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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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The statistics for previous years are subjoined:-
| Year. | Total examined. | Genuine. | Adulterated. | Percentage of adulterated samples. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 600 | 541 | 59 | 9.83 |
| 1911 | 600 | 549 | 51 | 8.50 |
| 1912 | 601 | 567 | 34 | 5.65 |
| 1913 | 601 | 570 | 31 | 5.1 |
| 1914 | 596 | 563 | 33 | 5.5 |
| 1915 | 600 | 566 | 34 | 5.6 |
| 1916 | 600 | 565 | 35 | 5.8 |
| 1917 | 601 | 544 | 57 | 9.5 |
| 1918 | 600 | 553 | 47 | 7.8 |
| 1919 | 591 | 569 | 22 | 3.7 |
| 1920 | 603 | 587 | 16 | 2.6 |
| 1921 | 602 | 588 | 14 | 2.3 |
| 1922 | 602 | 590 | 12 | 2.0 |
| 1923 | 602 | 593 | 9 | 1.5 |
| 1924 | 600 | 590 | 10 | 1.7 |
| 1925 | 600 | 589 | 11 | 1.8 |
| 1926 | 600 | 589 | 11 | 1.8 |
| 1927 | 602 | 577 | 25 | 4.1 |
| 1928 | 610 | 601 | 9 | 1.5 |
| 1929 | 601 | 590 | 11 | 1.8 |
| 1930 | 600 | 589 | 11 | 1.8 |
| 1931 | 600 | 589 | 11 | 1.8 |
| 1932 | 600 | 594 | 6 | 1.0 |
| 1933 | 600 | 591 | 9 | 1.5 |
| 1934 | 600 | 586 | 14 | 2.4 |
| 1935 | 600 | 583 | 17 | 2.8 |
| 1936 | 601 | 592 | 9 | 1.5 |
| 1937 | 600 | 592 | 8 | 1.3 |
| 1938 | 600 | 583 | 17 | 2.8 |
Notification was received from a neighbouring borough that
samples of marmalade and black-currant jam had been found to
contain 69 and 75 parts per million of sulphur dioxide, respectively
both were supplied from a shop in Finsbury.
Under the Public Health (Preservative, etc., in Food) Regulations,
jam (which includes marmalade) may contain only up to 40
parts per million of sulphur dioxide.
The Finsbury shop was visited and the proprietor was informed.
He carried a large stock of this particular brand of jams, and he was
told of the risk he was running in allowing this jam to be sold. He
willingly agreed to take the whole stock from sale, until it was decided
whether or not it complied with the requirements of the Regulations.
Upon this undertaking a sample of each marmalade and several jams
was submitted for analysis. Each of these was certified by the
Public Analyst to contain varying amounts of sulphur dioxide,
ranging from 55 to 82 parts per million.