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
Battersea 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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The first shows the average monthly composition of all samples of milk, reported as genuine, examined during the period July 1st, 1922, to December 31st, 1938:—
| Month. | No. of Samples. | Average Composition. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Total solids. | % Milk fat. | % Solids-notfat. | ||
| January | 1,048 | 12.49 | 3.66 | 8.83 |
| February | 903 | 12.41 | 3.58 | 8.83 |
| March | 1.080 | 12.33 | 3.53 | 8.80 |
| April | 846 | 12.28 | 3.49 | 8.79 |
| May | 1,033 | 12.27 | 3.44 | 8.83 |
| June | 990 | 12.26 | 3.45 | 8.81 |
| July | 1,107 | 12.25 | 3.53 | 8.72 |
| August | 809 | 12.28 | 3.58 | 8.70 |
| September | 1,014 | 12.46 | 3.67 | 8.79 |
| October | 1,069 | 12.62 | 3.76 | 8.86 |
| November | 1,080 | 12.78 | 3.87 | 8.91 |
| December | 747 | 12.66 | 3.80 | 8.86 |
| Total | 11,726 | 12.42 | 3.61 | 8.81 |
The next table shows the distribution of milk fat in the above 11,726 samples, expressed as a percentage figure :—
| Month | 4 and over | 3.9to 4.0 | 3.8to 3.9 | 3.7to 3.8 | 3.6to 3.7 | 3.5to 3.6 | 3.4 to 3.5 | 3.3to 3.4 | 3.2to 3.3 | 3.1 to 3.2 | 3.0to 3. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 8.5 | 4.7 | 9.4 | 17.0 | 22.6 | 17.4 | 9.4 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
| Feb. | 6.5 | 2.9 | 5.3 | 10.3 | 19.3 | 23.1 | 16.3 | 8.4 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 1.5 |
| March | 5.7 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 5.8 | 13.0 | 22.3 | 23.4 | 14.2 | 6.8 | 3.1 | 1.8 |
| April | 4.0 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 10.2 | 18.8 | 24.6 | 19.3 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 1.3 |
| May | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 4.4 | 9.0 | 13.4 | 22.6 | 22.4 | 11.9 | 6.5 | 2.6 |
| June | 4.2 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 7.2 | 14.8 | 20.1 | 22.4 | 13.1 | 6.3 | 2.6 |
| July | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 8.1 | 14.8 | 21.0 | 21.1 | 14.5 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.1 |
| August | 6.9 | 2.8 | 6.1 | 10.0 | 15.7 | 25.4 | 18.3 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Sept. | 11.0 | 4.2 | 10.0 | 17.4 | 21.6 | 18.4 | 10.0 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| Oct. | 15.7 | 9.3 | 17.4 | 22.2 | 15.8 | 10.2 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Nov. | 27.2 | 15.7 | 19.8 | 17.1 | 9.1 | 5.9 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Dec. | 20.9 | 13.9 | 17.4 | 18.6 | 11.8 | 8.8 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Whole period | 9.9 | 5.3 | 8.4 | 11.6 | 14.2 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 10.4 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 1.3 |
From the above table it will be seen that of every 100 samples of milk purchased in each month of the year, the percentage containing 3.5 per cent. of milk fat and over is likely to be approximately as follows:-
| January | 79.6 | May | 34.0 | September | 82.6 |
| February | 67.4 | June | 35.5 | October | 90.6 |
| March | 50.7 | July | 56.6 | November | 94.8 |
| April | 44.0 | August | 66.9 | December | 91.4 |
Whole period 65.9