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100
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
or 31-9 per cent, were found to be free from preservative, other
than common salt, whilst the remaining 273 samples, or 69-1 per
cent, contained a boron preservative, but, as stated above, in
no case did this exceed the maximum permissible, namely 0-5
per cent, when expressed as crystallised Boric Acid.
Vinegar.
One informal sample was found to be slightly deficient in
Acetic Acid.
Drugs.
Of the 88 samples of Drugs examined during 1925, four, one
formal and three informal, were adversely reported upon.
In one case, that of Cream of Tartar, a slight excess of Lead
over the maximum permissible (20 parts per million) was detected,
whilst two samples of Rochelle Salts were found to consist entirely
of Sodium Tartrate. Both these samples (one formal and one
informal) were procured from the same vendor.
Rochelle Salts should be the double tartrate of Sodium and
Potassium.
One informal sample of Zinc Ointment proved, on analysis,
to be deficient in Zinc Oxide.
Other Articles.
Seven samples of Sponge Cakes were examined, and in one
case Boric Acid was found to be present. This preservative is
introduced into the Sponge Cakes by the use of liquid eggs in
their manufacture.
A formal sample was procured in respect to this sample, but
no preservative was discovered in this.
Twenty-three samples of Ice Cream were submitted for
analysis, and it is satisfactory to note that in only one case was
the presence of preservative detected.
One informal sample of Fat in respect to which a complaint
had been received, was found to contain a minute trace of Copper.
Lemonade Powder should, in our opinion, be compounded
with Citric Acid, and this we found had been the practice in 16