National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-01-01
POISON AND ADULTERATINa.
Aduiterated ArticIes-Peisonous Hair Dyes
Miik-Adultcruted Groccries-wine,B Beer
and Iiauors-A Diflcult Hsform.

Aduiterated Articles Poisonous Hair Dyes
Miik-AduItcraied Groccrics-wine, Beer
} and Liquors-A Dinicult Reform.
Occasionally, says the New York Epa,ing
Post Professor Chandler, chemist Of the
board Of health, favors the public with some
interesting results Of his hunts for adulter-
ated articles Of one kind and another. At
one time cosmetics engage his attention. He
analyzes halr-dyes, ,complexion-washes, enam-
els and skin-powders, and other Of those mys-
terious toilet preparations with which with
cred age yainly seeks to produce the Illusion
Of youth and beauty. Men read his revela-
tions with wonder and amusement. But we
should think that the women who indulge In
these pigments would shudder TO know that
the stuff that they daub on their faces (and
which cheats nobody Is about one half pol
son, not only involving the complexion in
still nrther ruin, but inIuring the health Sc
riOusly. sdll, we suppose the Mrs. Skew
tons Of society will 20 on with their painting,
willing to take the risk Of poison 30 that they
may be beautiful forever" Another year
Professor Chandler makes his scientific raid
on the milk dealers, and relieves everybody
anxiety with the information that water Is,
practically, the only substance employed In
the adulteratiOn Of milk. "ChAlk, " II SCENE,
is only joke Of the newspapers. Chalk,
though cheap costs something, and that Is
good enough reason for not using II for the
"enrichment" Of milk; and, besldes, II has an
awkward property Of precipitatlng itself
from the solution. But water can be added
In considerable proportions, and none but q
kecn-eyed housewife or chemist be any the
wiser.
To the researches OF Professor Chandler
and others we owe the present law or ordi-
nance Furnishing the admixture Of water with
milk; and II Is one Of the most refreshing In
cidents Of breakfast, In running through ones
newspaper, to mark how some rogue Of q
milk dealer has been caught over night In the
act OF opening q hydrant Into his cans, and
arrested and locked up. Since this regula-
tion began TO be enforced the old family
sickly blue tint Of town milk Is icss com.
monty noticed. In that regard, as In other
matters the Board Of Health have been pub
lie benefactOrs. A great number Of adultera-
tons, however, still continue to defy thom;
they also defy tho withering exposures OF
newspapers, One Of the city journals some
time ago butted against the adulterations Of
groceries. II kept q chemist who went about
spending money most prodigally, buying half
pounds Of tea and coffee, and butter and
cheese and lard. These he bought at hun
dreds Of different places, and then remorse-
lessly put them through his retorts and filter
Ing papers and all sorts Of games, and ex-
tractod from them pretty much everything
with his horrible work, he had drugs and
poisOns enough to set up tirst-class apothe-
The paper which did this enterprislng thing
published one day broadside of names Of
lTocers who sold all these loathsOme messes
To unsuspecting New York. II was clever
sensation, but we do not suppose II hurt the
grocer's business very much, or made honest
butter and lard and tea and coffee any more
abundant In the marts. The same and other
journals have attacked adulterations In the
wine, beer and liquor llnes-but what Teeog-
niEable good have they all done7 Poisoned
liquor continues to be sold In the back slums,
and In the better quarters, too, as freely as
ever. The latest contribution TO our knowl-
edge Of adulterated 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, salaratus, cream OF tarter and baking
powders. OF the sugar, as tested, his state
ment Is quite reassuring. Out OF the 100
specimens Of lump" and "brown," bought
at small grocery stores none were adulterated;
though We are not surprised to hear that Isl
were slightly mixed with dust, eight were
considerably mixed, and Ave were very dirty"
The presence Of oil this dirt is probably the
fault of the unswcpt and unwatcred streets,
and not necessarily proof Of the small groccr's
manipulatlons.
Dirt is unpleasant, but II does not kill; SO
we may be thankful that the sugar is as good
as Is reported. The salaratus also panned
out not badly; II was free from Injurious
admlxtuTe." The cream OF tartar examined
was always adulteratedi and some OF the
baking powders were shocking concoc-
tions, one Of them being rotten and stenchfnl
These arc valuable additions TO the stock OF
popular knowledge relative to the articles
specially investigated, and may for while
warn dealeIs against selling and people
against buying worthless cream Of tartar and
putrld baking powders. But no general re-
form can be achieved until we have law
furnishing those who are guilty Of thus tam
pering with health and llfe-such law as
England has recently passed and Is now Gu
forTipp with PreaL benpft