Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-03-16
No Physic With Our Food.
A PHOSPHATE BAKING POWDER THEORY
THAT IS DANGEROUS IL NOT
RIDICTuOTS

A PHOSPHATE BAKING POWDER THEORY
THAT Is DANGEROUS II NOT
RIDICULOUS.
That is a rather dangerous proposition,
put forth by the manufacturers of some
of the patented or proprietary articles OF
food, that their products possess supe-
rior wholesomeDess because they contain
drug of some particular medicinal prop
erty. Phosphates, alum, lone, arsenic,
calomel. etc, have their places as spe-
cites for different diseases, and are invalu-
able medical remedies, each in its place
But they are not cure ais. The physician
who should prescribe either calomel, or
strycbnine, or rhubarb three times day
to man. woman and child, sick or well,
because either of such drugs is we'll
known remedy for some certain disease,
would receive but little honor from the
fraternity and less practice from the com
munity.
No one will controvcrt this statement;
vet we find manufacturers of baking
powders claiming superior hygienic virtue
for their productions and urging their con-
tInuou. use because they are alleged to
carry the phosphate used in making them
IN cheap substitute for cream of tartar
procured from the bones Of dead ami
mails, into TO the food, although well
aware, as they must be, o. 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 con-
ditions or requirements, or whether or not
we may be suffering from some a'lment
wherein the use of such drug would be
positively detrimental. Both alum and
phosphates are useful indictments IN
certain diseases but they should no more
DO taken unfortunately day after day,
and without the prescription of q physl-
clan, than arsenic aconite or calomel
indeed there arc conditions of the system,
particularly with women, when the pru-
dent physician would be loath to permit
the use Of lime phosphates even as a
medicine.
The fallacy of this claim Of the manu-
facturers Of phosphate baking powders
will be apparent to all when the fact,
well known to physicians, is stated, that
in average health and with ordinary food
the body gets more phosphates than are
required OF can he assimilated, as is evil
denced by the fact that they are constant
" being expelled in the eIcretions, both
solid and liquid likewise the statement
that il is necessary to add phosphates to
the baking powder to restore to the -four
those which have been Loot in the milling
for /. is true that fine flour as at present
made ACTUALLY contains larger percent
age Of phosphates than the grain Of wheat
tself.
The object Of baking powders is not to
provide the body with medicine, bnt
simply to vesiculate or make light the
mixture Of flour, so as to render II when
baked easy of mastication and perfectly
digestible. The most celebrated experts
IN the business have worked for the perfec-
ton 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 constitu-
ents When this has been done the per-
feet leayening agent has been discovered.
| The manufacturers Of the Royal Baking
Powder have succeeded in this so far as
to make n leavenng agent that yesicu-
lates and raises the loaf most perfectly,
and without changing the properties of
flour, while the residuum from it has
been reduced to q 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
perfectly pure and more reliable and
healthful than any other. The recent
official tests show, on the other band, that
the best the phosphate baking powder
makers can do is to produce an article that
is one-third or more residuum or lmpnrity.
We want our food pure especially do
We not wish to take alum, lime and phos-
pilates with it at the dictum Of manu-
facturers who may hnd it cheaper to claim
virtue for the impurities than to remove
them.