London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Holborn 1898
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending December 31st, 1898
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15
Medical Officer's Report.
Vestry) was used for sleeping accommodation, &c., by 17 families from this
District during the disinfection of their rooms.
THE MEAT MARKET. During the past three years the amount of meat "seized," offal excluded was:—
| 1896. | Diseased. | Decomposed. | Total. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. | lbs. | St. | lbs. | St. | lbs. | |
| 1st Quarter | 4,069 | 3 | 378 | 4 | 4,447 | 7 |
| 2nd ,, | 7 10 | 1 | 1,215 | 4 | 1,925 | 5 |
| 3rd ,, | 653 | 6 | 3,476 | 4 | 4,130 | 2 |
| 4th ,, | 1,701 | 5 | 311 | 3 | 2,013 | 0 |
| Total for year 1896 | 7,134 | 7 | 5,381 | 7 | 12,516 | 6 |
| 1897. | ||||||
| 1st Quarter | 912 | 3 | 209 | 3 | 1,121 | 6 |
| 2nd ,, | 192 | 0 | 877 | 5 | 1,069 | 5 |
| 3rd „ | 376 | 2 | 727 | 1 | 1,103 | 3 |
| 4th ,, | 400 | 5 | 516 | 7 | 917 | 4 |
| Total for year 1897 | 1,881 | 2 | 2,331 | 0 | 4,212 | 2 |
| 1898. | ||||||
| 1st Quarter | 377 | 2 | 537 | 7½ | 915 | 4½ |
| 2nd „ | 316 | 4 | 818 | 0 | 1,134 | 4 |
| 3 ,, | 53 | 0 | 1,071 | 7 | 1,124 | 7 |
| 4th ,, | 266 | 0 | 888 | 3 | 1,154 | 3 |
| Total for year 1898 | 1,012 | 6 | 3,316 | 1½ | 4,328 | 7½ |
These figures show the marked change that has been effected in the
Meat Market; the amount of diseased meat "seized" in 1897 being little
more than a quarter of that of the previous year, and last year the amount
was less than one-fourth of that "seized " in the first quarter of 1896.
In 1896, 80 tubercular carcases of beef and 6 of pork were "seized."
In 1897, 16 „ „ „ „ „
In 1898, 6 „ „ and 2 top pieces of beef „ „
The average weight of the 6 tubercular carcases of beef was only 395 stone,
or 316 lbs., all being also much emaciated.
A large proportion of the decomposed meat and offal was foreign (principally
Dutch), and was also diseased.