London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Camberwell 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
This page requires JavaScript
The following summary shows the comparative state of the register at December 31st, 1936 and 1937.
| 1936. | 1937 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cowkeepers | 1 | 1 |
| Cowsheds | 1 | 1 |
| Dairies and Milkshops | 335 | 333 |
| Dairymen with premises in the Borough | 351 | 349 |
| Dairymen with premises outside the Borough | 27 | 13 |
| Purveyors of milk in sealed bottles | 205 | 215 |
Routine inspections of all premises on the Council's register
are made from time to time and the number of such inspections
carried out in 1937 was 1158. It was necessary to serve notices
requiring cleansing and repairs to be carried out at 15 premises
as a result of the Inspectors' visits.
Composition of Milk Samples.
Of the 613 samples taken during the year 26 (4.24 per cent.)
were found to be not of the substance, nature or quality demanded
by the purchaser.
Included in this total were 61 samples of pasteurised milk
taken in course of delivery to St. Giles', Dulwich, and St. Francis'
Hospitals, and the various L.C.C. Schools in the Borough. With
the exception of one sample taken of a school supply, all were
reported as genuine.
Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1936.
The licences issued by the Council under this Order during the year were as follows:—
| Principal Licences. | Supplementary Licences. | |
|---|---|---|
| Licences to sell Tuberculin Tested Milk | 28 | – |
| „ „ „ Accredited Milk | 1 | – |
| „ „ „ Tuberculin Tested Milk, Pasteurised | 6 | – |
| „ „ „ Pasteurised Milk | 93 | – |
| „ „ „ Tuberculin Tested | – | 3 |
| „ „ „ Pasteurised | – | 4 |
Milk Adulteration.
The percentage of adulteration of formal samples, i.e. 4.24, is
the highest recorded during the past 17 years.
Ten samples were reported against owing to the fat content
being below the standard of 3 per cent., and 16 owing to the presence
of added water.
Of the former, the deficiency of fat varied from 5 to 55 per
cent., and of those containing added water, five samples each contained