St. Paul daily globe., 1888-05-23
NO PHYSIC WITH OUR FOOD.
A Phosphate Baking Powder
Theory That Is Dangerous If
Not RidicuIOUS

Not Ridiculous.
That is rather a dangerous PROPOSE
ton put forth by the manufacturers of
some of the patented or proprietary
articles of food, that their products pos
seSS superior wholesomeness because
they contain a drug of some particular
medicinal property. PhOsphateS, alum,
lime, arsenic, calOmel, etc, have their
places as specifics for different diseases,
and are invaluable medical remedies,
each in its place. But they are not cure
alls. The physician who should pre-
scribe either calOmel, or strychnine, or
rhubarb three times a 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 frater-
nifty and less practice from the COM
munity.
Noone will controvert this statement;
yet we find manufacturers of baking
powders claiming superior hygienic
virtue for their productions and urging
their Continuous use because they are
alleged to carry the phosphate used in
making them "a 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 this drug must pass into
our systems daily, no matter what may
be our physical conditions or require
mentS, or whether or not we may be
suffering from some ailment wherein
the use of such drug would be positively
detrimental. Both alum and phoS-
pilates are useful medicamentS in GER
tain diseases; but they should no more
be taken indiscriminately day after day
and without the prescription of phySi
clan. than arsenic, acOnite or calomel;
indeed, there are conditions of the SyS-
TEN, particularly with women, when the
prudent physician would be loath to
permit the use of lime phosphates even
as a medicine.
The fallacy of this claim of the man
ufacturerS of phosphate baking pow
derS will be apparent to all when the
fact, well known to physicians, is stated,
that in average health and with ordi-
nary food the body gets more phos-
pilates than are required or can be as
simulated, as is evidenced by the fact
that they are being constantly expelled
i'll the eXcretiOns, both solid and liquid;
likewise the statement that it is neces-
Sary to add phosphates to the baking
powder to restore to the -four those
which have been lost in the milling, for
it is true that fine flour as at present made
actually contains larger percentage of
phosphateS than the grain of wheat
itself
The object of baking powder is not to
provide the body with 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 celebrated eX-
perts in the business have worked for
do this mechanically, adding to or TAX
ing from the -four nothing, nor in any
way effecting change in its prop critics
! or constituents. When this has been
done the perfect leavening agent has
been discovered. The manufacturers of
the Royal Baking Powder have sue
ceeded in this so far as to make a leayen-
ing agent that yesiculates and raises