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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]
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Table B shows the number of samples taken under the Act with the
percentage of adulteration, and also the total number of samples examined
durine the Dast ten vears.
Table B.
| Year. | Samples taken under the Act. | N umber Adulterated. | Percentage Adulterated. | Bact. Examinations. | Miscellaneous Samples. | Total Samples. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 1,528 | 68 | 4.5 | - | 29 | 1,557 |
| 1929 | 1,537 | 63 | 4.1 | — | 72 | 1,609 |
| 1930 | 1,518 | 35 | 2.3 | 1 | 83 | 1,602 |
| 1931 | 1,488 | 43 | 2.9 | 46 | 173 | 1,707 |
| 1932 | 1,546 | 48 | 3.1 | 38 | 185 | 1,769 |
| 1933 | 1,513 | 37 | 2.4 | 20 | 112 | 1,645 |
| 1934 | 1,614 | 74 | 4.6 | — | 111 | 1,725 |
| 1935 | 1,630 | 139 | 8.5 | — | 109 | 1,739 |
| 1936 | 1,575 | 125 | 7.9 | — | 241 | 1,816 |
| 1937 | 1,544 | 134 | 8.7 | - | 162 | 1,706 |
Of the samples taken under the Act 1,438 consisted of foods and of these
119, or 8.3 per cent., were adulterated; of the remaining 106 samples consisting
of drugs, 15, or 14.2 per cent., were adulterated.
| Adulterated. | Other offences. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | Proceedings | 47 | 12 | 59 |
| Caution | 33 | — | 33 | |
| No action | 11 | — | 11 | |
| Informal | 43 | — | 43 | |
| 134 | 12 | 146 | ||
Fines and costs totalled £242 15s. Od.
Milk.— 890 samples of milk were analysed. Of these 67, or 7.5 per cent.,
were adulterated.
In addition 6 cowshed samples were obtained for examination by the
Hortvet freezing point method. These samples showed freezing points
varying from —0.549° to —0.566°C.
Table C shows the number of samples of milk examined and the percentages
of adulteration during the last ten years.
Table C.
| 1923. | 1929. | 1930. | 1931. | 1932. | 1933 | 1934. | 1935. | 1936. | 1937. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of samples. | 923 | 923 | 900 | 881 | 974 | 928 | 1005 | 965 | 984 | 890 |
| Percentage of adulteration. | 4.1 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 4.6 | 7.7 | 8.6 | 7.5 |
The percentage of adulteration still remains at a fairly high figure.
Table D shows the extent of the adulteration and the action taken in
each case.