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
Wandsworth 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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182
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Table LXXXV. shows the number of samples taken, the number adulterated and the percentage of adulterated samples for the 10 years 1897-1906.
| Year. | No. of Samples lake 11. | No. Adulterated. | Percentage Adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | 597 | 25 | 4.1 |
| 1898 | 606 | 26 | 4.2 |
| 1899 | 602 | 50 | 8.3 |
| 1900 | 587 | 43 | 7.1 |
| 1901 | 600 | 69 | 11.5 |
| 1902 | 584 | 51 | 8.7 |
| 1903 | 729 | 90 | 12.3 |
| 1904 | 750 | 85 | 11.3 |
| 1905 | 853 | 65 | 7.6 |
| 1906 | 905 | 84 | 9.2 |
As has been pointed out in previous Reports, the percentage
of adulterations detected can never be relied upon as an absolute
proof of the purity or otherwise of the food supply of a district,
but can, at best, be used only as a rough indication.
Although, therefore, the percentage of adulterated samples
shows an increase over that of last year, it must not be concluded
that the purity of the food supply has deteriorated to that extent.
Such a result may be arrived at in many ways; one of which and
indeed the most important being the methods adopted in procuring
the samples.
During the whole of the past year the Inspector has had an
allowance in order that he might engage his own assistants to
procure samples. This arrangement has enabled him to change
them frequently, and works admirably, and probably the result
shown in the above Table is in great measure due to this cause.