Evening star., 1937-10-31
HANDLERS OF FOOD.
>REQU|RED TO TAKE.
PHYSICIANS TESTS.
Examinations Are Part of
} New System in Effect
Tomorrow.
RECORDS WILL BE KEPT
FOR EACH RESTAURANT
Question Of Cleanliness Will Be
Determined Largely by
Bacterial Count.

Medical examinations must be
passed by all persons engaged in the
handling of food, as part of a rigid
new system of rating the sanitary
condition of Washington restaurants
which will go into effect tomorrow,
Health Officer George c. Rutland
announced yesterday.
The new scoring system will be used
In a renewed drive by the department
to prevent the spread of contagious
diseases through insanitary conditions
In eating establishments Health Of
fcials frequently have protested that
medical tests for restaurant workers
were essential to prevent spread of
contagious diseases.
AS soon as case records can be built
up on each retaurant they will be
used in determining whether licenses
for places with poor records should be
renewed. officials said. Meanwhile,
the department has served notices on
a dozen. or so eating places that
specific physical conditions must be
improved before licenses for the year
beginning tomorrow will be issued,
officials reported.
Authority Granted.
Authority to require medical exami-
nations of all persons engaged in food
handling was granted the health Off
Ger in measure adopted at the last
session of Congress. The department
estimates that some 10000 persons will
be affected by this requirement.
Furthermore, department officials
said, records of the illnesses of en-
ployes of restaurants are to be kept.
They declared that proper medical ap-
proval would be required of the en-
ploye when he returned to work after
an illness.
The department now has % food
inspectors. Four more are to be hired
To check up on the amount of bac-
terra found in dishes, glasses and
utenils used in the preparation and
service of food, samples will be taken
from restaurants for series of chem
teal tests to be made by DR.. John B.
Reed, head of the departments chem
scal laboratories.
Won't Be Deceived.
! DR.. r. r. Ashworth, in charge of
the food inspection service, who draft
ed the scoring system, declared. I'VE
will not be deceived any more by the
pouring of the contents of a chlorine
bottle into the dish water when the
food inspector arrives to cover up
faulty cleansing of utensils. Disin-
fection of washing water must be
carried out regularly"
DR.. Ashworth, who has been in the
food inspection work for 80 years,
cited the experience of the dairy scor-
ing system as proof of possible re-
suits He said:
when 1 first took samples of milk
from dairies about 25 years ago, the
bacterial count of milk brought into
washington contained about 22,000,-
900 bacteria per cubic centimeter, as
compared with the average. of 10000
bacteria per cubic centimeter today
Some of the dairymen did not
know the difference between bacteria
and swapping turtles then, just as
some operators Of food establishments
do not appreciate what bacteria counts
of specimens taken from their uten-
sils mean today. We aim to remove
the barriers which account for the
reputation of our food
establishments in the District"
Determined by Count.
The question of degree of cleanli-
ness Of eating utensils is determined
largely by the bacterial count, eccord-
ing to studies made by DR.. James G.
Cumming, chief of the Bureau of
Preventable Diseases; DR.. ]. E. Noble,
director OF laboratories, and DR.. Nor
man E. Yongue. chemist. Many
glasses now used by the average con-
sumner of restaurant food contain from
10000 to 100000 bacteria per 4 square
inches of surface" Dr. Cumming said.
Score cards will be given to the
inspectors tomorrow when they start
on their tours. These call for rat
ings on 81 specific points, ranging all
the way from cleanliness of the floors.
cooking and eating utensils to the ef-
f1ciency. of the refrigeration plants.
the condition of lavatories and as to
whether milk is served in original
containers. The health of employees is
listed as one Of 13 major grades in