National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-17
BOARD OF HEALTH

FEE
An adjourned meeting q the Board Of Health
was held at their rooms last evening" DR.. o. O.
Cox, president, in the chair.
Mr MArbury, from the finance committee, re-
ported bills amounting to S225.0o, which were APP
proved and ordered to be paid.
Prof. Langston, from the committee on ordi-
nanees reported on the resolution IN relation to
putting water-clssets in houses and the supplying
Of proper traps, stating that the board had not
the authority to impose fine In the cases sug-
gesbed.
The resolution was reconmitted with instruc-
tons TO prepare an ordinance 10 cover the cases.
Prof. La1gston, from the special committees,
presented the annual reports OF the health oneer,
Secretary, treasurer, committee on ordinance and
president, for him 70 prepare his report.
The following Is synopsis Of the operations OF
the health ONCE for the week ending November IA:
Nuisapees reported, $685. referred, n; abated 353;
referred to the Commissioners, Is; citizens com
plants, Is; notices Issued 9; causes OF death In
Testgated, o burisls at public expense, s. persons
treated BY physicians to the poor so; cost Of medi
cnes furnished, $40 O7 loads Of garbarge removed,
"a; priVies cleaned, 956. Marine products, in
ters; eondemnations-2zT punches fish, IS pounds
beet, Is pounds mutton, IS pounds veal, l7pounds
pork, geese, turkey, rabbits, II chickens.
Animals tmpounded, %; redeemed, %; remaining
In pound, /; amount realized, t3O.50.
OhaEles o. HALL made application for position
under the board as Waterman
Commissioners authorizing the Board OF Health
to take charge of HOlmead cemetery, and permit
no buTials therein or removal Of bodies therefrom
without the consent Of the proper authorities.
Or. P. T. Keene, health officer, submitted, in
connection with HIS annual report, a copy Of the
report Of the chemical and mieroscopical analysis
of samples Of various kinds Of food, made by b.
T. Craig NJ. d., chemist Of the board, Of which
the following Is q synopsis:
me examinations have been made with the
view Of determining the presence or absence OF
adulteration, and more especially Of those adpl-
teratiOns that would work direct injury to the
health Of consumers. The distinction between
injurious and harmless authorizations is, however,
not easily maintained for as most Of the articles
examined are used for the sustenance Of the body,
for its restoration from fatigue or sickness, and
sometimes for specific medicinal purposes, hardly
Eu6traets iron the benehelai eTects expected
from the substance consumed.
Mustard, for example, is used not only used as
q condiment, but often applied externally as .
counter irritant in cases Of congestion Of the
brain and other organs, or given internally for
the purpose Of emptying the stomach in cases Of
In these Instance the mischief that may result
from the use Of that which pretends to be mus
tard, but is not is little diminished by the fact
that the authorizations are inert and inuxious sub
When It Is considered that tea and coffee are
largely used TestOratiTes for the sick, and that
their usefulness in the maintenance OF the health
Of the hard worked or the underied Is well estab-
nshed, lt Is evident that any ndulteratioh o. them
furious to public health, and It may be safely as
sHmed that where no special legal provisions
have been made on the subject Of falsineation Of
food and medicine, and ne independent corps Of
public analysts has been established, the matter
should be taken cogniEanee Of by the Board Of
Health without regard TO narrow authorizations
per 90, and those Injurious by their secondary
consequences. The article Of which the chemists
received the largest number OF samples was that
Of tea Thirty have been examined, including
eight black, nineteen green and three Japan.
TIE admixture, formerly very common, Of leaves
tected 70 any great extent the tea either consist
ing entirely Of genuine leaves, or being mixed
with small quantities OF those foreign leaves
which are most like in their shape and markings.
When afteT an ocular examination, q chemical
analysis was made, and the teas found almost
ioS v 70 bss os tne Hn.,oed IN IN
rely for test Of purity, viz: The amount OF ash
lett after burning, which in the case Of tea Is
quite different from that Of other leaves. The
frst result Of the analysis showed that these evil
dences OF purity we're very frequently deceptive,
and that cheaper teas were largely composed Of
additions Of mineral matter having been made to
mislead the chemist who should rely on the
weight Of the ash as proof Of purity.
The probability Of 3 chemical examination and
q knowledge Of It's general character being kept
in view by the adIlteTator, frauds in the CON-
position Of tea must sometimes escape detection,
even after careful examination, butout OF thirty
samples Of tea which have been examined there
are eighteen whose authorizations are pretty eer-
tain, and several others in which It Is strongly
suspected. One Of the eharscteristies Of tes is
the presence in Il Of large amount Of the metal
manganese, and when tea Is burned, with q free
supply Of air, the chemist has observed speeks OF
the green manganate Of potash here and there
among the ashes. The most important ingredient
Of tea, theme, is that which seems TO vary the
most, chemists having found in genuine teas
amounts varying from i've per cent. down to less
than one half Of one per cent. 1t is difficult to
separate and collect 1t entirely and without loss.
TIE character Of tea can be decided on to con-
siderable extent without the aid Of chemical OF
micrOscOpieal appliances. The worst form Of
adulteration-tbat known to the Chinese dealers
a. n dRfaetad nv thu fact that
what is left in the pot mass OF mud and mis-
eellaneous fragments, among which but few
leaves Of any kind are to be found. II leaves Of
some other plant have been used little optical
examination will reveal the fraud.
II some other method than that Of tasting is
desired for the purposes Of determining the quail
itF Of the tea It's freedom from redried leaves,
It msy be found by weighing the amount Of mat
ter extracted from the tea by water and left after
the water has been eTaported at moderate
heat.
There should be from thirty to forty-fve per
cent in the black, and from thirtyhye % nfty per
cent in that Of green tea. In the latter there is
q form Of admiXture about which 1t has been dis
puted whether IL is an Gdulteration or not. In
in all cases. The ingredients OF It were PrussIan
blue and q little Vegetable yellow dye, mixed
with KaTlin or China clay. This is sometimes
pearance Of balls Of green paint than dried leaves
The use Of it can be detected by breaking one Of
the grains, when the inside will be found 70 be
real color can thus be ascertained.
THE ROASTED CoPFEEs.
No. 81 shows an evidence Of impurity under the
microscope, and answers satisfactorily to the
chemical tests. No. So contained not much more
than i Of its weight OF real coffee the rest being
ehlcory and ground beans or peas. No. IS was
equally impure, the authorizations being chiefly
ground wheat and Indian corn. The extract OF
coffee No. SO is more worthless than even the two
former samples. What amount OF coffee was
used in its preparation cannot exactly be given,
but the main part of tits ehicory -four, sc. The Ve
samples Of ungrOund coffee were all Of them genu-
inc berries, and although limitations OF coffee ber
Ties have been put in the Market yet they are sell
dom met with. The samples Ofm ustard examined
were found to be mixed with farinAcsoHs sub
stances.
This large adulterstion induced the chemist to
extend his Investigations further, and he pro-
cured samples Of mustard from the apotheearies,
and all Of these were found TO be impure One
sample Of ground pepper was examined and
found to contain wheat -four, which was dis
unguishabe by the largeness Of the starch car
puscles. Five samples Of sugar were Analysed
four white and one light brown. No adultera-
tons were discovered, and as . general rule
there are few articles Of commerce Of which
there is 80 little ndulterat!on. In the coarse
brown sugars, which are consumed on account Of
their supposed eheapness impurities are found
which sometimes render them unit for articles Of
food. In the samples Of bread, made from o
second-rate quality Of -four, no adulteratiOn was
found.
The report was referred to the committee on
publication and the board adjourned.