Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1881-09-24
OF FOOD tND
DRCOS.

ADULTERATJON OF FOOD .fND
DRC01.
The New YORK Legislature at its last
session passed law to prevent the ad-
ulterat,on of food and drugs. The duty
Is committed to the State Board OF
Health Of asceitaining what articles are
adulterated. and the Sanitary Committee
ofthe board has appointed eight chem
lists to make the investigation. To
each of these chemists Certain kinds OF
foods or drugs are to be assigned for
purchase aud analysis. The Sanitary
Engineer has already directed attention
10 three classes of articles aduiierated,
which, in his opinion, require to he
nnSiyZed, exposed and checked. The
United States exported last year to
France and Italy 1.66s, 54i gallons Of
cottonseed oil. 1t is what may lie
called "an open secret" that much OF
this oil comes back 20 us as "pure
olive OIL" 1t is also known that 3
quantity of cottonseed oil does not go
abroad, bat is put up in bottles rcscm-
bling .nose of foreign make, and labeled
"oIive OIL" and sold as SUCH Another
article adulterated is CASTLE soap. This
iscommonly regarded as the purestarticlc
of its kind. and is consequently in great
demand for certain purposes. But near
ly all the CASTLE soap, even that put t.
medical uses, is now said to he more or
less good or bad limitations, the parity
OF the soap being at this time an c1-
ception instead Of rule. Our wines
are also largely adulterated. and some
of the beer and ale that is so largely
consumed in this country have been
subjected in the brewing to similar
fraudulent processes. The New York
Sun gives a long account of the adul-
terations practiced in the aforementioned
articles of drink, and prints the opinions
OF physicians as TO the effects produced
in drinkers by cocculus and cannabis in.
deus, glucose, etc, effects especially
noticeable in diseases of the kidneys.
Glucose when properly made, and
freed from the acids used in its manu-
faeture, is said to be harmless, and the
same harmlessness is attributed to
oleomargarine when the manufacture Is
conducted with due regard to cleanl!-
ness and the fat in the process Of con
version is pure. In both cases these
articles are held to be deleterious when
che acid in glucose has not been conf
pletely removed, and the fat from which
oleomargarine il made is of an inferior
quality. In Chicago it has been COM
monty reported that it is the almost
general practice there to mix stearine
with commercial lard for the purpose of
hardening it. Spices also are largely
adulterated; their character easily per-
mitting INSCRIPTIONS manufacture and
handling. OF twsnty-seven samples Of
mustard, carefully selected in New York
from responsible dealers, DR.. Smart
found that only six we're entirely pure.
1t is consoling, however, to be told that
adulterstions in this country "seldom
take form that is dangerous to health. I"
However this may be, there are possibil-
tiles Of such peril wherever adultera-
tions are resorted to. A purchaser who
pays for pure article and does not get
what it is guaranteed to be should have
some stringent power Of redress, and
this is what the English law and what
the law Just passed in New York under.
take to give. besides affording inciden-
tai protection to the public by author
izing q rigid system of finspection.-BaL.
timore S,sa
OXxxY HALL, when he was asked
whether he liked newspaper work, an
svered: "Yes, for it has no yester-
d.ya" This sums up very forcibly the
charm there is in newspaper work. II
il always the work Of the tomorrow.
No retracing Of steps. no delving into
The past in fact, no yesterday-alway'
tomorrow.
JOHN MILLER, Of Cleveland, Ohio, who
has heroically saved from drowning q
different times nearly 100 persons, ha'
been presented with gold media
worth $50 by the Cleveland Board o