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
Shoreditch 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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53
In 41 of the samples not genuine, water had been added to the milk; in 29 the
amount was less than 5 per cent., and in the remaining 12 it was over 5 per cent. In
30 fat had been abstracted, in 21 to the extent of more than 5 per cent., and in 9 less
than 5 per cent. In 5 instances both water had been added and fat abstracted.
Preservatives were found to have been addad in 14 of the samples analysed.
In 12 instances the preservative was formic aldehyde, and in the other 2 boric acid
or some preparation thereof.
Legal proceedings were instituted in 29, or 38 per cent., of the cases of adulteration,
and the defendants were convicted in 21 of them. It is not considered advisable to
prosecute in cases where the adulteration does not exceed 5 per cent, as shown by
analysis. The standards fixed by the Board of Agriculture in respect to milk (3 per
cent, of fat and 8.5 per cent, of solids not fat) upon which the analyst bases his certificates,
are regarded by authorities upon the subject aa being exceptionally low for
genuine milk. Taking into consideration the frequency with which small percentages
of adulteration with water occur, it is highly probable that in the great majority of
these cases the actual amounts of water added are considerably greater than the
analyst's figures indicate. In the cases in which convictions were obtained, the penalties
(not including costs) inflicted for milk adulteration amounted to £37 10s., averaging 8
per cent, of the maximum penalties to which the defendants were liable under the
Acts, as compared with 13.5 per cent, in 1902. The costs allowed the Council were
heavier in 1903 than in 1902, but, taking the fines and costs together, the average was
only £1 18s. 6d. for each conviction in 1903, as compared with £2 18s. in 1902.
Of the butter samples, 25, or 9.8 per cent., were not genuine. A marked decline in the percentage of the samples found adulterated was observable during the year, as the subjoined figures show:—
| Quarter of the year. | Number of Samples. | Number not genuine. | Percentage adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st. | 32 | 5 | 15.6% |
| 2nd | 75 | 8 | 10.6% |
| 3rd | 75 | 9 | 12.0% |
| 4th | 72 | 3 | 4.1% |
In all the cases of adulterated butter, margarine had been sold as a substitute for
butter except in three instances, in which the samples were found to contain a small
amount of water in excess of 16 per cent. Ten of ihe butter samples contained traces