Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-04-05
CRIMINAL IMPOSITION.

The question of food adulteration sur
passes the liquor traffic in it's importance
and is in much more need of vigorous
agitation. In the liquor warfare the
poison is unmasked and can be prudently
avoided and pointed out, but in the mat
ter Of food no one can tell what it pass
ing into his stomach without first going
to the trouble of an analytical test. In
infant food alone the New York Times
says there are about twenty European
preparations and at least twice as many
American, all of which profess to furnish
a complete nutrition for the infant dur
ing the first few months Of it's existence,
while yet the conversion OF starch into
dextrine and sugar is beyond the Ca
pacity of the unframed digestive func-
tion. The examination of these with the
microscope, assisted by such SIMPLE
tests as iodine which turns starch cells
blue, and gluten (or albuminous) gran
ules yellow, has engaged the careful at
tention of DR.. Ephraim Gutter, of Cam
bridge, and his results will startle most
mothers who have relied upon the ex-
travagant pretenses set forth in the cir
culars of manufacturers. Eliza McDon-
ough, who preceded DR.. Cutter in this
field, has been in a measure discredited;
but it appears that her assertion-that
the starch, so far from being transformed
into dextrine, was not sufficiently altered
to render the recognit ion of it's source
difficult, whether from wheat, rye, corn
or barley-was strictly true and
that these pretentious foods are, without
exception, nearly valueless for dietetic
purposes. All of them consist of baked
-four mainly, either alone or mixed with
sugar, milk or salts. In some cases, the
baking has been very inadequately per-
formed, and the doctor found one that
consisted merely Of wheat and oats whose
starch cells were proximately in their
natural condition. The general result
sof DR.. Cutters examination may be stated
in brief terms as follows: There was
scarcely single one of the so-called in
FAINT foods that contained quantity Of
gluten as large as that contained in Or
binary wheat -four. That is to say, a
well.compounded wheat cruel is superior
to any of them, particularly when boiled
with a little milk; and mothers are in
error who place the slightest dependence
upon them. AS respects one very ex-
pensive article, protesting to possess
270 parts in every 1000 of phosphate
salts in connection with gluten, DR..
Cutter was unable to find any gluten at
all. The thing was nearly pure starch,
sold at an exorbitant price as a nerve
and brain food and great remedy for
ricketts,. So all through the list. Some
times trace of gluten was present; more
frequently none at all. In one case
there were 80 parts of starch to 10 of
gluten; but this was exceptional, and the
majority were less valuable, ounce for
ounce, than ordinary wheat -four. Con-
sidering the semi-philanthropic preten-
sions that have been put forth by the
manufacturers Of these foods, some of
them sustained by the certificates of
eminent physicians, the report of DR..
Cutter is one of the dreariest comments
upon human nature that has recently
fallen under the notice of the journalist.