Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-02-12
What STUFF People Eat.

What stuff People Eat
George T. Angel read paper befor,
the American Social Science Associa
tion in Boston, on Wednesday, o,
Public Health Associations, il
which he made some startling asser
tons about the authorizations of food. II,
said
Cayenne pepper is adul,erated witt
red lead, mustard with chromate o.
lead, curry powder with red lead, vim,
egar with sulphuric acid, arsenic and
corrosive sublimate. 1t is estimated
that half the vinegar now sold in ouI
cities is rank pois on. One of our Bos,
ton chemists analysed twelve PACKAGE
of pickles, put up and sold by twelve
different wholesale dealers, and found
pepper in ten OF them. Many favoring
oils, syrups, jellies and preserved fruits
contain poisons. The authorizations of
tea are too many to mention. Coffee Is
not only adulterated, but patent has
been taken out for moulding chiccory
into the form of coffee berries, and | am
told that clay is now moulded, and per-
haps favored with an essence, to rep
resent coffee. Cocoa and chocolate are
adulterated with various mineral sub
stances.
Several mills in New England, and
probably many elsewhere, are now en-
gagged in grinding white stone into fine
powder for the purpose Of adulteration.
At some of these mills they grind
three grades--soda grade, sugar grade
and flour grade. 1t sells for half cent
a pound. Flour has been adulterated
in England, and probably here, with
plaster Of paris, bone dust, sand, clay,
chalk, and other articles. l am told
that large quantities OF damaged and
unwholesome grain are ground in with
flour, particularly that kind called
Graham -four. Certainly, hundreds.
and probably thousands of tons of "ter-
ra ALTA or white earth, are sold in our
cities every year to be mixed with SUI
CARS in confectionery and other white
substances. am told by an eminent
physician that this tends to produce
stone, kidney complaints, and various
diseases OF the stomach. A Boston
chemist tells NE that he has found 70
per cent. of terra alba" in what was
sold as cream Of tartar used for cooking
A large New York house sells three
grades of cream of tartar. A Boston
chemist recently analysed sample of
the best grade, and found SO per cent.
terra alba" in that. Much of our
confectionery contains 80 per cent. of
terra alba" The coloring matter Of
confectionery frequently contains lead,
arsenic and copper. Baking powders
are widely sold which contain a large
percentage Of terra alba" 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 watts, in which it
has been mixed with varisus substan-
ces. Receipts for the mixture can be
bought Ivy new milkmen from old, on
payment of the required sum. am as
sured upon what ! believe to be re-
liable authority, that thousands of gal.
Ions of so-called milk have been, and
probably are, sold in the city, which do
not contain Cne drop of the genuine ar
ticle. Large quantities Of the meas of
animals more or less diseased, are sold
in our markets. Cows in the neighbor
hood OF our large cities ars fed upon
material which produces large flow of
unvholesome milk. Poultry are fed up,
on material which produces unwhol--
some eggs Meats and fish are made I'M
wholesome, frequently poisonous, by
careless and cruel methods of killing.
A California cheiniest recently analy-
zed many samples of whiskey, pur-
chased at different places in San Fran
cisco. He found them adulterated with
creosote, salts OF copper, alum and
other injurious substances. He states
in his published report, as his opinion,
that there is hardly any pure whiskey
sold in that city. A gentleman recent
ly purchased from a prominent Boston
firm cask of pure sherry wine for his
sick wife. His wife grew worse. He
had the wine analysed and found there
was not drop of the juice Of the grape
in it.. An eminent medical gentleman
of Boston, said to me: "The adultera-
tons Of drugs in this country are
perfectly abomipable." Isay that laws
should he enacted and enforced pro-
hibiting the manufacture and sale of
these poisonous and dangerous articles
under severe penalties, and compelling
The manufacturers and sellers of adult
Grated articles to tell buyers the pre-
Else character of the authorizations.