The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-06-29
or FO0D AND
URUGH.


The New York Legislature at its Lass
ses. lion passed law to prevent the ad-
ulteration of food and drugs The duty
is committed to the State Board of
Health of ascertaining what articles are
aduiterated, and the Sanitary Committee
OF the board has appointed eight chem
lists to make the investigation. To
each Of these chemists certain kinds OF
foods OF drugs are to be assigned for
purchase and analysis. The Sanitary
Engineer has already directed attention
to three classss Of articles adulterated,
which, in his opinion, require to be
analysed. exposed and checked. The
United States exported last year to
France and Italy lySsS, IA gallons Of
cottonseed oil. u is what may be
called can open secret" that much Of
this oil comes back to us ~ "pure
olive oil" 1t Is also known that q
quantity Of cottonssod oiksdoes not 20
abroad, but is put up IN bottles rssem-
bling those Of foreign make, and labeled
"olive OIL" and sold as such. Another
article adulterated is CASTLE soap. This
isoommonly regarded as the purestarticls
of its kind, and is consequently in great
demand for certain purposes. But near
ly all the CASTLE soap, even that put to
medical uses, is now said to be more or
less good or bad limitations, the purity
Of the soap being at this time an ex-
ception instead of rule. Our wines
are also largely Adulterated. and some
of the beer and ale that is SO largely
consumed in this country have been
subjected in the brewing to similar
fraudulent processes. The New York
San gives long account of the adul-
terations practiced in the aforementioned
articles of drink, and prints the opinions
of physicians Us to the effects prodxced
in drinkers by cocculus and cannabis in
deus, glucose, ETC., effects especially
noticeable in diseases of the kidneys.
Glucose, when properly made, and
freed from the acids used in its manu-
laehlre, is said to be harmless, and the
same harmlessness is attributed to
ossosaarearine when the manufacture is
conducted with due regard to cleani-
ness and the fat in the process of con-
version is pure. In both cases these
articles are held to be deleterious when
the acid is glucose has not been COM
pletely rem ,ved, and the fat from which
oleomargarire ID made is of an inferior
quality. In Chiesgo it has been COM
monty reported that it is the. almost
general practice there to mix stearine
with commercial lard for the purpose Of
hardening it. Spices also are largely
adulterated; their character easily per-
mitting unscrupulous manufactufe and
handling. OF twenty-seven samples Of
mustard, carefully selected in New York
from responsible dealers, DIR. Smart
found that only six were entirely pure.
It is consoling, however, to be told that
authorizations in, this country "seldom
take form that is dangerous to health. !"
However this may be, there are possible
tiles of such peril wherever adultera-
tions are resorted to. A purchaser who
pays for pure article and does not get
what it is guaranteed to be should have
some stringent power of redress, and
this is what the English law and what
ths law just passed in New York under
take to give, besides affording inciden-
tai pnntection to the public by author
living q rigid system Of ofinspection.-Bal-
tins0re EtAss.