MUNICIPAL HYGIENE 695 



teat canal, there can be no doubt that its use should be 

 prohibited ; but we would be departing from the standard 

 laid down if we ventured to interfere in any way with this 

 question. The Medical Officer of Health is acting quite 

 within his province if he pours the whole milk-supply down 

 the drain when he thinks it desirable, though under certain 

 circumstances we may have our own ideas as to the neces- 

 sity for this procedure. But as we distinctly say he has 

 nothing to do with the cow, so with equal distinctness we 

 have nothing to do with the milk, otherwise we would 

 create a position as intolerable as that which arises from 

 his interference with veterinary work. We refer entirely 

 to the consumption of milk; the departure of milk from 

 the normal is an important matter to us from a diagnostic 

 standpoint, and our knowledge of this should be as com- 

 plete as that of the medical officer, but with a different 

 object in view. 



We have been compelled, owing to its importance, to 

 dwell on the question of the respective duties of the medical 

 and veterinary officer. The scheme proposed is the only 

 workable one for the future, and the only one which can 

 unite conflicting interests and work for the public good, 

 which after all is the sole objective. 



Before concluding this section dealing with the inspection 

 of dairy stock, it is desirable to refer to the question of 

 existing and proposed legislation. The former is very 

 elementary, viz., only milk from a tuberculous udder can 

 be interdicted on the certificate of a veterinary surgeon. 

 This presupposes also that the local authority in whose 

 district the incriminated cow exists, have adopted the Orders 

 bearing on cow-sheds and milk-shops, which as matters at 

 present stand they may either accept or reject. The whole 

 thing is utterly incomprehensible, and shows how desirable 

 it is for an old conservative nation to be regenerated. 



It should be compulsory for every cow proprietor to 

 notify to the local veterinary authorities the existence of 

 any form of udder disease. It is quite possible that even 

 with this tuberculosis might escape detection for some time. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



