The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-05-04
NO PHYsIC WITH OUR FOOD.


A PHOSPHATE BAKING POWDER THEORY
THAT IS DANGEROUS IF NOT RIDICULOUS.
| That is rather dangerous proposition,
put forth by the manufacturers of some
OF the patented or proprietary articles OF
food, that their products possess a
superior wholesomeness because they
contain a drug of some particular
medicinal property. Phosphates, alum,
lime, arsenic, calomel, etc., have their
places as specifics for different diseases,
and are invaluable medical remedies,
Teach in its place. But they are not
cure-alb. The physician who should
tprescribe either calonlel, or strychnine,
/ or rhubarb three times q 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 statement;
yet we find manufactures of baking
powders claiming superior hygienic
virtue for their productions and urging
their continuous use because they are
alleged to carry the phosphate used in
making them Ia cheap substitute 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 article this drug must pass into
our systems daily. no matter what may
be our physical conditions or require
ments, or whether or not we may be
suffering from some. ailment wherein
the use of such drug would be positively
detrimental. Both alum and phusphates
are useful medicaments in certain dis
eases; but they should no more be taken
Unfortunately day after day and with
out the prescription Of a physician, than
arsenic, aconite or calomel; indeed,
there are conditions of the system, par
ticularly with women, when the prudent
physician would be loath to permit the
use of lime phosphates even as medi.
cine.
The fallacy of this claim of the manu-
facturers of phosphate baking powders
will be apparent to all when the fact,
we'll known to physicians, is stated, that
in average 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 excre-
tons, both solid and liquid; likewise the
statement that it is necessary to add
phosphates to the baking powder to re-
store to the flour those which have been
lost in the milling, for it is true that fine
Hour as at present made actually con.
talns a larger percentage of phosphates
than the grain of wheat itself.
The object of baking powders is not to
provide the body with a medicine, but
simply to vesiculate or make light the
mixture of flour, so as to render it when
baked easy of mastication and perfectly
digestible. The most celebrated experts
in the business have worked for the per-
lection of an article that should do this
mechanically, adding to or taking from
the flour nothing, nor in any way effect
ing change in its properties Or con-
stituents. When this has been done the
perfect leavening agent has been dis
covered. The manufacturers of the
Royal Baking Powder have succeeded
in this so far as to make leavening
agent that vesiculates and raises the loaf
most perfectly, and without changing
the properties of the flour, while the
residuum from it has been reduced to a
minimum. The acid employed, how
ever, to produce this result is not phos-
phatic, but the acid of highly refined
cream of tartar, which, the health
authorities agree, renders that powder
perfectly pure and more reliable and
healthful 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 resi-
dunn or impurity.
Wewant 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
to remove them.