River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-04-19
NO PHYsIC WITH OUR FOOD.
A Phosphate Baking Ponder Theory
that is Dangerous If not Ridiculous.

That is rather a dan rous PROPOSE
ton, put forth 10y the manufacturers
of some patent or proprietary arti-
cles of food, that their products pos
sess superior wholes0meness because
they contain drug of some particular
medicinal property. PhOsphates, al
um, lime, arsenic, 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 who
should prescribe either calomel, OF
stTychuine, or rhubarD three times
day to man, woman and child, sick or
well, because either of such drugs is
well 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 state
ment; yet we find manufacturers OF
baking powders claiming superior n.y.
gienic virtues for their productions
and urging their continuous use because
they are alleged to carry the phosphate
used in making them "a cheap substi-
tute 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 con
slant use of such article this drug
must pass into our systems daily, no
/ matter what may be our physical con
! ditiOn 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
indictments III certain diseases; but
| they should no more be taken IndiS-
criminately day after day and without
the prescription of physician, than
arsenic, aconite or calomel; indeed,
there are conditions of the system,
| particularly with women, when the
! prudent physician would be lOath 10
permit the use of lime phosphates ev-
en- us a medicine.
The fallacy of this claim of the
manufacturers 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 assimilated, as is evidenced BY the
fact that they are constantly being
expelled in the eXcretions, both solid
/ and LIQUID; likewise the statement that
it is necessary to add phosphates to
the baking powder TO restore TO the
flour those which have been lost in
the milling, for it. is true that fine
| hour as at present made actually con-
tains larger percentage of phos-
pilates than the grain of wheat itself.
The object OF baking powders is not
to provide the body with medicine,
| but simply to vesiculate or max light
the mixture of flOug, SO as to render IL
when baked easy of masticatiOn and
perfectly digestable. The most cele-
brated experts in the business have
worked for the perfection of an anti
Gle that should do this mechanically,
adding to or taking from the hOuT
/ nothing, nor in any way etfecting a
| change in its properties or cOnstltu-
| ents. When this has been done the
! perfect leavening agent has been dis
| covered. The manufacturers 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 without
changing the properties of the flour,
while the residuum from it has b zen
reduced to a minimum. The acid en-
| ployed, however, to produce CHS re-
suit is not phosphate, but the acid Of
| highly refined cream of tartar, which,
| the health authorities agree, renders
the powder perfectly pure and more
reliable and healthful than any other.
The recent official tests show, on the
other hand, that the best the phos
phatic 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 and
phosphates with it at the dictum OF
Manufacturers who may find it cheaper
TO claim virtue for the impurities
| than to remove them.