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h at in some advertisements tho manufacturer states that it is made from
rice; hut it is not so stated on the wrappers, and the public are consequentlylikely
to be deceived. The article is however very carcfully prepared.
Robinson Belleville's Prepared Groats contain oat-starch, both large and
small, (the large ones like wheat, but not apparently compound,) cellulose,
and portions of inner lining of husk.
Robinson Sf Belleville's Prepared Barley contains barley starch, with cellulose
in good proportion.
Oatmeal—(one pennyworth, bought at a retail shop)—adulterated with
about one-fifth of barley-meal rubble; it also contained cellulose, with inner
and outer husk ; in fact, it was simply the oatmeal ground and adulterated.
Ground Rice contained rice-starch and cellulose, but more cellulose than
rice-starch.
Several specimens of wheat-flour were examined : all were found
genuine.
60. Farina or starch is the chief ingredient of these various descriptions
of food ; all should therefore be mixed with milk. The nitrogenous
elements, as well as the potash salts in which the wheat flour is deficient,
would thus be provided. Colman's " British Corn Flour " could not support
life without milk. The Oatmeal, (bought at a shop, and such as is
ordinarily made into gruel by poor persons to feed their infants) containing,
as it does, a large proportion of coarse husk, would be sure to irritate
the bowels, and cause diarrhoea. Yet it is supposed to be " soothing " in
suck cases. The Barley, which is commonly used to adulterate oatmeal,
is less digestible and nutritious than oatmeal. It contains less oil and
protein, about half the quantity of lime, less phosphoric acid, potash and
soda, and about ten times the quantity of silica. It is therefore less
calculated to make bone and tissue, and is more irritating to the digestive
organs, particularly those of an infant, I do not, however, intend to
enter upon these minute and yet most important points, as to the suitability
of food for infants. I have said enough to indicate how it is
possible to heap up heavy Bills of Mortality through an improper and
insufficient dietary.
The Mortality in the Workhouse and other Local Institutions.—The
Workhouse. 61. The number of deaths in the Workhouse in 1871, was
193, to be distributed among the sub-districts, as already stated (§ 13).
There were five other still-births in the lying-in department; these, however,
are not registered. I regret that the mode in which the sick
returns are now entered do not offer facilities for a satisfactory analysis.
62. The general mortality in the Workhouse was equally favorable
with that for the district at large, having been about 25 per cent, lower
than last year. Owing to the excellent arrangements of the officers, and
the promptitude with which persons who were attacked with Small pox
were removed to hospital, it is satisfactory to know that this fell disease
did not spread in the Workhouse.
63. I feel it incumbent on me to acknowledge the valuable services
which the Board of Guardians rendered to your Board, by permitting the
use of the ambulance for the removal to hospital of Small pox patients
who were not paupers, and for the readiness with which the suggestions
of your Board, for the sanitary well-being of the district, so far as they
appertained to the duties of Guardians, were carried out. I must also
express my obligation to Mr. Bennett, the Medical Officer, and the
officers generally, for the assistance they, on all occasions, rendered to me
personally in discharging the trying duties of my office in connexion with
the epidemic.