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
Islington 1926
Seventy-first annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington
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57
[1926
Our Food Inspector found tins of Prunes and Loganberries being offered
for sale within the Borough which were blown, and on the vendor being
remonstrated with, he demurred rather to his being found fault with. On
investigation it transpired that these tins came from outside the Borough, and
according to the vendor no fault was being found elsewhere. In addition to
submitting the tins to the Ministry of Health, the matter was taken up with the
Medical Officers of Health of the City of London, Hackney, Bermondsey and
Southwark. The results of the investigation in the matter has been dealt with
by Dr. Howarth, of the City of London, in his Annual Report. The conclusion
arrived at is that loganberries, unless very particular and special treatment and
care are taken in the manner of preserving, naturally give rise to gas formation ;
on the other hand, similar gas formation may result from real decomposition due
to contamination. It is impossible to tell by mere superficial examination that a
blown tin is due to either one or the other cause, therefore it is not wise to risk
using blown tins of loganberries. While the gas formation may be natural, it
might also possibly be due to some noxious cause. The real remedy is for the
manufacturers to take the special care necessary and produce tinned loganberries
which will not blow out the tins.
The food destroyed or otherwise disposed of (chiefly for pigs' food) so as to prevent its use for human food was as follows :
| Tons. | cwts. | qrs. | lbs. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diseased meat and organs from slaughter-houses | _ | 7 | _ | 18* |
| Diseased or unsound meat, etc., from shops and factories | — | 17 | 1 | 23 |
| Fish | — | 12 | 3 | 6 |
| Tinned foods | _ | _ | _ | 7 |
| Fruit and Vegetables, | 3 | 9 | 3 | 22 |
| Total | 5 | 7 | 1 | 20 |
* Of this quantity 68 lbs. was Tuberculous.
The total amount of unsound or diseased meat, fish, fruit, and other food
destroyed was 5 tons 7 cwts. 1 qr. 20 lbs. The diseases which affected animal
food are set out in detail on page 62
Shops, etc., Inspection of.—The 701 shops and places where foodstuffs
are sold may be approximated for the year as follows:—
Butchers, provision dealers, etc., shops, 250; meat, provisions, rabbits, tinned
foods, etc., stalls, 28; food preparation establishments, 15; fish shops, 106; fish
stalls, 12; fruit shops, 210; and about 80 fruit, etc., stalls and barrows. To these
18,397 visits were paid, apportioned as follows :—
Butchers, Provision Dealers, etc., Shops 8,365 visits
Food Preparation Establishments 129 ,,
Butcher, Provision, etc., Stalls 1,976 ,,
Fish Shops 1,462 ,,
Fish Stalls 822 „
Fruit Shops 2,838 ,,
Fruit Stalls 6,676 ,,
Total 22,268 ,,