One Hundred Years of Service

Amoung the functions of the Court of QuarterSessions, which were inherited by the County Council, was responsibility for the prevention of the adulteration of food and drink, which was closely linked to its responsibility for the inspection of weights and measures. By An Act to amend the Law for the prevention of Adulteration of Food and Drink and of Drugs which was made law on10 August 1872, the Court of Quarter Sessions in each county was enabled to appoint a consultant analyst, subject to the approval of the Local Government Board. In Durham, the Analysts of Articles of Food, Drink and Drugs Committee reported to the court on 13 October 1873, recommending that a consultant analyst be appointed. The need for vigilance in the matter of the adulteration of food and drink is demostrated by the prosecution, in 1851, of Jane Smith, for selling in Durham 'green bullets' (boiled sweets) which contained verdigris. The anaylst was to be paid a retainer of 10 guineas [£10.50p] which was deemed to cover his expenses in presenting a quarterly report. In addition, he was to be paid one guinea [£1.05p] for each analysis he performed up to a total of 100 and 10s. 6d. [52¹/₂p] for each of the next 100 and 6s. [30p] for every one thereafter. He was to be paid threepence [1¹/₂p] per mile in travelling expenses and a fee of one guinea [£1.05p] for attending as a technical witness at any prosecution. On 8 January 1874 it was reported to the court that Alfred John Mayerson Edger of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, analytical chemist and assayer, had been appointed as consultant analyst on the terms agreed at the meeting of 13 October 1873. At the session of the court dated 1 July 1874, it was noted that the Local Government Board had approved the appointment of Mr. Edgar as analyst and, at the same meeting, he presented his first report as consultant county analyst. The first items which he had analysed were five samples of tea from Stockton. Three of the five were unadulterated, but sample number 4 was a 'Mixture of Green and Black Tea and contained 1-3 per cent of Sand, the Green was faced with Prussian Blue'; Number 5 also contained sand and contained the added attraction of pieces of quartz and the usual Prussian Blue colouring. This would make an interesting cup of tea. Samples of milk and spirits were also examined and were found to contain, in some cases, a high proportion of water. Mr Edger ended his first report on a controversial note: 'The few samples that I have been called upon to examine since my Appointment as Analyst to the County of Durham show that the Office is likely to be a dead letter unless some means are taken to obtain Samples other than those at present used and either the fee frightens the County Officials or they are careless in carrying out the Act. It has been shown on the enquiry before the Parliamentary Committee that the Analysts who are paid by Salary are far more abundantly supplied with work than those who are paid by fee'.

20th century laboratory

Mr. Edger's subsequent reports in 1874 and 1875 reiterated the point that very few samples were being submitted to him because of disinclination to pay fees and that a salaried officer would be more successful. In December 1875 he stated that he had examined 132 samples in the past year, 78 of which were water.

An Act to repeal the Adulteration of Food Acts, and to make better provision for the Sale of Food and Drugs in a pure state, passed on 11 August 1875, removed water from the concern of the analyst. Mr. Edger deplored this and wished to continue its analysis, but was overruled by the justices. In response to his complaints that few samples were submitted to him, the Adulteration of Food Act Committee recommended that the existing twelve Inspectors of Weights and Measures should collect samples. William Frederick Keating Stock suceeded Mr. Edgar as consultant analyst and, in 1883, pointed out a consequence of the adulteration of spirits with water, which was not immediately obvious. 'There is also another side of the question which should not be overlooked, and this is, the use of a strong spirit as a stimulant in dangerous collapse, or in certain cases of haemorrhage. In these case, a medical man should be able, at the nearest public house, to get something he can rely upon for the relief of those who possibly cannot afford, or for other reasons, do not keep stimulants in the house.'

In 1889 when the County Council took over the administrative duties of the Court of Quarter Sessions the same system of using a consultant analyst was in operation. Mr Stock's report to the Council in August 1889 contained the results of an analysis of 190 samples, 15 of which were adulterated.

This system continued until the 1950s when a complete break with the past was made. In his report to the meeting of the council of 4 November 1953, Cyril J. H. Stock, the then consultant analyst referred to analysis of samples of ice-cream, three of which had mistakenly been considered deficient in fat. As a result, the Local Government Committee to whom the analyst was responsible recommended that he and his deputy be asked to resign. The Council then decided to appoint its own salaried analyst and provide the county public laboratory. On 4 August 1954 the Committee recommended to the council that a laboratory at a cost of £11,500 '(including £2,000 for fixed furnishings and £3,000 for equipment and apparatus) and a subsequent annual expenditure of £2,000 for heating, llighting, cleaning and general maintenance' be established. The first County Analyst was to be paid £1,500 p.a. and have three qualified assistants. Advice in the construction of the laboratory and an advisable level of staffing was sought from Mr. W. Gordon Carey of Newcastle. Detailed recommendations on the equipment required were left to the first County Analyst. Thirteen applications for the post were received, and six candidates interviewed, the successful one of whom was Joseph Markland, Deputy Public Analyst and Deputy Official Agricultural Analyst for Derbyshire County Council.

Sophisticated 1980s microscope

The original laboratory was housed in two huts at the rear of shire hall, as purpose-built premises were to be incorporated into the new county hall. In the first year, 1955, 1637 samples were analysed, 1502 of which were samples taken under the terms of the Food and Drugs Act and 126 under the Fertilizers and Feeding Stuffs regulations. Nine other samples were analysed. In the year 1988-1989, a total of 4378 samples were analysed.

After the reorganisation of 1974, the Analyst's Department under the then Anaylst, F. C. Shenton, was responsible for a radical and forward-looking development. In the north-east, Durham County Council was the only authority to maintain its own scientific service, including statutory Public Analyst and Agricultural Analyst functions and in 1974 it was agreed that a joint service for Durham County Council, Tyne and Wear County Council and Cleveland County Council should be set up based on the laboratory in Durham. An average of 9800 samples per year were analysed during the scheme's life, which came to an end in 1981. Cleveland County Council withdrew and Durham County Council decided that it would revert to providing scientific services only for its own area. The County Anaylst continues to provide the only comprehensive scientific service to any local authority between Edinburgh and Leeds.