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
Hampstead 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hampstead Borough]
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The following table shows the grading of Ice Cream samples taken at the fairground since the Wart:-
| Year | No. ofSamplesTaken | Grading under Meth Blue Test | Percentages of Grades 1 and 2 Samples | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||
| 1948 | 8 | Nil | 3 | 2 | 3 | 37.5 | ||
| 1949 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 33.3 | ||
| 1950 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 70.0 | ||
| 1951 | 38 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 77.8 | ||
| 1952 | 38 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 65.7 | ||
| 1953 | 42 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 66.6 | ||
FOOD SAMPLING
(a) Bacteriological examination of food stuffs
This service is undertaken by the Central Public Health
Laboratory. I am greatly indebted to Colonel H.J. Benstead, the
Director of the Laboratory, for unfailing co-operation and help.
Details of the ice cream and milk samples submitted to
bacteriological examination appear under the respective headings.
Seventy-nine other samples were taken for examination. Some were
routine samples} others for confirmation of unsound or defective
tinning, etc. and a proportion were from suspected cases of food
poisoning.
The following table shows the variety of the examinations made and the results thereof:-
| Nature of Sample | No. of Samples | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spam sandwich | 2 | 2 | – | |
| Ham sandwich | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
| Cockles | 12 | 11 | 1 | |
| Mussels | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Whelks | 8 | 7 | 1 | |
| Jellied eels | 3 | 3 | – | |
| Cooked beef | 1 | l | – | |
| Carried forwards | 34 | 30 | 4 | |