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
Enfield 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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| Beetle in fruit loaf | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Mouldy fruit pie | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Blowfly in mincemeat | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Mouldy sausage rolls | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Mouldy vinegar | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mouldy bread | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Mouldy steak and kidney pies | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 0 |
| Insect in bread | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Oil in bread | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Fly in chip | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Flour bug in bread | 25 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Mouldy steak and kidney pie | 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Oil in milk | 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Mouldy chicken pie | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | ||
| Rubber band in loaf | 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Foreign matter in loaf | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Dirty milk bottle | 20 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Mouldy sausages | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Cigarette end in loaf | 30 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Cigarette in cake | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| £332 | 0 | 0 | £11 | 4 | 6 0 |
Most of the complaints concerned mouldy foods and much of this is due to
unsatisfactory stock rotation in the purveyor's premises. Many purveyors fail to
code their goods and this is particularly important in the self-service stores where
customers may remove articles and subsequently return them to the shelves out of
rotation.
A number of complaints are received concerning the unsatisfactory condition
of milk bottles. The number is extremely small when related to the vast number
delivered within the borough every day, but the dairies have a responsibility to
ensure that food is delivered to the consumer in a sound and wholesome condition.
Regrettably, milk bottles receive considerable misuse by some members of the
general public, particularly casual purchasers who leave them lying around for long
periods and use them for substances which should never be placed in milk bottles.
It would be an advantage to all concerned if the sale of milk to casual purchasers
was limited to milk in non-returnable cartons.
Routine sampling of cooked meats, which are highly perishable and a common
cause of food poisoning, was carried out.
A total of 99 samples from grocers' and butchers' shops was examined bacteriologically
and a general picture of hygienic standards began to emerge.
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