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 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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At the commencement of the year a number of large consignments of sultanas
and raisins arrived showing an excess of sulphite preservative. These were all
re-exported under guarantee that the goods would not be returned to any Port in the
United Kingdom.
During the year approximately 350 tons of over-ripe and under-ripe bananas
from the Argentine and Canary Islands were destroyed.
Action taken under the Public Health (Imported Food) Regulations,
1935, resulted in 1,825 tons 14 cwts. 2 qrs. 10 lbs. of unsound food being destroyed
or disposed of for purposes other than human consumption.
Disposal of Condemned Foods:—
| Tons. | cwts. | qrs. | lbs. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling down (recovery of Fats, &c.) | 49 | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| Cattle and Poultry Foods | 743 | 15 | 0 | 19 |
| Refining | 98 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| Experiment (Laboratory work) | — | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Exportation | 41 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Soap-making | 6 | 17 | 0 | 21 |
| Removed to other districts | 6 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Reconditioning | 37 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Distillation | 10 | 15 | 3 | 27 |
| Destroyed—Buried | 686 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| „ —Burnt | 143 | 16 | 0 | 18 |
| Total weight | 1,825 | 14 | 2 | 10 |
Foodstuffs Condemned
| Dock. | Tons. | Quantity. | No. of seizures. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cwts. | qrs. | lbs. | |||
| Royal Albert Dock | 67 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 275 |
| Royal Victoria Dock | 714 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 266 |
| King George V. Dock | 42 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 170 |
| East India Dock | 164 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 105 |
| West India Dock | 285 | 8 | 0 | 24 | 147 |
| Millwall Dock | 192 | 19 | 0 | 11 | 31 |
| Surrey Commercial Dock | 220 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 112 |
| London Dock | 75 | 17 | 0 | 18 | 299 |
| St. Katharine Dock | 18 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| Regent's Canal Dock | 17 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 38 |
| Tilbury Dock | 25 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 109 |
| Total weight | 1,825 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 1,567 |
The approximate weight of goods condemned and the number of detentions and seizures made annually during the last ten years were as follows:—
| Year. | Approximate weight. | No. of seizures. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tons. | cwts | qrs. | lbs. | ||
| 1925 | 1,423 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 1,196 |
| 1926 | 4,011 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 1,620 |
| 1927 | 1,813 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 1,369 |
| 1928 | 6,018 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 1,436 |
| 1929 | 1,743 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 1,569 |
| 1930 | 2,572 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1,547 |
| 1931 | 1,408 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 1,375 |
| 1932 | 2,654 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 1,593 |
| 1933 | 1,303 | 17 | 2 | 23 | 1,359 |
| 1934 | 1,825 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 1,567 |
The detention and control of Fats under the Public Health (Imported Food)
Regulations, 1925, during the year was as follows:—
No. of casks, &c., reported as imported into the district 21,661
No. of casks, &c., found to be officially certificated —
No. of casks, &c., released to wharves under Notice of Exportation 8,387
No. of Exportation Notices served 270
No. of casks, &c., released for exportation 3,338
No. of casks, &c., released for soapmaking, &c 16,589
No. of casks, &c., in transit on through Bills of Lading —
11,335 barrels, &c., of whale oil arrived in the Port; this material was released.