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
Lewisham 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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45
Adulteration of Food
The number of samples taken during the year under the Food and
Drugs Act was 813, of which 16 were formal samples and 797 informal.
After examination the public analyst reported that 2 of the formal
samples and 7 of the informal samples were found to be adulterated
or below standard. The percentage of adulteration amounted to 12.5
in the case of the formal samples and 0.88 in the informal samples, whilst
it was 1.10 of all the samples submitted compared with 0.5 percent
in the previous year.
The following table gives details of the samples analysed :—
Table. 29
| DRUGS | Number examined | Number adulterated | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Informal | Formal | Total | Informal | Formal | Total | |||||||||
| W | N | S | W | N | S | W | N | S | W | N | S | |||
| Alum | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ammoniated quinine | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aspirin | – | 5 | –_ | –_ | –_ | –_ | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bicarbonate of soda | 3 | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Borax | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Boric acid ointment | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Camphorated oil | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Castor oil | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cough pastilles | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Cream of tartar | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Epsom salts | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ginger wine essence | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Glauber salts | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Glycerine | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Ground ginger | – | 9 | 1 | – | – | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Killgerm ointment | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Lanoline | — | 1 | – | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | – | |
| Laxative tablets | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Liniment of camphor | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Liver pills | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Paraffin | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Saccharin | — | 2 | — | — | — | – | – | — | — | — | — | — | – | |
| Sedative | 1 | – | –_– | – | – | –_ | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Senna pods | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | –– | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sodamint tablets | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sulphur ointment | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Vaseline | – | 1 | _ | _ | _ | _ | 1 | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | –_ |
| Zinc ointment | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TOTALS | 17 | 38 | 1 | – | – | – | 56 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |