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
Harrow 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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60
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD
(A) MILK
Production
Milk production ceased at one farm during the year and there are
now only five farms producing milk in the district. Store cattle are kept
at two farms. Two out of the five farms produce tuberculin tested milk;
the milk from the other farm is sent to a Wholesaler for processing.
Distribution and Licensing:
Milk is pasteurised at two dairies in the district, the plants being
licensed by the Middlesex County Council.
The following are particulars of the numbers of various types of licences issued under the Milk (Special Designations) Regulations, 1949-54, to 38 persons or companies:—
| (1) The number of premises from which milk was sold | 50 |
| (2) The number of premises outside Harrow from which pasteurised milk was retailed in the district | 22 |
| (3) The number of premises from which T.T. milk was sold | 44 |
| (4) The number of premises outside Harrow from which T.T. milk was retailed in the district | 22 |
| (5) The number of premises from which sterilised milk was sold | 46 |
| (6) The number of premises outside Harrow from which sterilised milk was retailed in the district | 20 |
Supervision
During the year 37 visits were paid by Public Health Inspectors
to dairies and cowsheds in the district.
Sampling
38 samples of milk were taken and submitted to the Colindale Laboratory
for analysis. All were satisfactory. This sampling is independent
of that carried out by the County Council.
Complaints
During the year, 31 complaints were received about milk bottles;
fourteen were about the dirty or damaged state of the bottles, the other
17 about the presence of foreign matter.
Apart from one period when there was a run of complaints about
splinters of glass in milk bottles, the vast majority of complaints about
milk bottles is because of the dirtiness of the inside. While at times
some solid matter is present, most often the complaints refer to some