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
Greenwich 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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| Article | How Obtained | Examination | Action Taken | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bact. or Chem. | Result | |||
| Malt Vinegar | Complaint from member of the public that bottle of malt vinegar contained foreign matter. | Chem. | Comprising a full 1-pint bottle of vinegar and contained suspended in the vinegar six flat, cylindrical, jellylike bodies consisting of the zoogloea of bacteria. Contained acetic acid 3.2% instead of 4%. the deficiency probably being due to decomposition. | No explanation for this vinegar being on sale as it was known to be relatively old. All other vinegar in retailers inspected and found satisfactory. Rotation in store found to be quite satisfactory. Complainant notified. No further action. |
| Potato Crisps | Complaint from member of the public that packet of potato crisps contained foreign body. | Chem. | Consisted of a thin slice of a hard, translucent, straw coloured material comprising gelatinised potato, consistent with a potato crisp that had been heated but not fried. | Complainant notified. No further action. |
| Blackberries | Complaint from member of the public of a beetle in blackberries. | Chem. | The beetle was stained by purple juice and yielded no reaction for phosphatase, indicating that the insect had been heated to a temperature of 150 F or over. | Suppliers requested to inform Importers of Public Analyst's Report. |
| Dates | Complaint from member of the public that dates smelt of petrol. | Chem. | No foreign taint could be detected even on boiling when the sample was examined and the dates appeared to be in good edible condition. | Sample taken and satisfactory report received. Complainant informed. No further action. |
| Cockles | Complaint from member of the public that cockles had a peculiar taste. | Chem. | The specimen satisfied the test appli-to it. No abnormal taste or smell was observed in the specimen. The salt content 0.7% and the pH 7.5, were normal and no foreign ingredient was detected. | Complainant notified. No further action. |
In addition to the foregoing complaints, there were 62 others
from members of the public. One complaint of a razor blade in a
bread roll was the subject of legal proceedings and the defendant
was fined £15 with 5 guineas costs. The remainder were fully investigated
by the Food Inspectors and, where justified, appropriate
action was taken.