The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-03-20

and in no instance is the article quite
free from either the insects or their ova
| (eggs). DR.. lIasscl (who was the first
to notice their general occurrence in the
raw sugar sold in London,) found
them in q living state in no fewer than
50 out OF y samples. He did not de-
tect them in a single specimen Of
refined sugar The results of NV exam
ination Of the sugar sold in Dublin coin
cided pretty closely with Dr. Hassal's
experience In the refined sorts, |
found nothing but crystalizable and
non-crystalizable sugar, and a little sa-
line matter; in the raw kinds, organic
and mineral filth-often in great album
dance. One Of the samples which |
examined, contained larger number
Of insects than | believe had previously
| been noticed, or at least recorded, by
any other observer 1t was sent to me,
together with other articles, in May
last 0S63,) by Mr.. Horner. the master
Of the South Dublin Union Work-house,
and the following is the report which /
made upon it: have rarely examined
a more inferior sample Of sugar; it is
extremely damp, contains a very large
proportion of treaclc, and consider
able amount Of such impurities as spor-
ules of a fungus, particles of cane, albu-
men, and starch granules. These sub
stances, however, though greatly
detracting from the value of the sugar,
are not injurious to health l cannot
! say as much for another impurity
which exists in great abundance in this
sample-namely, q species Of ACARUs,
closely resembling in appearance and
nature the insect which, by burrowing
into the skin, produces the itch. 1t is
10 cXaggeration to affirm that there
cannot be less than 100000 of these
insects in every pound of sugar. In
ten grains weight, | estimated no fewer
| than 500, most of which We're so large
as to be distinctly visible to the naked
eye 1t is inconceivable that thous-
ands of these creatures can be intro
duced into the stomach of human
being without serious enlargement to
health. But not only is such sugar as
this sample detrimental to health, it is
also the least economical kind which
can be employed. 1t greatly impairs
the flavor Of tea and coffee; and its
high proportion of water and other use
less ingredients lowers its sweetening
power to an extent which even its low
price fails to compensate for. Many
persons believe that coarse brown
sugar sweetens better, or, to use COM
mon phrase, "goes farther" than white
sugar but that is mistake. A tea
spoonful of damp brown sugar will GER
tainlv sweeten a larger quantity of
| fluid than spoonful of white sugar;
| but it does so because it is much heav-
Ter than the latter; but if equal weights
be used it will be found that the white
variety is by far the better sweetener.
The kind of sugar which is both health
full and economical is the dry, large
grained, and Ii ght coored variety. If
you cannot obtain such an article, you
should purchase the lightest brown
kind; and bear in mind that such sugar
as have examined for you is the most
inimical to health, and the least value
for your money which you could posi-
bly, get.
"The publication of the foregoing re-
port in the newspapers excited consid-
cradle interest in the public mind; for,
excepting few scientific men, no one
in Dublin appeared to have been previ-
ouslv aware Of the existence of the
ACARUs sACCHARI The assertion that
one pound weight of raw sugar con-
tanned hundred thousand active
insects, must, no doubt, have appeared
incredible to some people; but that
was not guilty of exaggerating the
number was proved by the results of
subsequent examinations made by
other observers. A committee Of
microscopes, composed of Drs.
Aldridge, Minchin, Symes and Booth
and Mr.. Reynolds, visited the work
house, and, in the presence of his
officials, examined the sugar and salts
fed themselves that my account of it
was, in every respect, an accurate one
Two samples of the sugar were also
examined, one by DR.. John Barker
Curator of the Royal College of Sur
geons, Ireland the other by Dr. Has
sell, of London, q very eminent author
ity upon the subject. In fifteen grains
weight, DR.. Hassall found considerably
over 100 living insects, or at the rate of
$4,000 per pound; and DR.. Barker es-
timated no fewer than l,400 in forty
five grains weight, or at the rate of
26S,000 AcARI in each pound weight
Of sugar.
"With the exception of the date
sugar made in the East, every kind Of
raw sugar contains ACARI They are
least numerous in the very damp, trea-
cley kinds, because, as they are air
breathing animals, they cannot exist in
treacle or water If spoonful of raw
sugar be dissolved in wine-glass full
of water, the animalcues will speedily
come to the surface, from which they
may be skinned off and transferred to
the object-glass of the microscope. On
the surface of the water they appear as
white specks, and as they swim about
vigorously, their movements are quite
apparent to the naked eve.
The ACARI sACCHARI do not occur
in refined sugar of any quality for the
following reasons Firstly, because
they cannot pass through the charcoal
filters of the refinery secondly, because
refined sugar does not contain any nitro
genous substance (such as albumen)
upon which they would feed-and l have
already shown that even the most in
significant animals cannot subsist solely
upon any other kind of food destitute
of nitrogen"
The following eminent authority is
quoted as additional evidence on the
importance of this subject:
1.-The unitered sugar, or Muscovado,
as it comes from the Colonies, contains
many impurities, and should never be
used. Many peculiar species of beetles
are found in it. One, especially, infests
all sugar houses. But the Acarus sac
chart, is the animal that, of all others,
is the most to be avoided; it is not
found in filtered sugar. 1t is an animal