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
Islington 1919
Sixty-fourth annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington
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69
[1919
The particulars as to the genuineness or otherwise of the samples procured or purchased on Sundays, Week-days, and at Finsbury Park Railway Station are as follows:—
| Number taken. | Genuine. | Adulterated. | Percentage Adulterated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On Sundays | 166 | 152 | 14 | 8.4 |
| On Week-days | 331 | 295 | 36 | 10.9 |
| At Railway Stations (Farmers' Milks) | 141 | 132 | 9 | 6.4 |
| 638 | 9.2 | |||
| 1919. | No. of Samples Taken. | Genuine. | Adulterated. | Per cent. Adulterated. | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarters. | Sundays. | Week-days. | Railway Stations. | All Milks. | Sundays. | Week-days. | Railway Station. | All Milks. | Sundays. | Week-days. | Railway Stations. | All Milks. | Sundays. | Week-days. | Railway Stations. | All Milks. | ||
| 1st Quarter | 41 | 79 | 39 | 159 | 37 | 68 | 36 | 141 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 9.7 | 13.9 | 7.7 | 11. 3 | |||
| 2nd ,, | 42 | 81 | 33 | 156 | 38 | 69 | 30 | 137 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 19 | 9.5 | 14.8 | 9.1 | 12.2 | ||
| 3rd „ | 40 | 88 | 36 | 162 | 36 | 76 | 34 | 146 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 5.5 | 9.9 | ||
| 4th „ | 43 | 85 | 33 | 161 | 41 | 82 | 32 | 155 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.7 | ||
| The Year | 160 | 331 | 141 | 638 | 152 | 295 | 132 | 579 | 14 | 36 | 9 | 59 | 8.4 | 10.9 | 6.4 | 9.2 | ||
The number of samples of milk purchased was 638, of which 579 were
genuine and 59, or 9.2 per cent, were adulterated.
As a rule it may be stated that the milk sold in Islington is of good
quality, but last year it was not quite so good as that generally sold. There
is, however, very little to complain about, for a study of the table on p. 71
showing the adulteration of milk that is sold in the borough and of milk
arriving at the railway stations indicates that the average milk sold in the
borough showed it to contain 3.56 per cent, of fat on Sundays, 3-61 per cent,
on weekdays, as contrasted with 3.68 per cent, of fat in the milk delivered at
the railway stations. It will be seen from this that there is a slight diminution
in the amount of fat sold on weekdays and Sundays when contrasted with the
milk arriving from the country. The amount, however, is very slight, and
hardly noticeable. It is satisfactory, therefore, to note that our milk supply
has not materially deteriorated, although as a matter of fact the milk arriving
in London from the farmers is not quite so good as it used to be in days gone
by.
For 21 years the fat content of the farmers' milks averaged 3.83 per cent.,