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186
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
private house in the Borough, employs three or four men for a
fortnight to make a house-to-house canvass in certain districts,
purporting to sell pure Dorset butter at one shilling per pound,
stating that their master has it made on his own farm and sends
it up to London twice weekly. It seems strange that purchasers
should believe that pure Dorset butter can be sold at such a price,
but it is certain that in this particular way this man obtained a
considerable number of customers. For some time the Inspector
kept him under observation, following him day after day and
watching and making a note of the addresses at which he called.
The Inspector was surprised to find that the majority of this man's
customers were of the upper middle class, and were not as he
expected to find, confined to the poorer localities.
Eventually the Inspector persuaded a man living in an adjoining
house to one of those at which this trader now called, to purchase
a sample for analysis, with the result that it was found to
contain 96 per cent, of margarine.
The work done by the Inspector cannot be properly judged,
either by the number of samples taken or by the percentage of
adulteration detected, but only by the method employed and the
interest shown by the responsible official entrusted with such
work.
It has been said that 25 per cent, of all butter sold is adulterated,
and that only 10 per cent, of the whole, or 2.5 per cent,
of the adulteration is detected, but I think that the Borough can
lay claim to a somewhat improved percentage of pure butter supplied
to its inhabitants.
Much difficulty has also been experienced during the year in
dealing with certain milk sellers in the Borough, principally small
traders who sell two classes of milk, one Separated Milk and the
other New Milk, both from the same barrow. The difficulties in
this case are obvious, as one can be easily substituted for the
other, and, indeed, at private houses where the milk is left on the
doorsteps in cans this is done to a very large extent. In these