Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-11-17
Special Meeting of the Health Board.

FOOD Authorizations BIC.
at 4 special meeting OF the Board of Health
lg.t night the weekly report OF the health OIL
Ger was submitted, showing 5j3 nuisancss
aOated; causes OF death investigated; ) buri-
ais AZ puohc expense; - persons treated by
physicians; cost OF medicines furnished the
poor, 80 o. 81 loads Of garbage removed. Ma
rln6 pIOuucts, inspecrlOAs-g,pTj punches AN,
1850 bushels oysters, concentrations ~
buHChes ash, - pounds beef, i pounds NUT
ton, Is pounds veal, IL pounds pork, 3 geese,
turkey, rabbits, Il chickens. Animals i'm
pOuTded, p; redeemed, %; remaining in
pound, /; amount realized, $3.50.
An order was read from the District Commits
siOneTS directing the Board of Health to take
charge OF the Iulmesd cemetery and permit no
more buriGis therein without the consent Of the
FOOD ADULrRBATIoNs.
Dr. L. i. heeue, health officer, submitted, in
connection with his annual report, a copy of tue
report OF the chemical and micrOScOpial anaIy-
sis OF samples Of various kinds OF food, made by
B. /. Craig, NJ. D., chemist Of the board. The
report states that the examinations have bssn
made with the view OF deter mining the presence
or absence OF adUltaration, and more espacjaIIy
OF those authorizations that would work direcr
INJURY TO the health OF consumers. The article
OF which the chemists received the largest nam
Der OF samples Was that OF tea. Thirty have been
examined, including eight black, nineteen
green, and three Japan. The admixfure form
ely very common, OF leaves entirely unlike tea
III appearance, was not detected ID any great
cxteLt. the tea either consisting entirely OF gem
GIJe leaves, or being mixed With small quaint.
ties Of those foreign leaves which are most Ike
il their shape and markings. After an CcuIar
exS1Ilna-Ion, chemical analysis was made
Tie nGal result OF the analysis showed that the
cheaper teas were largely composed OF leaves
Httch had been drawn once and redriei. out
OF thIrty samples Of tea which have been exam
ined there are eighteen whose authorizations ara
pretty certain, and several others in
fra II is strongly SUSPECTED. One OF
in IT OF a large amount of the metal man
ganese, and when tea il burned, with a free
supply OF air, the chemist has observed specks
OF the green manganate OF potash here and
ingredient Of tea, theine, Is that which seems
10 vary The most, che mists having found in gem
ulie teas amounts varying from tive per cent
down 10 less than One-half Of one per cent 1T
Is Cif1cGlt TO separate and collect it entirely and
without loss. The character Of tea can be ds-
cided TO considerable extent without the aid of
chemical or microsCOpjcal appliances The
worst ioTm OF ad1lteTatiOn-tbat known to the
Chlnese dealers as lie tea--is at once detected
by the fact that what is lett in the pot is a mass
OF nuC and Elscel aneOus fragments, among
which bDt few leaves of any kind are 70 he
t0unf. IL leaves OF some other plant have been
USED, a little optical examination will reveal the
IIaud. There WAS also found IN some SAMPLES
PrGssisn bloc and little vegetable yellow dive
mixed with Karin or China ciav. This il some
times used 50 freely as 10 give the tea more the
appearal1es on oalsI OF green paint than drisd
leaves. The use OF it can DC detected by break
ifg one o! the graIus, when the inside will be
round to be quite different color from the ont
SlbCi ana t!tb real color can nus e 2sCSrt
hod>tsd c0Hees show al evidence OF impurity
uhcer the microscope, and under Chemical
tests. one sample contained not more III 81
ons-thlrd OF its weight Of real coffee the bal.
arce OF ia sU bstance being obicory aud ground
pears. Another was equally impure. the adult
eraii0Ds being chiefly ground wheat and Indian
corn Ihe extract Of coffee is more worthless
IMAM even the roasted coffees. what amount of
coI.ce constituted its preparation cannot ex-
actly DC given, but in mala part il cbicOry,
LOpT, &c. The samples OF ungrOund coffee
were All Of them genuine berries, and although
limitations OF coffee berries have been put in
the market, yet they are seldom met with The
samples OF mustard examined were found
to DC mixed with faTinsceouS substances
The chemist procured samples or mustard
from the epothecaries, all OF which were
iOnnd 10 be impure. \ sample Of ground pep
per as examined and found TO contain wheat
houf, which WIS distinguishabie by the lar ye-
ness OF the starch CoT9uscles. Five samples of
sugar we've aIaly zed--touT white and one light
DIOwn. NO adulteratloPs were discovered, aud
e. general rule there are few articles of CON-
Inerce OF which there Is no little aduIteration.
Ia the coarse brown sugars, which are con-
SnmeC on account OF their supposed cheapDess,
impurities are found which sometimes render
them unit for articles of food In the samples
OF Dread, made from socODG-rste quality OF
hour no adulteration was found.
The report was referred -t3 the committee on
publication.