Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-10
Poison in Tin Cans.
A Danger0us Practice fin the Manuf
 tura Of Canned Goods.

A DanGerous Practice in the Manufac- ture Of Canned Goods. Dr. J. G. Johnson, in an article in the
 Sanitarian, calls attention to the daneerout | practice prevalent among manufacturers oi
 with an amAlgam composed of muriate oi l zinc. The muriate of zine is formed by dis l solving pieces of zinc in muriatio acid until the latter is saturated. The solution is then painted into the groove around the top o1 the can by boys. The cover is then put on and held by clamp until the soldering iron is passed round. If there is too much of the
 muriate of zinc, as often happens it Is forced
 into the can by the expansion of the tin by
 the heat, since it cannot escape externally be-
 cause of the solder. AS the muriatic acid
 acts upon tin as we'll as upon zinc, the poison
 thus introduced is muriate of zinc and tin.
 The poison will act also upon the contained
 vegetables, bleaching them so that they have
 faded appearance. On the human system
 this poison has an irritant, caustic and as-
 tringent action, and, like all minerals, is apt
 to stay in the system, apparently doing little
 harm, until 8 suHnciency accumulates to bring
 on dangerous symptoms.
 There is no need for the use of tin at all HI S6Qu1uR kOUuA. 1Ao DhE0 P1hk0 Ab preferable, for iron is not poisonous, and an occasional slight dscoloration is far prefera- ble to risk of death. Even the use of solder can be done away with by the substitution of a very hard cement, like the ordinary can wax, which is perfectly insoluble in the acids of fruits and vegetables. Dr. Johnson ex- amines the legal aspect of cases of poisoning from canned goods, and finds that "e1empla' ry damages, at the discretion of the fury, will be sustained by the courts for this reck- less tampsring with human Ife." This &C., ton will ascrae, in the case of goods sold in sealed packages, against the original manu- fscturer.
 Another danger arising from canned fruits and vegetables is that which proceeds from the contents themselves. If can is sound the head is sunk in. If the contents have commenced to decompose the head is bulged out. Dishonest dealers buy these "swells," as they are called, punch hole in the heads, and put the cans in boiling wax to drive out the gases. after which they solder up the hole. That Is to say, they repeat the process followed in canning. But cans so treated will have two solder holes instead of one. Such cans, if purchased, should at once be sent to the board of health, along with the contents and the name of the grocer who sold them.
 All buyers of canned food should reject every can which does not show the line of fosln around the cage or tne so1oeI on tue cap, knowing that muriate of zinc has been used when it is absent. They should also reject all goods which do not bear the name of the factory and also the name of some wholesale firm on the label, and should test the soundness of the contents of can by pressing in the bottom. If the pressure is followed by a rattle, caused by the displace- ment of the gas, 1t is not fit for food. sound can has a solid feel. If there is any rust around the CAD on the inside of the head of the can, the contents are not good. "If," says Dr. Johnson, housewives are ed- ucatsd to these points, muriate of zinc anal gam will become thing of the past, and dealers in 'swells' must seek some other oc- cupation."