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
St Giles (Camden) 1896
Annual report for the year ending 25th March 1897
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In the following table will be found a list of the articles analysed, showing how many have been examined during each quarter of the year:—
| ARTICLE. | 1st Quarter. | 2nd Quarter. | 3rd Quarter. | 4th Quarter. | Total. | Grand Total. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | A.dult. | Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | Adult. | ||
| Milk | 71 | 21 | 43 | 12 | 48 | 4 | 31 | 7 | 193 | 44 | 237 |
| Butter | — | — | 10 | — | 27 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 1 | 38 |
| Coffee | — | — | — | — | 19 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 43 | 5 | 48 |
| Brandy | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | - | — | 6 | — | 6 |
| Gin | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | - | — | 6 | - | 6 |
| Rum | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | - | 6 | - | 6 |
| Whisky | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 6 | — | 6 |
| Sweets | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | 20 | — | 20 |
| Preserved Peas | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Totals | 71 | 21 | 53 | 12 | 138 | 8 | 56 | 16 | 318 | 57 | 375 |
It will be observed that 57 of the samples have been certified to be adulterated—exactly 15.2 per cent. For comparison the results of the four previous years are here given:—
| Year. | No. of Samples examined. | No. Adulterated. | Percentage of Adulterations. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1892-3 | 220 | 19 | 8.6 |
| 1893-4 | 266 | 51 | 19.1 |
| 1894-5 | 348 | 45 | 12.9 |
| 1895-6 | 318 | 29 | 9.1 |
Notwithstanding the increase in the number of samples
taken during this year, the percentage of adulteration is
considerably above the average.
MILK.
Very great attention has again been paid to the quality
of the milk supplied to the District, no less than 237
samples of this most important article of food having been
F