Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-27
Authorizations.

Occasionally, says the New York Evening
Post, Professor Chandler, chemist of the board
of health favorS the public with some interest
ing results of his hunts for adulterated articles
of one kind and another. AT one time cosmetics
engage his attention. He auayzes hair dyes,
complexion washes, enamels and skin powders
and other of those mysterious toilet prep ara
lions with which withered age vainly seeks to
produce the illusion of youth and beauty. Men
read his revelations with wonder and amuse-
ment. But we should think the women who
indulge in these pigments would shudder 10
know that the stuff they daub on their faces
land which cheats nobody is about one-bali
poison, not only involving the complexion in
still further rum, but injuring the health seri-
ousy. Sill, we suppose the Mrs. SkeWtouS of
society will 90 on with their painting, wiling to
take the risk of poison so that they may be
"beautiful forever" Another year, Professor
Chandler makes his scientific raid on the milk
dealers; and relieves everybody's anxiety with
the information that water is, practically, the
only substance employed in the adulteraton of
milk. "Chak, it seems, is only joke of the
newspapers. Chalk, though cheap, costs some.
thing, and that is good enough reason for not
using it Tor the "enrichment" of milk; and
besides, it has an awkward properly OF precipi-
tating itself from the solution. But wafer can
he added in conside able proportions, and none
but keen eyed housewife or chemist be any
the wiser.
To the researches of Prof Chandler and
others we owe the present law or ordinance pun
shing the admlXIure of water with milk and
1t is one Of the most refreshing incidents of
break fast, in running through ones newspaper
to mark how some rogue oil milk dealer has
Oeen caught over night in the act OF opening
hydrant into his cans, and arrested and locked
up. Since this regulation began TO be enforced
the old family sickly blue tint of town milk is
less commonly Noticed. In that regard, as in
other matters, the board of health have been
Duhiip bpuPiacfOrS. A UrpHt numhpr nj a6uItar
| aions, however, still continue to DEFY them;
they also defy the whitening exposures of news
papers. One OF the city journals, some time
ago 0uttcd against the adulteratonS OF groce-
ries. 1t kept chemist, who went about spend
ing money most prodigally, buying hall pounds
| of tea and coffee, and butter and cheese aud
lard. These he bought at hundreds Uf different
places, and then remOrSeleSslV put them through
his retorts and ftering papers and all sorts of
| games. and extracted IRON them pretty much
everything but ienpenny nails. When he was
through with bis horrible work, he mad drugs
and poisons enough to set up first class apoth.
ecary shop.
lie paDer which did this enterprisiug thing
published one day broadsi lie OF names of gro.
GERS who sold ali these loathsome mesSes to un-
suspecIing New York. II was a clever sensa-
ton, but we do not suppose it hurt The grocer's
business very much, or made honest butter and
lard and tea and coffee any more abundant in
the mariS. The same and other journals have at
tackled authorizations in the wine, beer and liquor
ines-but what recognizable good have they all
done? Poisoned liquor continues to he sold in
the back slums, and in better quarters, 100, as
freely as ever The latest contribution TO our
knowledge of adulteraied articles is made by the
chemist of the board of health in q report. the
substance of which we have already printed.
This time he poked about among sugar, saers-
tus, cream of tarter and baking powders. or
the sugar, as tested, his statement is quite
reassuring Out Of tie one hundred and nine
specimens Of "lump" and "brown," bought
at small grocery stores none were adult
terated; though we were not surprised to hear
that 81 were slightly mixed with dust, eight
were considerably mixed, and five were very
dirty" The presence of all this dirt is proba.
bly, the fault Of the unswept and unwatered
streets, and not necessarily proof of the small
grocer's manpulations.
Dirt is unpleasant, but it does not kill; so we
NAV be thankful that the sugar is as rood as
reported. The saleratus also PANIED ont not
badly; It was "lree from injurious admiXture d"
The cream OF tartar examined was also aduter-
ated; and some OF the baking powders were
shocking connections, one OF them being rotten
and stenchful. These are valuable additions 10
the stock of popular knowledge relative to the
articles specially investigated, and may for a
while warn dealers against selling and people
against buying worthless cream of tartar and
putrid baking powders. But 40 general reform
cal be achieved until we have law punishinr
those who are guilty Of thus tampering with
health and liie--such law as England has re.
Gently passed and is now enforcing with great
benefit.