was only one death, that of the old lady of 93, but it seems clear that dysentery was not the direct cause of her death.

Of the 88 patients notified, 83 undoubtedly obtained their milk supply from farmer A either directly or indirectly. It appears to be proved that the infecting organism came in some way from this farmer's milk, although at first the outbreak appeared to be of a similar nature to an outbreak that occurred last year in another part of the county, where the diagnosis was undoubtedly gastric influenza.

As regards the examination of fæces in this outbreak, it is probable that the infecting organism can more readily be discovered during attacks of diarrhoea, and that in the intervening periods it may be absent.

Assuming that the farmer's attack of dysentery in Mesopotamia was the origin of this outbreak, although the organism was never found in his fæces, it was decided, on the circumstantial evidence, to induce the farmer in the interests of the community not to deal with the handling of milk himself, either by milking and working with the milk-vessels, or by delivering the milk in the village. The farmer agreed to this course.

The bacteriologist reported that the bacilli found might be described as bacilli closely resembling the Sonne bacillus, but with serological divergences.

In view of these serious outbreaks of milk-borne infection, it was considered advisable to prepare a statement shewing what is now, by the Milk and Dairies (Scotland) Act, 1914, and other powers, required of dairymen and their employees for the prevention of infectious diseases through the agency of milk. This will be issued as a circular letter to local authorities in due course.

22. Ice-cream. The consumption per head of ice-cream in this country, though no doubt increasing, is far below that of some other countries. This may be due in part to the fact that the climate in Scotland is seldom oppressively hot, and the summer is brief. It is, however, becoming more recognised by the public that ice-cream is or should be a valuable food, and that instead of being a casual confection it may quite properly be treated as part of a meal and as an equivalent of other foods.

Ice-cream is properly a product of cream or at least of milk, and should be made from these ingredients, other material being mere additions.

In many cases, however, what is called ice-cream has for its basis a starchy material such as cornflour or some preparation of the kind. To this some milk may be added, though in many cases the addition is only skimmed milk. Further additions of skimmed milk powder, sugar and gelatine are made, and the final product may be sold at ninepence or twopence per portion, according to the skill of the maker in the use of flavouring material. Indeed it is possible to pay ninepence or a shilling for what has little more food value, and not much more market value than a pennyworth of milk. This becomes a serious matter when it is considered that ice-cream is frequently prescribed by physicians.

In America, where the sale of ice-cream is a highly-organised trade, ice-cream is standardised in many of the different States. The standard is a standard of butter fat and varies from 7 per cent. to 14 or 15 per cent. Canada and some other countries also have standards. The Imperial Economic Committee on Empire Marketing, in their recent Report (Cmd. 2725, 1926), recommended that a standard for ice-cream should be adopted, and pointed out that the manufacture of ice-cream at a suitable standard would provide an outlet for much of the surplus milk produced in this country, particularly at that period of the year when there is a flush of milk. As ice-cream will keep in cold store without deterioration, the adoption of a standard and the development of the sale of ice-cream would undoubtedly be of advantage to the dairying industry.

There have already been several investigations, and several tentative measures have been taken by Scottish local authorities in connection with the sale of ice-cream. In 1924 the average butter fat in a number of samples taken in Dundee was 1.12 per cent. Further samples taken in 1925 shewed that the average figure of butter fat was 2.04 per cent. This meant that in so far as the ice-cream was a milk product it corresponded to skimmed milk. The improvement in 1925 was the direct result of a representation made by the chief sanitary inspector to the local Ice-cream Vendors' Association.

In Edinburgh an examination of samples in 1926 shewed an average of 3-22 per cent. butter fat. Even this figure scarcely corresponds to what would be the fat content of good iced milk.

The sanitary inspector of Aberdeen took fourteen samples on one date in 1925. Of these, nine contained less than 3 per cent. butter fat, and the remainder were under 4 per cent. Two of the samples contained only 0-29 and 0.96 per cent. of butter fat.

One or two local authorities have endeavoured to encourage a higher standard of production by a system of granting certificates to those vendors who guarantee to maintain 3 per cent. of butter fat in their ice-cream. The response on the part of the traders, however, has not been encouraging. In Stirling, for instance, it appears that only five out of eighteen vendors. qualified for the certificate.

The following table, which has been compiled from the results of a recent investigation into the composition of the icecream sold by a number of well-known firms in Edinburgh and Dundee, is interesting as showing among other things that ice-cream containing 14 per cent. of butter fat is sold in one shop at exactly the same price as ice-cream containing 3 per cent. in another.

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Representatives of the farming and dairying industries recently submitted their view that there should be a legal minimum standard for what is sold as ice-cream, since the assumption is that cream is the basis of the article. They pressed the view that the public should be assured of a supply of what was a wholesome milk product. They also pointed to the intention of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, which is that in the sale of an article the purchaser is not to be prejudiced and should receive an article in accordance with what he asks for.

The deputation suggested that 8 or 9 or 10 per cent. would be an appropriate minimum standard of butter fat, and the view was expressed that to some palates ice-cream with a butter fat content of over 12 per cent. would be rather sickly in taste.

There are difficulties, of course, in the way, but the whole matter was receiving attention at the end of the year.

23. Meat Inspection.-The Public Health (Meat) Regulations (Scotland), 1924, which laid down a uniform system and standard of meat inspection, are now operating satisfactorily throughout the greater part of Scotland. In cities and towns, even where there are private slaughterhouses, little difficulty has been experienced in dealing adequately with inspection, but in the landward districts obvious difficulties have to be met and overcome. By the restriction of hours of slaughtering in private slaughterhouses, it has been possible to arrange that detention officers shall see all the meat, or in other cases, a reasonable amount of the meat killed.

As far as home-killed meat is concerned, the bulk of it is obtained from public slaughterhouses, where meat inspection is thoroughly established, and where every animal and carcase are seen by a competent officer.

Article 7 of the Regulations provides that notice of emergency slaughter is to be given, and that anyone who receives for sale a portion of any animal that, to his knowledge, has not been slaughtered in a slaughterhouse and has not been inspected, is to notify the meat inspector or the clerk to the local authority. Infringements of these requirements occasionally occur. In Fife a butcher called at a farm to buy cattle, and was asked to kill an animal, which the farmer stated was unfit to travel to the slaughterhouse. The butcher did so, and subsequently bought the carcase, half of which he sold to another butcher. The farmer did not notify the local authority or the meat inspector as required by the Regulations.

With the consent of the Board this farmer, who had previously been convicted for a contravention of Section 33 of the Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1897, was prosecuted; he pled guilty and was fined.

24. Slaughterhouses.-Routine inspection of abattoirs by one of our officers is carried on as other work permits. These inspections are important in order to maintain the standard of meat inspection and administration, and there is ample evidence of satisfactory results. Faults disappear and improvements are introduced as the result of periodic visits and conferences with the responsible officials. Many visits of inspection were made during the year, and in the county of Kirkcudbright every slaughterhouse was inspected.

The general standard of hygienic conditions in abattoirs has improved very much in recent years, and it is now unusual to find reason for serious complaint. There are, of course, several exceptions, but in one case where the buildings still remain very unsatisfactory there has been a marked improvement in cleanliness. Alterations are being carried out in several places, and a new abattoir is to be built for Hamilton.

25. The Humane Slaughter of Animals.-Towards the end of the year the Secretary of State for Scotland received a deputation from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The deputation, which included butchers, urged that what is called the humane killer should be used in the slaughter of animals for food. The butchers present stated that they had used humane killers for twenty or even thirty years, and had always found the instruments perfectly satisfactory. One of the butchers pointed out that the uniform system and standard of meat inspection were functioning properly in Scotland, and that it ought to be easy to complete the system by instituting this reform. He added that opposition in Scotland was not strong, as the number of private slaughterhouses (only about 500) is comparatively small.

The Secretary of State expressed his personal sympathy with the object aimed at, but in view of the great demand on Parliamentary time suggested that a suitable course would be for the Society itself to promote a Bill, which incidentally

would have the effect of eliciting public and Parliamentary opinion.

Towards the end of the year the Corporation of Glasgow in the Corporation Draft Provisional Order (Clause 61) proposed to make the use of the humane killer compulsory in the city. They also proposed to take power (1) to require persons using the instrument to obtain an authorisation, and (2) to employ persons for the particular purpose of stunning animals, the cost to be recovered.

26. Examination of Carcases slaughtered for Foot-and-Mouth Disease. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries intimated that they proposed to instruct their veterinary inspectors to make examination, before and after slaughter, of animals affected with foot-and-mouth disease. The Ministry's veterinary inspector would give a certificate stating whether the carcase was fit for human consumption or not, and in the circumstances further examination by an officer of the local authority would be unnecessary.

27. Oversea Meat Regulations and Unsound. Food Regulations, 1925.-In terms of these Regulations all food imported into this country is subject to inspection at the port of entry. For meats that arrive in small portions, particularly pig-meat, and for edible fats, a system of official certificates issued in the country of origin is recognised, and during 1926 forms of certificate were approved for the import of lard, dripping, edible tallow, and similar rendered fats. These certificates applied to imports from the Netherlands, the Argentine Republic and Hong Kong.

28. Prohibition of the Import of Carcases from the Continent. -In May, intimation was received from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries that foot-and-mouth disease had been discovered in a consignment of pig carcases imported into Scotland from Holland.

A local bacon factory had been in the habit of receiving weekly consignments of pig carcases from Holland for curing, and signs of the disease were found in some of the carcases received.

In consequence of the discovery of other infected carcases landed at Leith from Rotterdam, the Ministry of Agriculture on 2nd June issued an Order prohibiting the landing in Great Britain of the carcases of cattle, sheep, pigs or goats from Europe.

As a result of this Order a small portion of the Public Health (Oversea Meat) Regulations (Scotland), 1925, was rendered inoperative, so far as imports from the Continent were concerned.

29. The Preservatives Regulations.-Although these Regulations were issued on 17th August, 1925, they did not come into operation till 1st January, 1927, as it was necessary to give a period of grace in order to enable traders to clear existing stocks, to allow existing contracts to expire, and to make other arrange

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