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
Port of London 1912
Report for the year ended 31st December 1912 of the Medical Officer of Health for the Port of London
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56
The same vessel, from Yokohama, arrived in the Port of London again on the
21st October, having on board 88 packages of pork which had been shipped at
Shanghai. An examination of the packages revealed the fact that each contained two
sides of pork. This was also Foreign Meat of Class 1, and a Notice was served upon the
consignees forbidding the removal of the meat for any purpose other than exportation.
At the request of the consignees, permission was given for the meat to be put into
cold store in the dock, pending arrangements being made for its exportation, but it was
found to be unsound and stinking, and the Port of London Authority refused to receive
it in their store.
It was, therefore, seized by one of your Food Inspectors and, with the consent of
the consignees, destroyed in the usual way.
OFFAL.
The Offal seized and destroyed amounted to 19 tons 10 cwts. 0 qrs. 10 lbs. which was made up as follows :—
| Tons. | Cwts. | Qrs. | Lbs. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ox-livers— 11 crates, 2 boxes, 30 bags, 1,010 loose | 6 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| Sheep-livers— 41 boxes, 682 loose | 0 | 18 | 1 | 16½ |
| Pig-livers— 30 loose | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Kidneys— 27 cases, 132 crates, 21 bags, 1,138 boxes | 10 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Sweetbreads— 8 crates, 5 loose | 0 | 6 | 3 | 21 |
| Hearts— 15 bags, 6 crates, 20 loose | 0 | 15 | 0 | 13 |
| Plucks— 78 loose | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Lungs— 16 loose | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Tongues—1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ox-cheeks— 30 bags | 0 | 9 | 2 | 8 |
| Total weight | 19 tons | 10 cwts. | 0 qrs. | 10 lbs. |
There was a very noticeable decrease in the quantity of Ox-livers discharged in
the Port of London during the year, especially in the case of those coming from
Argentina.
The following table shows the result of the examination of certain consignments of Livers.
TABLE XXXI.
| Date. | Name of Vessel. | Where from. | Where lying. | No. of diseased or unsound livers seized. | Percentage of whole consignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912. | |||||
| Jan. 3 | s.s. ''Highland Brae" | Argentina | Royal Albert Dock | 94 | 57.89 |
| 16 | s.s. '' Highland Warrior " | Ditto | Ditto | 172 | 33.13 |
| April 18 | s.s. "Tongariro" | New Zealand | Royal Victoria Dock | 27 | 33 |
| Oct. 10 | s.s. " Buteshire" | Australia | Ditto | 110 | 65.47 |
The condition in which Kidneys arrived showed much improvement.