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
Marylebone 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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The average composition of unadulterated samples during the three years, 1911, 1912 and 1913, was as follows:
| Sp. gr. | Milk fat. | Solids, not fat. | Total solids. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 103 l.O | 3.70% | 8.64% | 12.34% |
| 1912 | 1031.5 | 3.74% | 8.77% | 12.51% |
| 1913 | 1031.7 | 3.73% | 8.80% | 12.53% |
This clearly shows that the general milk supply of the district maintains the
high level of 1912, and compares quite favourably with the supply of any of the
large towns.
Butter.—391 samples of butter were analysed, 6 of these were adulterated,
under 2 per cent. The six were mainly substitutions of margarine for butter.
Margarine is now so cleverly manufactured, that the best varieties can scarcely by
the taste and smell be distinguished from butter.
The butters as a rule (over 80 per cent.) contained boric acid, but the quantity
of the preservative used is small, in some cases less than 10 grains per lb., and
seldom more than 20 grains per lb.
Cream.—Under the Public Health (Milk and Cream) Regulations, 1912, it is
an offence to sell preserved cream containing 35 per cent. or more by weight of milk
fat containing any other preservative than boric acid, borax or hydrogen peroxide,
and such cream has to be labelled as preserved cream, with the name of the
preservative (boric acid or peroxide). The maximum quantity of boric acid added
has also to be stated on the label.
Inferentially, therefore, cream to be cream has to contain at least 35 per cent.
of milk fat, and surely it would have been better to have defined what is cream in
express terms. As it stands it would seem that a cream of 34 per cent. milk fat
strength can be sold preserved without such label. The mean content of fat in the
42 creams examined was 50 per cent; 30.2 and 66.3 per cent. being the extreme
values.
A little more than half the samples contained boric acid in small quantities, the
highest being 18.9 grains per lb.
Jam.—Of 25 jams analysed, two only were returned as adulterated; both of
these were raspberry jams and contained apple pulp. The one case was a sample
taken unofficially, the other formed a subject of prosecution by the Council, and the
magistrate convicted the vendor; but since an appeal has been lodged and the case
will again come before the Courts, further comment is not advisable.
The remaining samples, as set out in the annexed table, are of a miscellaneous
character and were all of fair commercial purity.
March 19 th, 1914.
A. WYNTER BLYTH,
Public Analyst.