482 THE CONTROL OF THE MILK SUPPLY 



strained, and cooled immediately after milking over a refrigerator 

 which shall be of a description satisfactory to the Company 

 (commonly a Lawrence cooler is used). The churns are to be 

 sealed. Attention may also be drawn to a clause in the contract 

 which not only requires, under a penalty of £\QO, immediate 

 notice of infectious disease occurring on the farm, but indemnifies 

 the sender against loss from having given the information. We 

 are informed that the Company has paid some hundreds of pounds 

 under this clause for milk which has not been received. No milk 

 is received again from a once-infected farm until it is certified as 

 free from infection.^ The medical officer of health for the district 

 also fills up a monthly report respecting the general and particular 

 health of the inmates of the farm and district, especially as 

 regards infectious disease, the sanitation and cleanliness of the 

 farm, etc. 



The veterinary surgeon to the Company for the district also 

 makes an inspection monthly, or more frequently if he thinks 

 desirable, and reports on the health of the cows, especially 

 in regard to udder disease, cleanliness, and general byre sanita- 

 tion. The district surgeons all work under the supervision 

 of a consulting veterinary surgeon in London, who receives all 

 their reports for his comments. There are upwards of 3000 cows 

 yielding milk to the Company. About 20 or 30 of these are 

 suspended annually as being unsatisfactory. Many of the herds 

 are regularly tested with tuberculin. If the tubercle bacillus is 

 found in any milk yielded by a cow having suspicious symptoms 

 of tuberculosis, the cow is condemned. If the bacillus is not found 

 the farmer may withdraw the cow or submit to the tuberculin 

 test. 



Should the medical officer of health or the veterinary surgeon 

 report anything which would render the supply of milk from a 

 farm a danger to health, the farmer receives telegraphic instructions 

 not to send his milk. 



Should any case of infectious disease occur amongst the 

 customers of the Company, they are supplied by a " Special 

 Service," of messengers, cans, etc., so as not to infect the general 

 supply. 



^ As proof of the fact that the medical and veterinary inspection of the farms, 

 etc., and the laboratory work of the Company is of a serious and genuine char- 

 acter, it may be remarked that at the annual meeting of the Company, in 

 February 1903, we notice that the accounts showed that a sum of ^2324 had 

 been expended during 1902 on these items alone. 



