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
Heston and Isleworth 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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Food and Drugs Sampling.—During 1951 the following samples for analysis were taken in the Borough by the Public Control Department of the Middlesex County Council:—
| No. of Samples | No. found unsatisfactory | |
|---|---|---|
| Milk, various | 157 | 2 |
| Almonds, ground | 1 | — |
| Aspirin | 1 | — |
| Baking Powder | 1 | — |
| Cakes, various | 35 | — |
| Cooked meats, various | 9 | — |
| Cream | 2 | 1 |
| Cream, synthetic | 2 | — |
| Custard mixture | 1 | — |
| Dried Egg | 1 | — |
| Fish, various | 16 | 3 |
| Gelatine | 2 | - |
| Gin | 8 | — |
| Grape Fruit Squash | 1 | — |
| Ice Cream | 2 | — |
| Ice Cream mixture | 1 | — |
| Jam | 1 | — |
| Jelly | 2 | — |
| Lemon Curd | 1 | — |
| Malted Milk | 1 | — |
| Meat Pie, various | 2 | — |
| Mincemeat | 1 | — |
| Morfat Whip, compound | 1 | — |
| Salad Cream | 1 | — |
| Sausages—various | 33 | — |
| Sausage Meat | 2 | — |
| Sausage Roll | 3 | — |
| Self-raising Flour | 1 | — |
| Semolina | 1 | — |
| Tincture of Quinine | 1 | — |
| Tomato Ketchup | 1 | 1 |
| Tomato Soup | 2 | — |
| Vinegar | 2 | — |
| Whisky | 17 | — |
| White Pepper | 1 | — |
| 314 | 7 |
The samples of milk were slightly deficient in solids-not-fat, but contained no added water. An
official caution was issued to the vendor of imitation cream as "cream." For labelling "witch" as lemon
"sole" and passing off the one for the other on sale, a firm of fishmongers was prosecuted and fined a total
of £10, with £2 2s. costs, and the shop manager was fined £10, with £2 2s. costs, for aiding and abetting the
offences. An official caution was issued in respect of the contamination with tin of a sample of tomato
ketchup.
Food Hygiene.—In the report for 1950 the various methods used to encourage the policy of "clean
food, handled by clean hands and transported, prepared and stored under clean conditions" were described.
During 1951, with a full staff of Sanitary Inspectors available, the work was concentrated on regular
visiting and inspection. The response by the traders and employees was fairly good, but there is still
considerable room for improvement. As a result of these visits of inspection the following works were
carried out at food premises:—
Repairs to walls, floors, windows, etc. 8
Painting and decoration (internal) 16
Adequate ventilation provided 7
Floors cleansed 1
Apparatus and equipment cleansed 1
Hot water supplies provided 9
Washing facilities, soap and towels provided 3
Measures taken to prevent contamination of food 21
Impervious (easily cleansed) surfaces provided 4
Sinks, washing facilities, etc., repaired or improved 4
Hygiene notices provided in water closets 9
While structural improvement, suitable equipment and adequate washing facilities all contribute
towards clean food the really important matter is the exercise of strict personal hygiene by all employed
in the trade.
The Council accepted the suggestion made in Ministry of Food Circular 20/51 that food traders
should be invited to display on their premises a notice asking customers, in the interest of hygiene, not to
bring dogs into the premises.
21