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
City of London 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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| Date. 1926. | Sample. | Result of Analysis. |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 8 | Apples | 1 /800 grain per 1b. Arsenious Oxide. |
| „ 23 | Dried Peas | Sulphate of Copper—Absent. |
| „ 30 | Apples | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /33, 1 /100 grain per 1b. |
| Oct. 2 | Canned Cherries | Sulphur Dioxide, 68, 148, 74, 74 parts per million. All the samples had an objectionable odour and gave a strong reaction for Sulphuretted Hydrogen. I am of opinion that the cherries were coloured with Eosin. |
| „ 6 | Apple Juice | Tin—1.99, 1.26, 1.26 grains per 1b. |
| Sulphur Dioxide, 68, 60, 74 parts per million. | ||
| „ 7 | Apples | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /250, 1 /140, 1 /200, 1 /40, 1 /25, 1 /50 grain per 1b. |
| „ 9 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /100, 1 /260, 1 /30, 1 /180, 1 /100, 1 /810, 1 /70, 1 /26, 1 /24 grain per 1b. |
| „ 12 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /220, 1 /400, 1 /75, 1 /50, grain per 1b. |
| „ 14 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /1,200, 1 /50, 1 /50 grain per 1b. |
| „ 20 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /180, 1 /500, 1 /140 grain per 1b. |
| „ 22 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /450, 1 /60 grain per 1b. |
| „ 23 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /1,000, 1 /1,000, 1 /1,000, 1 /1,000, 1 /1,000, 1 /1,000 grain per 1b. |
| „ 28 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1/350, 1/560, 1 /270, 1/180, 1/25, 1/200, 1 /130, 1 /500 grain per 1b. |
| Nov. 2 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1/200, 1 /45, 1 /110, 1 /35 grain per 1b. |
| „ 4 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /500,1 /60,1 /500,1 /1,000,1 /30 ,, |
| „ 6 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /85, 1/170 grain per 1b. |
| „ 9 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1/120, 1/120 ,, |
| „ 10 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /110, 1 /170 ,, |
| „ 13 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /280, 1 /530 ,, |
| „ 18 | „ | Arsenious Oxide, 1/300, 1/1,000 ,, |
| „ 23 | Sugar | From a careful examination of the samples of Sugar, I am unable to find any evidence of damage by urine (or by sea water). |
| „ 26 | Apples | Arsenious Oxide, 1 /330, 1 /500, 1 ,/120 grain per 1b. |
| „ 30 | Tinned Peas | Crystallised Sulphate of Copper, 2.54 grains per 1b. |
OIL TAINTED MEAT.
Arrived 31st December, 1925.
With regard to a consignment of about 17,000 carcases of mutton and lamb
arriving and placed under a stop in the Port, on the 5th February, 1926, your
Medical Officer issued the following letter to all persons known to be interested:—
Dear Sirs,
ss. " " Oil Tainted Meat at Victoria Dock.
With regard to the above-mentioned meat, it would appear from the latest experiment
in cooking that there is some reasonable prospect of entirely getting rid of the oil taint by
further cold storage and airing; this would be largely facilitated by the removal of the
shirts.
It already appears that the lamb is very nearly taint free apart from the shirts, and the
only difficulty in my mind as to eventual freedom for the whole consignment lies in the cut
surfaces of mutton fat.
Present indications suggest a further period of storage with or without removal of the
shirts.
Again, however, I would enter the warning that the ultimate result is not certain.
Your obedient servant,
(Sgd.) W. M. WILLOUGHBY,
Medical Officer of Health, Port of London.
In the happy result it was found possible to release the whole of this material
without prejudice to the public. It had been an atmosphere of oil fumes which
had tainted the meat and not direct oil contact.
Domestic experiment was made from time to time to find out how the process
of airing was proceeding towards the required and satisfactory end.
A vessel arrived from River Plate on the 30th March, 1926, with a cargo
consisting of:—
Beef, 1,002 quarters. Pigs, 108 carcases.
Mutton, 3,910 carcases. Offal, 2,749 packages.
„ 40 sides. Butter, 99 cases.