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 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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| Date. 1933. | Sample. | Result of Analysis. | Action taken. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 6 | Norwegian Silts | Free from lead | Reported to the Ministry of Health. | ||
| „ 18 | Marjoram | Found to contain not more than 1 per cent. of leaves foreign to those of genuine marjoram. | Consignment released. | ||
| „ 25 | Raisins | Contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 736 parts of sulphur dioxide per million. | Consignment released. | ||
| „ 25 | Sultanas | Contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 810 parts of sulphur dioxide per million. | Reported to the Ministry of Health, and Importers warned. | ||
| „ 27 | Water (3) These samples on analysis gave the following results:— | ||||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | |||
| Ammonia, Free and Saline | 0.0021 | 0.0007 | 0.0007 | ||
| „ Albuminoid | 0.0042 | 0.0042 | 0.0050 | ||
| Oxygen absorbed, in 15 minutes | 0.0120 | 0.0150 | 0.0090 | ||
| „ „ „ 4 hours | 0.0329 | 0.0419 | 0.0389 | ||
| Nitrogen, Nitrous | None. | None. | None. | ||
| „ Nitric | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.10 | ||
| Chlorine | 3.90 | 4.00 | 3.90 | ||
| „ as Sodium Chloride | 6.44 | 6.60 | 6.44 | ||
| Total solid matter dried at 100° c. | 31.85 | 32.20 | 31.85 | ||
| Hardness, Temporary | 16.01 | 16.19 | 16.10 | ||
| „ Permanent | 4.03 | 4.03 | 4.03 | ||
| Appearance in 2 ft. tube | Very pale yellow and clear. | Very pale yellow and clear. | Very pale yellow and clear. | ||
| Metals (Copper, Lead, Iron, Zinc) | Trace of Iron. | Trace of Iron. | Trace of Iron. | ||
| B. Coli Communis, Presumptive Test:— | |||||
| 100 c.c. | Negative. | Negative. | Negative. | ||
| 10 c.c. | Negative. | Negative. | Negative. | ||
| 1 c.c. | Negative. | Negative. | Negative. | ||
| This water, in its present condition, is suitable for all dietetic purposes. | |||||
| „ 30 | Sultanas (4) | Contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 520, 240, 550 and 210 parts of sulphur dioxide per million respectively. | Consignment released. | ||
| Nov. 6 | Orange Juice | The sample contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 750 parts of sulphur dioxide per million. Alcohol was also present. A microscopical examination revealed the presence of a large number of yeast cells. | Consignment destroyed. | ||
| „ 6 | Walnuts | Absence of sulphur dioxide from both shells and nuts. | None. | ||
| „ 8 | Raisins | The sample contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 770 parts of sulphur dioxide per million. | None. | ||
| „ 16 | Raisins | The sample contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 285 parts per million. | None. | ||
| „ 16 | Raisins | The sample contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 740 parts per million. | None. | ||
| „ 16 | Raisins | The sample contained sulphite preservative equivalent to 1,140 parts per million. | Merchants informed, withdrawn from sale. | ||
| „ 17 | Sardines | The sample was found to contain lead and lead compounds equivalent to 3.5 parts of lead per million, and tin and tin compounds equivalent to 0.75 grains of tin per pound. | None. | ||
| „ 17 | Canned Peas (3 samples) | Free from the presence of poisonous metals other than traces only of tin. | Consignment released. | ||
| „ 18 | Sultanas | Sulphite preservatives equivalent to 230 parts of sulphur dioxide per million. | None. | ||
| „ 21 | Sardines (2) | These samples on examination were found to contain lead and lead compounds equivalent to 11 and 12 parts respectively of lead per million. | None. | ||
| „ 22 | Sardines (5) | These samples on analysis gave the following results:— | |||
| Sample No. | Lead, parts per million. | ||||
| 1 | 23 | Further investigation of formalsample. | |||
| 2 | 9 | None. | |||
| 3 | 16 | None. | |||
| 4 | 18 | None. | |||
| 5 | 3 | None. | |||