Sharp County record., 1879-02-27
WHAT PEOPLE EAT.
Cheerful Revelations Before the Ana.
can Social Science Association.

can Social Science Association.
Mr.. George T. Angel read q nan.
before the American Social Science 4,
sociation at Boston, on "Public Hest
Associations, p" in which he made som
startling assertions about the adulter
ton of food he said
Cayenne pepper is adUlterated viii
red lead, mustard with ehrOmate Of Lead
vinegar with suIphuric acid, arsenicap
. corrosive sublimate. Tt is stated tbe
probably half the vinegar now sold
our cities is rank poison. One Of ON
Boston chemists analyzed Y package
of pickles, put up by Y different whOs
sale dealers, and found copper in IOc
them. MANY of our havOring oils, ,siruu,
iellies, and preserved fruits contai
pOisOns. The adulteratiOns Of tea an
too numerous to mention. Coffee isnd
only adulterated, but a patent has bee,
taken out for molding chickOrv into TIN
form Of coffee berries, and am told that
clay is now nodded and perhaps tiavore
with an essence, tOrepresent coffee. Co
Goa and chocolate are adulterated with
various mineral substances.
Several mills in New England, and
probably many elsewhere, are now en-,
gagged in grinding white stone into
fine powder for purposes OF adulteH
ton. At some of these mills they Grind
three grades-soda grade, sugar grade
and flour Grade. 1t sells for about hall
a cent apOund. Flour has been aduL
terated in England, and probably here
with plaster Of Paris, OOne-dust, sand
clav, chalk, and other articles. an
told that large quantities Of damaged
and unwhOlsOme grain are ground in
with -four, particularly with that kind
called Graham flour Certainly, hun
dreds, and probably thousands Of bar
rels of ''terra alba or white earth ARE
sOldi in our cities every year to be mixed
with sugars in confectionery and other
white substances. I am told by an emi.
nent physician that this tends to pro.
duce stone, kidney complaints, and va.
riOus diseases Of the stomach. A Bos.
ton chemist tells me that he has found
IS per. cent. Of 'terra alba" in what was
sold for cream of tartar used for cook
ing. A large New York house sells
three grades of cream Of tartar. A BOs
ton chemist recently analyzed sample
Of the best grade, and found 80 pei
cent. of ''terra alban in that Much Of
our confectionery contains 33 per cent
or more OF terra alba" The cOlOring
matter of confectionery frequently con.
tains lead, mercury, arsenic, and copper
Baking-pOwders are widely sold which
contain large percentage OF "terra al
ban and alum.
1t is not water alone that is mixed
with milk. Thousands OF gallons, and
probably hundreds Of thousands, are
sold in our cities which have passed
through large tins or vats, in which it
has been mixed with various substances,
Recipes for the mixture can be bought
by new milkmen from old, on payment
of the required sum. am assured, up.
on what I believe to bereliable authori-
", that thousands Of gallons Of so-called
milk have been, and probably are, sold
in this CITY whicn>dO not contain one
drop of the genuine article. Large
quantities of the meats OF animals more
or less diseased are sold in OH markets,
Cows in the neighbOrnOOd OF our large
cities are fed upon material which pro-
duces q large flow OF unwholesOme milk.
Poultry are fed upon material which
produces unWhOlesOme eggs. Meats
and fish are made unWholesOme, ire
quentlv poisonous, by careless and cruel
methods of killing. A California chem
ist recently analyzed many samples Of
whisky, purchased at different places ns
San Francisco. he found them adulter-
ated with creOsOte, salts OF copper, alum
and other injurious substances. lie
states it, in his published report, rs his
opinion that there is hardly any pure
whisky sold in that city. A gentleman
recently purchased from promlnen!
Boston firm cask Of pure sherry wine
for his sick wife. His wife grew worse
He had the wine analysed, and found
that there was not a drop of the juice OF
the grape in it. An eminent medical
gentleman Of Boston said to me: " The
authorizations of drugs in this country
are perfectly abominable. say that
laws should be enacted and enforced
prohibiting the manufacture and sale OF
these poisonous and dangerous articles
under severe penalties, and compelling
the manufacturers and sellers Of aduF
terated articles to tell buyers the precise
character of the adulterations.