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THE LABORATORY. 23
THE LABORATORY.
The Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.
The Adulteration Acts have received much attention.
During the year 609 samples have been analysed.
Of these, 12, viz., 11 samples of milk and 1 of coffee, were
found to be adulterated.
The milk adulteration works out at about 5 per cent,
of the samples taken. In two of the cases borax had
been added to the milk, the other cases were simply
those of watering the milk or both watering and depriving
the milk of cream. In seven of the cases the vendors
were prosecuted and fined, the fines varying from 12s. 6d.
up to £5, the total amount of fines for the year being
£18 5s. In the remaining five cases no proceedings
were instituted, either for technical reasons or because
the adulteration was not large.
The full list of the samples taken is detailed on
page 30, table V.
Examination of the Water Supply.
The writer has had a bacteriological examination
made of the water supply from the month of May
onwards. This is a valuable addition to the methods of
investigation. The special object of the inquiry was to
establish a standard by means of which any deviation
from normal could be detected. The various chemists
who examine the Metropolitan water supplies have for
some time, it is true, published the number of colonies
per cubic centimetre, but so far as the writer is aware
this is the first time in which an attempt has been made
to regularly and systematically identify the class to
which the organisms belong. So far the total result
has been highly favourable. In no single month has
there been any cause to suspect the entry of polluting
matters either from the reservoirs or in transit.
It must at the same time be pointed out that the
samples for analysis were all taken from mains in which
the water was running freely; none were taken from