[Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City.

  • Edinburgh (Scotland). City Council
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Satisfactory arrangements have been completed with the authorities responsible for immediately reporting the arrival of an}7 ship from abroad on which there is, or has been, any case of illness in connection with which there might be any possibility of an infectious condition. These arrangements apply both to the Port of Leith and the Harbour at Granton, and work with great smoothness. The special branches of work carried on by the Department under the Factory and Workshops Act, the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, the Inspection of Dairies and Ice-Cream Shops, and the Shops Act, are separately dealt with in the bod}’ of this Deport, and reference is made to them there. Only one or two matters call for special remark. In the Report under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts attention is drawn to the Food and extreme difficulty in dealing effectively with the adulteration of the milk supply on Dl ugs’ account of the limited penalties which are almost invariably inflicted in cases of contravention. It is much to be feared that milk adulteration will be continued so long as the dishonest milk dealer finds he can do so at a profit, and it is right that attention should be directed to this matter with a view of supplying at least one reason why the quality of the milk is sometimes called in question by the public. The fault most certainly does not lie with the Authorities in failing to exercise supervision. In probably no other city is so much supervision exercised or proportionately so many samples taken for the purpose of analysis. A fine of £2 or £3 or even £5 does not serve as a deterrent, however, and instances are not unknown here in which the same offender has been convicted of the offence for a fifth time. Obviously on balance of profit by adulteration compared with fines imposed, such a person must find that adulteration pays. The far-reaching effect of watering milk in its influence on the health of infants and children is such as to require that special attention be directed to this matter, and either additional powers obtained under which the fines will be commensurate with the offence, or that the powers already existing may be exercised more fully than at present. The work in connection with the inspection of Bakehouses and Workshops has Bakehouses been within recent times increased in consequence of the new provisions by the Board \v'or]jSi,0pS of Health laying upon the Local Authority the inspection of all Bakehouses, whether factories or otherwise, and certain other provisions connected with Workshop inspection. These new regulations are welcome and entirely in the direction of efficiency. It is in every sense advisable that the Local Authority on health grounds should have the fullest right and duty imposed upon it of inspecting all premises where baking is carried on. The new regulations then are being strictly carried out and every precaution is being taken to fulfil another of its useful provisions which prevents the possibility of a recently confined mother returning to her work at an unduly early period. In such a City as this, the danger of such is comparatively negligible, but the powers are welcome. Contraventions of this provision, of course, are chiefly to be found in factory districts where large numbers of women are so commonly empDyed and in many instances are responsible for the upkeep of homes and families The inspection of Dairies is carried out as a daily routine part of the Depart- Dairies, ment’s work. The number of dairy shops has for several years past been on the decline. The smaller shops have in many instances felt the undue difficulty of competing against large Milk Distributing Companies and many have gradually ceased to exist. Thus, within the area of the original Edinbui’gh boundary in 1909, the number of Dairy shops was 454. This gradually fell until in the year 1920 the number had fallen to 352, showing a total fall of 102. At present the total number included in the Edinburgh and Leith boundary is 424, or 30 fewer than in Edinburgh alone in the year 1909.