The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-29
BAorsRIA IN CHEAP SUGAR
Thousands of Insects in Every Pound
of Cert Ain Grades.
From The PhilddelDhfa fnquirer.

4
From the PhitddelDhfa Inquirer!
The common. PLAIN, ordinary. everyday,
innocent-looking brown sugar, which
stands harmlessly about every corner
grocery store in town, has doomed up
| through scientific Investigation as a more
| deadly agent in the human stomach than
| Wagner'S Schuylk kill water, il such a thing
| were possible.
Thousands Of disgusting little insects
| creep over one another in almost every
pound OF the low grade sugars. Samples
taken at random from stores by curious
analyst Of this city have shown that some
qualities contain as many as 100000 OF these
repulsive looking little creatures. They are
plainly visible under a microscope, and in
some cases under an ordinary magnifying
glass, and even to toe naked eye In the
human stomach they are said TO be capable
OF doing great damage.
Prof Cameron. public analyst of Dub
lin, and Robert Nieool of Greenock, Scot
have made some Investigations, the results
OF which are now attracting attention here,
where similar discoveries have been made
by local scientists. The insect is known
among scientific men as the acarus sacchari.
and as many as 26S, 600 have been found in
single pound OF sugar. "The acarus
sacchari," says Prof. Cameron In
us account OF Ine insect, is
a formidably organized, exceedingly
lively and decidedly ugly little animal.
From its oval-shaped body stretches forth
proboscis terminating in kind of scissors,
with which It seizes upon its food. Its or
gans OF locomotion consist OF eight legs,
each jointed and furnished at its extremity
with hook. In sugar its movements from
one place to another are necessarily very
slow, but when placed on a perfectly clean
and dY.xye
rapidity.
''The disease termed psora or scabies by
medical men, but more popularity known
by the more expressive designation of the
itch, is, venture to hope, only known by
NAME" adds Professor Cameron, as he de-
scribes how the greedy little insects bur
row under the skin when they get separated
from sugar and find their way on the hui
man form. This is the explanation he gives
for the prevalence OF what is known as
grocers' itch, an Irritating disease which
attacks the hands and wrists Of people who
handle common sugars.
DANGEROUS TO HEALTH.
In ten grains weight says Prof Came
ron, II estimated no fewer than 500, most
of which were so large as TO be distinctly
visible to the naked eye. It is inconceiya-
BILE that thousands Of these creatures ca n be
introduced into the stomach of a human
being without serious enlargement to
health. Many persons believe that coarse
brown sugar sweetens better. OF to use
a common phrase, goes farther than white
sugar. but this is mistake. A teaspoonful
of damp brown sugar will certainly sweeten
larger quantity of fluid than a spoonful Of
white sugar, but it does so because it is
much heavier than the other; but if equal
weights be used il will be found that the
white variety is by far the better sweet
ener."
Sugar retiners estimate that in the par
TALLY refined sugars that are imported into
this country for refining there is in addition
to the acaTi or mites about and some
times per cent. of dirt. large portion of
which are beetles and other kinds of bugs.
These bugs are more Familiarity known to
sugar refiners than TO the general public.
And SO ignorance is bliss"