London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Woolwich 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
This page requires JavaScript
The following table gives details of the number of animals slaughtered during
the year:—
Table No. 16. Carcases Inspected and Condemned, 1953.
| Cattle, excluding Cows. | Cows. | Calves. | Sheep and Lambs. | Pigs. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number killed | 9,927 | 1,812 | 1,833 | 17,552 | 65,168 |
| Number Inspected | 9,927 | 1,812 | 1,833 | 17,552 | 65,168 |
| All diseases except Tuberculosis:— | |||||
| Whole carcases condemned | 6 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 152 |
| Carcases of which some part or organ was condemned | 2,054 | 480 | 9 | 1,506 | 14,138 |
| Percentage of number inspected affected with disease other than Tuberculosis | 20.7 | 26.8 | .54 | 8.7 | 21.9 |
| Tuberculosis only | |||||
| Whole carcases condemned | 29 | 22 | 2 | — | 43 |
| Carcases of which some part or organ was condemned | 707 | 368 | 2 | — | 836 |
| Percentage of the number inspected affected with Tuberculosis | 7.4 | 21.4 | .22 | — | 1.3 |
All the carcases were inspected immediately after slaughter, examinations
being conducted in accordance with Ministry of Food Memorandum 3/Meat.
The number of animals passing through the Abattoir daily has placed a heavy
strain on the Council's Food Inspectors as each animal must be inspected before
and within a very short period after slaughter. The Food Inspectors are required
to pass judgment upon the fitness of large quantities of meat, the value of which
runs into thousands of pounds per annum.
Food Complaints—Foreign Bodies in Food.
Forty-eight complaints of alleged foreign bodies in food were received and investigated
during the year. Eleven of these related to adulterated bread—alleged
to contain dirt (2 cases); a cigarette end (2 cases); an insect; a piece of string;
a metal rod; mould; and other foreign matter (3 cases).
With regard to the two cases of complaint of the remains of a cigarette end in
bread, in one instance the workman employed by the bakers responsible was subsequently
dismissed. In the other case the Council instituted legal proceedings
against the firm, and a fine of 40s. 0d. with £5 5s. 0d. costs was imposed.
The bakers of a loaf of bread which was found to contain a metal rod were
severely warned of the serious view taken of this matter by the Council.
On investigation of the complaint of "string" in bread it was found that the
object thought to be string was dough.
With regard to one complaint of alleged dirt in bread, examination revealed
that the bread was discoloured due to germination.
A number of complaints of foreign matter in confectionery were also received
and related to hair in a doughnut; a nail in a piece of cake; foreign matter in a
sponge cake; biscuits with an unusual taste; mould in pastries; maggots in biscuits,
and a match-stick in a chocolate biscuit.
In each case thorough investigation of the method of preparation and manufacture
employed by the confectioners was made.
34