Middletown transcript., 1882-01-13
WHAT WE EAT AND WEAR.

~ 0OOJSSlo liCbfO f1ldl llllDOl
tance for the public than those of th
adulteration of food and the use of POI
sons in the preparation of the fabric
from which wearing apparel is made
From time to time attention is draw
to the danger run by the communit
from the use of articles in which th
analytical chemist has discovered til
most virulent poisons. An exposur
Of this description becomes nine days
wonder, but nothing is done to put
permanent stop to the iniquity. Al
analysis of the liquors sold at all til,
leading bars of New York revealed thr
fact that fusel oil, an active poison, wa
present in large quantities in nearly al
the liquor sold. From statements
made in Congress before committees
which have been appointed to inquire
into the matter, it appears that pure
drugs are almost unknown in this coun.
try. Although the profits on the sale
of drugs are from one hundred to one
thousand per cent, when the article is
sold pure, yet this is not sufficient to
satisfy the greed of the wholesale and
retail dealers. 1t is estimated that
seven-eights of the prescriptions given
by physicians are practically worthless,
because of the adulteration of the drugs
which such prescriptions call for. The
frequent cases in which quinine fails
in breaking up fevers are to be accoun-
ted for by the rarity of the honest pre-
parations of the bark of the cinchona-
tree. Committees of experts tell of
adulteration in food that is simply ap-
palling. Were the ingredients which
are mixed with food innocuous, it would
still be very great hardship but when
it is known that the most violent poi
sons are employed, it is marvel that
the whole country does not rise up and
put stop to such practices and punish
all dealers who sell poisonous articles
of food If confirmation of these start
ling statements were needed, one has
only to read the facts recently brought
to light in Chicago, where it is impoSsi-
bic to find pure sugar, and where not
ten per cent. of the milk is good. In
that city the bread, without exception,
is poisonous the teas were never i'm
ported, but are made of leaves "faeed" "
with Prussian blue and chromate of
lead. Seventy-ffve per cent. of the
cream of tartar is white earth, and the
coffee is coated with lampblack But
Chicago is no worse than other cities.
Baking powders are largely composed
of alum. Picking fluid is diluted with
sulphurie acid, alum and verdigris, to
give it peculiar flavor. One great
firm of pickle manufactures buys ten
gallons of subacetate of lead at a
time, and verdigris in similarly large
quantities. The gherkin is treated
with copperas. These pickles are large
ly sold in New York and many myster-
ious deaths might be traced to him.
The demand for foreign cigarettes is
largely due to the fact that the Ameri-
can article is simply villainous, some
being rolled in arsenical paper, from
which cancers in the mouth often re-
suit. The manufacture of great deal
Of our confectionery should be punished
as a crime, for much of the candy sold |
to children is simply lump of white
earth, made attractive to the eye with
arsenical paint and sweetened with
glucose. Costly spices are counter
feited in terribly grotesque manner,
the fiavoring being given by the rank
est poisons. In these and other adul-
terations arsenic plays the largest part.
We import annually twenty million
pounds Of this deadly poison cents
worth of which would kill $500 people
and the bulk of this import is used in
he preparation of food and clothing.
Cloth has been discovered containing
light grains of arsenic in every square
'oot and an artificial flower has been
ound which contained ten grains. One
,hild died from sucking toy; a second
vas poisoned by a colored button
bird from wearing colored stockings
fourth expired in convulsions by in
Ealing arsenic from a veil which was
brown over its crib to keep the flies
way. Railway tickets and playing
ards contain arsenic enough to kill any
nan, and a child actually died from
ucking an invitation card. In this
natter we are worse off than any ma
ion on earth, for the reason that we
ave carried out the doctrine of free
ON of trade without government SUI
ervision more completely than any
ther civilized country. The school of
olitical economists and philosophic
who vehemently denounce
overnment interference have no doubt
one good service in removing the
hackles from trade but unfortunate '.
7, personal selfshness and greed for
laking money have, in this matter of :
dulterations at least, brought about :
wills which show that society must pro-
9ct its members, even at the risk of '
to honest traders. If mans l
elish interests were in accord with the b
ood of the community, then there h
eed be no fetters upon traffic. But as v
ing as vast fortunes can be made by !,
and plundering the commu-
ity, there will be plenty of men to
Eallow all concientious scruples if no
follows their nefarious 5
ractices. Hour. Id