Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-03-03
PHYsEC WITH OUR FOOD.
/ Phosphate Baking Powder TheO.
ry that is Dangerous if not Ridicu.


ny that is Dangerous if not Ridicu-
IOus.
That is q rather dangerous proposition,
put forth By the manufacturers of some of
the patented or proprietary articles Of food
| that their products possess superior whole.
someness because they contain drug OF
some particular medicinal property. Phos.
pilates, alum. CLINE, arsenic. calonel, etc,
have their places es specifics for different
| diseases, and are Invaluable medical rene
| dies, each in its place. But they are not
cure al5. The physician who should pre-
scribe either calome, or strychnine or rhu-
barb three limes day to man, woman and
child, sick or well, because either of such
| drugs is O well known remedy for some GER
tain disease would receive but little honor
from the fraternity and less practice from
the community.
No one will contIovert this statement; yet
we fnd manufacturers Of baking powders
claiming superior hygienic virtue for their
productions and urging their continuous uae
because they are alleged to carry the phos-
pbate used in making them Ia cheap substi
tute for cream oftartar, procured from the
bones of dead aDimals) into the food al
though well aware, as they must be, of the
fact that with the constant use of suCh arti-
Gle this drug must pass into our systems dali
IL, no matter what may be our physical con-
d;tions or requirements or whether or not
wo mag be suffering from some aiiment
wherein the use of such drug would be pos.
lively detrimental. Both slum and phcs-
pilates are useful indictments in certain
dseanes but they should no mere be taken
unfortunately day after day and without
the prescription OF q physician, than arse
mic, acoDite or calomel; indeed there are
conditions Of the system, particularly with
women, when the prudent physician would
be 10th to permit the use Of lime phosphates
even as medicine.
Ths fallscy of this claim of the manufac
turers of phosphate baking powders will be
apparent 10 all when the fact, well known to
physicians, is stated, that in average health
and with ordinary food The body gets more
phosphates than ara required or can be as
simulated, as is evidenced by the fact that
they are constantly being expelled in the
excretions. both solid and liquid; likewise
the statement that it is necessary 10 add
phospbates to the baking powder TO restore
to the flour those which have been lost in
the milling. for it is true that fine -four as at
present made actually contains larger per-
centags CT phosphetes than the grain Of
wheat itself.
The object of baking powders Is not to
provide the body with medicine but sim-
ply to vesiculate or make light the mixture of
-four, so as to render it when baked easy Of
matication and perfectly digesti5Ie. The most
elebEnted experts in the business have
worked for the perfection of an article that
should do this mechanically adding to OIL
taking from the -four nothing nor in any
way effecting change in its properties or
constituents. When this has been done The
perfect leavening agent has been discovered.
The manufacturers of the Roysl Baking
Powder have succeeded in this so fer as to
make leaveniDg agent that vesiculates and
raises the loaf most perfectly and without
changing the properties of the -four while
the residuum from it has been reduced to
minimum. The acid employed, however, to
produce this result is not phosphate. but the
acid of highly refoed cream oftartar, which,
the health authorities sgrea renders that
powder perfectly pure and more reliable and
neathfnl than any other. The recent official |
tests show, on the other hand, that the best
tie phosphate baking powder makers can
do is oproduce an article that is onethrd
or more residuum or impurity.
We want our food pure; especially do we |
not wish to take alum, lime and phosphates
with it at The dctun of manufacturers who
may fad it cheaper to clain virtue for the
impurities than to remove them.