The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-11-20

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maple-sugar, candies, jellies, honey,
etc. 1t is said to produce Bright's dis
ease of the kidney. Baking-powder
often contains alum, terra alba, insolu-
BILE phosphate of lime, etc. Mr. Angel
says that there are, in various parts of
the United States, mills that are every
year grinding thousands of tons OF
white stone into fine powder, which sells
for half a cent pound, and that in
I some of these mills are ground three
grades, called soda grade, sugar grade
and flour grade.
A Boston sanitary commission, few
years ago, estimated that in that city
100000 a year was paid for water
mixed with milk; and this years re-
port of the Milk Inspector for the same
city says the amount paid during last
year was over $6SO,00 Mr.. Angel in
Inmates that some of this water con-
tanned lead poison, and may have been
taken from wells which receive the
drainage of cess-pools. He says he has
evidence that over 80 per cent. of all
the milk sold in at least two of our large
cities is adulterated before it reaches the
consumer. Largely from this cause,
doubtless, results the enormous death
rate of children in the cities.
1t would naturally be supposed that if
the pure article could anywhere be
found, it would be in the matter of
drugs. Yet Mr.. Angel says he was in
formed by an eminent doctor of Boston
that so abominable are the adultera-
tons of drugs in this country that often
| ,hvr ord 20,
patient in extreme danger possesses on
| ly quarter of the strength it should
have, because of it's authorizations, and
in consequence the patient dies. A
wholesale drug dealer of Boston stated
that the authorizations of drugs was now
so great that it was almost impossible
to make living by the sale of honest
goods.
Thousands of tons of the meats of dis
eased animals, he said, ARE annually sold
in our markets, the detection of which
after they are dressed is almost impos-
sible.
If the statements Mr. Angel makes
in regard to arsenic are true, it is sur
prising that the known cases of arsenic
poisoning are not more frequent. Dur
ing the year ending June 90,
1875, 2,327,742 pounds of arsenic
were imported into this coun-
try, each pound of which contained
enough poison to kill $500 persons 1t
is sold in our markets at wholesale
price of two cents pound, and is used
in wall papers, paper curtains, lamp
shades, boxes, wrapping papers for con-
fectionery, tickets, cards, kindergarten
papers, artificial flowers, dried grasses,
eye shades, ladies' dress goods, wells,
sewing-silks, threads, stockings, gents
underwear, socks, gloves, hat Innings,
boot and shoe Innings, paper collars,
baby-carriages, children's toys, colored
enameled clothes, wool, silk, cotton and
leather goods, and in toilet powders and
candies. The case of a child in Troy,
N. Y, was cited who died in convul-
sions by taking arsenic from veil
thrown over its crib to keep off the flies.
The largest use of arsenic is in the prep
aration of our wall papers. The poison
Gus papers are of all colors and prices.
There can be no doubt, Mr.. Angel says,
that thousands of people in this country
are now suffering, and many have died,
from the effects of arsenical wall papers.
Lead poison is likely to become as
notorious as arsenic. Hundreds of
thousands of people are now suffering
from lead poison taken from the water
they drink. But lead water-pipes are
not the worst form of lead poison. Many
vessels used in the kitchen are manu-
featured from an alloy of tin and lead,
the latter being used on account of its
comparative cheapness. The alloy is
readily acted upon by acids, and salts
OF lead are thus introduced into food.
Cases are known of children having died
of meningitis, fits and paralytic affections
caused by milk kept in such vessels.
The learned university chemist declared
the beautiful mottled ware called " mar-
bleized ironware," which has been
largely manufactured in the form of
coffee-pots, tea-pots, milk-cans, sauce
pans, etc., to be alive with poison. The
cheap tinware now coming into daily
use in our Kitchens, our diaries, etc.,
is composed largely of soluble lead. The
Journal Of Chemistry advises the use
OF sheet-iron instead of the tinware
found to be so extensively poisonous.
Mr.. Angel thinks that to remedy this
formidable evil it will be necessary for
those anxious to secure reform, both
buyers and retail sellers, to form pro-
tective health associations in the import
ant cities and towns, which should have
analysed the various articles of con-
sumption. The purchaser who finds he
has poisonous or adulterated article
should return it to the retail dealer, the
retail dealer to the wholesale dealer,
and he in turn to the manufacturer, and
demand not only his money but full
damages. The guilty party, he believes,
would be glad to pay and stop adulter-
ating. When such associations are ev-
erywhere to be found, the poisonous ar
ticles will disappear from our markets. I
UNKNOWN DIsEAsEs.-A new disease |
has broken out among the children at
Berlin, of a very fatal nature. 1t be-
gins with a sort of stupefaction, the
change in the blood being remarkable.
DIR. Wiackel made missions in some
cases, and only after pressure could
squeeze out a few drops, the blood hav-