SPEAKING OF FOODS

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 142, 15 June 1920, Page 5

SPEAKING OF FOODS

AND DRUGS. I BE CAREFUL OF ASPIRIN. Speaking of foods, and drugs, and health inspection generally, several pro- 1 fessional people at* well as tradesmen gave their opinions this morning, and the net results of their worde seemed to point quite clearly to the conclusion that there is very little the matter with the way the Health OiTkv in Auckland pro- j ceevls "with ite the Pure iKood and Drug's Ao%, and H3 pee"k- ! ■ing's into unconsidered corners where accumulations of -waste matter may, possibly have their being. Although' now and again there may lie a time and. plave where t!iinj.ie are not as they ; should be, the <renc-ral feeling with re- , gard to the proper weight of foodstuffs,' their proper purity and so forth is' rather keen, and those who sell bheee; thing-s have long ago conw to the con- ■ elusion that it ie rUky and unprofitable to vend anything that is not ri£ht up to standard required by law. 'Besides the regular anil periodical inspection given by the local Health Office to these things,' there is also a continual round of casual inspection, and whenever a mere breath 1 of suspicion attaches itself to any vendor of foodstuff's samples are taken imme-; diutely and tested out in the Dominion laboratory. In cases where prowcution follows, the penalties enforced by the! Magistrate are lively deterrents toj others who may have the idea of selling I impure milk or meat. &r light-weight goods. " TAKING SAMPLES. AViiile the system of taking samples j and inspection -of goodjj exposed for sale! and ultimate human consumption is' obviou.-lv by no means perfect, because 1 the local office with a comparatively] small .-itaff has to cover the whole Auck-j land Health Bistr.ct, yet it is the uncer-| tainty of the movements of its inspectors that constitutes a grave rL?k to the vendor of impure or light-weight foods. During the course of a month in Auckland hundreds, ,, probubly thousands of samples of foods are taken, but in * very small proportion indeed of these instances prosecutions follow. And thej reason is that the great majority ofj samples are up to standard. The local Health Office, in common with all; through the whole country, pay special; attention to foods and particularly to! milk, and the chances are sligh* indeed that impure supplies can be distributed except perhaps once in a while, by accident. • Closely dove-tailed with this inspection is the work of looking into sanitary appliances, and if any unsound sanitation is overlooked in tile, large district a mere complaint, personal, written or by 'phone, 'brings instant investigation. ASPIRIN IS DEPRESSING. Concerning the inspection of drug 3, the present head of the local Tleaßh staff, T>r. H. Ohcsston, remarked this morning that that was a more difficult matter. No track could possibly be kept , of all the chemicals coming into t-he country or made in it. but if medical men observed any peculiarities in the action of 1 any drugs the Health Office immediately I made tests from samples. At the present time, said the doctor, a Dominion crusade was being made to test certain lines of drugs jn common use. And here this doctor ac well as others makle special mention of the drug known as Aspirin, I which they consider is far too popular among the general public. He told the "Star" representative that this drug was far too depressing in its effect to be used indiscriminately, and it should not ba resorted to save under medical advice. He said it was coming into much too popular usage, and he -wished to' warn people tihat its effects were not good when taken often, and in anything but the smallest possible quantities. The inspection of premises -where drugs and foods are made and sold goes on continuously, the regular visits beiagj interposed by casual ones, and with this ■work the inspectors take a look at the sanitary appliances 'of a great many houses, homes, factories, and so forth. In goneral they would appear to be well •up to standard, as both municipal and 'Government officials put in a (Treat deal of time on the work, finding only a very .small percentage of eases where warnings have to be issued. And a warning is mostly sufficient, for the consequences following disregard of the noti'fifcation are likely to be rather serious.