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
Hillingdon 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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95
Environmental Health
Bacteriological Examination of Food
Samples of food are taken at monthly intervals and submitted to the Food Hygiene Laboratory at Colindale. Details of the food sampled and the results obtained are shown below:—
| Food | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
|---|---|---|
| Beetroot | 1 | – |
| Brawn | 2 | – |
| Cream confectionery | 4 | 3 |
| Cooked chicken | 8 | 15 |
| Cooked meat | 16 | 7 |
| Fish products | 3 | 2 |
| Fresh and minced meat | 12 | – |
| Meat and chicken products | 7 | 5 |
| Sweets, trifles, etc | 3 | 5 |
| Vegetable products | 2 | 5 |
| Total | 58 | 42 |
Unsatisfactory reports call for thorough investigation and enquiry into the methods used in the
preparation and storage and are useful in that they frequently reveal unsatisfactory conditions not
readily discernible by the Inspector during a routine visit.
Special Investigations
Samples consisting of raw meat, raw chicken and scrapings from cutting blocks were submitted
to the Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale, as part of a survey into the distribution of
salmonella.
The results of the survey are summarised in the following table:—
| iption of Specimen | No. taken | No. containing Salmonella | Salmonella Serial Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chopping block scrapings | 106 | 7 | Anatum, S.4, 12 :D: dublin |
| Chicken carcasses and portions | 74 | 13 | indiana, infantis, montevideo, saint-paul, thompson, S.4, 12 :D: |
| Raw meat | 102 | 1 positive | infantis |
The full findings of the survey will be published in due course.