The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-03-28
EMO PHYsIc WITH OUR FOOD.
A Phosphate Baking Powder Theory tina
Is Dangerous n not Ridiculous.

APhosphstic Baking Powder Theory that
Is Dangerous n not Ri5ieuIous.
That is rather q dangerous proposition,
put forth by the manufactures eff some of
the patented or proprietary articles Of food,
that their products possess q superior
wholesomeness because they contain drug
of some particular medicinal property.
Phosphates, alum, lime, arsenic, calomel,
ETC., have their places as specifics for differ
ent diseases, and are Invaluable medicinal
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 or well, because either OF
such drugs is q welI-known remedy for
some certain disease, would receive bat lit
tie honor from the fraternity and less prac-
tioe from the community.
No one will controvert this statement;
yet We find manufacturers OF baking DO "
deTs claiming superior hygienic virtue for
their productions and urging their con.
SDuous Use because they are alleged to
carry the phosphate used IN making them
"a cheap substitute for cream of tartar, pro-
duced 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 ply steal conditions or REQ uirements
or whether or not we may be suffering
from some allment wherein the use of
such drug would be positively detrimental
Both alum and phosphates are useful
me dtca ments in certain diseases but they
shoa'd no more be taken Unfortunately
day sf'er day, and without the prescription
of p ply stefan, than arsenic, aconite or
CAL N. inoeed, there are conditions of
the system, particularly with women,
when the prudent physician would be
10th to permit the use of lime phosphates,
even as q medicine.
The fallacy of this claim OF the manu-.
fsotare-s Of phosphate baking powders
will bt apparent to all when the fact, well
known % physicians, is stated, that in
averag- health and with ordinary food the
body gets more phospbates than are re-
| quiIed or can be assimilated, as is evil
dence6 by the fact that they are constantly
| being xpeiled in the excretions, both solid
| and LIQUID; likewise the statement that it
is necessary to add phosphates to the bak-
ing powder to restore to the -four those
which have been lost in the milling, for it
is true that fine -four as at present made
actually contains q larger percentage of
| phosphates than the grain of wheat itself,
The object Of baking powder 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 &c LIBERATED experts
in the business have worked for the per-
| lection of an article that should do this
mechanically, adding to or taking from
the -four nothing, nor in any way effecting
g change in its properties or constituents.
| When this has been done the perfect
eaveniDg agent has been discovered.
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
-four, while the residuum from it has
been reduced to a minimum. The acid
employed, however, to produce this result
is not phosphate, but the acid of highly
refined cream of tartar, which, the health
authorities agree, renders that powder per-
fectly 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 residuum or impurity.
We want our food pure especially do
We not wish to take alum, lime aud phos-
pilates with it at the dictum of msnnfact-
urers who may find it cheaper to claim a
virtue for the impurities than to remove
/ them.