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
St Pancras 1919
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1919
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(c)—SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS.
750 samples have been taken under these Acts, and 704 of these proved to be genuine and 46, or 6.1 per cent., adulterated. The details are given in the following table: —
| Articles of food of which samples have been taken. | Total number of samples. | Genuine. | Adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrowroot | 9 | 9 | — |
| Baking Powder | 14 | 14 | — |
| Butter | 24 | 23 | l |
| Camphorated Oil | 24 | 22 | 2 |
| Cocoa | 40 | 40 | — |
| Custard Powder | 18 | 18 | — |
| Dripping | 19 | 19 | — |
| Egg Powder | 6 | 6 | — |
| Flour | 2 | 2 | — |
| Flour (Self-Raising) | 56 | 56 | — |
| Glycerine | 12 | 12 | — |
| Honey | 1 | 1 | — |
| Lard | 8 | 8 | — |
| Margarine | 6 | 6 | — |
| Milk | 384 | 355 | 29 |
| Mustard | 21 | 20 | 1 |
| Olive Oil | 6 | 6 | — |
| Pepper | 19 | 19 | — |
| Rice | 4 | 4 | — |
| Salad Oil | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Vinegar | 32 | 31 | 1 |
| Vinegar (Malt) | 42 | 31 | 11 |
| Total | 750 | 704 | 46 |
The 750 include 1 informal sample of butter.
Prosecutions were undertaken in respect of 33 of the 46 samples which
were reported as being adulterated. These are set out in the following table
(page 33):—