Mohave County miner., 1883-12-16
KS ALUM POTSONOUSs
Dr. Halls .Jonrnal ct Health, in

Ire AalI SO OhrOAj CI 0eAILO, 1n 8
 recent issue, says:
 "Tiis question has caused a good
 deal of discussion. Alum is used by
 many bakers to whiten their bread,
 enabling them to use an inferior
 flour, 4tls more extensively employ
 cd as a'cheap substitute for cream of
 tartar in tke manufacture of baking
 powders. 1t has not been consider
 ed immediately dangerous; although
 if continued it induces dyspepsia
 and obstinate constipation. But the
 fact that many cases of poisoning
 have occurred from baking powders
 which contained alum, puts the ques- tion in 8 mora serIous aspect, and
 prudent people will exercise cautlon in the selection of baking powders.
 Under what conditions, then, does thls substance-formerly used only for mechanical or medicinal purposes become poisonous? They are cer- tainly obscure, and at present we can only surmise what they may be. We suspect that the cause exists in the individual poisoned; some peculiari- ty of the constitution producing morbid change in the secretions of tue stomach, with which the alum combines and terms an active poi sons or the secretions may bs healthy but in an unusual proportion, n combination with the alum. consti tHte 8 poison,
 "For example, two parts of mer- cury and two parts of chlorine form calOmel, which IS not poisonous; but change tue proportions to one part of mercury and two parts of chlorine and we get corrosive sublimate, which is deadly polson.
 "Then, again, we know nothing of the cause Of constitutional peculiar ities. Why Is 1t that one person can eat all kinds of green fruits and veg etables with impunity, while the same course might cost another indi- vidual his lief One person can EGSadle poison ivy and sumac with out being in tisg affected; an other is poisoued if he approaches to within ten feet of them. Out of a family residing in maisrial district, some of the members wIll suffer half the year with fever and ague, while the others will enjoy excellent health during the entire year. Foods that are wholesome to some persons are actually poisonous to others. This is especially true of some kinds of fish. Thers Is no safety in taking alum into the stomach, Ss 1t Is shown 1 to be always injurious, and often 1 Baking powders proper lY compounded, and containing pure cream of tartar instead of alum, are more convenient than yeast; and | bread and pastry made with them ! are just as wholesome, and far more 1 palatable. We are in entire sym pathy with the manufacturers of the Royal Baking Powder--who com menced and are vigorously conduct ing the war against the use of alnm in baking powders.
 Before committing ourselves, however, we made tests of sufficient of baking powders to satisfy l ourselves that the substitution of alum for cream of tartar in their has not been overesti- | mated, while careful examination l of the Royal Baking Powder con- firms our belief that Dr. Mott, the Chemist, when he 1 singled out and commended this 1 powder for it's wholesOmeness, did it wholly in the interests of the pubic.
 "We do not hesitate to say that the Royal Baking Powder people deserve the gratitude of the commu- nity whom they are endeavoring to protect.
 "Will not some prominent manu- facturer of pure Candies follow their example, and expose the secrets of business that IS doing untold mis- chief to little childrenp