The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-04-26
NO PHYSlC WITH OUR FOOD.
A PHOSPuATIC BAKING POWDER THEO.
RY THAT is DANGEROUS IF NOT
RIDICULOUS.

A PHOSPHATE BAKING POWDER THEO-
RY THAT is DANGEROUS IF NOT
RIDICULOUS.
That is rather dangerous propO.
sition, put forth by the manufacturers
of some of the patented or proprietary
articles of food, that their products
possess superior wholesomeness be
cause they contain drug of some par
ticular medical property. Phosphates,
alum, lime, arsenic, calomel. ETC.. have
their places as specifics for different di
seases, and are invaluable medical rem
edies, each in its place. But they are
not cure al]s. The physician who
should prescribe either CalOmel, or
strychnine, or rheubarb three times a
day to man, woman and child, sick or
we'll, because either of such drugs is \
well known remedy for some certain
disease. would receive but little honor
from the fraternity and less practice
from the community.
No one will controvert this state.
ment; yet we find manufacturers OF
baking powders claiming superior ny.
genie virtue Tor their productions and
urging their continuous use because
they are alleged to carry the phosphate e
used in making them IA cheap substi
tute for cream of tartar, procured from
the bones of dead amin .ls) into tie
food, although well aware, as they
must be of the fact that with constant
use of such article this drug must pass
into our systems daily. no matter what
may he our physical conditions or re-
quirements, or whether or not we may
lie suffering from some ailment where
in the Use If such drug would be detri
mental Both alum and phosphatps
are useful medicaments in certain d.
seases; hut they should no more he tax
en- indiscriminately day after day and
without the prescription Of phys
iciau, than arsenic, acontie or calOmeI;
indeed, there are conditions of the sys-
TEN, particularly with women. when
the prudent physician would he loath
to permit the use If lime phosphates
even as medicine
The fallacy Of this claim Of the man.
ufacturers of phosphate baking powd'
ers will be apparent to all when the
fact, well known to physicians. is STAT
ed. that in average health and 0rdl'
nary food the body gets more ph0s
| pilates than are required or can be as.
similated. as is evidenced by the fact
| that they are constantly being expelled
! in the excretiOns, both solid and
| LIQUID: likewise the statement that 1t
| is necessary to add ph0sphates to the
baking powder 10 restore to the -four
those which have been lost in the mill.
| ing. for it is true that fine flour rs at
present made actually contains larg.
er percentage of phosphates than the
| grain of wheat itself.
Tie object of baking powders ie not
to provide the body with a medicine,
but simply vesiculate or make light
the mixture of -four, so as to render
it when baked easy of lnastication and
perfectly digestible. The most cele'
brated experts in the business have
worked for the perfection of an article
that should do this mechanically, add
ing to or taking from the flour moth
ing, 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 Royal Bak
ing Powder have succeeded in this sc
far as to make q leavening agent that
vesiculates and raises the loaf perfectly
and without changing the properties
of the flour, while the residuum from II
has been reduced to a minimum. Tit
acid employed, however, to produce
this result is not phosphate, bnt th'
acid of highly refined cream Of tartar
which. the health authorities agree
renders that powder pure and more re
liable and healthful than any other
The recent official tests show, on tn
other hand, that the best phosphate
baking powder makers can do is to pro
duce an article that is Onethird Of
more residuum or impurity.
We want our food pure; especial!
do we not wish to take alum, lime ant
phosphates in it at the dictum of manu-
facturers who may find it cheaper tt
claim virtue for the impurities thar
; to remove them,