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 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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39
accommodation used for foodstuffs was inspected throughout the
year.
Licensed Premises and Public Houses.
There were 136 licensed premises in the Borough, 126 of which
were Public Houses. 105 inspections were carried out.
Unsound Food.
No food was seized and formally condemned during the year.
On the other hand considerable quantities of unsound food were
voluntarily surrendered, either on the initiative of the trader or on
its discovery by an inspector, and were then disposed of for animal
food or industrial use.
The following table gives a summary of the quantities surrendered:—
| Meat Diseased 1,106 lbs. | Total | 32,159 lbs. |
| Meat Unsound 17,153 lbs. | ||
| Bacon 13,900 lbs. | ||
| Offals Diseased and unsound | 32,805 „ | |
| Poultry | 6,688 „ | |
| Game | 1,490 „ | |
| Rabbits | 9,030 „ | |
| Cereals | 303 „ | |
| Cheese | 423 „ | |
| Fish | 541 „ | |
| Fats | 3,985 „ | |
| Dried Fruit | 393 „ | |
| Tins | 33,090 „ | |
| Other Foodstuffs | 7,972 „ | |
| Total | 128,879 „ | |
| =57.54 Tons. | ||
It is found now that it is not often that any effort is made by
traders to dispose of unsound food to the public. In many cases
they themselves call attention to the condition of the food and
surrender it voluntarily in order, on the evidence of the certificate,