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 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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99
Analysis of Milk Samples..—Percentage of adulterated samples since
1920 is given in Table II.
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.
Grades of quality for milk have been set up by the analysts
according to the percentage of milk fat. They are:—
Good quality: Over 3.8 per cent, of fat.
Fair quality : Between 3.3 per cent, and 3.8 per cent.
Poor quality : Between 3 per cent, and 3.3 per cent.
Adulterated: Below 3 per cent, fat or 8.5 per cent, non.fatty
solids.
The results of the samples taken in each of the two districts of the
City during 1931 are given in the following table :—
Table I.
| District. | Total. | Good Quality. | Fair Quality. | Poor Quality. | Adulterated. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Percent. | No. | Percent. | No. | Percent. | No. | Per cent. | ||
| North | 466 | 187 | 40.2 | 245 | 52.6 | 32 | 6.8 | 2 | 0.4 |
| South | 444 | 395 | 89.0 | 40 | 9.0 | 7 | 1.6 | 2 | 0.4 |
| 1931 | 910 | 582 | 63.9 | 285 | 31.3 | 39 | 4.2 | 4 | 0.4 |
| 1930 | 910 | 396 | 43.5 | 431 | 47.3 | 62 | 6.8 | 21 | 2.3 |
| 1929 | 867 | 323 | 37.2 | 422 | 48.6 | 79 | 9.1 | 53 | 6.1 |
| 1928 | 904 | 410 | 45.3 | 373 | 41.2 | 101 | 11.1 | 20 | 2.2 |
| 1927 | 914 | 511 | 54.1 | 345 | 36.5 | 71 | 7.5 | 17 | 1.8 |
| 1926 | 910 | 502 | 55.1 | 298 | 32.7 | 100 | 10.9 | 10 | 1.0 |
| 1925 | 970 | 489 | 50.4 | 368 | 37.9 | 98 | 10.1 | 15 | 1.6 |
| 1924 | 994 | 507 | 51.0 | 363 | 36.5 | 105 | 10.5 | 19 | 1.9 |
| 1923 | 997 | 458 | 45. 9 | 368 | 36.9 | 149 | 14.9 | 22 | 2.2 |
| 1922 | 998 | 493 | 49.4 | 338 | 33.8 | 138 | 13.8 | 29 | 2.9 |
| 1921 | 977 | 449 | 45.9 | 362 | 37.0 | 131 | 13.4 | 35 | 3.5 |
| 1920 | 987 | 321 | 32.5 | 400 | 40.5 | 236 | 23.9 | 30 | 3.0 |
The quality of the milk sampled has improved this year in
comparison with that of last year. The percentage of adidterated
samples being only 0.4.
Of the total 910 samples of milk taken during the year, 28 were
obtained on Sundays. These latter all proved genuine on analysis.