Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-01-24
Facts About Canned Goods.

In view of the sensational reports
often circulated concerning the dam
ger from eating canned goods, the
following facts are respectfully sub
mitted:
The report of Professor baltimore,
the chemist employed by the New
York State Board of Health, shows
that in large variety of canned
goods examined by him in 1882, COM
prising peaches, plums, grapes,
Strawberries, cherries, blackberries,
olives, mushrooms, corn, beans, sue
cotash, tomatoes, pumpkin and peas,
some of which were two or three
years old, there was no cause of APP
prehension on the part Of consumers.
The report of Professor baltimore
says:
"No indication of adulteration was
found in any of the canned fruits or
vegetables. Attention was given to
the possibility of the chemical reac-
ton of the fruit acids upon the inner
surface of the cans, whereby salts of
tin and lead might be produced, rem
dering the contents in some degree
poisonous. The application of the
well-known tests for these metals
failed to show any evidence of their
presence. Some of the articles ex-
amined were canned in the summer
of $780,"
Professor Albert H. Chester, Phi.
d., of Hamilton College, examined
canned meats. In his report to the
State Board of Health he stated /:
"Many cases have been reported in
the papers, where it is alleged that
persons have been poisoned by the
use of canned meats. | have never
been able to obtain sample of the
meats which had produced such re-
suit, nor have / seen any authentic
report of a chemical examination of
such meat showing the kind of
poison. Many people in the West,
particularly in mining and lumber
camps, eat canned goods every day
of their lives and do not suffer in con-
sequence. In my own experience /
have had gangs of men at work in
the woods, frequently months at a
time, eating canned corned beef, to-
matoes, corn, peaches and condensed
milk every day without a single case
of sickness Of any kind during the
season."
A striking example of the keeping
qualities of canned fish is found in
the fact that the American canned
salmon which was awarded the first
prize at the Fisheries Exhibition in
Berlin, in 1880, was packed in 1875,
and had previously been exhibited
and took the first prize at the Centen.
NAL Exhibition in 1876.
The american Grocer, an acknowl-
edged authority in the canned goods
trade, has for some time past Invest.
gated cases Of reported poisoning by
canned goods without finding sin.
gle well founded case. In late issue
it mentioned the following cases:
"In February, 1882, the Schenecta'
dy Evening Star stated the family 0,
Andrew Post, numbering four per
= sons, and Christian Post, brother t
Andrew, were all taken suddenly i'll
the sickness being caused by eating
. tomatoes which had been hermetic
ally sealed in tin can. An investi
CATION of the above case proved tina
the only person seriously sick was {
; gOurmand, who was troubled will
! chronic diarrhoea. The story had it
foundation in the doctors reply to /
, question relative to canned tomatoe
r being the cause, it being to the effec
that it might have been the cause
3 but excessive eating of any article
would probably produce like results.
8 "In September, 1888, an Associatec
Press dispatch stated that Richard
Brown, of Pittsburg, Pa, his wifi
and five children ate heartily O
canned corn, and all were attacked
8 by pains in the stomach, accompan
led by vomiting. One of the chill
dren died. Direct inquiries brough
the statement that no canned cornet
beef was eaten, the meat having bee
bought of a butcher in the Alleghen
market"
I'm October, 1853, a Press dispatc
8 announced the poisoning of a numbe
( Of narSOnS from, aotinu Sand-miphe