London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Orpington 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Orpington]
This page requires JavaScript
Continued from previous page...
| article | No. of Informal Samples Taken. | RESULT | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genuine | Inferior | Adulterated | |||
| Quinine | 2 | — | 2 | — | See (i) (j) |
| Rice | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Salad Cream | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Sauce | 3 | 3 | — | — | |
| Saccharin Tablets | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Semolina | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Soup (packets) | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
| Steak and Kidney Pie | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Sugar | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
| Tomato Ketchup | 3 | 3 | — | — | |
| Toffees | 1 | — | 1 | — | See (k) |
| Vienna Steaks | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Vinegar | 4 | 4 | — | — | |
| Vitamin Yeast Tablets | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
| Whisky | 4 | 4 | — | — | |
| White Milky Bar | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Zinc and Castor Oil Cream | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| 226 | 215 | 8 | 3 | ||
Details of unsatisfactory samples:—
| Sample. | Analyst's Report. | Action taken. |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Bread (Slice) | Inferior—Foreign matter consisted of a pellet of yeast. | No action taken. |
| (b) Bread | Adulterated—Contained near the corner of the slice small pellet of rodent excrement about half the size of a lentil. | Reported to Public Health Committee. Strong warning letter sent to Bakery. |
| (c) Bread | Inferior—The foreign matter appeared to be due to the presence of a small particle of dough which had become discoloured by contact with oil from the bread making machinery. | An investigation was made at the bakery and circumstances of contamination were explained to complainant. |
| (d) Bread | Inferior—Foreign matter consisted of dark brown-black matter extending through a fold in the dough; contains mineral matter and iron therefore lubricating oil. No rodent hairs or other fibres or debris. | Warning letter to occupier of the bakery concerned. |