The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-03-26
Decayed Food.

There can be no greater difference
than that between life and death. In
life millions of vital processes contribute
to making coed the incessant waste that
liz going on in the human body, and ils
elimination from the system. They
contribute to the performance of The
body's many functions F; to the repair OF
possible wounds; to the expulsion OF
morbid agents, and to the perpetuation
of it's kind in new individuals. All
chemical and molecular changes mean
Just this.
These processes are arrested at the
moment of death. Then all chemical
and molecular changes mean the decom-
position of the entire substance into a
few gases, with small earthly residuum,
none of which could in any way particu-
larly endanger the health of the living.
But az sugar ferments into vinegar,
vet before it reaches the last stage it is a
violent poison (alcohol this poison is
secured only by arressing the change
40 in the process of animal decay. new
chemical combinations are produced, and
exist for time, which are exceedingly
deleterious, whether received into the
stomach or the lungs.
Just here is the danger from decaying
food. 1t has long been known that the
gravest symptoms have often followed
the eating of custard that has been kept
too long, because the egg in it is liable
to speedy decay. Equally familiar is
the fact that whole family has often
exhibited every symptom of violent
poisoning soon after rising from a dinner
of meat soup.
Chemistry has of late explained these
and kindred facts. II has found that
during the early stages of decomposition,
a most viruIeut poison is developed.
This poison has been isolated from the
mass, reduced to its purest form, its
nature studied and name given to it.
For this reason our laws cannot be too
stringent nor our inspectors too vigilant
in protecting the people against the sale
of bad meat. The taste of tainted meat
may be hidden in savory soup, but the
poison il not changed.
The eating of decayed fish often gives
rise to severe attacks of cholera morbus.
A young man OF our acquaintance lately
died Of this disease few days after
returning from Nantucket Beach, where
he had partaken of a dinner of fish.
His symptoms were as violent and his
death as speedy as is common to Asiatic
cholera. An actual poison, as real and
M powerful as arsenic, explains such an
Majnr General j. P. Hawkins, G. S. q.
S. a., ina recent article on Food in
Cans-Fresh Foods in City Markets, }"
said:
The fact is that all articles of food,
whether in can or out OF it, are subject
to injury through some accidental or
natural, cause that'is ordinarily beyond
the power of man to guard against.
The vegetable gathered fresh from the
garden the previous day may bave 80
changed in quality as to be unit for the
table, and if eaten might produce seri
ous-trouble, aud such cases are, no doubt.
more frequent than we have record Of
indeed, our ideas oi freshness aud stale
ness iu what we eat, are very imperfect,
aud uiany have not the accurate knowl.
edge or judgment to decide where fresh.
uess ends and sta!eness begins, and it
must often happen that an apparently
fresh fruit or vegetable produces unpleas-
ant or dangerous consequences, without
the cause being traced 10 it, because oi
no initial suspicion to point that way,
aud because most people lack the capacl
" of honestly judging between cause and
effect. On the other hand, if person
eats of canned article and afterwards
experiences any unpleasant symptoms,
suspicion is at once aroused, the can is
blamed as the cause of trouble, and
there are plenty of sympathiziug friends,
who, with show of learning. are ready
to explain just bow the can did it. When
we consider the great care taken IN can
ming fruits and vegetables, the purify
aud treshueSs they are required to possess
to be suitable for canning PURPOSES, the
cope inspection they sre subjected 10 IN
order to insure their being ~ perfect rs
possible, it is evident, admitting that the
canning process preserves an article, that
a fruit or vegetable i'll a canned condi
tiuu is about as nearly perfect, as regards
wholesomeness, as the original article
could possibly be in its natural and un-
.prrcessed condition, of course modified
and changed somewhat in taste or favor
by the methods necessarily used for its
preservation, and this state of goodness
may be expected to continue for long
period. provided the can retains its
snundness and is not subjected to some
destructive accident.