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 1925
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1925
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2. First sample. (Taken from Retail 3.24 8.16 4% extraneous water.
Purveyor.)
Second sample. (Taken on delivery
from Wholesaler to Retailer). 3.88 8.98 Genuine composition.
Good quality.
In this case the Council cautioned the Vendor.
Milk and Dairies (Amendment) Act, 1922.—Section 4 of this Act prohibits the addition of any
colouring matter or water, or reconstituted, or skimmed or separated milk, to milk intended for sale.
This Section enables the Council to deal with cases in which additions are made for fraudulent
purposes, but in which difficulty is experienced in proving that the mixture is sold as milk. In
not one of the three hundred and ninety milk samples taken was there found to be any breach of
this Section.
Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1923.—The-Minister, in exercise of the powers conferred
upon him by Section 3 of the Milk and Dairies (Amendment) Act, 1922, has issued an Order, which
prescribes the conditions subject to which licences may be granted for the sale of milk as
" Certified," " Grade A (Tuberculin Tested)," " Grade A," or " Pasteurised."
Licences may be granted to two classes of persons, namely :—
(1) Those who sell milk either by wholesale or retail; and
(2) " Producers," i.e., persons owning or having control of herds from which milk is sold.
Under the Order the Council are authorised to grant licences to persons other than a producer
to sell milk under any of the special designations above mentioned. Every licence granted is
valid for a period ending on the 31st day of December in the year in respect of which it is granted.
The Order lays down a schedule of fees to be paid by applicants for licences.
The licences granted in 1925 were as follow :—
(a) Dealers' licences to use the designation " Certified Milk " 50
(b) Dealers' licences to use the designation " Grade A (Tuberculin
Tested) Milk" 25
(c) Dealers' licences to use the designation " Pasteurised Milk " 24
In each case the licence has been granted for the purpose of authorising the dealer to sell
specially designated milk from shops within the Borough. No application has been made for a
licence to set up a pasteurising establishment within the Borough.
It is interesting to observe that there is an increasing demand for these higher grades of milk in
many parts of Kensington.
During the year, thirteen samples of Certified Milk, two of Grade A (Tuberculm Tested) Milk " and two of " Pasteurised Milk " were taken for the purpose of ascertaining whether they complied with the bacteriological standards laid down in the Milk (Special Designations) Order, which are as follow :—
| Special Class of Milk. | Maximum number of bacteria permitted per c.c. | Standard for bacillus coli. |
|---|---|---|
| " Certified Milk " | 30,000 | Must not be found in one-tenth c.c. |
| " Grade A. (Tuberculin Tested) Milk " | 200,000 | Must not be found in one-hundredth c.c. |
| " Pasteurised Milk " | 100,000 | No standard. |
The results of the examinations are shown in the following tables :—
| Sample collected on | "Certified Milk," Producer. | Bacteria per 1 c.c. | Coli per l/10th c.c. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd February | G. V. Baxendale | 4,880 | Nil. |
| 27th March | Viscount Elveden | 5,960 | Nil. |
| 27th March | G. V. Baxendale | 9,700 | Nil. |
| 28th May | Express Dairy Co | 6,033 | Nil. |
| 23rd June | G. V. Baxendale | 14,010 | Nil. |
| 3rd July | Viscount Elveden | 12,433 | Nil. |
| 3rd July | Express Dairy Co | 3,033 | Nil. |
| 3rd July | G. V. Baxendale | 9,760 | Nil. |
| 31st August | Viscount Elveden | 2,900 | Nil. |
| 25th September | G. V. Baxendale | 1,903 | Nil. |
| 25th September | Viscount Elveden | 4,833 | Nil. |
| 25th September | Express Dairy Co | 5,463 | Nil. |
| 18th December | G. V. Baxendale | 3,733 | Nil. |