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 1910
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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222
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
It will be noticed that the percentage of prosecutions of those
traders residing outside the Borough is almost double that of
those residing within the Borough.
| Milk vendors having registered premises within the Borough. | Milk vendors from surrounding districts trading within the Borough. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Samples taken. | No. adulterated. | Percentage of adulterations. | No. in which proceedings were taken. | No. of Samples taken. | No. adulterated. | Percentage of adulterations. | No. in which proceedings were taken. |
| 410 | 26 | 63 | 11 or 38 per cent. | 182 | 18 | 10 | 11 or 61 per cent. |
Butter.
304 samples of butter were submitted to the Public Analyst
for analysis, most of the samples having been purchased during
the busy shopping hours in the evening.
22 samples were reported against as being either wholly
margarine or a mixture of margarine and butter, and in each case
proceedings were taken and penalties inflicted.
Four of the samples of butter reported against as being
margarine were taken by the Inspector as butter, being exposed
for sale by retail.
The following instance will show how the public can be
defrauded. The Inspector, seeing that a block of butter exposed
an a marble slab was composed of two distinct colours, asked the
vendor for a sample. The vendor in serving the Inspector scooped
out a piece from the top of the block. The Inspector refused to
take this, and asked for a piece to be taken off containing the