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 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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(c)— SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS.
750 samples have been taken under these Acts, and 724 of these proved to be genuine and 26, or 3.5 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 | 4 | 4 | — |
| Brawn | 1 | 1 | — |
| Butter | 114 | 114 | — |
| Celery | 1 | 1 | — |
| Cocoa | 16 | 16 | — |
| Coffee | 18 | 18 | — |
| Cream | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Do. (Preserved) | 21 | 21 | — |
| Dripping | 1 | 1 | — |
| Flour (Self-Raising) | 40 | 40 | — |
| Lard | 20 | 20 | — |
| Margarine | 35 | 35 | — |
| Milk | 370 | 352 | 18 |
| Mustard | 15 | 14 | 1 |
| Olive Oil | 6 | 6 | — |
| Oysters | 1 | 1 | — |
| Pepper | 14 | 14 | — |
| Pork Pie | 1 | 1 | — |
| Prescriptions | 12 | 12 | — |
| Rice | 10 | 10 | — |
| Salad Oil | 2 | 2 | — |
| Sausages | 23 | 20 | 3 |
| Sugar | 6 | 6 | — |
| Vinegar | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Vinegar (Malt) | 2 | 2 | — |
| Total | 750 | 724 | 26 |
Note. The 750 include four informal samples of milk, one of celery and one of oysters.
Prosecutions were undertaken as regards 12 of the above 26 samples which were
reported as being adulterated. The results of the proceedings are stated in the following
table:—
Summonses.
| No. of Sample. | Article. | Result of Analysis. | Date of Hearing of Summons. | Result of Proceedings. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penalty. | Costs. | ||||||||
| £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | ||||
| A. 20 | Milk | Deficient in milk fat, 13'3 per cent. | Mar. 10th | Dismissed. | Warranty proved. | ||||
| C. 146 | „ | 10'3 „ | July 9th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| A. 157 | Sausages | Boron trioxide, 0.148 per cent. . | „ 23rd | Dismissed. | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| A. 158 | „ | ,, 0.938 „ | „ „ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| C. 199 | Milk | Added water, 13.0 per cent | Sept. 3rd | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| C. 200 | „ | 13.5 „ | „ „ | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| C. 186 | Cream | Boric acid, 0.292 per cent. | „ „ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| A. 225 | Milk | Deficient in milk fat, 5.0 per cent. | Oct. 1st | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 6 |
| C. 276 | Vinegar | Deficient in acetic acid, 35 per cent. | Nov. 3rd | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| A. 349 | Milk | Added water, 5.9 per cent. | Jan. 21st | Dismissed. | 5 | 5 | 0 | ||
| A. 350 | „ | Deficient in milk fat, 18 per cent. | „ | ||||||
| A. 348 | „ | „ 3 „ | „ | ||||||