Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-03-24

tOr IL 10 escape tals1nCatlOn. Hence, the
pigment reaches us laden with foreign
matters, not only in the basis itself, but In
the oil, turpentine and other materials
which are required for its preparation.
The substance called barytes is one of
the most common of falsifiers. It is an
abundant mineral, which, after grinding
and elutriation, requires nothing but treat
ment with weak or diluted acids to render
1t perfectly white powder Of great den
sity and of considerable body. But, not
withstanding these advantages, II is not
paint in the strict acceptation Of the word,
though its extensive employment might
lead to such supposition. We find 1t en-
tering into the composition of other COM
mercial articles. Much of the cochineal
used in the arts Is simply this sulphate of
baTyta rolled in the moistened dye stuff
till 1t constitutes half of the weight of the
fictitious coloring matter
There is an allied substance, gypsum,
which Is even more abundantly distributed
than the barytes, and this has become, on
account of its lower price, of much i'm
portance in adulteration. 1t has been
found in starch to the extent of nearly
one-fifth of the weight of the amylaceous
compound. The amount oft that may be
added TO artificial fertilizers, without de-
lection by ordinary means, is only limited
by the conscience of the manufacturer,
and this limit can hardly be regarded as
safe one in the face of what chemical
analysis points out. A purple dye material,
called litmus, should be, according to
Webster's Dictionary, obtained from
lichen, the archil, and from an euphor-
bious plant, common in the south of Eu-
rope" but is, commercially, small cubes of
gypsum, stained or impregnated with the
ooloring matter OF these plants. Indigo
itself does not escape sophistication by the
same substance.
Dye stuffs seem to be favorites on which
to exercise skin in adulteration In COM
merciql madder, we lind any or all of saw
dust, almond husks, bran, pine bark, acacia
wood, spent madder, sand, clay, brick dust
and ocher. Cochineal should be the dried
carcasses of the c0ccus cdct6 but usually
consists of the same intermixed with white
lead, barytes, soapstone, fragments of me-
tallic lead, and with the spent dye. Prus-
sian blue contains artificial ultramarine
| (now prepared at q cost of not more than
| fifteen cents per pound) chrome yellow
holds fully seventy-hve per cent of its
weight of barytes anotta has red ocher,
powdered bricks, colcothar, chalk, gyp-
sum, turmeric, and farinaceous substances,
whilst the turmeric itself is extensively
falsifed.
But these are matters which affect US
but little when compared to articles of
food and diet These, it might be thought,
would escape Justification, since conse-
quences much more serious and alarming
might be the result of their adulteration.
But we find very few articles of food, re-
quiring previous artificial preparation, to
be without sophistication. Alum, sui
phate of copper and sulphate of lime have
been found in bread, in addition to the
possibilities of Justification in the original
-four. Milk has been suspected to con-
tain an undue amount of water, and has
been found at times with dextrine, starch,
sleeps and calves brains, chalk and mag
nesia entering into its composition. But
ter may contain water, -four, and earthly
substances Tea is adulterated with Prus-
sian blue, indigo, gypsum, chromate OF
lead, and copper compounds, and is some
times made up entirely oftea dust, ground
rice and gum Coffee is not always the
dried herb of the C9Gea Ardbica, what
ever this popular belief may be, but is fire.
quently made up of chicory, roasted corn,
acorns, and leguminous seeds. Chocolate
was formerly regarded as a preparation oi
the The0byuaad cdcdO, but that was in the
days of Linneus, who Justly regarded Its
infusion as "the nectar of the Gods = now
it is largely composed of starch and amy
laceous substances, iron, ocher, and other
mineral matters. Cayenne pepper has
been known to contain red lead, and is
frequently found with colored sawdust as
a component. Mustard is falslt1ed
by the addition of wheat flour colored
with turmeric, and the mixture is rendered
sufficiently hot by the addition of red
| Oo1k nlxyh hn QcGnTfp6
escapes adulteration, but not so with vine
gar, which, as is well known, not unfre'
, quently contains oil of vitriol, and then Of
verify there is death hidden in the cruet
Olive Oil is naade from lard, or else il
adulterated with poppy oil, and the rancid
substance is sometimes treated with lith
arge, for the purpose of making it sweet
leaving variable amounts of lead com
pounds in the article for table use. Al
investigation of the various pickles ant
proprietary sauces would hardly be con
ductive to the peace of mind of one de
voted to their use, whilst the sweetmeat
and candies, which tradition tells us were
once composed mainly of sugar, are com
posed essentially of starch, -four, and paraf
fine, to say nothing of the arsenical anS
other mineral pigments with which theJ
are adorned. Happily, however, this las
cause of injury is being removed by tn
substitution of the inoffensive aniline O.
coal-tar colors, for purposes of orhamenta
J tion.
Thus much for the articles that grac
our tables. 1t fares perhaps little bette
, with the remedial agents we are wont t
employ, though many of these are alarm
ingly adulterated Patent or proprIetar,
medicined possibly escape this stigma
but as they frequently are potent enougl
for evil in themselves, we can hardly con
gratulate ourselves upon finding in then
E a safe refuge in diseases.
) In many instances, the dyes and pig
ments used about our wearing apparel
! and in the figures on our wall papers, ar
, open to serious objections. Arsenica
/ and lead colors are of too frequen
employment for such purposes, an
! suffering and death are traceable t
; their use. The writer found, in on
case brought to his notice, as muc
i as twenty-three grains of white arsenic /
square foot of green figured wall l-pape
I whilst the medical and technical journal
/ have recorded frequent instances of injur
: directly traceable to tarlatan and othe
e dresses dyed with Schweinfurth G
!. Scheele's green. 1t would be an interes
, ing question, if solution were practicabl
/ how far paralysis and some other forms {
4 disease were traceable to the lead glaze
: paper collars, and possibly some Of tn
g onus now resting on the contamination