The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-03-01
NO pHYsIo With OUR FOOD.
AlPhosphatic Baking Powder Theory that
is Dangerous if not Ridiculous.

AlPhosphatic Baking Powder Theory that
Is Dangerous if not Ridiculous.
That is rather dangerous PROPOSE
tion, put forth by the manufacturers OF
some of the patented or proprietary ar
ticles of food, that their products pos
seses q superior wholesomeness be-
cause they contain drug of some par
ticular medical property. PhoSphateS,
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 calomel or
strychnine. or rhubarb three times
| day to man, woman and child, sick OF
well, because either of such drugs is
well known remedy for some certain
diseases, would receive but little honor
from the fraternity and less practice
from the community,
No one will controvert the statement;
vet we find manufacturers of baking
powders claiming superior hyqenic vir-
tue for their productions and urging
their continuous use because they are
alleged to carry the phosphate used IL
making them "a cheap substitute Tor
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
De our physical conditions or require
ments, or whether or not may be sutf-
5ring from some ailment wherein the
use Of such drug would be positively
detrimental. Both slum and ph6s Ihate
are useful medicaments in certain dis
eases; but they should no more be ia
ken indiscriminatel. day after day, and
without the prescription of a physician
than arsenic, acenite OF calomel; in
deed there are conditions Of the system
particularly with women, when the
prudent physician would be 10th to per-
nit the use OF lime phOsphates even as
medicine.
The fallacy of this claim of the man
utacturers of phosphate baking pow
ders win be apparent to all when the
'act. well known to physicians is sta
ted that in average health and with
ordinary food, the bod! gets more phos-
pilates than are required On can be as.
simulated, as is evidenced by the fact
that they are constantly being expelled
in the eXcretionS, eoth solid and
liquid; likewise the state
ment 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 line Hour as at present made, act
ullly contains 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 TO vesiculate OF make light the mix
tUre of -four. so as to render 1t when
baked easy of mastiC alton and per
fectly digestible. The m IL celebrated
experts in the busire ess have worked
for the perfection of an article that
should do this mechan cally, adding to
or taking from the flour nothing, nor
in any way effecting a change i'll its
properties or constituents. When this
has been done the perfect leayening
agent has been discovered. The manu-
facturers of the Royal Baking Powder
have succeeded in this so far as to make
a leavening agent that vesiculates and
raises the loaf most perfectly and With
out changing the properties of the flour
while the resinuum from it has been
reduced to a minimum. The acid EN-.
ployed, however, to produce this result
is not phosphate, but the acid of high
ly refined cream of tartar, which the
health authorities agree renders that
powder perfectly pure and more reliable
and heaIthtul than any other. The re-
cent official tests show, on the other
hand, that the best phosphate powder
makers can do is to produce an article
that is one-third 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 dictum of
manufacturers who may find it cheap
er to claim a virtue for the impurities
than to remove them.