Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-03-18
ADULTERAT TION or rood.


which the oupidity Of man has availed itself
of the results of chemical SCIENCE to the SO.
rious detriment of the public health, in the
adulteration of the food and drink and even
the drugs and clothing, Of the people. The
adulteration of liquors we have come to re-
gard as a matter of course, and an evil not
unmixed with good but when we are can
didly informed by eminent chemical analysts
that there is hardly an article of food in the
market but is poisoned, or at least harm
fully adulerated, we think II is high time for
an authoritative investigation of the subject
with view to the suppression of such down.
right and dangerous criminality. We have
before us the report of a committee of the
House of Representatives of the last Con-
gress recommending a bill authorizing the
President to appoint commission of three
learned chemists to investigate the whole
subject. In this report is given an array Of
testimony which, if free from e1aggeration,
reveals a state of affairs truly alarming. Dr.
Piper of Chicago says "I could fill volume
with the adulterations which l have found
within few years past in articles Of food
and drink in common use by microscopic
and chemical analysis" Prof. G. A. Mariner
of Chicago says II have come to expect
adulteration and to fear dangerous adultera-
tion in almost every article of the grocery
line" At the request of some highly respec-
table citizens of Chicago, he analysed four
teen brands of sugar, some granulated, some
white, some colored, some coarse and some
fine. He tested them thoroughly for impuri-
ties In ten of the samples he found 'tin in
the form Of chloride, an active poison. 4"
Syrups he found made almost entirely of
glucose, in which were found chlorides of
tin, calcium, iron and magnesia, and in guam
titles which made them very poisonous" In
one case whole neighborhood whs poisoned
He says, "You can hardly overestimate the
present danger to public health from the
large and growing sale of poisonous and dan
gerously adulterated articles in our markets"
He examined sixteen samples of clothing,
and nearly all of them were poisonous A
little girl came near dying from wearing col
ored stockings. The dangerous character Of
green pickles, containing verdigris is well
known; but DIR. Piper says that the yellow
ones are about rs bad, since they contain
lead. One can understand how baking pow
ders, under any name, may contain dangerous
drugs; but when one learns that the beauti-
fully white Vienna bread, so much admired,
is the resplt NJ a dsnoorous rniv,,ra % H.,
in the aour ba will no,rrolI,, 80. d.
brood croo, oo,, =, ,,ii,,ir,, =; -.
tempting, and so are tomatoes, peaches and
nine apnlos brt oIos ubo,, tro -, s.,
actual ANALYSIS that the fins !, ,vbiob ,I,oso
THINGS are mt mn are coated viii, lood ho
canse I, IL chearor than III, ond ,ho, ar. .o,.
tents act ON the lead and 70 n dan,ero,,s ~
tent absorb IL we pause before ue ;rdr,,o
temntino tbouob these thinos NAV ha o.
s,ancss oro c;var % ,,orso,s La;,,,' ,.s;...,
h,- - - WI, rs poi'Oneu ,'
O.0 iu"uS arc ~"
ne is tempted when ne Is shown fair sam
pie of Rio coffee at - cents or SO pound;
but when he learns, on good authority. that
It NAV be LARGELY adplterated with roos,od
oo,,,'s ,,,out - ii. -, N'.1'NN ,1"''-
' "OON' .N"HOs"n1
s""-uus', anu ourn' hNer OIL norses, ne ishkely
to go without coffee if he cannot pay for the
pure article. When one is tempted 10 in
duloe in one of those beautifpllv coIored fun,
L. ~ tr,,it iii, ba iii -. -
i'a'. Is"S' NO WIN PAuSe "heh ne
- - ~ bcAH-
tine, glucose and aniline COLOR and flavor
with essence. Vinegar is largely made of
sulpburio acid. arsenic and corrosive s,hu
na,o Tard bt,or oor,oi,. h,;Ias -,.l, =,
-, -. -, Si-
uii anu 4u'oA'ine' Aus'aru contains yellow
ochre ana chromate OF lead-so says Prof. s.
W. johnson of the scientific school Of Yale
College-and even cheese is adulterated with
notatoes hams. oleomaroarine verroi,I;on
~ pP''' @'''"'o anu
~
.,1.s,., o.. c,..-, 81 e'u0o'e anu
oieonn"' b"'ine' "'uoose 10 eheap SUBSTITUTE
for sugar, and Is made IN Germany from rags,
and can be made from saw-dust, but in this
country is made usually, If not wholly, from
corn starch, and immense quantities of corn
are yearly consumed in its manufacture. One
factory uses five millions of bushels a year,
another over two millions Ten factories
are now running in the United States night
and day, turning out over 200, 900, 900 pounds
a year, as many more are in process of erec-
tion, and the expected yearly product will be
over zoo, 900, 900 pounds. Now it does not
seem a very bad thing to turn corn into su
gar, but here is the trouble il can be turn
ed into sugar only by being boiled in diluted
sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol), most deadly
Poleoh' Anu Mheh We learn from froI. Chas.
Fletcher, State Assayer of Massachusetts,,
that when he analyzed three samples of the
best solid glucose and two samples of the best
syrups, and found in the solid glucose 30
grains of oil of vitriOl to the pound and In a
sample of the best syrup nearly as much. we
cannot but regard the extent of this interest
with alarm, especially when we learn that
glucose can be produced at a profit for three
cents a pound while pure sugar costs ten
cents
And doleomarparine--wbat ia tbat2 II;
rro,ondod s,,hsti,,,,o ,or h,,,or sa;, A.
p-e,oHN '1o'r'1 80 ou'o'' S''u 10 %
mace from Ihe seieeteu Iat Oh cattle sclentih-
cally neatedi ana immense quantities are
yearly ina1e: IL Is esumstea that over
hunureu nlii'ohs OF POunus were made IN TINS
oIun'I o last SeSr Gne nf thi. IN Nsw 66G aOrk
Ooo 6rl;ns to be deI;veyed tbis vesr NJ,