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67
To the Vestry of the Parish of Plumstead.
State Medicine Laboratory,
King's College, London,
7th July, 1897.
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, 1875-9.
Gentlemen,
1. I have the honour to report to you upon the work done
by me, as Public Analyst to your Vestry, during the year
ended March 31st, 1897.
2. The total number of samples analysed was 200, of which
5 were found to be adulterated.
3. All the samples were purchased and submitted for
analysis by the Inspector of the Vestry.
4. The subjoined tables give the various articles which have
been examined, their number and description, as well as the
general analytical results; where the article was found to be
adulterated, the nature and extent of the adulteration are
shown.
5. In addition to the four samples of milk reported as
adulterated, I have drawn attention to others as being suspicious,
or of poor quality, and owing to the very low standard
adopted by the Somerset House Chemists (the Referees under
the Sale of Food and Drugs Act), I am frequently compelled
to pass as genuine, milks that are adulterated to a small extent.
6. A considerable number of cheeses have been examined
during the year, in view of the introduction into this country
of "margarine" or "filled" cheese, but all the samples proved
to contain true butter-fat The amount of butter-fat however
varies very largely, and in some Dutch cheeses I have recently
examined, the fat varies from as much as 26 per cent. to as little
as 10.7 per cent., so that it would be well if a standard were
adopted for this article.
I am,
Yours faithfully,
WILLIAM R. SMITH, M.D.,
Public Analyst.
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