London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Finsbury 1903
Report on the public health of 1903
This page requires JavaScript
120
(c) The Council further resolved on obtaining, if possible, some
lectures on infant feeding and domestic hygiene to be delivered in
the Borough.
SALE OF FOOD & DRUGS ACTS.
Under the Bye-laws of the Borough Council, each Sanitary
Inspector acts, in his own sanitary district, as an Inspector under
the above Act. During the year 1903 the Inspectors collected 610
samples, of which 86 (or 14.1 per cent) were adulterated. There
were 46 prosecutions under the Act, the aggregate amount of fines
and costs inflicted being £141 12s. 6d. In 1902, 14 6 per cent. of
the samples were found to be adulterated, and there were 35
prosecutions.
The samples collected were as follows :—
| Samples taken. | Adulterated. | Samples taken. | Adulterated. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | 348 | 58 | Beeswax | 2 | 1 |
| Condensed Milk | 6 | 6 | Camphorated Oil | 1 | ... |
| Butter | 150 | 10 | Arrowroot | 1 | ... |
| Cheese | 9 | ... | Citrate of Magnesia | 2 | ... |
| Mustard | 17 | ... | Lard | 8 | ... |
| Pepper | 15 | ... | Dripping | 6 | ... |
| Cocoa | 4 | 1 | Baking Powder | 1 | ... |
| Coffee | 20 | 6 | German Sausage | 1 | ... |
| Sugar | 13 | 3 | Vinegar | 4 | 1 |
| Flour | 1 | ... | 610 | 86 | |
| Ground Ginger | 1 | ... |
Sampling is undertaken at various irregular times, including
Sundays and in the evenings. All the various milk-sellers in the
Borough are sampled without exception at some time during the
year, and samples are also obtained from hawkers and others passing
through the Borough, though not having any shop or premises in
the Borough.