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
St James's 1873
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St James's, Westminster]
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40
It will be seen by the tables that many specimens
of the milk were suspicious, and others decidedly
bad. In these cases it was decided that the
vendors should be apprised of the inferior quality
of their milk before any steps were taken. ]n one
case it, was clear that the milk sold was skimmed
milk, and had been sold by mistake for new milk.
In all cases when the vendors have been cautioned
milk has been purchased from time to time, and
the milk has been so far improved that no fair
prosecution could have been urged.
The decided improvement after warning in our
own parish, and the readiness with which milk
sellers have paid the fines inflicted on them in other
districts is perhaps an indication that the milk has
been really adulterated.
I would suggest here that a much more economical
way of punishing adulterators than that of fining
after conviction before a magistrate would be that
of publishing a quarterly list of articles analysed,
with the nature and extent of the adulteration,
and the names of the persons of ivhom they were
purchased. I believe if such a list were published
quarterly, and stuck up outside the Vestry Hall
and the doors of the Churches and Chapels, and
sent to the principal hotels and places of public
entertainment it would do more to check adulteration
than any fines inflicted under the Adulteration Act.
Tea.
Several specimens of cheap black teas were
FOOD ANALYSES.
| No. | Date. | Articles. | Adulteration. | Remarks. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | May 6 | Coffee | Adulterated | Contained Chicory, which was declared. |
| 20 | „ 6 | „ | „ | „ ,, |
| 27 | „ 6 | „ | „ | „ ,, |
| 28 | „ 6 | „ | „ | „ ,, |
| 29 | „ 6 | „ | „ | „ ,, |
| 30 | „ 6 | „ | „ | „ ,, |
| 31 | „ 9 | Confections | „ | Contained vegetable coloring matter. |
| 32 | „ 9 | „ | „ | Contained cochineal. |
| 33 | „ 9 | „ | „ | Trace of chalk. |
| 34 | „ 9 | „ | No adulteration | Colored. |
| 35 | „ 9 | „ | „ | „ |
| 36 | „ 9 | „ | A trace | „ |
| 37 | „ 29 | Milk | No adulteration | 8 per cent, of cream. |
| 38 | „ 29 | „ | „ | 11 per cent. of cream. |
| 39 | „ 29 | „ | „ | 11 per cent. of cream. |
| 40 | „ 29 | „ | „ | 26 per cent. of cream. |
| 41 | „ 29 | „ | „ | 8 per cent. of cream. |
| 42 | „ 29 | „ | „ | 30 per cent. of cream. |
| 43 | June 3 | „ | „ | 12.5 per cent. of cream. |
| 41 | „ 12 | „ | „ | 8 per cent. of cream. |
| 45 | July 16 | „ | „ | 13 per cent. of cream. |
| 40 | „ 16 | „ | „ | 9 per cent. of cream. |
| 47 | „ 16 | „ | „ | 10 per cent. of cream. |
| 48 | „ 16 | „ | „ | 11 per cent. ot' cream. |
| 49 | „ 16 | „ | „ | 10.25 per cent. of cream. |
| 50 | „ l6 | „ | „ | 9 per cent. of cream. |
| 51 | „ 21 | „ | Suspected | 5 per cent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 52 | „ 21 | „ | Skimmed milk | 3 per cent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 53 | „ 21 | „ | Suspected | 6 per cent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 54 | „ 21 | „ | No adulteration | 10 per cent. of cream. |
| 55 | „ 21 | „ | Suspected | 6 percent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 56 | „ 21 | „ | „ | 6 per cent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 57 | „ 28 | „ | „ | 6.5 per cent. cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 58 | „ 28 | „ | No adulteration | 11 per cent. of cream. |
| 59 | „ 28 | „ | Suspected | 6.25 per cent. cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 60 | .. 28 | „ | No adulteration | 10 per cent. of cream. |
| 61 | „ 28 | „ | „ | 10 per cent. of cream. |
| 62 | „ 28 | „ | „ | 9 per cent. of cream. |
| 63 | August 1 | „ | Suspected | 5 per cent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 64 | ,, 1 | „ | No adulteration | 10 per cent. of cream. |
| 65 | „ 1 | „ | „ | 9 per cent. of cream. |
| 66 | » 1 | „ | „ | 13 per cent. of cream. |
| 67 | ,, 1 | „ | „ | 9 per cent. of cream. |
| 68 | „ 1 | „ | Suspected | 0 per cent. of cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 69 | „ 29 | Black tea | „ | Genuine but inferior. |
| 70 | Oct. 15 | Milk | No adulteration | 12 per cent. of cream. |
| 71 | „ 15 | „ | „ | 15 per cent. of cream. |
| 72 | „ 15 | „ | „ | 10.25 per cent. of cream. |
| 73 | „ 15 | „ | „ | 10 per cent. of cream. |
| 74 | „ 17 | „ | Suspected | 5.5 per cent. cream—vendor cautioned. |
| 75 | „ 17 | „ | No adulteration | 11 per cent. of cream. |
| 76 | „ 17 | „ | „ | 8 per cent. of cream. |
| 77 | „ 17 | „ | „ | 7.25 per cent. of cream. |