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
Stepney 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]
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86
connection with T31 and T32, Dr.Thomas further emphasised the importance
of consistency. Dr. Thomas gave a concrete example. He stated Sodium Salicylate
is used in the treatment of Rheumatic Fever, when it is usual to increase,
gradually, the dose to just short of the point at which the drug becomes
dangerous. Panel patients may have their medicines dispensed by any of the
appointed pharmacists. Now, suppose a patient had his prescriptions made
up by the vendor of T 31 (a 27 per cent. deficiency), a doctor would order
increasing doses until he thought the patient was taking as much as was safe.
If then the patient decided to have a bottle of medicine made up by the
vendor of T 32 (a 62 per cent. excess) the result might be extremely serious.
If the first medicine was too strong and later the patient got a medicine which
was too week, there would not be danger to the patient from the drug, but
there would be danger in that the doctor's treatment of a serious illness was
interfered with.
In the case of D 65, the pharmacist was an old man and apparently in a
very poor state of health. He explained to the magistrate that he had been
ill and had no assistant and further that he had been in business for 40 years
and that this was his first offence of any kind. The magistrate adjourned the
hearing for him to substantiate these statements and on his doing so the
defendant was allowed to pay the costs of the summons only, on his agreeing
to make other arrangements for the dispensing of National Health Insurance
Act prescriptions.
Fourteen samples were analysed of which seven, or 50.0 per cent. were adulterated.
Particulars are given below :—
| S 60 (informal) | Deficient of 61 per cent. of the proper amount of Lime. | Same vendor as S 64. |
| S 64 | Deficient of 67 per cent. of the proper amount of Lime. | Fined £2 with £2 costs. |
| S 62 (informal) | Deficient of 63 per cent. of the proper amount of Lime. | Same vendor as S 65. |
| S 65 | Deficient of 43 per cent. of the proper amount of Lime. | Defendant Company fined £2 with £2 2s. costs. Manager of shop fined £2 with £2 2s. costs. |
| M 71 (informal) | Contained 2 parts per million of Lead. | Same vendor as M 101. |
| M 101 | Contained 2 parts per million of Lead. | Vendor paid £5 5s. costs. |
| M 76 (informal) | Deficient of 42 per cent. of the proper amount of Lime. | Subsequent sample genuine. |