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
Islington 1896
Forty-first annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Islington
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1896]
158
It will be noticed in this Table that when the largest number of
persons were receiving relief the death-rate was highest, and when the
number was least the death-rate was at its lowest.
THE ADULTERATION OF FOOD.
During the year 825 samples of drugs and food, including 70
samples of margarine, were procured for analysis. 126 of these, or
15.3 per cent., were returned by the Public Analyst (Dr. F. L. Teed)
as being adulterated.
In the following statement will be seen the result of the analysis for each quarter:—
| No. of Samples. | Genuine. | Adulterated. | Per cent. 1896. | adulterated. 1895. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | 213 | 166 | 31 | 14.5 | 19.9 | |||||
| 2nd „ | 211 | 194 | 17 | 8.0 | 8.0 | |||||
| 3rd „ | 204 | 169 | 35 | 17.1 | 17.1 | |||||
| 4th „ | 197 | 145 | 43 | 21.8 | 21.8 | |||||
| Totals | 825 | 674 | 126 | 15.3 | 15.7 | |||||
In the preceding five years the number of samples procured for analysis with the results were as follows:—
| Year. | No. of Samples. | Genuine. | Adulterated. | Per. cent. Adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 | 368 | 345 | 23 | 6.2 |
| 1892 | 367 | 302 | 65 | 17.7 |
| 1893 | 378 | 327 | 51 | 15.5 |
| 1894 | 411 | 350 | 61 | 14.8 |
| 1895 | 832 | 701 | 131 | 15.7 |
| Totals | 2,356 | 2,025 | 331 | 14.4 |
From this table it is perceived that the percentage of adulteration
for 1896 is only about one per. cent. higher than that which obtained
during the five years 1891-5.
Compared with many other places the amount of adulteration
practised in Islington is small.