Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-05-11
Food $ sdulteration.

There is an ancient legend that once upon time there were three flies. Two of the flies were foolish and lia ble to be deceived, but the third fly read the papers regularly, and was consequently d difficult insect to de- Jude. The first fly observing the beau- tiful color and the delicious fragrance of some genuine golden syrup, tried a little of it on his batter cakes, so to speak. It tasted very nice indeed, but it had been adulterated with prussic acid, and the consequence was the fly soon began to complain of general de- bility, accompanied by sensation of nausea. A learned physician was called in, and he very soon discovered that the unhappy insect was suffering from an in1amed condition of mucous membrane; also that the coats of the stomach were very much frayed at the edges, and needed a new lining The careful physician prescribed a mild sedative and expectorant in the shape of volatile tincture of guiacum mixed with alkaline extract of jalap, calcined magnesia and muriatic acid mixed well and to be taken three times day Under ordinary circum- stances this ought to have effected a complete cure or, at least, greatly modified the nervous indigestion and incipient chiorosis from which the fly was suffering, but, unfortunately, as the golden syrup had been adulterated i h,-t no Is of the prescription had been adulter- ated by the druggist The result was that, instead of producing the de- sired effect, the prescription threw the unhappy fly into epileptic fits, accom- panied by the most alarming symp- toms, which finally degenerated int whooping cough and cancer, causing the patient to collapse suddenly oi rheumatic gout. The druggists bill was so large that the family was left as poor as an amateur performance on the violin. Thus perished one of the foolish flies.
 The second one was a healthy fe- male fly who was engaged to young male fly who was in every way worthy of her. She happened to buzz into the room of an invalid who was sip
 ping some brandy toddy which the doctor had prescribed as a tonic tc build up his system and give him ar appetite. As the brandy had cost
 four dollars a bottle and was labeled
 "Genuine French Cognac," the inex
 perienced young fly thought she nigh
 with safety revel in drop or two O
 it. Unfortunately. the brandy haC
 been adulterated also. It was made
 of cheap whiskey and prussic acid an6
 a few other cheap remedies for all tht
 ills that the flesh is heir to. The con
 sequence was that the fly was throwr
 on bed of sickness. Fortunately th'
 disease was taken in time and tn,
 doctors prescribed a mild preparation of prepared tincture of quassia, cal
 cined magnesia, emulsion of myrrh
 and few other simple remedies, t act as a mild aperient, but all thes
 things were adulterated. Peritoniti set in immediately, accompanied b,
 fatulence, measles and violent hys
 terics, which reduced the doomed fl,
 to a skeleton After a severe attacl of lowness of spirits, accompanied b. 9 skln eruption, the fly did not linge much longer. The adulterated drug smoothed her pathway to the tomt of which she soon became silent in
 mate.
 } The third fly was smart. He kne1 what he was about. When at tn breakfast table if he did not wan
 some fresh country butter he replie he did not wish to encourage the II cipient tape-worm germs found i oleomargerine, and he was otherwis very circumspect in his diet. Havin noticed that all the healthy articles ( food had been poisoned, he conclude l that the rule worked both ways. so h : delibers tely fed on the fly poison tha e was set out for his benefit, and, SUI enough, it too had been adulterate and was. harmless The wise fly gre fat on it, and was mentioned favorabl : in the papers for congress.-N. ] Mercury.