330 MILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH CHAP. 



a long and tedious business, even if the problem is tackled 

 with enthusiasm and a long purse. It has been shown that 

 at least 10 per cent of samples of market milk contain 

 tubercle bacilli. What steps should be taken now to deal 

 with this bulk of infectious milk and prevent human disease, 

 pending a successful attack upon bovine tuberculosis ? The 

 necessity for some definite action has been realised by a 

 number of the large cities, and special powers have been 

 obtained to deal with this matter and prevent tubercle- 

 infected milk from reaching their inhabitants. These 

 important powers require consideration as well as the results 

 achieved by them. 



Local Acts and Powers in England for preventing Milk- 

 spread Human Tuberculosis. In 1899 Manchester obtained by 

 a private Act The Manchester Corporation (General Powers) 

 Act, 1899 special powers to deal with suspected tuberculous 

 milk consumed within the city. Certain further sections 

 were added in 1904. These Manchester Milk Clauses 

 are printed in full in the Appendix (pp. 418-421). They 

 have been adopted with slight modifications in a number of 

 other towns, of which may be especially mentioned Liverpool, 

 Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, and Sunderland. Through the 

 kindness of Dr. Newsholme (Medical Officer, Local Government 

 Board), the writer is enabled to state that up to the end of 

 1910 the Local Authorities who have obtained the Model 

 Clauses as to tuberculous milk in Local Acts number 102, 

 consisting of the London County Council, 67 boroughs, and 

 24 urban districts. It would, however, appear that in the 

 majority of these areas these powers are in the main unen- 

 forced. London obtained similar powers by an Act of 1907 

 (London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1907, Part IV.) 

 which became operative July 1, 1908. In 1904 the London 

 County Council had obtained powers to remove cows suffering 

 from udder tuberculosis, to slaughter them, and to pay 

 compensation, but the powers only applied to cows within 

 the London administrative county. In addition to clauses 

 similar to those of Manchester, their extended powers 

 require that the London County Medical Officer shall in all 

 cases where reasonably practicable, without involving delay 

 in the exercise of the powers, give to the Medical Officer of the 



