The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-10
Death In tile Pot.

lhe Congressional COmmlttee on Cpl
demic Diseases, to whom WAS referre
the bill authorizing the President 10 ap
point a Commission to examine into an
report upon the adulteration of foud ant
other articles in the United States, de
clare after careful investigation that 9TH
adulteration of articles used in the ever.
day diet of vast numbers of people ha
grown to and is now practiced to such al
extent as to seriously endanger the pub
lie health and to call loudly for some sor
of Legislative correction" The Commit
tee recommend the appointment of I
Commissioners ito make thorough ant
minute examination of the entire subjec
aided by the necessary scientific appli
ances." A valuable paper read before tht
Boston Board of Trade by Mr.. George T
Angel isappended to the report, in which
is partially set forth the enormous trade
in poisonously adulterated foods ane
other articles in the American markets
The extent to which the adultera
ton of articles of food is carried on is alb
soluteIy appalling; so that Prof. George
A. Mariner, of Chicago, one of the most
eminent analytical chemists in the Uni
ted States, is constrained to say, II have
come to expect adulteration, and to feal
dangerous adulteration, in almost every
article of the grocery kind" From the
bread on our tables to the paper on oul
walls, everything is adulterated, and dis
ease and death Turk in every corner. O
fourteen different brands of sugar subjec.
ted to chemical analysis in Chicago
twelve samples were found to contain
chloride of tin, an active poison. Sever
al syrups made of glucose were found to
contain chlorides Of tin, calcium, iron
and maguesia, in quantities which made
them very poisonous. The vinegar gen.
erally sold in the markets is uuf, for use
and dangerous. Su!phuric acid is largely
used in its manufacture. It was stated
by the Scientific american, sometime
since, that probably one.half of the vine
gar sold in New York city groceries was
rank poison. In making green pickles
yerdegris is used, and in making yellow
pickles sugar of lead is used, both oi
which substances are rank poison.
An eminent chemist who has given
the subject great deal of attention re:
ports the following adulterations. Bread
with alum and sulpbate of copper; yeast
with alum; baking powder, with alum.
terra alba, plaster of paris, whiting and
kaolin; milk, with variety of articles
cheese, with potatoes, beans, oleomarga-
rine, vermilIion, red chalk, sulphate OF
copper, arsenic and corrosive sublimate
lard, with boiled starch, alum and quick
lime; confectionery, with chromate OF
lead, red lead. vermillion, prussian blue,
copper, arsenic; pickles, with sulphuric
acid and verdegris; mustard, with yellow
ochre and chromate Of lead; vinegar,
with sulphuric acid, arsenic and corrosive
subimate; coffee, with roasted acorns,
speu, tanbark, logwood, mahogany, saw
dust and burned liver of horses; teas,
with great variety of articles. Lard is
now manufactured from "dead hog grease
treated with alum;" lettuce, cabbage
and potatoes are poisoned With parisgrecn
canned fruit contains tin and lead pois.
oning, and the "tinwares in the market
are unfit for use" because they contain
an alloy with lead which is readily acted
upon by acids, thus producing lead pois-
oning.
The manufacture of glucose has grown
to colossal proportions in this country
during the last few Years, and there are
now ten factories in the United States.
running night and day, and producing
more than 200, 100000 pounds year.
Eleven other factories are being built,
which will increase the capacity of pro-
duction to SOC, 900, 900 pounds year, or
ten pounds each for every man, woman
and child in this country. Glucose is a
cheap substitute for sugar, and is sold in
immense quantities to sugar refiners.
Seven. eighths of all the sugars and syr.
ups sold in Chicago are adulterated with
it. 1t has only from one-fnurth to two-ftths
of the sweetening power of sugar, and is
made in Germany OF rags, and in the
Uni,ed States BY boiling corn. starch in
diluted sulphuric acid-oil of vitriol.
DR.. Kedzic, of the Michigan Board of
Health, found in one sample of glucose
syrup III grains of oil Of yitriol and 724
grains of lime to the gallon, and in an.
other which had caused serious sickness
in whole family, II grli.s of oil of vi.
triol, % grains of coppcras, 363 grains OF
lime to the gallon.
The manufacture of Oleomargarine has
also grown into giant proportions during
the last few years, aud one hundred mil
lion pounds of it were made last year.
1t is manufactured out of the fat of ami
mails and is a very poor apology for butter.
All kinds of fat are used, and Mr..
Michels of New York City, well known
microscopist and editor of scientific
journal, testifies that "Olsomargarine is
simply uncooked, raw fat, never subjected
to sufficient heat to kill parasites which
are liable to be in it; that those who cat
it run the risk of tricIiina from the stoul.
achs Of animals which are chopped up
with the fat in making it." DR.. George
B. Hartman, most respectable micro
scopist of Boston, has recently examined
sooie twenty specimens of Oleolnargarine
obtained from different dealers, and has
found every specimen more or less foreign
substances, a variety of animal and vege.
table lite. Among these were corpuscles
from cockroach, and small bits of claws
the bloud corpuscles of sheep; the eggs
of 4 tape worm. Yeast was found sprout'
ing in considerable quantities, and spores
Of fungi were very prevalent, a portion OF
a worm, dead hydra yiridis, portions
of muscular 6bres, fatty cells, and eggs
from some small parasite were among the
discoveries. The scientific men admit
that pure article of Oleomargarine
that would not be unwholesome might
he made in chemists labratory, but say
that the Oleomargariue known to the
lrade is full of the germs of disease aud
is dangerous tn human life.
The adulteration of drugs with poison
Gus substances and the use of arsenic in
the manufacture of wall papers, clothing
and ornamental articles is carried TN tn
a fearful extent. During 1874 1927 ,742
pounds of arsenic, each p"und contain
ing fatal dose for about $500 adults, were
imported into this country, and it is sold
Il