SHELLFISH 79 



Buchan 1 examined 25 samples of raw mussels from 15 known 

 sources coming into Birmingham. The bacteriological examina- 

 tions were not associated with any investigation into the actual 

 conditions at the layings nor are such important particulars as 

 the conditions and the time of storage set out. These omissions 

 make the results of no value as a basis of comparison with topo- 

 graphical conditions but they are useful as giving some idea of 

 the bacterial content of mussels as often put upon the market. 

 The method used enabled the results to be calculated as per 

 mussel. 



The organisms growing upon gelatine plates averaged about 

 1000 million per mussel with variations of from 7 million to over 

 7000 million. On agar at blood heat the average was 182 million 

 with variations of from 2 million to 2400 million. 



As regards B. coli group organisms the results per mussel 

 were: 



I 10 B. coli organisms in 2 batches, 

 loioo 7 



100 1000 10 



100010,000 3 



! o,000 100,000 2 



over 100,000 I batch. 



B. enteritidis sporogenes (milk change). 

 Absent in I sample. 

 10 100 spores per mussel in 13 samples. 



100 1000 10 



1000 10,000 I sample. 



Streptococci. Not found in five. In the others present, 

 10 100 per mussel in three, 100 1000 in five, 1000 10,000 

 in six, and 10,000 100,000 in six. 



The bacteriology of cockles in relation to sewage pollution. 



No definite and extensive comparative work appears to have 

 been carried out in regard to the bacteriology of cockles in rela- 

 tion to topographical conditions and degrees of sewage pollution. 

 From the different analytical results recorded by Klein and others, 



1 Report to Birmingham City Council ', 1908, 



