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 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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40
Bacteriological Examination of Food
Three hundred and sixty-nine food samples were examined bacteriologically at the Public Health Laboratory during the year, and details are given below:—
Milk
The 24 samples of milk submitted to the turbidity test were
reported to be satisfactory.
Ice-cream
The 106 samples of ice-cream were examined at the Public Health
Laboratory by the methylene-blue test. The grading is determined
by the length of time taken to decolourize the methylene blue,
grade 1 indicating the highest standard bacteriologically.
The following table gives a summary of the results:—
| Grade | Number of Samples |
|---|---|
Prawns and lobsters
The 219 samples submitted were random samples taken from
imported consignments held in cold storage prior to release to the
importers.
Miscellaneous
The 20 miscellaneous food samples proved to be free from
pathogenic organisms.
Analysis of Food and Drugs
During the year 1,000 samples of food and drugs were submitted
for analysis; 150 samples of milk, 770 other foodstuffs
and 80 drugs. Of these 65 were submitted as formal samples, while
935 were purchased informally. Six of the formal samples and
78 of the informal samples were found to be adulterated or below
standard, representing 8.4 per cent, of the total samples submitted.
Details of these 84 samples are given in the Report on the
work of the Public Analyst which follows.