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"this figure is not exceeded. Phosphate preparations should not be sold under
"names which may lead the purchaser to believe that he is buying preparations of
"tartaric acid or cream of tartar.
"(b) Bakers, self-raising flour makers and others using acid phosphates in the
"preparation of food, should either limit themselves to acid phosphate of high
"commercial quality, containing a negligible amount of calcium sulphate and pure in
"other respects, or if they use lower grades should in all cases stipulate that calcium
"sulphate is not to exceed 10 per cent.
"(c) Vendors of baking powders containing acid phosphates should stipulate that
"the powders do not contain any higher proportion of calcium sulphate than would be
"contributed by a commercial acid phosphate containing 10 per cent, of calcium
"sulphate. They bhould not receive or sell such baking powders under descriptions
"which may lead the purchaser to believe that he is buying preparations of tartaric
"acid or cream of tartar.
Action by Local Authorities under Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.
"In view of the considerations set out above, it would seem desirable that local
"authorities under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act should from time to time invite reports
"from the Public Analyst as to the proportions of calcium sulphate in a series of samples
"taken in the district of (a) baking powders which appear to contain acid phosphate of time,
"(b) acid phosphates supplied to confectioners, &c., (e) self-raising flour. Attention could
"in this way be drawn to those articles which showed a conspicuous excess of this impurity*
"and where necessary the institution o£ proceedings under Section 6 of the Sale of Food
"and Drugs Act, 1875, should be considered."
I may add that it has been suggested that the presence of calcium sulphate or
plaster of paris in baking powder or self-raising flour is responsible in no small degree
for the prevalence of appendicitis and other intestinal disorders, but the knowledge
available on this subject does not enable us to make any authoritative statement.
However this may be, it would appear undesirable that such articles as baking
powder or self-raising flour, which are used to a large extent in cooking, should contain
more than a negligible quantity of any ingredient about which any doubt exists as to
its effect upon the digestive organs of the community.
FOOD POISONING.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD MEMORANDUM.
With a view to obtaining more combined and uniform action throughout the
country in connection with the investigation of outbreaks of illness suspected to have
been caused by food poisoning, a Memorandum was in September last issued by the
Local Government Board to all Sanitary Authorities in England and Wales.
In explaining the procedure that should be adopted in investigations of such a
nature, the Board suggests that where a Medical Officer of Health becomes aware of
the occurrence of a considerable number of cases of food poisoning in his district he
should report it to the Board forthwith, and ultimately furnish a copy of any special
report he may make as to the result of his enquiries into the outbreak.
As a matter of fact a Medical Officer of Health is already required, under the
Board's General Order of the 13th December, 1910, to furnish them with information