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
Haringey 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Haringey]
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Prosecutions were instituted in thirty-one cases where it was judged that the circumstances warranted such action and the results are shown in the following table: —
| Fine of | Costs | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Steak and Kidney pie — mouldy | 10 | 5 |
| Pint bottle of milk in dirty condition | 50 | 10 |
| Sliced, wrapped loaf — mouldy | 10 | 5 |
| Pineapple cake — stale and mouldy | 20 | 5 |
| 2 Cornish pasties | 30 | 10 |
| Remnants of apple pie — mouldy | 20 | 10 |
| Canned garden peas — mouldy | 20 | 10 |
| Mouldy pies | 15 | 10 |
| Dirty milk bottle | 50 | 10 |
| Foreign body in Florentine | 15 | 10 |
| Cheesecake — mouldy | 50 | 5 |
| Bakewell Tarts infested with ants | 15 | 5 |
| "Pasta Sirene" Macaroni | 10 | 5 |
| "Finger" roll — mouldy | 10 | 5 |
| Home baked loaf — mouldy | 15 | 10 |
| Pie, mash and liquor — abnormal odour and taste (mash) | 5 | 5 |
| Foreign matter in unopened pint of milk | 50 | 10 |
| Packet of jellies, one gum containing nail | 25 | 15 |
| Bar of chocolate with maggot | 15 | 5 |
| Foreign matter in a thin sliced white loaf | 30 | 10 |
| Soft cheese — mouldy | 25 | 15 |
| 1,085 | 270 |
Surrender of Unsound Food
1,240 Certificates were issued in 1972 in respect of unsound foodstuffs which were surrendered by wholesale
and retail distributors.
Meat Inspection
An authorised meat inspector assists in the inspection services which the Public Health Inspector is statutorily
required to provide at the Markfield Road abattoir.
The abattoir is constructed to deal with many types of animals where the flesh is intended for human consumption
but the bulk of the work covers bovines and horses, the flesh of some of which is intended for export. The
Company is approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to export to countries within the
European Economic Community and such an approval is only granted to an abattoir which complies with the
requirements of the European Economic Community.
The whole or parts of carcases which are rejected as unsuitable for human consumption are passed directly for
processing, sterilization and manufacture into pet food within a separate building in the same complex. This
arrangement is regarded by the Public Health Department as eminently satisfactory since the rejected meat is not
removed from the direct supervision and control of this Department.
Summary of Carcases Inspected 1972
| Donkeys | Bovines | Horses | Calves | Sheep | Cows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number killed | 2 | 697 | 722 | 246 | 474 | 1,639 |
| Number inspected | 2 | 697 | 722 | 246 | 474 | 1,639 |
| All diseases except Tuberculosis Whole carcase condemned | – | 26 | 13 | 19 | 11 | 101 |
| Carcase of which some part or organ was condemned | – | 177 | 451 | 46 | 408 | 1,219 |
| Percentage of number inspected affected with disease other than T.B. | – | 29 | 64.2 | 26.4 | 88.4 | 80.5 |
| Cysticercosis only Carcases refrigerated | – | 5 | – | – | – | 35 |
| Percentage of number inspected affected with cysticercosis | – | 0.7 | – | – | – | 2.1 |