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 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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32
was made, and the other on August 27th, two days later. On August 26th six of the
first household and on August 28th three of the second household of these persons
became ill. Three of the four children were not noticed to be unwell, and the older,
a boy of between eleven and twelve years, was only slightly ill. The symptoms of
the disorder were similar in the two households. One of the cases terminated fatally.
The results of the examinations made by the bacteriologist indicate that the illness
in both households was due to the same cause, namely, the Bacillus Aertrycke. None
of the chicken broth was available for examination, but the only food consumed in
common by the two households so far as could be ascertained was the chicken broth,
and it may be presumed therefore that it was infected with the bacillus named and
was the vehicle of infection, but how it became infected is an open question.
SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS.
The reports of the Public Analyst, Mr. H. G. Harrison, show that 1,068 samples
were submitted to him during the year. This number is at the rate of 10.2 per 1,000
inhabitants, and is above the average for recent years.
The results of the year's work are summarised in the following table :—
| Quarter of 1922. | Number of Samples taken. | Number of Samples Adulterated. | Percentage Adulterated. | Number of Prosecutions Instituted. | Prosecutions withdrawn because of Warranties, &c. | Prosecutions Proceeded with. | Number of successful Prosecutions. | Fines and Costs. | Amount paid to Analyst for Samples Analysed. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | s. | d. | £. | s. | d. | ||||||||
| 266 | 21 | 7.9% | 4 | ... | 4 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 199 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2nd | 257 | 16 | 6.2% | ... | 6 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 160 | 12 | 6 | |
| 3rd | 178 | 3.4% | 2 | ... | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 111 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 4th | 367 | 15 | 4.1% | 8 | ... | 8 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 229 | 7 | 6 |
| Totals for Year. | 1,068 | 58 | 5.4% | 20 | ... | 20 | 14 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 700 | 15 | 0 |
The samples taken included 582 of milk, 3 of separated milk, 3 of dried milk,
3 of milk powder, 2 of skimmed milk, 1 evaporated milk, 52 butter, 39 margarine,
94 vinegar, 63 pepper, 55 cocoa, 28 mustard, 20 coffee, 11 tapioca, 9 baking powder,
8 medicine, 6 lard, 6 sweetmeats, 5 non-alcoholic ginger wine, 5 ground ginger, 4
ground almonds, 4 sago, 4 dripping, 4 self-raising flour, 3 custard powder, 3 bread
and butter, 3 arrowroot, 3 malt vinegar, 3 sausage, 3 sweet spirits of nitre, 3 breakfast
sausage, 3 ground rice, 2 brawn, 2 glycerine, 2 ammoniated tincture of quinine, 2
sugar, 2 tincture of iodine, 2 ginger wine, 2 rice, 2 tea, 2 boric acid ointment, 2 nonalcoholic
orange wine, 1 each of ground cinnamon, ipecacuanha wine, syrup of squills,
tea dust, syrup of tolu, spirit of camphor, preserved cream, compound mustard,
corned beef, friar's balsam, camphorated oil, oatmeal and flaked rice.