, 1876-10-14
THE HOME.

IllE HOME.
BEWARE OF THE POTATO.
N TIE Editor f The Tribune.
CHICAGO, Oct. 13.-Your readers lave very
fatnt idea Of tho very great valic Of tho article
recently published in yo,h columns from tho
pen Of Mr. Rosettcr, Of Lake Forest, on ndulter-
atcd sugnEs The writer " this dcstrcs 10 cx.
press hla hppo Tint Mr.. Il. will consider him
worthy co-tabnrcr In the battlo lIc fas COM
menced against Tho unpriniplcd merchants
aud manufacturers who polson their wares for
tho sake Of gain. The articles of s1r. Il. have
taken up much Rpace In your papcr for the last
two nontl,s, AMI this shows ilnw muc, conf
dcnco you placo In Ills statcnlonts. But are you
aware Of tic fact tha. Mr.. H. las only chosen
single nrttclc Of food out Of many which nrc
not only dc1ctcrlous In themselves, but also
"el,cnisalized lIcfore VIC use them to such at,
extent as 10 mako them absolutely polsonousl
l assure you, SIR. II Ii fact,
as 1 propose 10 show In this nhort
paper. But first lot INC remark that
tue bol1ncss Of Mr.. r. III this Gauss is very com-
meudablc. OF cullrse he knows whereof
he speaks, and why should any one attempt to
rcfutc facts 50 plalnly stated by aueh close
and acctiFato observer as MI. r. shows himself
to bca There was one gentlcrnnn few weeks
ago (l'rof. H. who had the assumption not only
to intimate tint Mr.. RS articles were unsub-
stantlntca by facts and tlgurca, but hu even con.
sidercd tllcm Sensational. anu you showed
true knowledge by hcadlng his arttclo "Checky,"
wi,crc1tpon i1snny Of your readers reJniccd. " a
Lady Header attacked the Professor vigorous
", revlling him with surl! expressions as mr.
Thanks hm for considering. tho articles SONS
tiuilal. This fs inSt and right, for not
only hare you donc tho public SER
vice, but doubtless you have taught
Tic Professor that ho must keep hIs science out
form to " "cxperlonce, ut is Inevitably cheeky
and out OF place.. Il is highly Instructive to
notice how completely and utterly MIR. II.
sacicntiac men Of pllysIc|ans. 1le has taken thss
proper course to provo 4is statements In this
respect, and II Is best for thu scientists not to
interfere What docs n chemist c. T., know
not dctcctl Nothing, absolutely nothing; hut
the close observer docs SCI tic oftcts Of these
traces On tho human organism, aud hence hG
knows tlley urc thore.
No Chemists With their acids Or ppcctroscopes
chi, deny such facts as are thus obtained.
But now to tho special subject in hand. The
writer hopes that his article niay do good to tho
many u1'suspcctsng vlct!rs to TIC instdious
poison they arc daily consuming with their fool
Perhaps no article is more largely consumed ns
food by the masacs thnn the vegetable known as
tho potato. but when VIC look ut Its modc OF
growth, the Insects that feed upon It, the dis
eases 1t Is liable to, how cal VIC fail to rccug-
nfzo tllat VIC arc oil In Danger of entering pre-
It is Perfectly well known to ali Of your read
crs tint Il poisonous substance known rs PARIS
green is used 10 large extent to protect the
! Vine from tho potato bug. Parlsgrccn Is y
aud copper, either one OF Its constituents being
very poisonous. a chemical aualysis wonld de-
terlnftse for us whether the arsonic or the cop
per iinls It's way into tho cdbe portion Of tic
lcnf analyses; they aro Of no use to. us In this
matter, for oven though tho chemist ilntl no
arsenic or no copper, could nny one doubt that
traces ot these elements Do find their WY into
tocs} Besides, tle experience OF tho great nlass
| OF your readers Is In favor Of tlls conclusion,
| for l dars say most Of then, llaye known
| cases where persons with weak stolnacfss, or
| for breakfast and been alut before nlIoi. It Is
tno thu public WIS aroused III this matter, ms
/ wo have M means Of showing how nlnny aro
being sl9wly but turey Eoisome1 BY their dn!ly
Professor In u!,e OF our largest institutions Of
| learning, oncc made chemical examination of
sonc potatoea grown III presence Of l'arls green,
bit lie failel 70 detect nnytlfl'E poisonous III
them. STILL this does not NfGcct MY statement
In tho lgnst, tllnt people have been sick inter
eating pntatocs, l,IRt tho sa1,c as utter eating
"ellenitalizel susars."
Further tan tl!Is, It is evident that there Is u
never hec Isolated or descrlbr,l. This isprove.l
by the fuet TINT the pUtato-bug, which feeds
upnn them, IL poisonous, and where does this
poison cotllv from II not FROM tho rotato2
StIll another point may be raised here relative
to tie moral effect uf cutting SO n.u:h potato. It
| Is d wGll-knowr fnct that food taken into tho
stomach ulidcrgocs certain changes, and tho
different PORTIONS are Transformed into certain