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 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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FOOD, SHOPS, FACTORIES, ETC.
| Samples of food taken for investigation | 691 | Inspections of fur skin dresser | 5 |
| Food and Drugs Acts :— | Initial and routine Shops Act inspections | 576 | |
| No. of informal samples taken | 529 | Re-inspections under Shops Act | 12 |
| „ „ „ ,, adulterated | 15 | Inspections of mechanical factories | 627 |
| „ „ formal samples taken | 71 | „ ,, non-mechanical factories | 135 |
| „ „ „ „ adulterated | 4 | „ „ outworkers' premises | 39 |
| Legal proceedings taken | 3 | Factories Act—Intimation notices served | 66 |
| Inspections of milkshops | 410 | Inspections—Pharmacy and Poisons Act | 160 |
| „ „ bakehouses | 81 | Warning letter to stall-holder re contravention under Pharmacy and Poisons Act | 1 |
| „ „ cookshops | 321 | ||
| „ „ fried fish shops | 69 | Smoke observations | 60 |
| „ „ ice-cream shops | 352 | „ nuisance—warning letters | 1 |
| „ „ butchers' shops, stores, etc. | 159 | Rag flock samples taken | 3 |
| „ „ food shops or premises | 282 | Inspections of stables | 38 |
| „ „ fish curers' premises | 11 | „ „ air-raid shelters. | 17 |
| „ „ rag and bone premises | 20 |
ICE-CREAM
During the latter part of the year, when the making of ice-cream was allowed again by the
Ministry of Food, a complete investigation and inspection of all premises registered for the
purposes of sale, manufacture and storage of ice-cream was made by the Sanitary Inspectors.
The ice-cream register was brought up to date, and in 120 cases the premises were reported to
the Public Health Committee with a view to the cancellation of the registration. At the end
of the year the number of premises registered for the sale, manufacture or storage of ice-cream
was 75.
Thirty-eight samples of ice-cream were submitted to bacteriological examination with
the following results:—
BACTERIA PER MILLILITRE
| Not exceeding 10,000 | 10,000 to 50,000 | 50,000 to 100,000 | 100,000 to 500,000 | 500,000 to 1 million | 1 million and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
PRESUMPTIVE COLIFORM BACILLUS
| Absent in 10 ml. | Present in 1 0 ml. | Present in .1 ml. | Present in .01 ml. | Present in .001 ml. | Present in .0001 ml. | Present in .00001 ml. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
Two samples of ice-cream powder were also examined, one showing 100,000 and the other
1,500 bacteria per millilitre, whilst 8. coli was present in I gramme in both instances.
Bacteriological Examinations of Designated Milks.—Three samples of milk were
examined in connection with Sonne dysentery, but cultures showed no organisms of the dysentery
group. Nineteen samples of pasteurised, five of sterilised and one of heat-treated milk were
submitted to the phosphatase and methylene blue tests. All samples satisfied the phosphatase
test, and all but one satisfied the methylene blue test, and a warning letter was sent in this case.