TREATMENT OF MILK

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 October 1945, Page 6

TREATMENT OF MILK

BRITISH MEDICAL ADVICE In view of the continuing controversy over the comparative virtues and health safety to the consumer of raw and pasteurised milk, a discussion and decision of the British Medical Association, of Great Britain, reported in the London ‘’Times” of July 27, is of wide interest and importance: — Intense interest was shown in a motion, submitted by Mr. A. Lawrence Abel, Marylebone, and carried with little dissent, instructing the council to insist that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Food should secure legislation immediately reouiring all milk for human consumption to bo pasteurised, “The Times” reports. . Mr. Abel said that m the great majority of cases or bovine tubercle infection, the disease occurred in parts of the body other than the lungs, but of all non-pulmonary tuberculosis that type of infection accounted for about 30 per cent, of the cases. In England and Wales in 1943 there were some 4000 deaths from non-pulmonary tuberculosis, of which it might be argued that some 1200 were due to bovine infection. In the same year, some 14,000 notifications of non-pulmonary tuberculosis were made, of which it might be presumed some 4000 were due to bovine infection. Pointing out that about 600 children died in 1943. from bovine infection, Mr. Abel said he thought that the money of the B.M.A. should bo spent in indicting the Ministries of Health and Food at the Old Bailey for the deaths of the children.

Dr. Guy Dain said he thought the time had come when the sale or distribution of unsafe milk should be made a criminal offence.