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
Shoreditch 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
This page requires JavaScript
55
In the cases in which convictions were obtained the penalties for milk adulteration
amounted to £27 11s., which is equivalent to 5.6 per cent. of the full amount of
the penalties to which the defendants were liable, as compared with 5.6 per cent.
in 1906, 7.8 in 1905, 6 in 1904, 8 in 1903, and 13 in 1902. Taking fines and
costs together, which amounted to £31 18s. 6d., the average amount paid by a
defendant upon conviction was £1 13s. 7d., as compared with £2 9s. 6d. in 1906,
£2 19s. 3d. in 1905, £2 6s. 10d. in 1904, £1 18s. 6d. in 1903, and £2 18s. 4d. in
1902. The decrease as regards the amounts of the penalties is probably mainly
a result of a decrease in the number of persons summoned who have been previously
convicted. In only two instances during the year had the defendants been previously
fined.
The numbers of samples and percentages of those found adulterated during the four quarters of the year are as shown in the subjoined table: —
| Quarter of the year. | Number of Samples. | Number not genuine. | Percentage adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
Of the samples sold for butter which were found not to be genuine 7 were
samples of margarine and 1 was butter containing 19.8 per cent. of water, or 3.8
per cent. of water over and above the recognised standard, which is 16 per cent.
Legal proceedings were successfully taken on all the cases. In 5 instances
the proceedings were under the Margarine Act; in 2 for failing to serve margarine
in a properly stamped wrapper, and in 3 for exposing margarine for sale without
having the same properly labelled.
The penalties inflicted in the cases in which convictions were obtained for
infringements of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts in respect to butter and margarine
amounted to £25, which was equivalent to 15.6 per cent. of the maximum penalties
to which the defendants were liable, as compared with 12 per cent. in 1906, 17 in
1905, 10 in 1904, 18 in 190'3, and 17 in 1902. Including the costs, the amounts
imposed by the magistrates averaged £4 6s. 7d., as compared with £5 3s, in 1906,
£7 1s. in 1905, £3 1s. in 1904, £4 10s. in 1903, and £4 10s. in 1902. All the
defendants were first offenders.
Of the 11 samples of sausages taken in 6 boric acid was found. In 4 the
amounts were small, not exceeding 3 grains per pound. Of the remaining two 1
contained 8½ grains and the other 22 grains per pound. In the latter case a