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
Finsbury 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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The following is a summary of the number of registered premises in the Borough at the end of year:—
| No. of Premises. | |
|---|---|
| Manufacture of ice cream | 72 |
| Storage and sale of ice cream | 63 |
| Fried Fish Shops | 18 |
| Butchers' Shops and stalls | 108 |
| Other premises, bacon smoking premises, etc., where food is cooked, preserved or pickled | 73 |
| Total number of premises | 334 |
All the premises were regularly visited during the year.
Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act 1928.
The number of official samples taken during 1937 was 600, of which the following is a summary:—
| Name of Article. | Gen. | Adult. | Total | Name of Article. | Gen. | Adult. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apricots | 2 | _ | 2 | Paste (Fish) | 2 | _ | 2 |
| Barley (Pearl) | 6 | — | 6 | Paste (Soup) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Beef (Corned) | 12 | — | 12 | Peas (Split) | 4 | — | 4 |
| Brawn | 11 | — | 11 | Peel (Candied) | 4 | — | 4 |
| Bread and Butter | — | 1 | 1 | Plums (Oregon) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Butter | 118 | — | 118 | Powder (Lemonade) | 3 | — | 3 |
| Cheese | 32 | — | 32 | Rice | 31 | — | 31 |
| Cocoa | 2 | — | 2 | Rice (Ground) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Coconut | 3 | — | 3 | Roll (Meat) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Dripping | 36 | — | 36 | Sago | 2 | — | 2 |
| Egg Loaf | 1 | — | 1 | Salad Fruit (Dried) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Flour (Self-raising) | 3 | — | 3 | Sardines in Olive Oil | 1 | — | 1 |
| Flour (Maize) | 1 | — | 1 | Sausage (Cooked) | 6 | — | 6 |
| Fruit (Mixed) | 5 | — | 5 | Sausages | 24 | 2 | 26 |
| Ham | 1 | — | 1 | Semolina | 2 | — | 2 |
| Jelly | 1 | — | 1 | Sherbet | 3 | — | 3 |
| Lard | 22 | — | 22 | Suet (Shredded) | 4 | — | 4 |
| Macaroni | 2 | — | 2 | Sugar | 11 | — | 11 |
| Margarine | 23 | — | 23 | Sultanas | 17 | — | 17 |
| Maize Meal | 1 | — | 1 | Sweets | 10 | — | 10 |
| Milk | 168 | 5 | 173 | Tapioca | 8 | — | 8 |
| Mushrooms (dried) | 1 | — | 1 | Tea Dust | 2 | — | 2 |
| Oatmeal | 2 | - | 2 |
Bread and Butter.—The butter in three slices of "bread
and butter" purchased was found to consist of 100 per cent.of
margarine; they were purchased for threepence at a restaurant
in the Borough.
The vendor stated that the containers of the butter and
margarine were similar, and in his haste the margarine was served
instead of butter. A cautionary letter was sent by the Town Clerk.