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
Stepney 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]
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being still well above the legal minimum, and the sample of milk so treated
would therefore be regarded as genuine milk.
Similarly when a sample of milk is reported as containing 5 per cent.
of added water, the actual water added is about 8 per cent., if the milk
adulterated be one of average quality.
In one case a milk vendor stated that he carried a lactometer to check
the quality of the milk he received. The readings of this instrument which
vary greatly with temperature and the fat content, for which factors he could
make no correction, would be quite misleading.
This may have accounted for his presence in the Police Court.
The actual yearly averages are given below:—
| Year. | Fat. | Solids-not-fat. | Total Solids. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 3.60 | 8.79 | 12.39 |
| 1922 | 3.69 | 8.71 | 12.40 |
| 1923 | 3.75 | 8.74 | 12.49 |
| 1924 | 3.68 | 8.70 | 12.38 |
| 1925 | 3.64 | 8.72 | 12.36 |
| 1926 | 3.71 | 8.71 | 12.42 |
| 1927 | 3.68 | 8.67 | 12.35 |
| 1928 | 3.67 | 8.65 | 12.32 |
The following figures have been obtained from recent Annual Reports:—
| Fat. | Solids-not-fat. | Total Solids. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salford | 3.80 | 8.81 | 12.61 |
| Birmingham | 3.63 | 8.82 | 12.45 |
| Lancashire | 3.76 | 8.94 | 12.70 |
| Hull | 3.61 | 8.82 | 12.43 |
| Kent | 3.74 | 8.83 | 12.57 |
| Portsmouth | 3.67 | 8.83 | 12.50 |
| Stepney,1928 | 3.67 | 8.65 | 12.32 |