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14
"THE SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACT. 1875," FOR
YEAR 1878-9.
During the year ending Lady Day, 1879, I examined one
hundred and seventy-two samples of food which were submitted to
me for analysis by your Inspectors. These consisted of—
73 Milk 28 White Pepper
47 Coffee 13 Black Tea
11 Green Tea.
In addition to these, a resident in the parish submitted to me
a sample of whisky. This makes in all 764 samples examined for
Islington since my appointment.
I did not find in any of the samples, other than the milk,
such evidence of adulteration as in my opinion warranted me
in advising prosecution.
In 12 of the milk cases I gave certificates of adulteration.
They were all cases of added water, the quantity of water
in excess of that present in normal milk, varying on the lowest
possible calculation from 10 to 30 per cent.
The milk sellers have raised the price of their milk, but I can
scarcely say that the quality has been improved, the price being in
fact no guarantee of genuineness.
The extent to which milk is adulterated is serious. For we
must remember that to many (and these for the most part the very
old and the very young) milk constitutes the sole article of diet.
The doctor can easily be thwarted in his treatment of a patient
by the dairyman. The public are in this way cheated of their
money: and if that were all it would be bad enough, but they
are cheated of their health too.
And yet during this year only a single sample of food was
submitted to me by the public for examination—and that one article
was not milk but whisky.
Proceedings were taken against the offenders in all the twelve
cases of milk adulteration, and the result of the prosecutions will
be found in this Report under the head of Summonses.