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
Hammersmith 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hammersmith Borough]
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The following are details of the defective samples: —
| Sample | Result of Analysis | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Oranges | Contained 30 parts per million Thiourea | Warning letter. Re-ported to Ministry of Food. |
| Oranges | Ditto 5.2 parts per million | ditto |
| Oranges | 4.6 parts per million | ditto |
| Oranges | 9 parts per million | ditto |
| Fishcake | 57% deficient in fish | Informal sample |
| Fishcake | 20% deficient in fish | No action |
| Tomato Soup | Contained 5.4 grains tin per pound | Informal sample |
| Tomato Soup | Contained 4 grains of tin per pound | Stock destroyed |
| Citrate of Magnesia | Incorrectly labelled — contained no magnesium sulphate | Warning letter |
| Meringue Mix | Misleading label | No action |
| Meringues (5) | Consisted of imita-tion meringues; contained no egg albumin | Reported to Ministry of Food and Metro-politan Standing joint Committee |
| Minced Turkey | Deficient in meat, misleading label | Informal sample |
| Minced Turkey | Misleading label | Legal proceedings taken. Case dis-missed. |
| Butter | Contained 0.9% ex-cess water | Informal sample. Formal sample genuine |
| Whisky | 40.5 degrees under proof | Legal proceedings, 40/- fine, £10 10s. Od. costs |
| Gingerbread Mixture | Incorrect label | Informal sample |
| Gingerbread Mixture | Incorrect label — contained no rais-ing ingredients | Satisfactory explana-tion received from manufacturer |
| Sal Volatile | 50% deficient in ammonia and 78% deficient in am-monium carbonate | Informal sample. Formal sample genuine |
| Canned Meat Soup | Contained 3.8 grains tin per pound | Stock destroyed |
| Jelly Crystals | 8% deficient in sugar | Further sample genuine |
| Jelly Crystals | 6% ditto | ditto |
| Self Raising Flour | 37% deficient in available carbon dioxide | Informal sample. Further sample genuine |
A total of 53 samples of synthetic and butter cream used in
bakers' confectionery was taken for bacteriological examination.
The results obtained throughout the year are as follows:—
Total number of samples of synthetic and butter
cream 53
Bacillus coli (non faecal) present in 10
Bacillus coli (faecal) present in 8