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 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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BACTERIOLOGIC AL EXAMINATIONS
| Albumen, Granular or Flake | 71 |
| Albumen, Powdered | 243 |
| Beef | 2 |
| Blood | 1 |
| Canned Sliced Carrot | 1 |
| Faeces | 10 |
| Pork | 2 |
| Water (including 20 from Swimming Baths) | 163 |
| Whole Egg Powder | 8 |
| 501 |
FOOD AND DRUGS ACT, 1955 (Section 16)
This Section provides for registration of premises for the sale, manufacture for saleor storage
of ice cream, or the preparation or manufacture of sausages or potted, pressed, pickled or preserved
food intended for sale.
The following table shows the types of business carried on:—
| Sale and storage of pre-packed ice cream | 76 |
| Manufacture, sale and storage of ice cream | 3 |
| Selecting and sorting of sausage casings | 8 |
| Preparation and cooking of jellied eels and shellfish | 13 |
| Cooking of Hams | 1 |
| Manufacture of sausages, dripping and cooked meats and brining of meat | 28 |
| Cooking, smoking and canning of meat products | 9 |
| Manufacture of pies | 1 |
| Sale of cooked meats | 1 |
| 140 | |
This has required the registration of 132 premises.
FLAVOURINGS
"Dr. H. Amphlett Williams, the Public Analyst for the City of London, has contributed the
following:—
In view of a trend in public taste towards highly flavoured, as well as highly coloured, foods
and drinks, more attention has recently been devoted to the chemical constituents of artificial
flavourings. Tests are applied in particular to ascertain the nature of the solvents used, which
form the principal constituents of flavouring essences, following the earlier use of methylated
spirits and, more recently, ethylene glycol, which has a toxicity similar to that of methyl alcohol
and has been banned in U.S.A. following several deaths from drinking anti-freeze fluids.
Of passing interest was the detection of substantial quantities of coumarin in three samples
of imported "Pure Vanilla Extract" submitted in 1965. Coumarin has a powerful taste, inferior
in character to vanilla but three times as strong and has been used in the past to reduce the cost
of vanilla essences. It is a hepatic and renal poison and a cumulative anti-coagulant, forming
the base from which the rat poison Warfarin has been developed; and its use in flavouring has
been banned in U.S.A., Canada and on the Continent. It is not yet specifically prohibited in this
country, although its use was discontinued by British essence manufacturers on advice from the
Ministry of Health, and is now recommended by the Food Standards Committee to be prohibited
by Regulation.
A large part of one of the consignments had apparently been delivered to some premises in
the Midlands while the rather difficult analysis was being completed and the Health Authorities
there were accordingly informed. The presence and proportion of coumarin was confirmed by the
analysts concerned on samples of the Vanilla Extract taken from the premises, but the consignment
was released, subject to relabelling, on the grounds that there was no evidence that its use
would be harmful. This action seems to be founded on the view that any chemical, provided it is
not specifically prohibited by Regulation, may be added to food unless it can be proved in a
Court of Law that the food is thereby rendered injurious to health."
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