Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-03-09
ALL EATING POISON

tu lnhl Wulle tneJ iOuuu ~ w w COul'
: mon enough, ,itusually rather defrauded
the pocket of the consumer than in.
, iured his health or endangered his life,
, Adulteration is practiced to great
extent both here and abroad, but the
substances mixed with the genuine
articles are almost invariably innox-
ions, according to this Committee.
Poisonous coloring matter is some,
times, though rarely, used in confcc.
tionery, and canned goods may be so
put up that they become infected with
lead or zinc poison. But Of this dan.
gerous adulteration tho Committee
found very little in food. In drugs,
however, adulteration Of any sort is
positively hurtful. If they are not of
standard quality and standard strength,
the physician is unable to calculate the
effects of a given dose, and his pre-.
soription may, in some cases, produce
consequences Just the reverse OF what
he intended. Patent medicines, TOO,
often contain larger proportions of ac-
tive drugs than can be administered
with safety.
The Committee of the Board of
Trade therefore recommended that
adulteratlon be treated, first, as q fraud,
and punished accordingly; and, second.
ly, as a criminal act, and visited with
much severer penalties When only
pecuniary damage is done, that is, in
the vast majority Of cases, they would
regard it merely as an attempt to
cheat the consumer; but when the
adulteration is dangerous to health and
life, they would make il a crime.
A Parliamentary Committee in En-
gland reached substantially the same
conclusions several years ago, They
found by analyzing articles Of food
sold in the shops that large proper
uon of them were adulterated, but in
only q very few cases were the adul.
terations such that the manufacturers
could be proceeded against criminally.
The public is rather cheated than in.
jured in health by food adulteration,
was what they reported. Hurtlul mix.
lures are less common than they used
to be, they discovered Milk is very
generally watered, terra alba is mixed
with many articles, and spices are
universally adulteratod but pickles
are not iniuriously adulterated as form
erly, alum is not used in bread, and
teas, which once were almost univer.
sally aduterated, are now good in En-.
gland.
Mr. George T. Angel, of Boston,
however, takes more alarming view
of the subject of adulteration. He re-
CARDS it as the most frightiul evil of
modern times, and seems to have made
hobby OF it He has accordingly
furnished to Committee Of Congress
a mass of facts respecting the business,
which they have appended to report
recommending the passage OF bill
authorizing the President to appoint a
Commission TO examine into the adul-
teratlon Of food and other articles.
The facts collected by Mr.. Angel
undoubtedly 20 to show that fraudu-
lent adulteration is now practiced to
so great an extent that few articles of
commerce are exempt from it. But
that is something which was fully
known already, and the Commission
he would have appointed could only 60
over ground already covered, and OBJ
tain facts which would agree with
those presented by the Committee of
the National Board of Trade. The
same conclusions, too, would probably
be reached by a competent Commission,
namely, that adultcration is almost en-
tirely nothing more than a fraud on
the public, which Legislation has so far
been unable to defeat, and that dan.
gerous adulteration is practiced to so
limited an extent that il can be crush.
ed out altogether by severe penalties
vigorously administered in every case
discovered
Mr., Angel, however, declares that
dangerous adulteration is far more
commonthan the Committee of the Ma.
tional Board of Trade reported He
finds il in sugar, in vinegar, in baking
powders, in pickles, in canned and pot.
ted goods, in coffee, and in many other
articles of food. Almost all the hair
cosmetics are very poisonous, accord.
ing to nanalytical chemist of Chicago
quoted by him, and so are the powders
and preparations for beautifying the
face. Arsenic and other poisons, MIR.
Angel AYERS, are used TO an alarming
extent in wall papers, glazed papers
and cards, in toys, and in many ma
terlals for clothing. Prot baltimore,
of Rochester University, quoted by
him, says, writing Of arsenical poison
ing: "Wenow wear it in our apparel, |
cat ii in sweetmeats, drink il in syrup, |
and write with il as ink" Glucose is
used for the adulteration of sugar and
in confectionery 10 prodigious extent
In 1880 fifteen glucose factories were
running in the United States, and |
their production was over 300, ,000,0 900 |
pounds annually, this cheap substitute
for sugar, according to MIR. Angoll,
being generally made by boiling corn
starch in dilute sulphuric acid, or oil
of vitriol, as it is popularity known.
New factories for the manufacture of
glucose are being put up every year,
and the annual product in the United
States is likely soon TO beover 500, 600.
900 pounds.
These are unquestionably startling
facts but Mr.. Angel has not gather.
ed them with sufficient scientific ac.
curaoy TO make them satisfactory
basis for legislation. Ho writes too
much like a man with a hobby, which
prevents bis looking at the subject of
adultoration with anything like Judicial
calmness. For instance, he bitterly
assaiis the Committee Of the National
Board of Trade because they took q
less alarming view than he does of the
prevalent adulteration, and seems to
enjoy the opportunity OF getting into
a controversy with them. And these
assaults the Congressional Committee
suffer TO be printed along with bis
summary of facts.
That docs not seem to be the proper
spirit in which to approach so practi.
cal matter as that of food adultera.
tion and Its remedy. We are there.
fore disposed to put more faith in the
moderate report of the Board of Trade
Committee than in the alarming state
ments Of the agitated Boston gentle.
man And the bill Tor the prevention
of adulteration proposed by that Com.
mittee seems more deserving the at
tention of Congress than the one
drawn up by Mr. Angel and which he