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
Westminster 1899
Annual report upon the public health and sanitary condition of the united Parishes of St. Margaret & St. John, Westminster for the year 1899.
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the Lancet points out that the syrups of commerce are glucose
adulterated with so-called cane syrups—that is with the
drippings and refuse of sugar refineries.
Other cases of adulteration were coating coffee berries with
sugar and thus increasing the weight of the coffee from 5 per
cent, to 10 per cent. Sometimes the coffee berry is imitated
by treating maize in a certain way. Another case was that
of adulterating cheese with margarine. Another, coffee
adulterated with chicory, sand, &c.
Attention has also been drawn during the year by the Bast
Kent Chamber of Agriculture, to the use of a substance known
as milk extract.
This substance enables dairymen to make 500 gallons out of
400 gallons of milk—the mixture of milk, hot water and the
extract being sold to the public as natural milk.
The Board of Agriculture has reported that it cannot legally
stop the sale of such a mixture.
Coroner's Court and Mortuary. Summary of work -performed during the year 1899.
| Number of articles disinfected from the Guards' Hospitals | 1,545 |
| Number of articles disinfected from the United Parishes | 17,200 |
| Number of rooms disinfected | 430 |
| Number of families removed to the Vestry's Reception rooms | 21 |
| Number of bodies removed to the mortuary | 272 |
| Number of inquests held at the Coroner's Court | 230 |
| Number of bodies to await burial | 42 |
W. C. Webber resigned his position as Mortuary-keeper on
February 7th, and H. Cooke was elected to fill the vacancy.
Mottuary; time for making post-mortem examinations.—In
consequence of the receipt of a letter from a local medical practitioner
complaining of the refusal on the part of the mortuarykeeper
to allow a post-mortem examination to be made at the
Vestry's mortuary after ten p.m., the Committee directed that,