Birmingham age-herald., 1894-11-04
GLUCOSE.
Health Commissioner Edson of New York Makes an Official Statement
 Showing It's Harmlessness.
[Copy.1 HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

CITY OF NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 1894. ] Hon. Thomas F. Gilroy, Mayor, New York City
 SIR: l have the honor to acknowledge your communication relative to the whole someness of glucose as an article of fto '. This question is best answered in a report made by the committee appointed by the National Academy of Science at the request of the United States commissioner of inter- nal revenue, in 1882. This committee con- sisted of Professors Charles F. Char dl'r, c. F. Barker, w. N. Brewer, Wilcott Gibbs and Ira Remsen. These eminent scientists made an exhaustive investigation of the subject. Based upon their researches they arrived at the following conclusion:
 'sThat starch sugar is in no way in ferior to the cane sugar in healthfulness, there being no evidence before the committee that maize starch sugar (glucose), either in its normal condition or fermented, has any deleterious effect upon the system, even if taken in large quantities.
 This opinion is so sound and so well founded that the light of science of today, twelve years later, has only served to show its wisdom more clearly. l understand it has been alleged that glucose or starch su- gar IS liable to cause diabetes. This IS not. true, andis based upon mistaken kuowl- edge both of glucose and the disease dia- betes. In addition to certain nervous vari- cites, due solely to disturbed nerve functions, abetes is divided by the best authorities into two classes, of which the one is due to excessive sugar formation Ia the blood, and the other to diseased diges- tioD, which prevents sugar from entering the circulation in the condition to be util- ized by the system. The first of these classes is caused by disease of the liver; the second, by disease of the pancreas. The 2 latter form is by far the most dangerous and rapidly fatal. The former variety, on the other hand, may last many years. In neither of these varieties can the lndlges- ton of glucose. under any circumstances, be con sidered @ cause of the disease, and l know of no authority who attributes to glucose such an effect.
 1t is true that in the liver variety of di- abetes glucose does harm, but so also does starch or sugar in any form. Starch can- not be used by the human system until af- ter the digestive organs convert or change 1t into glucose; consequently, If glucose i, condemned as causing diabetes, potatoes and ot her starchy food must also be con- demned, for they must become glucose be- fore they can be assimiated. To eat pota' toes is to consume glucose-to eat bread is to consume glucose. Honey is but mother form of glucose. Glucose is the basis of a multitude of infant foods. Malt is but practically another form of glucose. A health officer who condemns glucose can , not tconsistently fail to condemn bread, po- tatoes, malt, honey, and most ot the in fant foods now on the market. This is ''re- duction ad absurdum.' ''
 In the form of diabetes, due to disease of the pancreas, the highest authorities ad- wise the administration of glucose for the amelioration of the disease. Kulz, an emi- nent German physician, recommends starch sugar called laevulose, which is the exact analogue of diabetic glucose Inter- nation Medical Annual, 1894, page 178). An excessive amount of glucose or cane su- gar, or of starchy foods, taken into the sys- tenn may, of course. appear in the urine; SO, also, may an excessive amount of al- Luminous food, but these phenomena are physiological and not disease.
 Glucose may justly be called pre- -digested starch, since, as have said, 1t is starch in the exact condition that we find 1t prepared by the digestive organs for assimilation. Glucose is pre- eminently a at-forming, heat producing food. Under diet of glu cose, a man can perform more muscular work than under any other single article ot food. Glucose not only is not injurious, but it is an essential article of food, with out which in some form man cannot enjoy life.
 Chemistry has shown man how to initiate exactly the products of nature. The honey of the flower and numerous other products of nature's laboratory can not only be imi- tated by man, but exactly reproduced by him through the agency of chemistry. It seems pity that we should, instead of well coming such glorious results of science, re- ceive them with distrust and suspicion. Yours respectfully, CYRUS EDISON,
 Commissioner of Health.
 Cleveland Plain Dealer.)