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
Islington 1911
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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294
1911]
INSPECTION OF FOOD.
The inspector appointed for this duty is Mr. Wilkinson, who, himself a
butcher by trade and holding a certificate as an Inspector of Meat, is well
qualified for the work. His chief duty is to inspect the meat supply of the
borough, although he also supervises other foods, such as fish, vegetables,
fruits, &c., on sale for human food.
Unsound Food. — Altogether 4 tons 13 cwt. 3 qrs. and 7 lbs. of
food stuffs were condemned during the twelve months, of which more than two
tons were fruit and vegetables, which were removed from shops and stalls and
destroyed during the third quarter. They comprised the following articles of
food:—
Tons
cwts.
qrs.
lbs.
Meat and offal in slaughterhouses 1 12 0 11
„ butchers' shops 0 11 0 1
Fish 0 5 2 17
Vegetables and fruits 2 5 0 4
Bread 0 00 2
Tons 4 13 3 7
In the preceding year 4 tons 1 cwt. 1 qr. 25 lbs. were seized or surrendered, so that practically the amount was the same now as then, although it exceeded the average quantity dealt with annually in the ten years during which Mr. Wilkinson was an inspector.
| Tons. | cwts. | qrs. | lbs. | Tons. | cwts. | qrs. | lbs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 16 | 1909 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 18 |
| 1903 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1910 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| 1904 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 1911 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 7 |
| 1905 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 4 | |||||
| 1906 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1902-11 | 34 | 12 | 3 | 12 |
| 1907 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |||||
| 1908 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 22 | Average | 3 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
These figures show that the inspections have been well maintained, and
that there has been no slackness in the work. It is true that so much food is