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Food and Drugs.
In Tables XI. and XII. of Appendix will be found a list of samples taken during the year
and the action taken. There were 844 samples taken, compared with 721 in 1903. Of these
8.2 per cent. were found adulterated, against 7.6 in 1903.
No special Inspector for food and drugs has yet been appointed by the Council, but I hope
before long the matter will be considered by them. The following remarks, reprinted from last
year's report, fully expresses my opinion on the subject: —
"The administration of the Food and Drugs Acts is extremely important and
owing to the constant influx of new articles of food into the market and the rapid
increase of new and more refined methods of adulteration, there has grown up recently a
large amount of literature on the subject which renders it very difficult for the ordinary
Inspector to keep up to date with the question of adulteration, while performing the
multifarious duties which he is called upon to undertake.
" In my opinion, therefore, it would be well for the Public Health Committee to
consider the advisability of appointing an Inspector whose sole duty would be to
administer the Food and Drugs Acts.
" Specialising in this, as in many other branches, leads to a man taking an interest
in the particular subject he has to deal with, and makes him much more efficient in
carrying it out.
" Another advantage is that the Act could be more uniformly administered by the
single Inspector. Under the present regime, there is a considerable and unavoidable
difference in the methods by which the various Inspectors take samples, and the
discovery of adulteration depends very largely on the way this is done.
"About half the Sanitary Authorities in the Administrative County of London
have Special Inspectors for this purpose, and, from enquiries made, in those cases in
which experience has been had of both plans, opinion is greatly in favour of having a
Special Inspector.
"I think that there would be quite sufficient work to keep one man occupied in the
administration of this Act for the whole Borough. If this were not so he could
perform other special duties, such as smoke, food inspection, etc."
Particulars of prosecutions and fines will be found on Table .... Milk and butter are the
articles to which most attention was paid as they are in every day use as staple articles of food.
Drugs were not neglected as three prosecutions in cod liver oil will show. Samples of cod liver
oil were taken from all the chemists in the Borough, and the three which were adulterated
came from those calling themselves " herbalists."
Milk.—The total number of milk samples taken in 1904 was 451 against 374 in 1903.
This is an improvement, but I think if the milk standard is to be raised the number might
still be increased. For instance, the total number of milk premises in the Borough on the
register is 301, and each of them ought to be sampled at least, say, once a year, the remaining
number being taken in the streets, railway stations, etc.
It is a curious coincidence that with the increase of the number of samples taken during
the year 1904 there should be an improvement in the quality of the genuine samples taken,
as the following table shows:-
Of samples taken in 1904 —
Under 3 per cent.
5
1.2 per cent, of total
3 per cent, and under 3.5 per cent.
147
35.1
3.5 „ 4 „
164
39.1
4 per cent. and over
103
24.6
419
100.0
1903—
Under 3 per cent.
32
8.63 per cent. of total
3 per cent, and under 3.5 per cent.
134
36.12
3.5 „ 4 „
135
36.38
4 per cent, and over
70
18.87
The adulterations this year were also 7.1 per cent. compared with 7.5 per cent. in 1903.
It would therefore be worth while increasing these to see if a corresponding improvement occurs.
Housing of the Working Classes.
In the latter end of 1902 an old pond known as the Mill Pond was filled up. It
consisted of a stretch of water 300 ft. long with a width varying from 15 ft. at the Paradise
Street end to 40 ft. at the Rotherhithe Street end.
The houses of cne side of Gilham's Court backed on to it on the east and those on one
side of West Lane on the west side.
A considerable strip of vacant land was thus formed belonging to the flour mill at 16,
Rotherhithe Street. This mill became empty in 1903, and the freeholders offered to sell it
and the Mill Pond to the Borough Council for building purposes. As it was scarcely worth
negotiating for without the surrounding property, I was requested by the Public Health
Committee to inspect and report on this, so as to assist the Housing Committee to come to a
decision. The following is the report submitted in the beginning of 1904 :-
"Report on condition of property adjacent to and surrounding the piece of vacant
land originally occupied by the Mill Pond, and buildings in the same curtilage.