London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bethnal Green 1931

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green Borough]

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93
The figures in regard to registration of Milkshopa
are set out below:—
Number of purveyors of milk on register
at end of 1930 260
Deduct number of purveyors removed from
register during 1931 37
Add number of new purveyors added to
register by resolution of the Public
Health Committee during 1931 ... 45
Number of purveyors of milk on register
at end of 1931 268
During the year 734 inspections of milkshops were
made by the Inspectors, and 61 notices were served
under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
No legal proceedings were found to be necessary.
A large number of the premises registered for th(
sale of milk are small general shops where the shopkeeper,
with the best of intentions, inevitably has
difficulty in adequately protecting the milk from contamination.
The recent practice of pasteurising oi
sterilising milk and supplying it in sealed bottles partly
meets this difficulty, but there is still a large quantity
of loose milk distributed in shops of the type referred
to.
The public undoubtedly prefers the more cleanly
method of delivering milk in sealed bottles. This
depends for its advantages on the cleansing and filling
of the bottles in suitable premises and under conditions
which preclude contamination of the milk. Some
careless or unscrupulous milk traders are, however,
occasionally found filling bottles in the street and
perhaps sealing them with discs taken from their pocket
—a practice both contrary to the Milk and Dairies
Order and to the principles of hygiene. Three milk
vendors were summoned for the offence, being ordered
by the magistrate to pay an aggregate of £4 19s. Od.
in fines and costs.