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
St Pancras 1923
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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750 samples have been taken under these Acts, and 725 of these proved to be genuine and 25, or 3.3 per cent., adulterated. The details are given in the following table:—
| Articles of food of which samples have been taken. | Total number of samples. | Genuine. | Adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrowroot | 3 | 3 | — |
| Baking Powder | 3 | 3 | — |
| Butter | 135 | 133 | 2 |
| Calomel Powder | 1 | 1 | — |
| Cocoa | 40 | 40 | — |
| Coffee | 33 | 33 | — |
| Cream | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| Do. (Preserved) | 14 | 14 | — |
| Custard Powder | 9 | 9 | — |
| Dripping | 1 | 1 | — |
| Egg Powder | 1 | 1 | — |
| Fish Paste | 1 | — | 1 |
| Flour (Self-Raising) | 35 | 35 | — |
| Ground Ginger | 1 | 1 | — |
| Jelly Crystals | 1 | 1 | — |
| Lard | 21 | 21 | — |
| Lemonade Crystals | 2 | — | |
| Margarine | 1 | 1 | — |
| Milk | 351 | 341 | 10 |
| Mustard | 17 | 17 | — |
| Oatmeal | 2 | 2 | — |
| Pepper | 16 | 16 | — |
| Rice | 10 | 10 | — |
| Sausages | 5 | 5 | — |
| Sugar | 2 | 2 | — |
| Toffee | 1 | 1 | — |
| Vinegar | 16 | 15 | 1 |
| Vinegar (Malt) | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 750 | 725 | 25 |
Note.—The 750 include three informal samples of milk, one of cream, one of calomel
powder, one of cocoa, and one of sugar.
Prosecutions were undertaken in respect of 15 of the 25 samples which were
reported as being adulterated. These are set out in the following table: —