MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board, whether he is aware that at a recent meeting of the North-wich Rural Council a communication was received from the county medical officer of health, Dr. Vacher, stating that he was informed by the medical officer of health for Manchester that a cow with a tuberculosis udder had been found on a farm in West Cheshire; that Dr. Nevin wrote to Dr. Vacher advising to isolate the infected cow, to dry her at once, and have her fed for slaughter; whether the Local Government Board have sanctioned such a system; and whether he is aware that Dr. Vacher, in conjunction with the late Inspector Wagstaffe, inaugurated and 1055 carried out a series of tuberculosis prosecutions in Birkenhead.
§ MR. CHAPLINThe facts appear to be substantially as stated in the first paragraph of the question. The cow, however, was not sold, but was destroyed by the farmer. The answer to the second paragraph of the question is in the negative. Dr. Vacher, before becoming county medical officer was medical officer of health for Birkenhead, and I am informed that during this period the Birkenhead Town Council, as advised by him, arranged for a much more thorough inspection of meat intended for the food of man than had previously been attempted, and appointed Mr. Wagstaffe to give his whole time to the work. Dr. Vacher appears, however, to have had nothing to do with the present case, except to inform the Northwich Rural District Council of the communication he had received from Dr. Nevin.