PURITY OF MILK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22349, 21 February 1936, Page 14

PURITY OF MILK

efficiency of testing ' ~ b HEALTH OFFICER'S CRITICISM BACTERIOLOGIST REQUIRED An explanation of his objection to tlie arrangements niarlo by the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council for the bacteriological examination of milk has been made by Dr. T. J. Hughes, medical officer of health at Auckland. It was brought to the notice of the Auckland Hospital Board on Tuesday that Dr. Hughes had advised Dr. W. Gilmour, pathologist at the hospital, that the arrangements made by the Milk Council for the bacteriological examination of milk were very unsatisfactory. To this charge Mr. G. W. Hutchison, chairman of the Milk Council, niado a full reply published in the Herald yesterday, explaining the steprf the council 'has taken to test milk and its relations with the Health Department. To this Dr. Hughes has now replied. "With reference to the question of the chairman of the Auckland Milk Council, taking exception to 'unfair criticism' of the council's bacteriological work alleged to have been made by me," says Dr. Hughes, "the position is that, in order to assist the Hospital Board in reaching a decision as to whether the board could reduce the amount of bacteriological examinations of the milk supply received at the hospital, the bacteriologist, Dr. W. Gilmour, inquired about two months ago whether I was quite satisfied with the arrangements made by the Auckland Milk Council for bacteriological examination of the milk supply. My reply to this query was in the negative. Tests lor Disease Germs "The reasons for such reply were tliat the officer appointed by the council at that time for carrying out such bacteriological work was an analyst, not a bacteriologist, and had had little or ho previous training or experience in bacteriological work in connection with the examination of milk. Further, the bacteriological examination of milk supplied to the Auckland Hospital and all milk samples obtained by the department included bacteriological examinations which the Milk Council's officer was incapable of undertaking—for example, examination of milk for germs of tuberculosis and other diseases.

"The Hospital Board's laboratory staff includes highly-trained expert bacteriologists in whose work one can have confidence, and I am glad to hear that the Hospital Board has now decided to continue the bacteriological examination of the milk supplied to the hospital. The Qualifications Needed

"Before the appointment of the Milk Council's officer for carrying out bacteriological work was made, in reply to inquiries received from the secretary of the council, 1 advised that in my opinion the appointee should be an officer with proper training and experience. without which I personally could not feel satisfied, and I strongly recommended that the services of such an officer should be obtained for such work. "It is obvious that where results of bacteriological examination of milk may lead to throwing a man out of business temporarily or otherwise, such examinations should be made by a trained and experienced bacteriologist. Because n man is a trained chemical analyst it does not follow that he is capable of carrying out bacteriological work, and this 1 indicated to the secretary of the Milk Council when approached concerning the appointment."

WORK OF THE COUNCIL ASSISTANCE TO VENDORS A recent allegation that arrangements made by the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council for the bacteriological examination of milk were unsatisfactory "was challenged yesterday at a meeting of the executive of the Auckland Metropolitan Retail Milk Vendors' Association. It was agreed unanimously that the system of testing adopted by the Milk Council was definitely of considerable assistance to milk vendors generally. In a statement made following the meeting the president, Mr. W. H. Madill, said that since the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Act, 1933, had been put into operation there was no question but that the quality, purity and general condition of milkr delivered in Auckland had improved considerably. There might be room for further improvement, but the assistance given to milk vendors by the Milk Council, by means of frequent testing, enabled the vendors to locate the cause of milk not standing up to the various tests applied and to rectify the trouble without delav.