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
City of London 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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133
SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS.
During the year 1,030 articles of food and drugs were analysed under the
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, 1875 to 1899. Of these, 68, or 6.6 per cent.,
were certified by the Public Analyst to be adulterated, or not up to
standard, as compared with 5.6 per cent. in 1905.
The figures for the last six years are here given:-
| Year. | No. of Samples taken. | Found Genuine. | Found Adulterated. | Percentage of Adulteration. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 854 | 742 | 112 | 13.1 |
| 1902 | 1,248 | 1,138 | 110 | 8.8 |
| 1903 | 1,179 | 1,081 | 98 | 8.3 |
| 1904 | 1,035 | 978 | 57 | 5.5 |
| 1905 | 1,102 | 1,040 | 62 | 5.6 |
| 1906 | 1,030 | 962 | 68 | 6.6 |
| The Metropolis (1905) | 10.2 | |||
For the purpose of comparison the following Table is given showing the percentage of adulteration in England and Wales since 1877. These figures are abstracted from the Annual Reports of the Local Government Board:—
| Per cent. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quinquennium | 1877-81 | 16.2 |
| " | 1882-86 | 13.9 |
| " | 1887-91 | 11.7 |
| " | 1892-96 | 10.6 |
| " | 1897-1901 | 9.0 |
| " | 1900-1904 | 8.5 |
| " | 1905 | 8.2 |