Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-17
FRAUDS IN room.
Talks about tho New Law 70 Prevent
Authorizations

Talks about tho New Law 10 Prevent
Authorizations.
soh FACTS FROM TEE HsALrH oYprcE-raE ApuI.
ITERATION or FOOD SAID TO 81 QUITE sESkRAL-
AAhAlsss SUBSTANCES SOMETIMES usEp-rnE NILE
AND TIE DRUG QUESTION.
while do not like all the provisions of the
law, said Health Oracer Townsnend to STAR re-
porter, referring 70 the new law to punish adul-
.erations OF food and drugs 1T IL the best one We
nave ever had. IL is time something was being
done 70 prevent food authorizations. II the law is
carried out II viii prove excellent thing for the
CITY. The adulteration OF food Is of more import
ance than the adulteration Of medicines because
every physician looks AFTER or Is supposed to look
after his own medicines but with food 1t Is differ
ent. Food Is only looked after In q general way,
and with such laws as we already had food was
not inspected TO find whether there were any
authorizations, but simply TO nnd whether IL was
In marketao Die condition or not. With the small
force OF inspectors provided the health officer
could not go into the whole matter very WELL
The inspectors have all they can do to look after
and condemn uIsound and unwholesome food.
This question has ben ag1tated by the health
once for number OF years, but this is the first
step Congress has taken toward giving relief
asked for.
HARMLESS But FRAUDULENT
"But," continued DR.. Townshend, 'the COM
munity has been more imposed upon in food
adulterstion not Of an unhealthy character. In
other words people are acquired to pay for what
they do not get In this respect think the law
Is lacking. The law should have been framed so as
10 prosecute persons for adulterating food with
articles used for adultering purposes are not un-
wholesome. In fact, but few Of them are. Take,
made properly they are not unhealthy. but to the
contrary. They are Just as healthy as butter AMI
when made clean would just as lief eat either OF
them as the genuine article. But the community
Is robbed when paying for these articles for
genuine butter. There Is q law Furnishing the sale
OF oieoinargarine and butterine, but not because
they are manufactured articles The prosecutions
are Tor fraud In selling the mixture for the genuine
article Ana so IL Is with most articles Of food.
Iney are not adulterated with any deletertOus
substances
ARBITRATION GENERAL.
almost every article OF food we purchase Is
adulterated to some extent. Take coffee for In
stance, and In 1t we ind burned beans or corn but
they are not unhealthy. But then the coffee does
not Taste the same and beans and corn ut 80 and
40 cents pound Is an expensive article OF fool
And 50 1t Is with almost every article Of food pur-
chased.
with regards to liquors it is an easy matter to
inspect them. They should be inspected In whole
sale houses upon their arrival here. The articles
unhealthy substances. / don't think that liquors
are adulteraJed to the extent that is generally
supposed. There Is nothing more poisonous used
Ia adulterallng liquor than the alcOhol. Even tie
finest kinds OF brandies are not healthy when used
10 excess. Water Is frequently used In the adul-
i
healthy but Is merely swinde on the public. 1t
Is an easy matter TO discover the deleterOuS effects
OF malt liquors by inspecting the 0reweries and
making an analysis or the liquors found. Some
times Too much soda Is USED by the brewers to
make the beer loan. That is usually the only un-
healthy article put In the beer.
THE DRUG QUESTION.
"As to the authorizations OF drugs think the
people are under the wrong impression. Drugs,
as a rule, are not usually adulterated, because the
authorizations In many cases cost more than the
genuine article. i have no doubt but that some
urugg istS adulterate Quinine with a cheap powder
anu there are plenty VI dealers who are scuundrel5
enough 10 use cheap and Injurious substances In
Ihe authorizations. The principal adulterant by
druggists Is water, which Is not unheal by, but 1t
weakens The effect OF the drug, which may prove
an injury 10 heath. But such Gases the attend
ing pny stefan mas chance To Look after the ned
cine anu the patient, and can soon remedy the
evil.
SKINNED AND ADULrERATED MILK.
'Inere seems TO he general idea that most OF
the milk sold in this city is adulterated, but l
think that that is wrong impression. A great
deal OF II no doubt is skinned and in many In
stances IL Is watered. such adulleTatiOn, how
ever, does not make IL unhealthy but simply takes
the richness IRON II and makes 1t a less valuable
article. Inc regulations OF the health Office un-
der which cases were prosecuted, were not made
10 protect the puollc against fraud but TO punish
persons Tor selling unhealthy ioOd. Calls brains
may DC used In milk 10 give It a rich appearance,
out there Is nothing In the brains that is n1uri.
Gus 10 nealtI, and Tor that reason sucn adultera-
tons could not b. prosecuted. Under this
new law think such prosecution would be sus-
talned by Ine courts"
TALK WITH THE FOOD INSPECTOR.
"The law Is an excellent one" said Food Inspec-
Tor Mothershead to STAR reporter. cit will be OF
more benent to the health Ut the people than any
law we ever had. The law, as understand 1t. IT.
lates TO every article OF food. and under IT many
prosecutions can be brought which could never be
Instituted because the existing laws did not cover
them Under this law the adulteration of mix
Can be punished. MIX Is adu.terated with some
poisonous preparation, which gives it a rich body
When Sc, away It will have over 1t thick sub
stance Ike cream, but this Is nothing but the
effects OF the poisonous drug. This drug gives the
milk good body and creamy appearance, and
makes IL more Saledble, but unhealthy think
he continued, "thaI the deaths OF many Children
are Caused Dy the poisonous authorizations OF milk
as the elect OF the preparation on infants Is sim
many nne and light candies 1t does not increase
the weight or the candy, but gives IL a richness
equal To cream. Such authorizations as these are
what the law Is intended to punish.
FRAUDS IN BUTTER
"Butter," continued the inspector sis also an
article that is greatly adulterated. The adultera
tons are not confined to expert butter dealers.
The country people are now as bad as any Others.
Iney make small quantity OF butter and then
mix lard and oLher greases together and flavor n
Win the small quantity OF butter made Besides
aduterating the butter they use colorings 10 give
IL deep, rlcn color and then sell the mixture Tor
pure country butte. No greater fraud eau be per
petrated on the public than the sale OF THIS Kind
OF outter. Few persons can Tell the difference in
the outter and Ia many Cases the article IS sold To
Children who are sent to market The country
people, or some OF them, also understand how 10
adulterate mix. They also purchase old, Cheap
butter and work It over, and by the addition OF
THIS poisonous drug the preparation or butter mix
ture Is given good appearance
Ihe clause relating TO the use Of colorings will
nave good elect. Whlle many OF the cOlorings
USED are not POISONOUS or unhealthy, many OF
them are. The copperas used in pickles is prOba-
Oily the most unhealthy coloring used. Hereto
lore We have had more trouble TO get articles
analyzed than we did to get the articles and that
was Always great drawback TO q prosecution
but thln& now that there Will be no d1fficuIty
Whatever IN making case against an Offender
when The article really prohibited is found in his
possession" 40 '
Fighting the Liquor Dealer.