London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Mary (Battersea) 1890

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea]

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35. Lowest percentage.—The lowest percentage of Adulteration
yet attained is that of 10.8 in 1888. In 1886 it was 11.9 and in
1887 it rose to 12.8. The improvement has been generally
progressive. In 1877, when the results of the Analyses made
under the Act of 1875 were for the first time tabulated, the percentage
of adulterated samples was ig.2. This was of course
a very high percentage, and it must be remembered that at that
time the Act was very inadequately applied as compared with
the present.
36. Metropolis.—The total number of samples of all kinds
taken in the Metropolis in 1888 was 6,922, an increase of 520
upon 1887. Of these 761 were adulterated, as against 894 in
1887, giving a percentage of 11.0 for 1888, against 14.0 for 1887.
37. Milk and other Articles.—Although milk is the chief article
dealt with, the high percentage of adulteration in other articles
is very striking, and would certainly appear to justify the conclusion
that these are at least as liable to the practice as milk ;
and, it may be added, that the extra profit to those concerned
is probably at least as large as in the case of milk, although not
so obvious, and not so easy to illustrate.
38. "Private Purchasers."—As explained in another part of
this Report, under the provisions of the Sale of Food and Drugs
Act, 1875, private purchasers have the privilege of submitting
samples for analysis upon payment of a nominal sum. The
intention was to encourage the public to assist the authorities in
checking adulteration—one of the principles of the old Adulteration
Act (1860) having been to leave to private purchasers the
duty of taking samples. The fact that the public have availed
themselves but very little of the provisions of the Act, is largely
due, no doubt, to the unnecessarily cumbrous machinery provided.
Of the 24,440 samples analysed during 1887 all but 287 were
obtained by officers of Local Authorities. Of the 26,344 samples
analysed in 1888, all but 164 were also obtained by such officers,
and, as usual, a much larger proportion of the private than of the
official samples were found adulterated.