The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-30
What We Eat,


The adulte'ation Of food and drinks has
become almost as general as tho use Of
these articles ITSELF Scarcely an article
used by men in civilized countries has es-
capped this process where it was possible
to unite some cheaper substance with 1t.
Flour, coffee, ten, sugar, butter, and hun
dred other articles, are well known to be
the commonest articles that undergo this
adulteratIon process. The methods have
been so often exposed that the public are
tolerably acquainted with the manpiula-
tons these substances undergo at the
hands OF experts. ..
Bread, truthfully called the staff Of life,
is no exception to this rule.
The New York Post has been giving this
subject some attention, and hRs published
tho resul ! OF some remarkable investiga-
tons, which arc worthy the close atteA-
ton Of thoughtful people.
From It's recent exposure OF the use OF
burnt alum IN some brands Of baking poudes,
in place OF cream Of tartar, the following
extracts arc mainly taken:
Pursuing the investigation OF the quality
oil the food sold in this city, the represen-
tative Of the Ereuiig Poa took up baking
powder as one Of the articles in most gene
raj use in our households. It is used BY
nearly every family in the city, and it is
naturally Of great importance to those who
eRt the food made with it to know whether
it contains anything injurious TO health.
There arc certain constituents OF good
baking powder which may be regarded as
entirely free from danger. They consist
Of pure grape.cream Of tartar, bicarbonate
oil soda, and carbonate OF ammonia. The
cream OF tartar unites with the other two
ingredients, and carbonic acid Cas is
thrown of, producing the same effect as
yeast in a much shorter timp. Ithas boon
found, howoVer, that alum will also unite
with tho other two articles, and Carbonic
acid gas will be produced. AS alum costs
less than three cents, while cream OF tartar
costs more than thirty cents, u pound, it is
easy to SEQ why alum is substituted for the
latter by some baking powder manufacture
ers. It's admitted by'all medical authors
ties that cream Of tartar leaves no in
furious substance in the bread; alum,
on the other hand, is i'll itself an
astringent, mud there is wide and
deep.Soated prejudice against Its uso. In
England and other countries the aduItera-
ton Of food with alum is forbidden by law
under heavy penalties. The chemical ef-
feet OF alum used in bread to whiten it is
to form two salts Of NlUmin0-the sulphato
and tho phosphate of alumina. When
used in baking powder the alum forms a
third salt, the hylrate Of alunlina, as we'll
as tho other two, This hydrptp olalumina
is far more easily soluble than tho other
two; hence any objection that may exist
to the use OF alum alone in bread applies
with greater force TO its use in baking
powder. This fact can be proven by the
P4rke is the leader Of the new school OF
hygiene in England. In his Treatise on
Hygiene" he says; "Isooking then to tho
positive evidence, and the reaSonableness
Of that evidence, 1t seems to me extreme
" likely that strongly alumed bread does
not produce the injurious effects ascribed
to it," These effects, as he previously
states, are indigestion, gripping, constipG-
ton, and kindred troubles resulting from
irritation Of the mucous membrane, pro-
dpped by the astringent properties OF
In DR.. Hammond's work on Hygiene,
written in 1880, tho following passages
occur: "Alum acts by rendering the al6u-
men in the bread less soluble" "The
use Of alum in bread is injurious, both be-
cause it tends to conceal the bud quality OF
the flour employed, aud because il is capa-
bic OF exercising m injurious effect upon
tho bread by rendering it indigestible. It
is also probable that tho continued inpes.
ton Of alum is calculated 10 disorder tho
healthy action OF the digestive system"
Persons who have not strong constitu-
tons, growing girls, young children, and
nursing mothers, arc particularly liable to
the evil effects produced by this use of
alum. Heartburn and the prevalent forms
oil indigestion are often solely traceable to
the action Of alum on the delicate coats OF
the stomach.
To make sure Of knowing the action OF
alum, tho Evening Posts representative OBJ
tanned thefollowing expressions OF opinion
us to its effects when used in baking pow
der from physicians Of New York Of the
highest reputation and ability:
DIR. William A. Hammond, formerly
SUPERINTENDENT United States, OF No. Ia
West Fiity-iourth street, expressed him.
self us perfectly certain OF the injurious
effects Of alum, whether used alone TO
whiten bread, or rs an Sdulterant OF hal.
ing powders, Abiding to tho claim adj.
vanced that the alum was neutralized and
changed into an insoluble salt, he said that
this was wholly improbable assumption,
since such perfect change could not take
place unless tho amounts OF the alum and
the bicarbonate Of soda were combined in
the exact chemical ratio necessary ior
each to absorb all Of tho other. Not only
was this impossible in tho manufacture
Of large quantities Of baking powder,
but the homogeneous character al
the compound could not DO exactly
maintained throughout the whole mass.
and therefore there would ho sure to IN q
certain amount Of Tree alum in any bread
made with an alum baking powder. But
even Il the exact proportion were main.
tanned, the salts formed would retain their
injurious properties, as they would be dis.
solved inthe gastric Juice. The gastriciu Juice
contained not only tactic acid, but large
amount OF hydro,Chloric acid, and both
tho sUlphate and hydrate Of alumina
would DO dissolved. Thephosphate mi1ht
not be, but in that case tho bread would |
10 deprived Of ono OF its most desirable
Ingredients, making he use Of alum mol onlv
dangerous 70 NeIqMacl, but deterloratiug to
the food.
"The hydr0tc Of alunina,n DR.. Ham,