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
Hampstead 1909
Report for the year 1909 of the Medical Officer of Health
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| No. of Sample | Article. | How adulterated. | Result of Proceedings. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | s. | d. | s. | d. | |||||
| 171 | Butter on Bread | 89 per cent. foreign fat | Fine | 1 | 0 | 0 | Costs | 12 | 6 |
| 173 | Milk | 13 per cent. deficient in butter fat | ” | 2 | 0 | 0 | ” | 12 | 6 |
| 304 | Cocoa | 30 per cent. sugar, 30 per cent. arrowroot | ,, | 3 | 0 | 0 | ,, | 12 | 6 |
| 320 | Butter on Bread | 83 per cent. foreign fat | ,, | 0 | 1 | 0 | ,, | 12 | 6 |
| 323 | Butter on Bread | 83 per cent. foreign fat | ,, | 0 | 1 | 0 | ,, | 12 | 6 |
| 324 | Butter on Bread | 84 per cent. foreign fat | ,, | 0 | 2 | 6 | ,, | 12 | 6 |
| 326 | Butter on Bread | 84 per cent. foreign fat | ,, | 0 | 2 | 6 | ,, | 12 | 6 |
| 426 | Cream | 28-7/10 grains of boric acid per pound | ,, | 0 | 10 | 0 | ,, | 12 | 6 |
| 606 | Gin | 5 per cent. of water above the legal limit | No action. | ||||||
In addition to the above, a vendor of milk was fined £1 and 5s.
costs for not having his name and address on the vehicle or receptacle
from which the milk was being sold.
One of the adulterated samples, in respect of which successful
proceedings were instituted was taken in consequence of a complaint
from a private source that the defendant made a practice of supplying
his regular customers with adulterated goods, although any chance
customer, who might possibly be an inspector's agent, was always
supplied with the genuine article. Upon receipt of this information,
arrangements were made for one of the inspector's agents to purchase
various small articles at the defendant's shop for a sufficient length of
time to induce the defendant to regard the agent as a regular customer.
A sample was then taken for analysis and was found to be adulterated.
In the case of one of the adulterated milk samples, the defendant
produced a warranty, but was unable to satisfy the Court that he sold
the milk in the same state as he received it. It was proved in evidence
that the defendant's assistant had left the milk on his barrow at a street
corner unattended while he had lunch, and the defendant was therefore
unable to establish that the milk had not been tampered with.