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
Fulham 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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Following the re-inspection and registration of premises under Section 16 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, the number on register at the end of the year were as follows:-
| Premises registered for preparation of preserved food | 80 |
| Premises registered for manufacture, storage and sale of Ice Cream | 2 |
| Premises registered for storage and sale of Ice Cream | 211 |
FOOD HYGIENE REGULATIONS 1955
"The child is father of the man" says Wordsworth and "Train up a child in the way
he should go and when he isold he will not depart from it", says the Book of Proverbs.
The future of the cleanly handling of foodstuffs must now surely lie with the
growing child. His elders - at least those employed in the food trade - have had
ample scope over the past few years for putting into practice some elementary rules to
safeguard the cleanliness of food whilst it is in their care. Many of them have
accepted the opportunity eagerly as have many of the firms who employ them.
Some have not, and "don't want to know about it", and whilst this latter group
exists, there will still be room for improvement. Public health authorities always
seek the willing co-operation of people affected by the laws which they are called
upon to administer, thereby it is felt that the most lasting progress is made. It is
not possible however, to protect the unwary from the unscrupulous all the time, hence
the plea - made in this report last year - for the inclusion of instruction on clean
food handling into the curriculum of scholars in their last year at school. In this
way, the adolescent might become the standard-bearer for a clean food movement that
would ultimately extend to every cafe, shop and home in the land.
The implementation of the Regulations has gone on quietly during the year, but in
two cases it was found necessary to institute legal proceedings for smoking, in one
case in a bakery, and in the other behind the counter of a cafe.
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL ANALYST
THOMAS McLACHLAN, A.C.G.F.C., F.R.I.C., M.I.Biol.
During the year 1959, 800 samples of foods and drugs were examined. Of these
381 were taken formally and 419 informally.
The number adulterated or about which some comment was made was 48.
The incidence of complaint may be classified as follows:-
| Number of samples examined | Number of samples adulterated, etc. | |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 148 | 1 |
| Other foods | 644 | 47 |
| Drugs | 8 | - |
A sample of milk was submitted as a complaint because there were numerous dark
marks on the interior bottom of the bottle. The bacteriological quality of the milk
was satisfactory although the dirt consisted largely of decomposing milk solids with
other dirt, thus showing that the bottle washing machines had been unable to cope with
the dried decomposing mass at the bottom of the bottle. Two other samples of milk
were suspected of containing arsenic but none was found.