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
Paddington 1909
Report on the vital statistics and sanitary work for the year 1909
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82 OFFICE WORK.
resolved that, on and after January 1st next, and until such time as the Local Government
Board shall issue regulations dealing with the matter, the Committee will follow the recommendations
with regard to the use of preservatives in cream set out in the Report of
Dr. J. M. Hamill to the Local Government Board when deciding the action to be taken with
reference to the Samples of Crcatu reported by the Public Analyst to contain preservatives.
The recommendations referred to are to the following effect :—
(1) Fresh cream, that is, cream sold by measure and not in pots or jugs, to contain no
added preservative or sweetening agent of any description.
(2) The only preservatives permissible in preserved cream to be boric acid, borax, or a
mixture of the foregoing ;
(3) Cream to which preservatives are added, to contain at least 40 per cent. butter fat.
(4) The maximum amount of boron preservative permissible in any cream to be
(a) during the months of May to October, the equivalent of 0.4 per cent. of boric
acid ; and
(b) during the months of November to April, the equivalent to 0.25 per cent. of
boric acid ; and
(5) The addition to the cream of any preservative or sweetening agent to be
adequately declared to the purchaser of the cream, at the time of the sale of such cream.
Proceedings under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts will be instituted against any person
selling cream if the above conditions have not been complied with.
OFFICE (CLERICAL) WORK. The appended figures suggest the mass of work which has to be performed by the Clerical Staff, and give but a very imperfect idea of the very large amount of writing which is necessary, the bulk of which cannot be set out in the form of statistics.
| Letters received | 4,337 | (4,014) | Complaints received | 683 | (817) |
| „ dispatched | 3,251 | (2,836) | Plans dealt with | 367 | (403) |
| Entries in postage book | 12,400 | (12,341) | New openings in Journals | 627 | (890) |
| Cases of infectious disease entered in Register Notices sent re above and | 948 | (971) | Disinfection Orders (duplicate) | 2,135 | (1,424) |
| other diseases | 6,443 | (7,428) | Notices to abate nuisances | 1,736 | (1,197) |
The figures in parentheses are the returns for 1908.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
The results of the cases which were brought before the Police Magistrate are appended
hereto. The Department is able to secure the abatement of nearly all nuisances by service
of " written intimations" which are not, in the legal sense, "notices " at all, and the cases
taken into Court form but a small proportion of the total dealt with during the year.
The fines imposed during the year amounted to £89 17s. and the costs awarded to
£48 16s. Those sums are paid to the Council's account. In one case only were costs
(2 guineas) allowed against the Council.