New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-11-21
ARE clNYED GOODS HrIITnrrI'
4 rArrn nv Ak tNgtisn PHYSICIAN btFohb IuE
MtnitO-irGAt SOCIETY,

At n meeting of the ModicDsb Legal Society
on wednesday evening ~ Columbia College ~ !, \,
irwin ieni paper on Poisoning by Canned Goods -
ooniihuioi bs Ia Thomas tto'ohhpi, ol London -'
portion OF 70 was hn follnwHI
Acute inalallo poisoning II noi known IA his country
li.nglandl fr"mcn'nol goods now hh, in"H GUSTS :"
canned noals h9 iiI" Is r,s{ io1s% 70 P',af" -, h
IA Inquest was heidi Ia 1rr3, u linlico, suburb or
London, where II was alleged lht drnlh was que 10
uu.uning by nitrate OF tn aud lin or can ~ meat wac
.,nv,t nam which by cuIuslOn tin bad been removed
from he iron on which ~ had been deposited, mt coud
not lind any .nnlys.s c0nlruaory of The supposiiion
In rmnrv several cases occurred in Glasgow Of
poisoning by eating provisions taken nom I'm cn
IN, ,yptous indicated CASTRO cntcriiiS. Chemical analN-
si showed that the food contained traces only Of Tin,
and this being she ru IN canned goods thcse cases Oh
of acute metallic poisoning from canned goods IN
varied experience Of thirteen years. mat
canned goods usually contain traces or TN
has en- proved 10y several British chcmistsand the fact
is believed TO De well c,lab-hc That such provisions
when eaten do not usually ploiucr any serious lhesS Is
a matter OF common Xpcricncc. have made many eN-
percnt upon this subject and have fed dogs for weeks
together with food contammlica WIN tlh c9npo'ius
without producing any pcfccpilbc INJURY nave also
watched the effect of the daily u-e for lenstheicd
period OF tin-cOnIamlndied food by Adults without as
covering any injurious eject am not prepared to say
that tin compounds are inert but evidence i wanting 70
show that the daily inseatoh OF fractions Oh gram Vi III
compounds Is lnanlicstly injurious 10 Healih.
Dr.. Irwin commenting upon the paper OF Dr. steven
said: II is necessary TO determine whether canned
goods contaminated by tin lead, zinc or arsenic ana
il So are they either of them likely 10 iniuc thc public
health. The paper 81 Dr. stevenson sNcS strong c-
dence that these goods contain salts OF tin Professor {
alarm from the OF tin Is the opinion of physicians
generally that canned goods Injurious 10 health There
is no doubt about lead being poison and II II can be
found IN canned goods Will surely produce much injury.
The power of arsenic and yellow salt OF zin:
is from the minute doses in which they given 10
patients. salts OF tin not in the matcria mcdica.
have never prescribed them and do not know OF any
physician who has. They only used in commercial
pursuits Tin filings in the Odcn times were given rs a
vcrmituge the basis that they would prove rather
unpleasant the digestive organs Of WORMS. salts of
lin corrosive iTltant poison, yet there IL not one
case of fatal result record where il has been taken.
was called in So attend woman who had CASTRO
cnteritis after partaking OF heavy meal of canned
salmon which terminated fatally, but no
analysis made for poison. There Is
no doubt that largo amount OF the
sickness that appears AFTER eating canned Goods Is due 10
the fact that in many instances provisions put into
cans that already far advanced IN dccOmpoltio
Much be said on both sides of this subject. lived
for year canned goods that had passed through the
extremes OF temperature, and have known others that
did the same thing without injury, and again | have
known people after eating these goods 10 become
iousy ILL., That canned goods viii in time become putrd
and unfit be eaten may be assumed without contra
dction. A law should be passed compelling packers 10
stamp the date when goods put mp the side
OF the can.