The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-07-22
Food AduIteratIon


To bring the ten commandments down to
date there should be added to the list of
prohibitions, Thou shalt not commit adul-
teration, A few years ago the centennial of
the father OF chemistry, in distinction from
alchemy, was celebrated with great eclat,
but in view Of the uses to which it is ap
piled in corrupting the most necessary
articles Of use, the science which can ana
lyze and synthetic almost everything is of
mixed, If not doubtful, benefit. Used CON
scientously, the retort and the crucible are
OF very great advantage to mankind, bnt
when employed to stow how things can be
so compounded as to pass for what they are
not, a good becomes an evil, and this per
yerted use OF chemistry has attained alarm
ing proportions.
Chemistry has vast field where It's opera
tons can be carried on without doing any
serious harm and producing q vast aggre-
gate OF good. If 1t would only let the
stomach alone 1t might range at will the
whole boundless universe besides. Nature
is the only safe compounder Of food and
drink. The adulteration of drinks has made
the delirium remens and developed kidney
disease into tirst-class malady, while the
almost universal dyspepsia OF the day is
mainly due 10 adulterated food. Not bar
in the land can boast absolutely pure
liquors, and II there Is a kitchen which es-
capes food adulterGtion 1t must be remote
from the channels vi commerce. Every
meal supplies its quota of poison, and that
in the very teeth OF the most determined
effort OF the purveyor TO be good pro.
vider." There is no escape for rich or poor,
and the daintier the food the greater the
peril. The coarse diet of the laboring man
Is comparatively sure. HIS meat and pota
toes are as nature made them, unless fried
in refined lard, in which case they smell
OF the laboratory. The bread was probably
raised by compound which, instead of be-
ing the result Of natural fermentation, was
manufactured after recipe furnished by
chemist, and the butter was perhaps oleo.
margarine which might be said 10 have
been churned in crucible. The coffee may
or may not be the genuine article. The
milk has nothing init worse than chalk and
water, but the sugar, especially II il be the
best in the market, Is probably largely
made up of glucose. The first sip of the
breakfast beverage is, in point OF adultera-
ton, fair sample OF what one must go on
eating and drinking all day and every day.
There Is no escape from 1t. The millionaire
is very nearly as helpless as the poor man.
Nearly everything is something else.
The thirty-third general assembly OF ILL
nois made one effort to stay this incoming
tide Of adulteration. Ii passed law for the
protection OF vinegar. There is perhaps no
article Of food more generally adulterated
than this common article of table use. The
mother OF the genuine article has given
place to q chemical mixture, and the re-
quisite acidity is secured by a short cut
pointed out by the laboratory. But to stop
with vinegar would be irrational ana pre-.
posterous. On the contrary. only begin.
ming has been made, and very small one
at that, as compared with what ought to be
done In the way Of food reform.
1t Is not to be inferred that chemical sci
ence is the necessary enemy ofthe stomach.
II can be and should be sentinel ct the gate.