[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary].

  • Islington (London, England). Parish. Vestry.
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    24/72 (page 24)
    24 Twelve samples of coloured sweets were submitted to me, purchased under my direction. For certain reasons I limited my analysis to those coloured red and yellow. In no case did I find that injurious colouring matters had been employed, the materials used for the purpose being entirely of vegetable origin. In accordance with the suggestions of the Sanitary Committee, I have examined with great care and detail certain articles sold by the publicans, viz., porter, ale, and gin. Fifty-four samples of beer were submitted to analysis. In each case I estimated the common salt present, and also carefully searched for Cocculus Indicus, and other injurious drugs. As regards the common salt (the quantity of which was deduced from the chlorine, and which may therefore have been present in forms other than chloride of sodium) I would notice that 10 samples contained over 60 grains per gallon, 8 between 50 and 60 grains, 15 between 40 and 50 grains, and the rest under 40 grains. I confess to thinking that over 60 grains of common salt (or its equivalent) per gallon of beer is excessive; nevertheless I was of opinion (and recent events have proved that I was right) that it would be unadvisable to take proceedings in the matter. Further than this, I have only to add that although I made a most rigid search for Cocculus, I was in no case able to detect a trace of the poisonous drug. Of the 18 samples of gin, 3 were about 400 under proof. This I consider too much for bottled gin, and although in the state of the law at the time the analyses were made, I deemed it unwise to take any action (a course in the advisability of which I consulted with the Sanitary Committee), I shall in future undoubtedly in such cases advise a prosecution. In some few cases I detected traces of fusel oil in the gin, but I am of opinion that water constitutes the chief, if not the only, adulterant of the publican worth noticing. THE MORTUARY, 1876-77. From the 1st July, 1876 to the 30th June, 1877, 453 bodies have been received at the mortuary: 210 inquests have been held in the coroner's room during the same period, the sum of £35 7s 6d. having been paid to the Vestry for the accommodation thus afforded to the coroner. Since, however, the number of inquests has been