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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Adulterated samples
Table 30
| Parliamentary division | Article | Formal or informal | Adulteration or irregularity | Action taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | Ground almonds | Informal | Groundnut 100%. | Stock sold before formal sample could be taken. |
| South | Meat extract | Informal | Boric acid 0.31%. | Existing stock sold before formal sample could be taken. |
| South | Sausage meat | Formal | Meat content only 32%. | Case heard 15-7-49. Conviction under sections 38/1 and 3 of Food and Drugs Act, 1938. |
| South | Brawn | Formal | Contained horse meat. | Case heard 15-7-49. Conviction under sections 38/1 and 3 of Food and Drugs Act, 1938. |
| West | Sausages | Informal | Meat content only 40%. | Formal sample taken and found to be genuine. |
| South | Cream doughnuts | Informal | Mineral oil present. | Formal sample taken and found to be genuine. |
| South | Shredded suet | Informal | Fat only 74%. | Formal sample taken and found to be genuine. |
| West | Soup powder | Informal | Cocoons, grubs, etc. | Formal sample taken and found to be genuine. |
| West | Soup powder | Informal | Cocoons, grubs, etc. | Formal sample taken and found to be genuine. |
Unsound food
A considerable amount of food was surrendered as unfit for human
consumption. In all, approximately 24 tons was dealt with by the
Council's food inspectors, consisting of meat, fruit pulp, fish, etc.
In order to prevent waste where possible, most of this unsound
food was forwarded to the appropriate authorities for reconditioning
or animal feeding.
Other samples
In addition to samples submitted to the Public Analyst by the food
inspectors during their routine sampling, the following were also
submitted either to the public analyst or for bacteriological examination.
They were submitted for various reasons, but mainly because of
complaints received or as a result of enquiries made into cases of
food poisoning.