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 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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38
to give authority for its destruction, but he did not reply and the cheese remained in
storage until 15th October, when another sample was drawn and on analysis was
found to contain the equivalent of 9.31 grains of tin per pound of cheese.
Mr. Solicitor then communicated with the Importer with a view to application
being made for a Magistrate's order for the destruction of the cheese. The Importer,
however, promptly replied authorising its destruction.
It is interesting to note that, between January and October, the amount of tin
absorbed from the tin foil wrapping increased from 4.83 to 9.31 grains per pound.
Another consignment of Petit Gruyere cheese was destroyed in November, on
account of the presence of 2.24 grains of tin per pound.
(a) Bacteriologist—
| Date. | Sample. | Analyst's Report | Action taken. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931. | ||||
| May 19 | Cheese | The sample appears clean and has no smell other than might be expected from edible cheese. | Consignment released. | |
| (1) Dilutions of 1/10 c.c. downwards show no B. Coli. | ||||
| (2) Cultures of a loopful of a dilution of 1 in 10 sawn into lactose agar are sterile. | ||||
| (3) Anaerobic milk cultures of dilutions of c.c. downwards show no B. Welchii. | ||||
| Two mice fed for one week on dry bread soaked in the fluid portion of the cheese and on the solid portion of the cheese are well at the end of the week. The cheese appears to have been rendered sterile by same means, and it does not contain toxic products. | ||||
| From a bacteriological point of view, it appears fit for human consumption. | ||||
| No investigations have been carried out to establish the presence or otherwise of disinfectants. | ||||
| (b) Analyst— | ||||
| Jan. 20 | Tinned Spinach | Copper to the extent of 0.01 per cent., equivalent to 2.76 grains of Crystallised Copper Sulphate per pound. Traces only of Tin. | Consignmentre leased for use as ship's stores or export only, in accordance with Article 12 of the Public Health (Preservatives in Food) Regulations. | |
| „ 26 | Tinned Spinach | Traces only of Tin. Free from the presence of Copper and other prohibited colouring matters. | Consignment released. | |
| „ 28 | Petit Gruyere Cheese (wrapped in tin foil). | Tin to the extent of 0.069%, equivalent to 4.83 grains of Tin per pound of cheese. | Seized as unfit for human consumption. | |
| Feb. 9 | Condensed Milk | Tin to the extent of 1.82 grains per pound | Seized as unfit for human consumption (see iteml5thOct.). | |
| 26 | Rock Salt | Total matter, insoluble in water | 0.391% | Consignment released. |
| The above were found to contain: — | ||||
| Siliceous matter | 0.031% | |||
| Iron as Fe203 | 0.0065% | |||
| Calcium Carbonate (CaC03) | 0.3390% | |||
| Magnesium Carbonate (MgCOs) | 0.0092% | |||
| Unestimated | 0.0053% | |||
| ''The amount of insoluble matter in the above sample is not, in my opinion, excessive and not likely to be harmful, if the salt is used for dietetic purposes." | ||||