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 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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45
10
REPORT OF THE WORK OF THE PUBLIC
ANALYST FOR 1963
The Public Analyst, D. G. Forbes, b.sc., f.r.i.c., reports as
follows : By virtue of the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act,
1955, 1,000 samples were examined during the year ended 31st
December, 1963 ; 932 were articles of food and the remaining 68
drugs. All were submitted by the Council's Food Inspectors, 190
having been taken with the formalities required by the Act and 810
informally.
Samples of the following substances were analysed : fats (butter,
margarine, etc.), 109 ; beverages (cocoa, coffee, tea, etc.), 36 ; cereal
preparations, 41; cheese products, 23; confectionery, 93; cream, 11;
fish (canned, etc.), 59 ; fruit (canned and dried), 10 ; ice-cream, 7 ;
meat products (including sausages), 82 ; milk, 221 ; pickles and condiments
(including spices), 63 ; preserves, 14 ; soup, 46 ; vegetables,
11 ; aspirin tablets, 8 ; Beecham's powders, 6; Friar's balsam, 3 ;
Glaubers salts, 4 ; ointments, 3 ; linctus, 6 ; tincture of quinine, 3 ;
sal volatile, 2; seidlitz powders, 3.
Adulterated Samples
Particulars of the samples reported as adulterated or not up to standard are given in the following table .
| Case No. | Nature of Sample | Nature of Report |
|---|---|---|
| Informal 1043 | Buttered Bun | Found to contain other fat mixed with the butter |
| 1061 | Pork chipolatas | Excessive amount of preservative |
| 1064 | Soft drink crystals | Labelling offence. No declaration of ingredients |
| 1065 | Soft drink crystals | Labelling offence. No declaration of ingredients |
| 1066 | Soft drink crystals | Labelling offence. No declaration of ingredients |
| 1067 | Soft drink crystals | Labelling offence. No declaration of ingredients |
| 1085 | Asparagus soup mix | Milk fat virtually absent |
| 1092 | Liver pills | Contained 37 parts of lead per million |
| 1098 | Scotch egg | Meat content of casing not more than 25 per cent. |
| 1100 | Chopped pork | Excess added water (9.5 per cent.) |
| 1108 | Steak and kidney pudding | Low meat content (not more than 23 per cent.) |
| 1175 | Ammoniated tincture of quinine | Deficient in ammonia by 4.5 per cent, of requirement |
| 1178 | Milk | Excessive acidity |
| 1179 | Bread | Rodent excrement |
| 1243 | Bread | " Rope " organisms present |