Milford chronicle., 1888-04-20
No Physic with our FOOD

PHOSPHATE BAKING POWDER THEORY
THAT is DANGEROUS IF NOT RIDICULOUS.
That is rather a dangerous proposition,
put forth by the manufacturers of some of
the patented or proprietary articles of food,
that their products possess a superior whole
someness because they contain a drug of
some particular medicinal property Phos-
pilates alum, lime, arsenic, ,calomel, etc. have
their places as specifies for different diseases,
and are invaluable medical remedies, each in
its place. But they are not cure-alls. The
physician who should prescribe either calo-
mel or strychnine, or rhubarb three times .
day, to man, woman and child sick or well,
because either of such drugs is a well known
remedy for some certain disease, would re-
ceive but little honor from the fraternity and
less practice from the community.
No one will controvert this statement; yet
we find manufacturers of baking powders
claiming superior hygienic virtue for their
productions and urging their continuous use
because they are alleged to carry the phos-
phate used III making them Ia cheap substi-
tute for cream of tartar, procured from the
bones of dead animals) into the food
although 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
daily, no matter what may be our physical
conditions or requirements or whether or
not we may be suffering from some ailment
wherein the use of such drug would be pos
itiYely detrimental. Both alum and phos-
pilates are useful medicaments in certain dis
eases; bnt they should no more be taken in
discriminatory day after day and without the
prescription of a physician, than arsenic.
aconite or calomel; indeed, there are condi-
tions of the system, particularly with women
when the prudent physician would be loath
to permit the use of lime phosphates even as
medicine.
The fallacy of this claim of the manufac-
turers of phosphate baking powders will be
apparent to all when the fact, well known
to physicians, when stated, that with aver
age health and with ordinary food the body
gets more phosphates than are required or
can be assimilated, as is evidenced by the
fact that they are constantly being expelled
in the excretions, both solid and liquid; like
wise the statement that it is necessary to add
phosphates to the baking powder to restore
to the -four those which have been lost in the
milling for it is true that fine -four as at pres
ent made actually contains larger per cent
age of phosphates than the grain Of wheat
itself.
The object of baking powders is not to
provide the body with a medicine, but sim
ply to vesiculate or make light the mixture
of -four, so as to render it when.b baked easy
OF mastication and perfectly digestihle. The
most celebrated experts In the business have
worked tor the perfection of an article that
should do this mechanically, adding to OF
taking from the flour nothing, nor in any
way effecting a change in its properties OF
constituents. When this has been done the
perfect leavening agent has been discovered.
The manufacturers of the Royal Baking Pow
der haye succeeded in this so far as to make
a leavening agent that vesiculates and raises
the loaf most perfectly, and without chang
ing the properties of the -four, while the res
iduum from it has been reduced to mini.
num- The acid employed, however, to pro
duce this result is not phosphate, but the
acid of highly refined cream oftartar, which,
the health authorities agree, renders that
powder perfectly pure and more reliable and
heathful than any other. The recent official
tests show on the other hand, that the best
the phosphate baking powder makers can
do is to produce an article that is one-third
or more Fesidupm or impurity.
We want our food pure; especially do We
not wish to take alum, lime and phosphates
with it at the dictum of manufacturers who
may find it cheaper to claim virtue for the
impurities than 70 remove them.