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As a result of the action taken by the officers of the sanitary authorities, numerous proceedings
were instituted in the police-courts. In many cases substantial penalties were inflicted,
in some instances the defendants being sent to prison without the option of a fine. There is
probably no trade more profitable than the traffic in unwholesome food. The opportunities for
carrying on this trade without detection in a place the size of London is very considerable, and
the loss of money which pecuniary penalty involves must often make but small reduction of the
profits of the business.
An interesting account of poisoning through the accidental contamination of a summer
drink deserves to be noted. Dr. Bryett, the medical officer of health of Shoreditch, gives the
following account of the occurrence—
"On September 6th complaint was received that some six or eight men employed in the Whistonstreet
Gas Works had been suddenly taken ill with symptoms of poisoning after drinking of a temperance
beverage which they were in the habit of consuming in the summer time. The chief symptom
complained of was vomiting. Enquiry showed good reason for believing that the drink was the cause of
the symptoms, and the manufacturer thereof was at once communicated with and the necessary steps were
taken to prevent any further sale of the beverage and to recall what had already been distributed for
sale. The contents of some of the bottles containing the drink were submitted to Dr. Stevenson, the
public analyst, and it was found that water, tartaric acid, sugar, flavouring and colouring matters
entered into the composition of the beverage. It was found also to contain an injurious proportion of
salt of copper. The analyst stated that the copper salt had not been introduced as an ordinary soluble
salt of copper, but had doubtless been formed by allowing the liquid to remain in contact with metallic
copper in the presence of air, the sugar in the liquid rendering the salt soluble. The explanation of
the presence of the copper, from what the manufacturer stated, appeared to be that on a certain date
a portion of the drink had been made in an apparatus, constructed partly of copper, which had not
been in use for several months ; during the time the apparatus was out of use some of the copper salt
referred to by Dr. Stevenson had doubtless collected on the interior of the apparatus, and had been
taken into solution in the portion of the drink manufactured in the apparatus when it was brought
into use again. The remainder of the drink made on the particular date in a different apparatus
was found not to give rise to any of the symptoms complained of."
Poisoning by arsenic.
In the latter part of November a number of persons in Manchester and in some other
places were found to be suffering from illness which was attributed by Dr. Reynolds to poisoning
by arsenic. It was then discovered that arsenic was present in the beer which was being
consumed by the sufferers, and that its presence was due to the use of glucose or other substitutes
for sugar prepared with commercial sulphuric acid in which arsenic was accidentally present.
In London enquiry was made by the Council's Public Health Department with a view to learning
whether there was reason for thinking that there was any excess of cases of peripheralneuritis
(the disease caused in Manchester by the arsenic) in London poor law institutions.
No such evidence was forthcoming, and further numerous samples of beer and articles into the
composition of which glucose enters were analysed by the Council's chemist and by the analysts
of the several sanitary authorities, but arsenic was not found to be present in the articles examined.
The regulation of milk and cream.
In -January a departmental committee was appointed by the Board of Agriculture to
enquire and report as to what regulations, if any, may with advantage be made by the Board
under section 4 of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899, for determining what deficiency in any
of the normal constituents of genuine milk or cream or what addition of extraneous matter or
proportion of water, in any sample of milk (including condensed milk) or cream, shall, for the
purposes of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, 1875 to 1899, raise a presumption, until the contrary
is proved, that the milk or cream is not genuine.
The report of the Committee was sigued by all the members except one, and the conclusions
were as follows—
I.—That regulations under Section 4 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1899, be made by the Board of
Agriculture with respect to milk (including condensed milk) and cream.
II.—(a) That in the case of any milk (other than skimmed, separated, or condensed milk) the
total milk-solids in which, on being dried at 100 degrees Centigrade, do not amount to 12 per cent.,
a presumption shall be raised, until the contrary is proved, that the milk is deficient in the normal
constituents of genuine milk.
(6) That any milk (other than skimmed, separated, or condensed milk) the total milk-solids in
which are less than 12 per cent., and in which the amount of milk-fat is less than 3 25 per cent., shall
be deemed to be so deficient in milk-fat as to raise a presumption, until the contrary is proved, that
it has been mixed with separated milk or water, or that some portion of its normal content of milk-fat
has been removed. In calculating the percentage amount of deficiency of fat the analyst shall have
regard to the above-named limit of 3 35 per cent, of milk-fat.
(c) That any milk (other than skimmed, separated, or condensed milk) the total milk-solids in
which are less than 12 per cent., and in which the amount of non-fatty milk-solids is less than 8.5
per cent, shall be deemed to be so deficient in normal constituents as to raise a presumption, until
the contrary is proved, that it has been mixed with water. In calculating the percentage amount
of admixed water the analyst shall have regard to the above-named limit of 8'5 per cent, of non-fatty
milk-solids, and shall further take into account the extent to which the milk-fat may exceed 3 25 per
cent.
III.—That the artificial thickening of cream by any addition of gelatine or other substance shall
raise a presumption that the cream is not genuine.
IV.—That any skimmed or separated milk in which the total milk-solids are less than 9 per cent,
shall be deemed to be so deficient in normal constituents as to raise a presumption, until the contrary
19 proved, that it has been mixed with water.
Y.—That any condensed milk (other than that labelled " machine-skimmod milk " or " skimmed
milk," in conformity with section II. of the Food and Drugs Act, 1899) in which either the amount of
milk-fat is less than 10 per cent., or the amount of non-fatty milk-solids is less than 25 per cent.,