Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-03-23
FOOD ADUlTERATIONS.
interesting Revelations Made by the
Conn 0nitrAa nm

interesting Revelations Made by the
Committee on Commerce.
Washington Special TO the Cine matt Gazs,,a
The house committee of commerce
In reporting upon the bill looking to
imposing some restrictions on adulter.
ated FOOD and medicines, SAYS:
Your committee on the question of
sdolterated foods would submit just a
Few sample cases: Commercial cream
or tartar contains tartrate of lime |
which must, within limits, te accepted |
as natural to it. Cases have been re. |
Gently tried in England in which the
adulteratloH charged was the lime tar
trate present In this salt, but the mag
lsIrate properly refused to convict. |
Let ills Is an article subject to gross |
aduIteration. Among eighteen samples |
examined by the experts, six were
found to be of satisfactory purity. |
Eleven of them contained lime, vary
ing from IL to 80 per cent, three of them
having nearly the latter figure. Two
contained no cream of tartar at all, but
consisted, the one of sulphate of lime,
alum and acid phosphate of lime, and
the other OF alum, and pho' pl, ts ard
potato starch. Corn starch was also
found in large proportion in one OF the
lime sulphate powders. Considering
the use OF cream of tartar in baking,
Its impure condition is serious evil
AS we all know, this article enters into
the manufacture of the bread of the
world, and certainly such authorizations
should be, if possible, stopped. Of
nine samples examined in New York,
one had 30 per cent of terra alba, one
6l per cent, and the other contained
lime salt.
Again, as to black peppers, the deal
ers appear to have lost all knowledge
OF the character of the pure article, as
out Of four samples examined, taken
, from respectable houses in the city of
New York, only one was found pure
The others contained baked flower and
l rice, with sand enough to prove the
unclean condition of the peppers when
milled. DIR. HaZen, in 1855, reported
e forty-three specimens taken from Eng
g lish stores, sixteen Of which were
D adulterated. The chemist of the ma
e tional board of health gave the result
OF larger experience. Of 1,116 pep
pers, $40 were adulterated with rice,
sage, potato starch, brown and white
s mustard, wood, wheat, bran, flour, oat
e flour, and ground gypsum. The com
u missary general supplied sixteen uno-
), pened sample cans for investigation.
Ut these, two were adulterated with
fresh flour, while six showed from the
quantity of sand present the unclean
e and probably inferior quality of pep.
u pers. Of thirty samples which
{; were purchased, four were pure. The
IL remaining twenty-eight samples were
q mixed with ingredients which weak
L ened their strength and impaired theil
e usefulness,
= Alspice, which has been found ii
England to be generally pure, in this
y country is mixed with such articles as
bread crust, beans, corn starch, woody
a tissues, and turmeric. Of ground gin
Y ger, fifteen specimens out of twenty
le one were adulterated. Chinese teas
e are busted with Prussian blue, and
q Japan teas with indigo, along with
T. 1nely pulveriz?d sulphate of lime and
= silicates. In the preparation of teas
for market, such drugs are used as
: black leal. indigo, Prussian blue
IS chrome yellow, Venetian red. carbon
l. ate of copper and arse-..' re OF copper
/ In the manufacture Of c6nte~' loneIy
different poisonous preparations e..
< used, containing Prussian blue, carbon
J ate of copper. cochineal. carbonate OF
& lead and red lead.
. 1t Is useless to increase the number
L OF these samples. 1t is believed by per-
sons who have examined this subject
Tor the past five years that large pro
portion of the substances shipped from
u the old world to the new, and which
> enter so largely into the manufacturing
;. OF the foods of this country, are adul-
= terated and impure. 1t is easy for any
= one to see that this state of things
/. must effect the general health of our
: communities. While this is very i'm
: portant subject when taken in connec-
i ton with the food and drink of the ma
i ton, it becomes very much more i'm
, portant when taken in connection with
= the drugs sold by our apothecaries.
which are made up so largely of adul-
: terated and inferior materials. Atten-
; ton has been repeatedly called to the
TACT that these powdered drugs are of
2 fered IN the market at the same. or
: even at less. price than the crude drug,
Notwithstanding the loss involved in
. drying the powdering.
Among the principle authorizations
recently observed i'll drugs may be
2 mentioned spurious barks imported for
angOstura, cascarilla and cinchona
! ofrks; spurious SENECA, sarsaparilla,
: arnlc', ETC.; opium, adulterated with
, clay, cherry gum, extract of licorice,
; starch. ETC.; castor oil made of lard Gil.
with little croton oil, cod liver oil
made of lard. oil of lemon adulterated
with petroleum, etc. Morphia has
been found substituted by mineral
, matter and quinia; iron for medicinal
use admit NTH nnrhox,. n,,i.;..o