Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-10-03

GEORGE T. .ANGELLs GROUPING OF FACTS on
THE SUBJECT.


of Boston, was of n character to suggest
that an anti-poisoning society would bt
more useful than amy of the Temperance
societies.
Mr. Angel quotes from the ''Grnc'T'S
NaHUal. book prepared expressly to
tell grocers how to detect the adnltera-
tions. to show. for instance, that cream oi
tartar is seldom found over 80 per cent
pure. the rest being white earth, produc-
ing painful kidney and stomach diseases.
CAYENNE pepper is dehased with red
ochre. cinnabar, vermilion and sulphuret
ofmercury and usually color preserved by
red lead and Venetian red chicory is dan
Cerously adulterated. Cocoa and all pre-
pared coflees are colorcd with poisonous
substances as well as countcrfelted.
Confectionery is all colored with poison
and mixed with chalk and earth. Teas
are ..doctored" largely with arseniate of
copper, verdigris, mineral green, Prus-
sian blue. tale. clay. soapstone, etc. and
moi only in China. but 10y importers III
! New York and Philadelphia. Only I'M
colored teas are safe to drink. Mr.
/ Angel SAYS he has the ''most conclusive
evidences as to this matter Of tea. Pick
/ les are apt TO be made with lead, copper
and vitriol vinegar, for half the vinegar
sold in the cities is rank poison. Sugars
and svrups are made in the majority Of
cases from glucose, or grape sugar,
which is made by boiling corn starch
with sulphuric acid Toll of vitriolJ. and
then mixingit with lime. Prof. kedzie of
the Michigan State Agricultural College
analvzed Il specimens of table syrup, and
found II of them made of glucose; one of
the IL contained al grains Of oil vitriol
and 724 grains of lime 10 the gallon /; and
another. which had caused serious sick
ness in a whole family, - grains Of oil of
/ vitriol. Is of sulphate of iron tcoppcras)
and 1863 grains Of lime to the gallon.
/ Mr. Angel saws this mischievous sub
stance is used to adulterate no. only cane
but maple sugar and syrups, also candies,
iellies and honey and we may add that
most light ales are largely charged with
it. Mr. Angel has evidence that large
portion of the sugars sold in New York
city contain not only glucose. but muri-
ate of tin, employed in bleaching them.
Baking powders are made productive of
gripping heartburn, constipation and dys-
pepsia by the use of alum which costs
but three cents 81 pound instead Of cream
tartar which costs thirty Baking pow
some. In connection with this subject
Mr. Angel adds that mills in various
parts of the United States are now grind
ing thousands of tons of white stone INTO
n fine powder, which sells for about half
a cent pound, and that in some of these
mills they grind three grades, called soda
grade. sugar grade and flour grade.
Mr. Angel SAYS that one of the large
a.4, /, L
that the adultcrations of drugs are now
SO great that it is almost impossible to
make living by selling honest goods.
4 doctor orders medicine for IL patient
i'll extreme danger. The article has only
a quarter of the strength it should have.
and the patient dies This is the case as
put by an eminent Boston physician
The amount of arsenic imported into
this country during the year ending june
80, 1879 was 1927, ,7i2 pounds, each
pound capable of killing , 500 dult hui
man beings 1t is sold most as freely as
wood and coal, at Wholesale price of
from cent and a half to two cents q
pound. This from Mr.. Angel, who
says it is used in wall papers, wrapping
papers for confectionery, children's
kindergarten papers, artificial flowers,
tickets. cards, underwear, dress goods,
gloves. walls. toys, baby carriages and
many other articles
prof Nichols of the Massachusetts
institute of technology found eight grains
Of ats,ii, L. cn~h -Tr,n-" foot cf ,fre-u
Another chemist found ten grains Of ar
senic i'll Il single artificial flower. \ child
in Troy, y. Y, some time since, died i'll
commissions by taking arsenic from veil
Il, 4. 4
case has been recently brought to my
knowledge Of a Boston gentleman So
severely poisoned hy wearing POISONOUS
undertaking that for several days he
could hardly see. 1t has been estimated
that full three-quarters of wall papers
now manufactured contain arsenic. The
Michigan State Board Of Health has re
Gently published book containing 10
specimens of these papers, and it has
been put into every important public
library Of Michigan. This book advises
Q) TO use no wall paper at all; % never
TO use wall paper without first having 1t
tested fer arsenic; and 80 if arsenical pa
per is already ON the walls, and cannot
well be removed, then las some protec-
tom to cover it with coat of varnish. |
There can be no doubt that thousand Of
people i'll this country are now suffering, |
and many have died. from the effects Of |
arsenical wall paper.
Lead poisoned from pipes was adverted |
to as IA preface TO warnings (Which have |
been given Of late at considerable length |
i'll our columnsl against the use Of tin |
vessels III which the genuine and perfect |
! Y safe metal tin has been alloyed with |
the cheaper lead to make dishes used for |
cooking food, keeping milk, sauce or 9th |
or articles IN, or for canning fruit. All |
this cheap tin ware is poisonous, as is the |
pretty cnameled or ''marbleized' iron |
ware and there is also Il cheap tin plat |
ing now coming INTO use for so-called flat |
roofs, for eave-spouts and pipes, which |
are SO charged with lead that they are |
dangerous where the water passing over |
them goes to cistcrns for household use. |
MIR. Angel stopped at this point, but |
said that he could go on with hundred |
pages of these kindred facts,
and added that ''of dangerously |
aLulterated articles Sold probably all the
chemists in America have never dyed |
one sample in ten thousand; that i'll
many eases pure samples Of adultcratcd .
articles and prepared expressly for chemi-
cal analysis and that, of all the eases of |
sickness and death resulting from these
polsons, probably not one ease in ten
Thousand has been traced 10 its real |
cause"
The Boston sociologist holds that pro
tcclive health associations can be sue
cessfnlly operated to clear the market Of .
adulterations, counting on the co-opera-
ton of all honest merchants. who want
to sell honest goods and not be undersold |
by dishonest ones. These associations
should provide for the chemical analysis
OF ariicl'H, and every impure article de-
ttctcd will find It's way back toits original
with a demand for repay
mcnt and damages Such is Mr. Angell's
1T will not" he thinks,
''bc necessary 10 prosecute on" case in II
and every innocent party will
he protected, for no man will care to
fight powerful organizations. sustained
by honest merchants and good citizens "