Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-02-07
WHAT PEOPLE EAT AND DRINK.
Some Very Cheerful Revelations Before
the American Social Science AssOcia.
tiOu


the American Social Science AsSocia.
ton.
Mr.. George I. Angel read paper
before the American Social Science as.
ISOLATION at Boston, recently on Pub
lie Health Associations, ia which liz
made some startling assertions about
the adulteration Of food. lie said:
Cayenne pepper is adulterated with
red lead mustard with chromate 81
lead, curry powder with red lead, vine,
gar with sulphuric acid, arsenic and
corrosive sublimate. 1t IS stated that
probably half the vinegar now sold III
our larger cities is rank poison. One OF
our Boston chemists analysed twelve
packages of pickles, put up by twelve
different wholesale dealers, and found
copper in ten of them. Many of our
lavoring oils, syrups, jellies and pre-
served fruits contain poisons. The
authorizations of tea are too numerous
to mention. Coffee is not only adulter-
ated, but a patent mas been taken out
for molding ehiccory into the form OF
coffee berries, and | am told that clay
is now nodded, and perhaps favored
with an essence, To represent coffee.
Cocoa and chocolate are adulterated
with various mineral substances.
"Several mills III New England, and
probably many elsewhere, are now en-
gagged in grinding white stone into fine
powder, for the purposes Of adultera-
ton. At some Of these mills they grind
three grades-soda grade, sugar grade
and flour grade. 1t sells for about hall
II cent Il pound. Flour has been adul-
terated in England, and probably here,
with plaster of paris, bone-dlst, sand,
clay, chalk, and other articles. | am
told that large quantities of damaged
and unwholesome 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
sold in our cities every year to be mixed
with sugars i'll confectionery and other
white substances. lam told by an EN-.
lnent 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
ID per cent Of terra alba III what was
sold rs cream of tartar, used for cook
ing. a large New York House sells
three grades of cream Of tartar. A
Boston chemist recently analysed a
sample Of the best grade, and found 81
per cent of 'terre alba III that. Much
of our confectionery contains 33 per
cent or more of terra alba. The col
oring matter of confectionery frequent
ly contains lead, mercury, arsenic and
copper. Baking powders are widely
sold which contain Il large percentage OF
terra alba and alum.
at 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 watts, in which il
has been mixed with various sub
stances. Recipes for the mixture can
be bought by new milkmen from old on
payment of the required sum. ! am
assured. upon what believe to be reli-
able authority that thousands Of gallons
Of so-called milk have been, and prob
ably are, sold III this city, which do not
contain one drop of the genuine article
Large quantities Of the meats Of ami
mails more or less diseased are sold in
our markets. Cows i'll the neighbor.
hood of our large cities are fed upou
material which produces a large flow
of unwholesome milk. Poultry are fed
upon material which produces unwhole-
some eggs. Meats and fish are made
unwholesome, frequently poisonous, by
careless and cruel methods of killing
a California chemist recently analized
many samples of whisky, purchased al
different places in San Francisco. He
found them adulterated with creosote
salts Of copper, alum, and other injuri
published report, as his opinion thai
there is hardly any pure whisky sold il
that city. a gentleman recently pur
chased from prominent Boston firm 3
cask Of pure sherry wine for MS sick
wife. His wife grew worse. he hac
the wine analyzed, and found there wa
not a drop Of the juice Of the grape il
it. An eminent medical gentleman
of Boston said to me: The adulteratior
of drugs in this country is 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 maaufac
turers and sellers of adulterated articles
to tell buyers the precise character d
the adulterations.'