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58
be allowed that the popular taste seems to be better pleased
with a mixture of coffee and chicory, and here again it is
difficult to say that their health suffers in any way, and similar
observations might be made with respect to other articles.
Undoubtedly it is the duty of the Public Health Department,
under the Food and Drugs Act, to protect the purchaser independently
of considerations of health, and the above remarks
are made, not as an excuse for not putting in force the Act as
regards articles such as spirits, coffee, etc., but as a reason
why, the number of samples being limited, a larger proportion
of articles whose adulteration is injurious to health, such as
milk, should be taken. It appears that in the Metropolis
generally it is the practice to analyse a very much larger proportion
of samples of dairy produce than of other articles.
According to the 36th Annual Report of the Local Government
Board, page 222, it appears that in 1906, 17438 samples, out of
a total of 22,400, were milk and butter, or about 78 per cent.
In this Borough, in which a very large proportion of the
population consists of children, milk and butter form two of
the most important articles of diet, and the adulteration of milk
very seriously interferes with health. It is, therefore, obviously
important that a large number of samples of milk should be
taken, It would appear from the report above mentioned that
in London generally there has been a larger proportion of
adulterations of articles other than dairy produce than in this
Borough, but the report unfortunately does not show to what
extent prosecutions were instituted for these samples, so that
it is not possible to judge as to whether the sampling has led
to any practical results. As it would appear from the Local
Government Board's letter to be the wish of the Board that a
larger proportion of samples of non-dairy produce should be
taken, 1 have already given instruction for this to be done.