[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Saviour's].

  • St. Saviour's District (London, England). Board of Works.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

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

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Saviour's]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: City of London, London Metropolitan Archives

    20/36 (page 20)
    20 as to the phosphates, and this applies especially to children; the phosphates can, however, be readily supplied in skim-milk, and it is a pity that so cheap an article is not more sought after. An Oatmeal of excellent quality reminds one of an article of great value to all. It is cheap, digestible, and very rich in nitrogen and phosphates. Malt Liquors, 6 in number, have been examined. Where the extractive is considerable, the ales and porters keep best, but of course everything depends upon the quality of the extractive. The keeping qualities vary so much. Some malt liquors become sour and mouldy in three days; others keep well for a week under precisely similar circumstances. Salt was uniformly present to the extent of, respectively, 35, 39, 42, and 46 grains per gallon. In all, the quantity was well kept under. In the case of a mild Burton Ale, only 152/3 grains were contained in the gallon. Where the chlorides are very high, either the water, or the inferior sugar used, is at fault. Five Spirits analysed showed that, with one exception, the percentage of alcohol was up to, and even beyond, the legal standards. The amount of alcohol in wines and spirits is of great importance, and there is far greater certainty in them as to the result to those who value them. There is naturally great evil in spirit drinking, but many people do not realize what an enormous and injurious amount of alcohol is taken in copious draughts of beer. Two samples of Cider, one on draught, the other bottled, were both very good of their kind. Neither of them contained a trace of metallic contamination, and both of them possessed a most pleasant odour of apples. Five per cent, of proof spirit rendered them agreeable and cooling; the bottled cider was the preferable, in that it was less sweet and less liable to acescence. A Lemonade was well aerated, sufficiently though feebly acidulated, but with the common defect of containing a trace of lead. Another non-alcoholic drink, very much thought of at the present time, answers to its description. It is a tonic, and very well aërated, containing as it does double its volume of carbonic acid.