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 1926

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]

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Table: Table II.

Table II.

District.Total.Good Quality.Fair Quality.Poor Quality.Adulterated.
No.Per cent.No.Per cent.Per cent.No.Percent.
North46028161.013228.7428.951.0
South45022149116636.85812.751.1
192691050255.129832.710010.9101.0
192597048950.436837.99810.1151.5
192499450751.036336.5105lO.0191.00
192399746845.936836.914914.9222.2
192299849349.433833.813813.8292.9
192197744945.936237.013113.4353.5
192098732132.540040.523623.9303.0
19191,07337534.942839.820118.7696.4
191891932034.830232.819421.210311.2
191792032935.730433.016217.612513.6
191691923525.536039.122122.810311.2
191593730332.332734.822524.0828.70
191489425027.936440.721724.2637.04
1913910 .25528.034337.623325.6798.60
191287325128.729734.025228.8738.30
191191130533.331134.121823.9778.40
191094733235.032834.617918.910811.40

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Table No. II deserves a moment's study. Seventeen years' history
of the analyses of the milk supply of the City are shown in these columns.
Although these figures deal only with the chemical composition of
samples, yet the standard of general excellence indicates that milk is not
tampered with to the extent customary in 1910.
It will be noted that the improvement in the quality of the milk
supplied in the City is well maintained. More than half of the total
samples were well above the legal standard and were ranked as of good
quality. Only 10.9 per cent. were as low as the legal standard or
slightly above it in fat content, and the proportion of adulterated
samples was only 1.0 per cent. of the total. This represents a smaller
proportion of adulteration than has yet been recorded, and is significant
of the progress in the methods of production and distribution of milk
which has been made in recent years.

Table: Legal Proceedings for Adulteration.—Five prosecutions were undertaken against vendors for the following offences:—28, 14, 8 and 6 per cent. of fat abstraction, and 8 per cent. of added water. The fines and costs imposed as a result of proceedings were as follows

Legal Proceedings for Adulteration.—Five prosecutions were undertaken against vendors for the following offences:—28, 14, 8 and 6 per cent. of fat abstraction, and 8 per cent. of added water. The fines and costs imposed as a result of proceedings were as follows

Milk—Fine.Costs.
28 per cent. fat abstraction£55s.£22s.
14 per cent. fat abstraction—£33s.
8 per cent. fat abstraction—£22s.
6 per cent. fat abstraction—£22s.
8 per cent. added water£2