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
Kensington 1924
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1924
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| Article Analysed. | Nature and Amount of Adulteration. | Action taken. |
|---|---|---|
| Sausages | 12.5 grains of boric acid per lb. | Vendor cautioned |
| Sausages | 4.3 grains of boric acid per lb. | No action |
| Sausages | 18.5 grains of boric acid per lb. | Proceedings. Fined£5 and 10s. 6d. costs |
| Sausages | 15.8 grains of boric acid per lb. | Vendor cautioned |
| Sausages | 14.8 grains of boric acid per lb. | No action |
| Sausages | 14.5 grains of boric acid per lb. | Vendor cautioned |
| Sausages | 14.0 grains of boric acid per lb. | Vendor cautioned |
| Sponge Cake | 5.9 grains of boric acid per lb. | Informal sample |
| Sponge Cake | 11.1 grains of boric acid per lb. | Informal sample |
| Sponge Cake | 7.8 grains of boric acid per lb. | Informal sample |
| Sponge Cake | 9.4 grains of boric acid per lb. | Vendor cautioned |
| Sponge Cake | 4.4 grains of boric acid per lb. | Vendor cautioned |
| Tomato Sauce | 0.3 grains of salicylic acid per pint | Informal sample |
| Vinegar | 5 per cent. of the required acetic acid deficient | Vendor cautioned |
| Vinegar | 3.5 per cent. of the required acetic acid deficient | Vendor cautioned |
| Whisky | 48.1 degrees under proof | Informal sample |
| Whisky | 47.0 degrees under proof | No action |
| Whisky | 42.4 degrees under proof | No action |
It will be seen that proceedings were taken in seven cases, the tines and costs amount in
to £25 3s. 0d.
COMPOSITION OF MILK SUPPLIED IN KENSINGTON.
It is well known that the "limits" of 3 per cent. of fat and 8.5 per cent. of non-fatty solids,
which are taken by the Ministry of Agriculture as the primary criteria of genuineness of milk, are
figures very much below those found in normal cow's milk.
The following may be taken as the average composition of cow's milk :—
Water 87.4 per cent.
Fat 3.7 „ „
Non-fatty solids 8.9 „ „
Of 256 formal samples of milk taken under the Food and Drugs Act in 1924, only 5 were
certified by the Public Analyst as adulterated, i.e., containing less than 3 per cent. of fat or 8.5
of non-fatty solids. These particulars, however, do not give any indication of the general quality of
the milk supplied in Kensington, therefore, it will be interesting to note the average composition of
the samples taken in the Borough during the year. These figures are given in the following
table:—
| Months. | Number of Formal Samples Taken. | Average Composition of all Samples Submitted, Genuine and Adulterated. | Average Composition of Genuine Samples. | Ministry of Agriculture Standard. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of Milk Fat. | Percentage of Solids not Fat. | Percentage of Milk Fat. | Percentage of Solids not Fat | Percentage of Milk Fat. | Percentage of Solids not Fat. | ||
| January | 26 | 3.55 | 8.86 | 3.58 | 8.86 | ||
| February | 17 | 3.65 | 8.92 | 3.65 | 8.92 | ||
| March | 21 | 3.55 | 8.85 | 3.59 | 8.87 | ||
| April | 1 | 3.16 | 8.67 | 3.16 | 8.67 | ||
| May | 34 | 3.57 | 8.85 | 3.57 | 8.85 | ||
| June | 29 | 3.58 | 8.81 | 3.58 | 8.81 | 3.0 | 8.5 |
| July | 37 | 3.69 | 8.74 | 3.69 | 8.74 | ||
| August | 6 | 3.60 | 8.79 | 3.60 | 8.79 | ||
| Average Composition, of Normal Cow's Milk. | |||||||
| September | 19 | 383 | 8.92 | 3.83 | 8.92 | ||
| October | 24 | 3.81 | 8.86 | 3.98 | 8.89 | ||
| November | 18 | 3.86 | 8.85 | 3.86 | 8.85 | ||
| Percentage of Milk Fat. | Percentage of Solids not Fat. | ||||||
| December | 24 | 3.69 | 8.87 | 3.69 | 8.87 | ||
| Averages for the Year | 256 | 3.67 | 8.84 | 3.69 | 8.84 | 3.7 | 8.9 |