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TABLE L.-Inspections and condemnations of marine products, etc.—Continued

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Attention is again invited to the condition of the fish wharf, at which all marine products coming into the District by water are by law required to be landed. This wharf is the property of the District, and is leased to the highest bidder. It is therefore, or should be, a source of revenue. Upon it are unloaded each year millions of oysters, clams, crabs, and fish of various kinds. A very large number of them are con demned without leaving the wharf, and a very considerable portion of the remainder is shucked or cleaned before removal. There is, therefore, an enormous quantity of condemned material and offal which must be disposed of each day during the fish season, material which consti tutes during decomposition one of the most offensive forms of refuse. The handling and cleaning of these fish, etc., requires also the use of a very considerable quantity of water, some, after being fouled, finding its way into the river, but much soaking into the surface of the wharf, which is made up of earth and wood. As if to hasten the decomposi tion which is going on in the condemned fish, offal, and filth saturated earth and planks the wharf is without shelter of any sort, so that the sun's rays find ready access. The entire place is very naturally a source of complaint, especially during the fish season.

It is, therefore, respectfully recommended that this fish wharf be equipped with suitable conveniences for carrying on the traffic which is by law limited to it. It should be provided with an impervious surface, properly graded and guttered, to permit the free and rapid discharge into the river of all liquid falling thereon, and with shelter to exclude the direct rays of the sun. Properly constructed benches, provided with suitable receptacles for offal, should be constructed, as should also a building for the reception of condemned fish and accumu lated offal pending its removal to the place of final disposal.

Live stock. Through the provision, during the past year, of a samtary and food inspector who must be a veterinary surgeon, and shall act as inspector of live stock, the health department has been able

the first time in many years. The general character of stock killed was good, most of the diseases found being such as would not render the carcass, or all of it, unfit for food. The greatest prevalence of serious disease was found in cows which, having been condemned for dairy purposes, were disposed of for slaughter for use as food. While it is true that some such animals might be unfit for the former purpose and yet used with impunity for the latter, trade of this sort demands the closest scrutiny.

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In view of the fact that after slaughter and dressing for market, it is in many cases extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether meat has or has not come from diseased animals, it is practically necessary that the inspection be made before or at the time of killing. With the limited force at the command of this department, such inspection as has been made has extended to only a very small portion of the stock actually killed; and in fact without an unreasonable increase in the number of live stock inspectors, it can not be otherwise unless there be provided a public abattoir and all slaughtering confined thereto, or unless private slaughterhouses be put under the most rigid restrictions as to time of killing, etc. As it is believed that the former method is preferable, the recommendation contained in the annual report of this department for 1895, for the establishment of a public abattoir, is respectfully renewed.

Inspection of dairies and dairy products.-One of the most important duties of the health department is the supervision of the milk supply. Milk is the single article of human food of animal origin which is habitually taken in its raw state. It is subject to rapid chemical changes, which not only interfere with its food value, but render it capable of producing the most serious results. It is the constant diet of infants and invalids. And its gross appearance up to the time of palpable souring affords the prospective purchaser practically no information as to its value. For these reasons it is important that the milk supply of any community receive the closest attention from those whose duty it is to care for public health. The method of inspection employed by this department consists of (1) the inspection of the places where the milk is produced, known as dairy farms; (2) the inspection of the places where it is kept for sale, known as dairies, and (3) the examination of the milk as it is offered for sale.

Three series of permits are issued in connection with this system of inspection: (1) Dairy farm permits, authorizing the holders to maintain dairy farms within the District of Columbia-that is, to keep cows for the production of milk for sale; (2) dairy permits, granting the right to engage in the selling of milk as a business; (3) importers' permits, granting the right, under certain conditions, to bring or send milk into the District of Columbia. During the year 49 dairy-farm permits were granted, 34 were refused, and 188 remained in force at the close of the year. Of dairy permits, 155 were granted, 36 were refused, and 540 remained in force. Importers' permits were issued in 95 cases, none were refused, and 496 were outstanding at the close of the year.

Inspection of dairy farms.-Some idea of the difficulties connected with the regulation of the milk traffic may be obtained from the statement that the milk supplied from the adjoining States comes from 9,317 cows, owned by 510 farmers, and that from the District comes from 1,356 cows, owned by 194 farmers. There are, therefore, engaged in the milk business of this District, as producers, 704 persons with 10,673

cows.

In the inspection of the dairy farms the examination of the cattle is, 1569- -3

of course, intrusted to veterinary surgeons. Cattle in the District are examined by an inspector from this department. Those in the adjoining States are examined by veterinarians employed by the farmers, certificates showing the result of such examinations being filed with the application for permission to bring or send milk into the District. The inspection of cattle within the District is made periodically. The examination of those in the adjoining States is required only once, as a preliminary to the issue of an importer's permit; if any secondary examinations of such cattle are made, the result is never reported to the health department. In neither instance is the tuberculme test used, not because of any lack of confidence on the part of this department, but because of the lack of the necessary funds.

The result of the examination of cattle as outlined above, taken as a whole, has been very unsatisfactory. Outside of the District the veterinarian acts as the agent of the farmer; within the District he is the agent of the people who use the milk. The difference in the result is shown by the difference between the percentage of cows which have been condemned by veterinarians in the adjoining States as reported by them, and the percentage of condemnations within the District by the inspector of the health department. In the primary examination of 9,317 cows in the adjoining States by local veterinarians, 52 were condemned, being 0.56 per cent, while in the primary inspection of 1,356 cows within the District, by the health department, 35 or 2.59 per cent were condemned. The unreliable character of the inspection in the adjoining States, and the fact that diseased cows do exist there in no inconsiderable number, is shown by the fact that of the 52 cows reported as bad, 45 were reported by a single veterinarian, one whose education and professional standing leave no doubt as to the accuracy of his observation and correctness of his judgment. These facts are further emphasized by the discovery in 23 herds in those States, upon inspection by this department, of 23 cattle unfit for dairy purposes. The statement of these figures may seem harsh. They are, however, taken from the official records. This department can not help drawing from them the conclusion that while an official inspector from the health department interprets the results of his examination of a cow from the standpoint of public health, the veterinarian in the service of the farmer is inclined to attach too much weight to the commercial aspects of the

case.

The inspection of the dairy farms themselves is upon the same basis · as the inspection of the cattle.. Those in the District are inspected periodically by this department, while no inspection whatsoever is made of those in the States. In the case of the latter, the health department depends upon the statement of the applicant for an importer's permit, at the time of making application. After such permit has been granted, the condition of the farm and cattle is beyond the knowledge of the department. The difference in the result is shown by the fact that while 40 per cent of the dairy farms inspected by the health department during the past year were found to be in such condition as to necessitate the refusal of permits for their maintenance, in not one instance in which the farm was located in a State, and its condition reported by the applicant, have any conditions existed which would justify the refusal of a permit to bring the milk there produced into the District. It is not possible to believe that the condition of the dairy farms and of the cattle in Maryland and Virginia is so much superior to that of those in the District of Columbia, as would appear from the figures which have been given, even after taking into consideration the fact

within the city or its suburbs. The only conclusion which seems possible is that the people of the District are drinking a very considerable quantity of milk from diseased cows, and even more from cows which are subjected to the influences of unsanitary surroundings, and whose milk is kept for a greater or less time in such surroundings. The remedy for this condition would not be far to seek if it were possible to examine the milk and to determine therefrom the condition of the cow or cows from which it was taken, and the character of the surroundings. As, however, this can not be done, the only remedy lies in the appointment of a sufficient number of inspectors to investigate from time to time the dairy farms in the adjoining States. The right to do this is conceded by each applicant for an importer's permit, and his permit is issued subject to this condition.

Such an inspection as might be made under the present law if the necessary force were furnished would be sufficient if all producers of milk could be relied upon to discontinue the sale of milk from diseased cows when they were pointed out by the inspector. But there is no reason to believe that such would be the case, the probabilities being that in some instances the farmer would, as soon as the inspector was out of sight, resume the use of such milk. The remedy seems to lie in the tagging and registration of all cows supplying milk for this District as soon as possible after they are put to such use. The inauguration of such a system would involve a considerable outlay of time and money, but after that the cost of its maintenance in connection with a proper system of inspection of the farms (which is essential in any case) would not be prohibitive. Legislation to this end was proposed at the recent sessions of Congress (H. R. No. 9645, Fifty-fourth Congress; S. No. 1084, Fifty-fifth Congress) and met with considerable opposition from some of the milk dealers and producers, the chief argument being that tagging and registration of the cows would not prevent them from hav ing acute diseases, and bad milk thus finding its way into the markets. But this hardly constitutes a valid reason why effort should not be made to prevent the sale of milk from cows suffering from chronic diseases. I am convinced that some such method must be adopted if the sale of milk from diseased cows is to be checked, or it must be made prima facie evidence of the sale of milk from such cows if they be found in the herd from which milk is taken for sale.

Whether either of these methods be adopted or not, it is evident that no satisfactory result can be obtained unless provision be made for the inspection of dairy farms in the adjoining States by representatives of this department. As a beginning toward this end, one additional inspector is asked for for this purpose, with such increase in the contingent fund as is necessary to pay for traveling expenses.

Inspection of dairies.-The inspection of places where milk is kept or offered for sale is now made a part of the duty of the inspector of dairy products. While the assignment of this work to him has necessarily diminished the amount of work done in the chemical laboratory, the result, as shown in the improved sanitary condition of the dairies, has amply compensated for this loss. Watered milk and skimmed milk are not nearly so dangerous, from a sanitary point of view, as is dirty milk, and this condition is best prevented by requiring proper facilities for storing and selling it. An earnest effort is being made in this direction, through the enforcement of the dairy regulations.

So far as relates to the milk traffic itself-that is, independently of the production of milk-the most important indication to be met at the present time is the regulation of the temperature of the milk during storage and sale. The rapidity with which it undergoes changes, when

kept at a favoring temperature, and the serious results which frequently follow the use of milk which has undergone such changes fully warrant legal measures to secure its preservation under proper conditions until delivered to the consumer-that is, to require the immediate cooling of the milk after milking to a temperature not exceeding 60° F. and its maintenance at this temperature until the time of its delivery. As at present, in some cases owing to ignorance and in others because of the slight additional expense involved, much of the milk which is sold is not kept in this condition it is recommended that legislation be secured to require this to be done.

Analysis of milk.-There have been analyzed during the year 244 samples of milk, 6 of cream, 13 of condensed milk, and 1 of "evaporated cream."

Of the entire number of samples of milk which have been analyzed 7.4 per cent had been watered, 10.25 per cent had been skimmed, and 3 per cent had been both watered and skimmed; 20.65 per cent of the entire number had been tampered with. Of the samples collected by this office from railroad stations 11 per cent were adulterated, while of those collected at random throughout the city 28 per cent had been tampered with, from which it is apparent that much of the sophisticated milk sold in the city is the product of local enterprise.

The average composition of 193 samples of pure milk is shown in the following table:

Average composition of milk in the District of Columbia 1896-97.

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The poorest unadulterated sample was collected June 11, 1897, and showed 11.85 per cent solids and 3 per cent fat.

The analyses of cream showed an average of 16.44 per cent butter fat. In the absence of any fixed legal standard for this article it is impossible to state just when a given sample should be classed as cream, except from the name given it by the seller. Purchasers of this article under contract are, of course, able to protect themselves by specifying a cream containing a given percentage of fat, but the private consumer is at the mercy of the dealer. It is respectfully recommended that the standard of cream be fixed by law as 20 per cent butter fat.

The analysis of condensed milk was undertaken largely because of a belief that the cheaper brands of this article were made of skimmed milk. In the examination of 14 samples, all of the cheaper grades, there was no evidence found to support this idea. The cheapness is

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