View report page

53
(particularly from June to October) a very marked increase in the
deaths due to alcoholism, and it was found that many such deaths
were due to arsenical poisoning. The arsenic present in the beer
was derived from impure glucose, used in its manufacture. It
appears that one firm supplied glucose contaminated with arsenic,
which was introduced into it in the process of conversion from
starch, by the use of contaminated sulphuric acid, supplied by
another firm. The whole question of such contaminated beer
is now being investigated by a Royal Commission. The Public
Analyst (Mr. Kear Colwell), deemed it desirable to analyse a
number of beers, with a view to ascertaining if arsenic was
present. In all he examined upwards of 40 samples in Clerkenwell
alone, and it is satisfactory to report that no cases of
arsenical beer were detected. It may be hoped that one
result of the enquiry now proceeding, will be, that it will be
held that glucose or malt used in beer production, shall be
entirely free from arsenic. For it should be remembered that the
action of even infinitesimal doses of arsenic is cumulative, and
might result in grave illness or even death.
THE PLAGUE.
Owing to the outbreak of Plague in Glasgow during the summer
we received from the Local Government Board official intimation
that they proposed to place the disease under the Notification
Clauses (Sect. 55) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
The following is an extract from their communication : —
"In the District of every Sanitary Authority in the Adminis"trative
County of London, and in the District of the Port
"Sanitary Authority of the Port of London, the persons
"mentioned in Section 55 of the Public Health (London) Act,
"1891 (including the Managers of the Metropolitan Asylum
"District), and the Sanitary Authority shall, under this Order,
"have the same powers and duties in relation to the notification
"of cases of Plague as they would have under that Section if
"Plague were an infectious disease to which that Section
"applied.