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 1904
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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One of the samples sold as coffee contained 65 per cent. of chicory, but the vendor
could not be prosecuted as it was found that the wrapper bore words printed upon it
to the effect that the contents had been sold as a mixture. One sample of plum jam
contained l/10th of a grain of salicylic acid to the pound, and one of the samples of
whisky contained a very small excess of water over and above that contained in 25 per
cent. u. p. whisky.
The subjoined table shows a comparison of the results of the work under the Food and Drugs Acts during the years 1902-4 inclusive:—
| Year. | Number of Samples. | Number of persons in the Borough to each sample. | Number of samples adulterated. | Percentage of samples adulterated. | Number of prosecutions instituted. | Summonses withdrawn on account of warranties, &c. | Prosecutions proceeded with. | Number of successful prosecutions. | Fines and Costs. | Amounts paid to Public Analyst. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | |||||||||
| 1902 | 281 | 420 | 71 | 25.3 | 54 | 2 | 52 | 48 | 117 | 9 | 0 | 140 | 10 | 0 |
| 1903 | 707 | 166 | 112 | 15.8 | 60 | 5 | 55 | 51 | 173 | 11 | 6 | 353 | 10 | o. |
| 1904 | 612 | 189 | 110 | 17.9 | 56 | 6 | 50 | 46 | 128 | 5 | 0 | 306 | 0 | 0 |
It is noticeable that the reduction of the number of samples in 1904 as compared
with the number taken in 1903 has been associated with an increase in the percentage
of samples found adulterated in 1904.
SANITARY LEGISLATION.
Under Part IV. of the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1904 the
Sanitary Authorities in the Metropolis have become possessed of some useful additional
sanitary powers:—Section 19 enables a Sanitary Authority to secure the purification of
filthy, dangerous or unwholesome articles which may be in any house or part thereof in its
district; Section 20 gives power for the purpose of causing houses infested with vermin
to be cleansed; Section 22 enables the Sanitary Authority of the district to require that
any sanitary convenience now or hereafter erected in or accessible from any street in its
district shall be so placed or constructed as not to be a nuisance or offensive to public
decency, and for this purpose the owner may be required to remove such convenience
or otherwise to reconstruct the same in such a manner and with such materials as may be
required to abate the nuisance or remove the offence against public decency; any owner
failing to comply with a notice under this Section may become liable on summary conviction
to a fine of five pounds with a further fine of twenty shillings for every day during
which he makes default in complying with the requirements of such, notice after conviction;
Section 23 enables the Sanitary Authority to require the owner of a building
to remove or fill up any fixed ashpit in or about such building and restore to a good and
sanitary condition the site of such ashpit where a moveable ashpit shall have been
provided in connection with, the building conforming with the requirements of any bylaw