London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Stepney 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]

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100
on the barrow. One sample contained 10 per cent, of added water, and the other
4 per cent, of added water with deficiency in fat to the extent of 8 per cent. Evidence
was brought at the trial that milk taken direct from his cows was deficient in cream.
The summons was dismissed.
The milk first taken from the cow, or " foremilk," is very inferior milk, but
the last milk, or " strippings," may contain 10 per cent, of fat. It is obvious,
therefore, that if the cow is not milked dry, the milk will be of inferior quality. No
one is able to say with any certainty whether the cowman has obtained all the
milk by simply watching the process of milking.
Two hundred and eighty-one informal samples were taken during the year.
Tradesmen generally know their customers by sight, if not by name. If a stranger
goes into a shop and asks for butter, the dishonest trader looks upon him as a
possible agent of the Sanitary Inspector, and he is served in this instance with the
genuine article. He is probably similarly served on the second or even third occasion.
Later, however, he is served with an adulterated article. Advantage is taken of
this, where we suspect that a tradesman is dishonest or we have received complaints.
A woman is engaged, and she buys the article in question on several occasions before
the official sample is taken. In the meantime the agent has become known as a
regular customer, and an official sample is then taken. 240 butters were thus
bought, and 76 were found to be adulterated.