London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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City of Westminster 1928

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

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93
These samples for bacteriological examination are taken by the
Council's inspectors by arrangement with the Ministry, and the reports
are sent to the Council as well as to the Ministry. All the samples
except oue were found to comply with the bacteriological standards of
the order. It was found to contain B. coli in 1 c.c. but not in
1 /10th c.c.
Pasteurization of milk is not undertaken at any premises in the City.
During the year 60 milk sellers took advantage of the provision contained
in 3rd Schedule of the Milk and Dairies Act. 1915, to request the
Local Authority to take samples from the consignors at the place
of delivery. The form of written request is prescribed in the
Schedule, and although 32 of the requests were in proper legal form,
28 were quite inadmissible in that they specified neither time nor
place where the samples could be taken nor did they express a request
for such samples to be taken. It is important to note that there is no
obligation on the Local Authority to take the extra samples from the
consignor unless the request is submitted in due legal form and lodged with
the authority within 60 hours of the taking of the original sample. Unless
the precise requirements of the schedule are observed a warranty cannot
be pleaded.
It proved necessary to take samples from consignors only in 1 case,
in response to the requests from 60 vendors, as 59 of the original samples
from the vendors proved genuine.

The analysis of the sample from the vendor which was not genuine is summarised below, together with the result of the corresponding sample taken subsequently from the consignors :—

Vendor's Sample.Action taken and Result.Consignor's Sample, number taken.Result of Analysis.Action taken and Result.
Contained 3 per cent, added water.Vendor cautioned1GenuineNo action.

Analysis of 31illc Samples.—Percentage of adulterated samples since
1910 is given on page 94.
The legal minimum standards for milk fat and non-fatty solids as
laid down in the Sale of Milk Regulations, 1901, are 3 per cent, and 8.5
per cent, respectively. Samples which do not show higher percentages
than these are regarded by the analysts as of poor quality. Therefore it
may be taken that the legal standards do not indicate any degree of