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
Fulham 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
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67
Date Legislation Offence Result
16.2.60 F.H. R.Reg. 8 Placing of foodstuffs (vegetables) Defendant
on roadway. fined £3; 1
guinea costs
29.3.60 F.H.R.Reg, 29 Floor of meat delivery van not Defendant
impervious or fitted with duckboards fined £14; 2
not fitted with suitable offal guineas costs
receptacles. 4 offences.
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL ANALYST
THOMAS McLACHLAN D.C.M A.C.G.F.C., F.R.I.C., M,I. Biol.
During the year 1960, 800 samples of foods and drugs were examined.
Of these 402 were taken formally and 398 informally.
The number adult terated or about which some comment was made was 43.
The incidence of complaint may be classified as follows:-
| Number of samples examined | Number of samples adulterated, etc. | |
|---|---|---|
| Milk. | 98 | 1 |
| Other foods | 698 | 42 |
| Drugs | 4 |
A sample of milk contained foreign matter which appeared to be
essentially a mixture of clay with vegetable fibres. The bottle was
clean except for the extraneous matter and it appeared that the
contaminating material had probably gained access to the bottle after
it had been filled.
Three pieces of cheese were submitted because they possessed an
objectionable odour, thought to be due to a type of weed eaten by
animals in pasture. Examination showed that it was more likely to be
due to bacteriological infection of the milk before it was processed
for making the cheese.
Some butter contained 16.3 per cent of water whereas under the
Food and Drugs Act it must not contain more than 16 per cent of water.
Two rolls and butter were reported as adulterated because they
were spread with a mixture of butter and margarine, and a third sample
submitted as a roll and butter was found to be spread with margarine
only.
Three loaves were received because they contained foreign matter.
One contained a splinter of wood, thought to be from a bench, a sack
filling machine, or some similar source a white loaf contained a
piece of wholemeal bread which had probably been folded into the dough
during moulding: and the third contained parts of an insect, possibly
a bee, which appeared to have been present in the dough before the
bread was cooked. A scone also contained foreign matter which
consisted of general dirt and from the position of the dirt it had
probably been picked up from the moulding board.