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 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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60
REPORT OF THE PUBLIC ANALYST, 1914.
During the year 1914, 1,067 samples were submitted for analysis. Of these
43 were certified to be adulterated—that is, about 4 per cent.—the same percentage
as in 1913, in which year 43 out of 1,061 samples were adulterated; for the time,
therefore, it would seem that the quantity of adulteration has not diminished.
The samples comprise dairy produce, condiments, saccharine substances, nonalcoholic
beverages, farinaceous foods, and various drugs; with the exception of a
sample of ginger brandy, no ordinary alcoholic driuks, i.e., beers, wines or spirits,
were analysed.
Dairy produce accounts for over 91 per cent. of the total samples—the high
food value of dairy produce, its influence on the health of children, and the temptation
to tamper with such a plentiful and easily adulterated class of food, fully justifies
this selective attention.
Milk.—Out of 538 samples, 28 were certified to be adulterated. With the
exception of 4 containing small quantities of added water, the adulteration consisted
in the removal of fat—in six cases the fat abstracted was only 3.3%; on the other
hand in one case the fat abstracted amounted to 30%, in another to 20%. Most of the
samples were artificially coloured, in all cases preservatives were absent.
The average composition of unadulterated samples during the four years 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1914 was as follows :
| Sp. gr. | Milk fat. | Solids, not fat. | Total solids. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 103 l.O | 370% | 8.64% | 12.34% |
| 1912 | 1031.5 | 374% | 8.77% | 12.51% |
| 1913 | 1031.7 | 373% | 8.80% | 12.53% |
| 1914 | 1031.3 | 375% | 8.77% | 12.52% |
It is therefore evident that during the last three years, the average composition of
genuine commercial milk sold in the Borough is remarkably consistent, and of good
quality. It may be recorded that several samples abnormal in fat content were
sampled, in one case the fat was as high as 18%, and during the third quarter 10 samples
contained from 5% up to 18% milk fat.
Cream.—There is no legal definition of cream, but as it is illegal to sell
preserved cream containing 35 per cent. or more by weight of milk fat, save it is
labelled by a label giving information to the buyer, which of the two legalized
preservatives (boric acid or hydrogen peroxide) it contains, and in what quantity, it
may be assumed that a liquid containing less than 35 per cent. milk fat is not cream.