Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-01-19
HOW FOOD LSADULTERATED.

There has been so much loose talk
about he adulterations Of food, that it
is important to find out what are the
exact facts regarding them. If the
general statements of some of the
alarmists who have written on the
subject have q correct basis of fact on
which ~ raet, Ood adnl4aaatia %
praoticed to so great an extent and is
of such o character that what we eat
and drink is always liable to contain
poison.
The National Board Of Trade has
lately awarded prizes for essays on the
adulteration Of food and drink, and for
drafts OF laws for It's prevention. The
essay Of Mr.. G. W. Wnger, of London,
received the first prize, and il is Ger.
tainly very clear, practical, and ex-
haustive discussion of the subject.
From that essay, and also from the
essays which took the second and
third prizes offered, we will make up
summary of the facts.
The public will be relieved when
they hear that there is no satisfactory
evidence presented TO show that dan.
gerous adulterations are at all common
among us. There is plenty Of adul-
teration, beyond question but il is
almost universally OF sort rather to
delraud the purchaser than to injure
the health and imperil the life of the
consumer. The article sold is not
wholly what it is represented to be,
but the substances introduced into it,
or mixed with it to cheaper its manu-
iacture or to give more attractiyeness
toits appearance, are usually innoxious.
When the London Lancet, twenty
years ago undertook thorough anal
ysis of TODD and drugs to detect adul-
toration, it found that about 65 per
cent. of the samples examined were
sophisticated. Some of them, as, for
instance, the mixture of -four with
mustard, were although harmless, and,
indeed, demanded by the taste OF the
public; and the most serious of the
others have since that day fallen into
disuse. Tea was then almost unlver.
sally adullelated the practice has en-.
tirely ceased since that time. Alum
was commonly found in bread now it
is very seldom used in bread making.
Pickles were invariably contaminated
with copper; now that adultoration is
very rare.
The watering Of milk, Of course,
goes on still bat both here and in
England effective measures for lessen
ing the extent OF the fraud have been
introduced Imitation butter is sold
in great quantities but oleomargorine
is not injurious to bealth, and the only
necessity with regard to il, so far as
the laws are concerned, is TO compel
its sale for what it actually is TO pre-
vent its being palmed of on purchasers
as genuine butter
Wines and spirits show larger
proportion OF adulteration, but gener-
ally this has been simply dilutinn with
water. A good wine 10 watered, an
inferior is mixed with n superior quail.
ity, and then toned to the color and
flavor of tho best by the addition Of
foreign substances, such as burnt sugar
and tannin. Molasses, water, and salt
are put in porter and stout glyccrine
is mixed with beer, and various sub.
stances are added to liquors and winos
but they are almost invariably Of n
sort TO Justify the conclusion reached
in 1879 by Committee of the English
House OF Commons that "in he matter
ofadulteration, the public were cheated
rather than poisoned" Sugar is adul-
icrated with glucose; butter and cheese
are colored with annotto, spices are
mixed with various foreign substances
and chickory, burnt sugar, and roasted
peas are put in coffee but people can
eat them all without danger to life,
and generally without direct danger
to health. Poisonous coloring matters
are sometimes used in confectionery,
but even such cases are rare.
Mr.. Wingcr has been able to find
only about twenty or thirty cases in
England during the last Eve years in
which il would have been Just to pros
eoutc vender under the more serious
charge Of selling articles injurious "a
the health, except only the cases OF
some expensive drugs and the fcw
cases OF milk from diseased cows
And yet "neary or quite oRo.sixth oI
the food sold is adulterated so as "a
cheat the consumers pocket"
In tho matter OF drugs, however
the adulterations are more alarming
As We have before pointed out, ii is o
prime Importance that tho physician