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
City of Westminster 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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85
Milk.—806 samples of ordinary milk were taken during the year.
Of these 119 (14.7 per cent.) were reported by the Analysts to be below
the standard of the Board of Agriculture, but 88 samples were just on
the border line, making a total of 25.6 per cent, of the samples. The
percentage of adulterated is above the average (11.3 per cent.), as
compared with 10.7 per cent, in 1905,21.5 percent. in 1904, and 12 per
cent, in 1903. The Analysts have graded the samples submitted to
them into four groups:— Good quality, in which the fat was over 3.8
per cent.; fair quality, in which the fat was between 33 and 3.8 per
cent.; and poor or inferior quality, in which the fat was between 3 per
cent, (the official standard) and 3.3 per cent., or in which the non.fatty
solids were between 8.5 and 8.6 (if the fat was also below 3.8). Adulterated
are below the standard.
The official standard is 3 per cent, for fat and 8"5 for solids not fat.
| District. | Total. | Good Quality. | Fair Quality. | Poor Quality. | Adulterated. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Percent. | No. | Percent. | No. | Per cent. | No. | Per cent. | ||
| South | 353 | 135 | 38.2 | 105 | 30.0 | 72 | 20.2 | 41 | 116 |
| North ,. | 453 | 132 | 291 | 147 | 32.4 | 96 | 211 | 78 | 172 |
| 1906 .. | 806 | 267 | 331 | 252 | 31.2 | 168 | 20.8 | 119 | 14.07 |
| 1905 .. | 831 | 305 | 36.7 | 281 | 338 | 153 | 18.4 | 92 | 1107 |
Fifty.three prosecutions were taken with regard to adulteration—
36 for fat abstracted, 14 for added water, one for both offences in the
same sample, and one for the addition of boric acid (44.72 grains per
gallon). Warranties or disclosures were proved in 26 instances.
Cautions were given to sellers whose milk contained less than 5 per
cent, of added water, or had less than 5 per cent, of fat abstracted.
It has been suggested that the dry weather which prevailed had the
effect of reducing the quality of the milk, but this does not appear to
be correct; there is no doubt, however, that the quantity supplied was
less than usual, especially in the autumn. Notwithstanding this, the
amount of inferior milk supplied to Westminster was not much above
the usual; 64"3 per cent, of the samples were of good or fair quality,
well above the official standard, as compared with 70.5 in 1905,
Details of the proceedings taken are appended.
Sunday Samples—One hundred and thirty.one of the samples of
milk were taken on thirteen Sundays during the year; 15 (10.5 per
cent.) were found to be adulterated and 4 (3 per cent.) were inferior, an
improvement on 1905, when the figures were 14.6 and 39 respectively.
Sunday used to show a larger percentage of adulteration than
week days.