Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-01
ERATIoNs.
THEIR GENERAL HARMLESS CHARACTER.

From time to time some illusions have been
made In these columns to the adulteratiOn of
food Too frequently, with the best of inten-
lions, public. journals exaggerate the gravity Of
the case, and hue and cry is made, when there
is but very little cause. Some time ago it was
stated, In quite positive kind of way, that in
the distillation Of whisky, strychnine was used,
either as an adjunct in the manufacture or as
all adulteration. Perhaps good many people,
either belonging to temperance society or hav-
ing no convictions as to teetotalism, believed
this. The absurdity Of such an idea as the use
OF strychnine in producing or augmenting alco-
holic products would not have stood for an in
scientific men have of fermentation; as to the
chemical test, the discovery of this vegetable
poison would have been both easy and imne-
date. These remarks are intended to allay a
certain amount of dread which arises In people
who are ignorant In regard to authorizations, for
1t may be said that in most all the ordinary COM
pounds in daily use, If there be falslfica
rascalities they are, are generally Of an
concerned. Authorizations there are, of course,
which are deleterious, but such are exceptional.
The distinctions, then, or general classification
made Of authorizations, are those which are dele
ferrous, fraudulent, and accidental. If a bottle
OF sweet-oil is purchased at low price of third
class grocer it may be quite positively asserted
that, instead Of dressing salad with the fluid
derived from the olive It is the oil Of the cotton
sition. This is, then, fraudulent, and not de-
letertous adulteratiOn. In examining the latest
and best prepared tables of adulterated foods
where the poisonous things are labeled, this
suspicion enters into ones mind whether by that
chemical analysis the presence of mineral and
metallic salts were not due, rather to the acci-
dents of preparation. The cry about alum in
raised, but one OF the best authorities on this
subject, DR.. Sharples seems to doubt of its prev
alence In the United States That bread is adul-
There can be nothing specially hurtfll in pota-
toes, but it Is nevertheless fraud as it increases
by weight OF water the weight of bread and
money Is paid for something which does not pres
ent the proper proportion Of nutritive elements
The adulteration Of coffee 1t Is believed Is almost
constant when prepared coffee-or package cof-
and caramel make up the bulk Of the suppositi-
ttous mocha can be easily shown. The use of
ch1cory in coffee has been so long in use that it
no longer can be classed as an adulteration. In
France there is hardly any coffee used that does
not contain modicum OF chicory. Even the
Arabs, who ought to know what is good coffee,
90 not drink, according to Mr.. Palgrave their
mocha pure, but add saffron and some spices to
1t. OF course, the rascality In the business eX-
lists all the same In selling an adulterated article
for the pure coffee: An increase Of weight in
often accomplished by steaming the grains or
the grounds just prior to selling it. In sugars,
adulterat1onS OF any kind are exceedingly rare.
The noise made some six months ago In New
York as to admixture of foreign matters in
sugars had no possible foundation. Sanding
sugar Is more English than American in prac-
Ice, oi and possibly is very rare even in Great
used by refiners, some slight quantity Of min
eral impurities are found, but their pres
ence is due quite positively to accident.
In teas, the worst we can expect Is to use
over again tea which has had its aroma
drawn out OF 1t in China Occasionally some
thing Is brought into this market which is de-
rived from quite another source than the tea
plant, and 1t Is possible, from the coloring or
dressing, that some people might be deceived by
It. One easy test Of a tea-leaf Is after macerat-
which hold one broken part of the leaf to the
other. Everybody ought to know that the
Chinese, In their green tea, color the leaf and
that Prussian blue Is used. 1t is in spices that
the most frequent authorizations are to be found
though we can hardly call them deleterious. In
pepper, especially, II bought ground, there is
mostly some mustard and linseed-meal while
with the ordinary spices, when pulverized, as
bought In the shops, analysis mostly show flour
or ground shtp-bread, or cracker-dust. The
great staple mustard, when purchased under
ers, is fairly good, and may Be used either for
the table or, what is most important. for med
lcal purposes, but too often this condiment is a
compound CON OF very little mustard with great
zeal OF turmeric, cayenne pepper, and some
very Owpriced grades of ginger. In canned
preparations, let 1t be said to the credit of the
Ameflcan mannfacturer, authorizations, dele
ferrous OF fraudulent, are of the rarest occur
renee. They may be cOarsely or tnelegantly put
up, Duta long series of careful searching, under
taken 70 discover fraud In them. has resulted in
EioII aHooL Ituk tucI purify. NlaI Is intended,
then, by giving somewhat In detail the facts In
regard to some few common articles In ordinary
use, is to assure timid people that the largest
proportion OF adulterated articles really do no
great harm so far as health is concerned. But
when.adulterations Of milk takes place, sub
Ject which should be treated at length. then the
case Is . most grave one. In large city like
New York, where the life and health OF our
ch1ldren depend upon the milk taken, the least
weakening OF the milk, the lowering OF its nl,-
uittye standard, the slightest tampefing with it,
Is among the worst Of cTime.-lM K.1Smes.