The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-05-04
NO PHYSIC WITH OUR FOOD.
A Phosphatici Baking Powder The
Dry that Is Dangerous If not
Ridiculous.

hIOICulOuSs
That is rather dangerous proposition,
put forth by the manufacturers of some
of the patented or proprietary articles of
food, that their products possess q su-
perior wholesomeness because they con-
tain drug of some particular medicinal
property. Phosphates, alum, lime, ar
senic, calomel. etc., have their places as
specifics for different diseases, and are
invaluable medical remedies, each in it's
place. But they are not cure-alls. The
physician VINO 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 a we'll 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 manufacturers of baking
powders claiming superior hygienic vir-
tue 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
daily, no matter what may be our phys
ical conditions or requirements, or
whether or not we may be suffering from
some ailment wherein the use of such
drug would be positively detrimental.
Both alum and phosphates are useful
medicaments in certain diseases; but
they should no more be taken indiscrim-
inately day after day and without the
prescription of physician, than arsen-
ic, aconite or calomel; indeed, there are
conditions of the system, particularly
with women, when the prudent physi-
clan would be loath to permit the use of
lime phOsphates even as 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 or can be assimiiated,
as is evidenced by the fact that they are
constantly being expelled in the excre-
tons, both solid and liquid; likewise the
statement that 1t is necessary to add
phosphates to the baking powder to re-
store to the -four those which have been
lost in the milling, for it is true that fine
-four as at present made actually con-
tains larger percentage of phosphates
than the grain of wheat itself.
The object of baking powders is not to
provide the body with q medicine, but
simply to veslculate or make light the
mixture of -four, 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 -four nothing, nor in any way effect
ing change in its properties of constltu-
ents. When this has been done the
perfect leavening agent has been discov-
cred. 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 per-
fectly, and without changing the proper
ties of the -four, while the residuum
from it has been reduced to minimum.
The acid employed, however, to produce
this result is not phosphate, but the acid
of highly refined cream of tartar, which,
tho health authorities agree, renders
that powder perfectly pure and more re-
liable and healthiul than any other.
The recent Official tests show, on the
other hand, that the best the phosphate
baking powder makers can do is to pro-
duce an article that is one-third or more
residuum or lmpurity.
We want our food pure; especially do
we not wish to take alum, lime and phos-
pilates with it at the dictum of manufac-
turers who may find il cheaper to claim
q virtue for the impurities than to re-
move them.