View report page

176
The percentage of adulterated samples in the
respective years are not strictly comparable owing to a
slight change in the method of reporting. Previous to
this year it was my custom to report all articles of food
containing boracic acid, as adulterated ; but recently
the Vestry of St. George's, Hanover Square, wrote to
the Local Government Board to ascertain their opinion
as to whether boracic acid was or was not to be
regarded as an adulterant. From the cautiouslyworded
reply of that body it is evident that they do
not construe the presence of this substance as an offence
under the Act, and at the same time are equally unwilling
to commit themselves to any expression of opinion
as to its non-injuriousness which might appear to
sanction its use. In the present Report therefore, I have
not included the samples containing this drug under
adulterated samples, but have classed them separately.
It is highly desirable that the frequent occurrence
of such chemicals in articles of food should be made
widely known so that the public may be put on their
guard against what, in the case of infants, at all events,
may prove a serious danger. Even if it were proved
that the moderate employment of borax in food was
productive of no harm to adults and healthy consumers,
it would be most unwise for those responsible for the
purity of the public food supply, to give their sanction
to its presence, which would as a consequence very
soon become almost universal in articles of food of a
perishable nature.
As usual, milk is the most adulterated of the