Daily Republican., 1889-03-06
HEALTH OF THE STATE
SOMETHING ABOUT FOOD
ADULTERATIoNs.
A State Board of Health with I'm ortant
Duties to Perform and No Money
to DO II With-Interest-
Ing Facts.

ture. The following Is a synopsis OF the |
paper;
The subjsct of milk and food inspec- |
tor is OF such importance to the people of
this State, and particularly of Whining
ton, that Immediate action should be |
taken. In August, 1887, 8. Barnes of
Traverse, Michigan, at convention said |
''It has been truly said of the dealers In |
FOOD products, OF which | am one, that
we are the ones who feed aud nurture the |
community. IL co. shall we not STE to 1t
that we furnish pure nutrimentp
When statistics go 10 show that the
average cost OF food for individuals in
the United States is about 81. 80 per week.
there seems no good reason why any
human being should use other than pure
food. Added to the cheapness Of food
is the fact that no other nation In the
world produces such variety from which
to select. Whatapplles to human beings,
necessarily should apply TO animals
which depend upon their owners tor sus-
tenaure. Theoretical statistlcans, who
eau obtain information from only very
limited sources as compared with a
dealer, states that adulteration as applied
TO staples IL about as follows:
Spices In their various forms, GO per
cent; teas, AZ per cent; ground coffee, As;
low grades of sugar (high grades rarely
adulterated) 20; syrup, 80; milk, (~hen
not itsIected), so; cream OF tartar, "A;
baking powder, about A; bread,
IL is fair to conclude that the live
grocer OF to-day, who possesses much
greater facilities for ascertaining fac s. IN
IA general way, than any theoretical pro-
fetsor who must base his information
upon II small line Of samples submitted
to him for analysis, ought to know things
from a practical standpoint. Where one
Is shown tons Of buckwheat bran, dozens
Of tons OF terra. alba or white clay, tierees
of alum, barrels Of turmeric for co Oring,
carloads Of rejected and musty flour,
loads of m,ddllngs, sacks Of almond
shucts, tons OF interior corn meal piles
OF chicory and carloads of starch, one is
strongly impressed with the idea that
hite clay is not the most digestlble CON-
pound; that alum and turmeIic are not
particularly nutritious, aud that rejected
fiour when ueed for food is not likely 10
produce longevity.
We are meme tho less impressed with
the Inherent wrong of using the articles
named for the purpose Of cheapeRing
these products which are claimed to be
one thing, while one-half or two-thirds
OF them are nothing better than bran,
mlddlings, clay, or vegetable col0rlng
matter.
Notwithstanding such an array as the
above, it is no doubt true that 1t Is be-
yond question that there are manufac-
turers who put up just what they claim
TO do. The high minded merchant of
to-day not only should but does persist
In selling goods on their merits, calling
things by their right names, and giving
the weight and measure for which he is
paid. The INSCRIPTIONS dealer argues
that II he can make more money by sell
Ing dishonest goods, ha can afford 10
pocket his integrity with his money
Should Congress not be as ready to
pass national law, compelling all man.
uiactureTs TO state whether their goods
offered for sale are pure or adulterated,
aud II adulterated, to state what per cent,
of adulteration and the material used
therein; to have their tradCm bear
the facts, o. their labels OF sale, and COM
pei the jobber and retailer to do the
came, and see whether II be food or
drink fer man or animal, us 1t has re.
Gently been In passing the Oleomargarine
bill for that purposei
Judge Finletter, of Philadelphia, in
recent decision touching the adultera-
tion of food, gave by way OF illustration
900 boxet OF ground pepp, r assorted rs
follows: 90 boxes with 80 per cent. adult
tera,ion; SO with so per cent; 100 with
go; 100 with IS; 100 with 80, and 100 with
80 per cent adulteration. Co respond
ing orders for other ground goods would
run from 20 to so per cent. RdulteratioD,
all put up in different colored labels, with
one noticeable feature, viz: the greater
the sdulteration the stronger were the
marks which indicated purity, such as so
per cent. adulteration branded "XXX
pure" or 60 PER cent. adulteratlon
branded strictly pure" evidently show
ing the intention ou the part OF the job
ber to entirely misreprcsent the quality
to the consumer, and, In to many case,
to mislead The retailer who was not "well
up" in the business.
| Mr.. Frazer states that most European
governments have ado pied stringent mea-
sures to stop the sale of adulterated food.
In Great Britain eighty public anylists
have been appointed under an act of Par
lament They analyze annually from
ID, ,0G0 to 90, 900 sampler, and detect and
expose 5000 to 1000 adulterations every
yea-. The German government had In
l. so nearly SOC, 600 samples analyzed, and
obtained upwards OF 500 convictions IN
the courts. In New York $4,000 was
appropriated for Investigating the adul
teration In food, and In 1883 $50, 900 was
voted by the Legislature for the same
purpose. In New Jer.ey Is, 900 is given
for like purpose, and In Massachusetts,
the State Board OF Health has an annual
appropriation of SIS, 200 for the inspec-
ton Of food, drugs and other matters In
cident thereto, including the ana ysis OF
articles of food. In Canada, when the
work of inspection was begun, more than
so per cent. of the articles examined were
found to be adulterattd, but In few
years the percentage was reduced Ole
half. In the States of New York, New
Jersey, Massachusetts, and some Others,
the whole subject of inspecting Of milk,
food and drugs is under the State Boards
OF Health, and very wisely SO, for It ap-
pears to me that the physician who sc
calling is to prevent the spread Of disease
and to admonish those who are under his
care to observe rules OF hygiene, that
they may be free from disease by observ.
Ing such rules, Is the person to whom
this whole matter should be referred.
We, In Delaware, are moving along as
II we were proof against diseases arising
from the adulteratiou Of food and milk.
II our people are willing to live in thii
enlightened age, surrounded on all sides
with people who are keeping up with the
times In not only doing that which will
prevent slcknsss, but will also cause hap
piness and contentmeut to abound in the
community, there should be loud call
to those W no are asleep, TO awake to q
sense of their duty TO the community,
!. their children ard themselvee. Then, II
pestilence shall overtake us, let 1t rot be
said we did not prepare for an emer.
gency, and that We did not take know