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81
Presence of Tubercle Bacilli.
Guinea-pigs were inoculated with milk from samples 115,
116, 117, 118, 119 and 120, but in each case failed to show
any evidence of a tuberculous infection on post-mortem
examination.
Extract from Report of Public Analyst.
FOOD AND DRUGS (ADULTERATION) ACT, 1928
Year ended 31st December, 1935.
Eight hundred samples of food and drugs were submitted
for analysis by the Council's Sampling Officers, and of these
724 were genuine, 39 inferior and 37 adulterated. The
percentage of inferior samples is therefore 4.9 and of
adulterated samples 4.6. The last figure does not differ
greatly from that of 5.3 per cent. given in the last available
Report of the Ministry of Health (1934-1935). This
figure for the whole country shows a reduction of 0.2 per
cent. as compared with the preceding year, whereas in our
Borough there has been an increase of 0.7 per cent.
An examination of Tables I and II, however, will reveal
the fact that for 1935 the combined percentages of inferior
and adulterated samples is 9.5; that is to say, nearly one
sample in ten is either adulterated or suspect. Furthermore,
reference to Table II shows that the position now in
regard to adulteration is worse than in any of the preceding
ten years. For the last three years the increase has been
progressive. An increase in any one year would give cause
for comment, but the fact that the position has gone from
bad to worse during the last few years and that the use of
false or deceptive labels on foodstuffs is greatly on the
increase is disquieting. Many examples of false labels will
be found later in this Report.