Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-07-01
LIVE FORMS IN SUGAR.

Philadelphia Professor Says They Are
Due to Snakes and Lizards.
''It seems hardly fair to offend sensi-
tive stomachs by revealing such knowl-
edge" remarked Prof. Henry Lehman,
the well-known chemist, in discussing
the story In the Philadelphia Inquirer
about the insects in sugar, but the
presence of the mites in the cheaper
varieties is due to such things as bugs,
lizards, and little snakes which are
ground up with the cane. In the tropics,
where sugar cane thrives best, all kinds
of small animal life are exceedingly
abundant. This is especially the case
with lizards and small snakes, which
abound In the cane-felds. Bugs of all
sizes and varieties are also very plenti-
full. If the effort was made it would be
almost impossible to keep these crea-
lures entirely out of the bundles of
cane which go into the grinder and pot,
but the people who prepare the product
are VIGOROUSLY careless in matters of
cleanliness, and quantities of such filth
get into the raw sugar in this way. In
fact, have heard that so great quanti-
ty gets in that sometimes it becomes a
hners.
According the latest view of science
sugars cannot give rise to the presence
or support these small forms of animal
life. They require heterogeneous mat
tiers, of which absolutely pure sugar
contains none. This matter is, how
ever, supplied in the sugar in the man.
ner have already explained. Now, In
this connection it should also be fully
explained that the last vestige of this
filth is removed by perfect refining.
Refined sugar is just as clean as any
thing else, and only dirty in sentiment.
In the cheap, low grade sugars the In
scots, which have sprung from the nitro
genous matter supplied by the bodies of
snakes, bugs and lizards, are most liable
to be found. have not given the SUBJ
ject special investigation, but in the low
grade sugars they are very preva-
lent. In order to make an intermediate
sugar some dealers mix the partly re-
| fined product with white sugars and
this manner spread the mites. Now, as
| to their effect on the health They
have really no significance in the human
stomach. do not share the view that
they are likely to create trouble. The
acids in the stomach readily destroy
them, though in the sugar they show
| great tenacity to life. So, therefore, as
a menace to the health of the communi-
| ty do not believe they are entitled to
any serious consideration.
ITO digress a little, for these bugs
are not very palatable subject, near
| ~ all refners are now using ultra
marine to make their sugar white.
| There is a special demand now for very
white sugars, and the demand has
given rise to the practice of employing
this substance as a coloring agency.
1t is not, however, a poisonous sub
stance. 1t contains no poisonous metal,
and so small quantity gets into the
stomach that it really does little or no
damage, but the principle is wrong and
should be forbidden by law It has
! tendency to lead in the direction of
| practices of adulteration which NAV
prove highly injurious, just as the
habit of coloring cake led to the use of
chrome yellow a few years ago. The
presence Of ultramarine in sugar is
sometimes manifest in a blush tint In
the sugars. These sugars with the
blush tint are very popular It's pres
ence may also be detected by dissolving
sugar in water, in which case it will
form blush precipitate. Ultramarine
is made by roasting aluminOus COM
pounds with soda and sulphur, and, as
have remarked, is not dangerous"