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
Hampstead 1907
Report for the year 1907 of the Medical Officer of Health
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This table shows that the percentage of adulterated samples
was much higher in 1907 than in previous years. The increase in
the number of milk samples from 200 in 1906 to 274 in 1907 partly
accounts for this fact, because milk is a food which is specially
subject to adulteration. In the case of 14 samples other than milk
the adulteration consisted of the addition of a preservative—boric
acid, which in 10 of these cases was present in such comparatively
small amounts as to make it extremely unlikely that legal proceedings
could be taken with any hope of success. It has not been the
practice in previous years to take samples of this kind, and these
facts should be borne in mind in considering the increase in the
percentage of adulterated samples in 1907.
The following table shows a comparison of the wards in the Borough in respect of the samples purchased from Hampstead tradesmen.
| Ward. | Samples. analysed. | Number adulterated | Percentage adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 (Town) | 63 | 3 | 4·7 |
| No. 2 (Belsize) | 49 | 1 | 2·0 |
| No. 3 (Adelaide) | 17 | — | — |
| No. 4 (Central) | 20 | 3 | 15·0 |
| No. 5 (West End) | 73 | 6 | 8·2 |
| No. 6 (Kilburn) | 72 | 5 | 6·9 |
| No. 7 (Priory) | 46 | 6 | 13·0 |
| Totals | 340 | 24 | 7·1 |
Legal proceedings in respect of adulteration were instituted in
27 cases. Of these, 19 came before the court and convictions with
penalties were obtained; in two cases the summons was dismissed,
the defendants successfully raising the warranty defence. In two
cases the summons could not be served owing to the disappearance
of the defendant, two cases were adjourned pending a decision in
the High Court, and two were withdrawn upon payment of costs.
Of the two defendants who absconded, one was an itinerant
vendor whose milk was sampled while he was selling milk on
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