London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Holborn 1923

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health, for the year 1923

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Kitchen Refuse—

Bin unsatisfactory3
No proper bin1
Position of bin unsatisfactory1

Storage of Food.

The provision for storage of food both before and after cooking is shown in the following table:—

Provision for Storage of Food.

Type of Restaurants, etc.
Hotels and high-class restaurants.Restaurants for average business employee.Restaurants, working class.
Pantries and larders21121
Ice safes, refrigerators or meat safes45722
Special storage rooms or cupboard72032
Shelves in kitchen53
No Bpecial provision other than counter or shelves in shop1027
3210485

In those cases where ice-safes and refrigerators are used for perishable articles
such as meat and fish, cupboards are usually also provided for the storage of dry goods.
In the majority of eating places the accommodation provided for storage both before
and after cooking was found to be adequate, the larders, pantries, safes, cupboards and
special store rooms being generally clean and adequately ventilated and the food
reasonably protected from contamination, but in 37 cases no special provision was
made and the food was necessarily stored on counters or shelves in the shop or kitchen.
The usual statement in such cases was to the effect that perishable goods were
purchased every day; apart however, from the question of such goods as may be left
over proper provision for the storage of other articles, particularly such as are likely to
attract flies, is important and should be made in connection with all restaurants and
eating houses.
Washing-up Arrangements.
Special attention was directed towards the arrangements for washing up. It will
be remembered that within recent years attention was widely directed towards the
possibility of the spread of influenza by the use of an imperfectly washed drinking
vessel after it had been used by a sufferer with influenza ; it is held to be possible that
several other infectious diseases in which the virus is present in the secretions of the
mouth, e.g., diphtheria and venereal disease, may be similarly spread Obviously the
risk is much the same whether the imperfectly washed vessel is used in restaurant, public
house or the home, but it might be argued that the degree of responsibility of public