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
St Giles (Camden) 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Giles District]
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75
me 273 and 194 samples respectively. The other two
samples were submitted by a private purchaser.
In the following table will be found a summary of the articles analysed during each quarter of the year and their nature and quality.
| ARTICLE. | 1st Quarter. | 2nd Quarter. | 3rd Quarter. | 4th Quarter. | Total. | Grand Total. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | Adult. | Gen. | Adult. | ||
| Milk | 60 | 3 | 67 | 2 | 51 | 3 | 50 | 10 | 228 | 18 | 246 |
| Butter | 3 | 1 | 49 | 1 | 34 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 102 | 7 | 109 |
| Pepper | 8 | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | 39 | — | 39 |
| Coffee | — | — | — | — | 23 | 4 | — | — | 23 | 4 | 27 |
| Brandy | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 6 | — | 6 |
| Gin | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | - | — | 6 | — | 6 |
| Rum | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Whisky | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 6 | — | 6 |
| Lard | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | 12 | — | 12 |
| Potassium Iodide (Prescription) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | 6 | - | 6 |
| Mercury (Pill) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 6 | — | 6 |
| Totals | 71 | 4 | 116 | 3 | 162 | 10 | 90 | 13 | 439 | 30 | 469 |
It will be observed that 30 of the samples have been
certified to be adulterated—about 6.4 per cent.
The percentage for the six previous years is given below.
| Year. | No. of Samples examined. | No. Adulterated. | Percentage of Adulterated Samples. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1892-3 | 220 | 19 | 8.6 |
| 1893-4 | 266 | 51 | 19.1 |
| 1894-5 | 348 | 45 | 12.9 |
| 1895-6 | 318 | 29 | 9.1 |
| 1896-7 | 375 | 57 | 15.2 |
| 1897-8 | 406 | .39 | 10.6 |
There is again a considerable decrease in the number of
adulterated samples during the year— probably due to the
continued activity displayed in candying out the provisions
of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts throughout the district.