Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-11-24
Rochelle Salts in Bread.

An article has recently been going the
rounds of the papers in which number
of baking powders are falsely stated to
be injurious to health. This article APP
pears as solid reading matter, but is, we
are reliably informed in reality paid
advertisement published by the Price
Baking Powder Co., who, not content
with extolling the virtue of their own
product, take this method of iniuring
competitors. The result which the au-
thors wish to attain is to prejudice the
people against all baking powders save
their own, to lead them to believe that
their lives are in danger if they use any
other powder, to force them to pay ex-
tortionate prices for baking powder and
to divert attention from the fact that III
food prepared from their baking powder
there is concealed large quantities OF
Rochelle salts.
A baking powder is q mixture of sub
stances which depends for its bread
raising efficiency upon a chemical reac'
ton which takes place in the process O
baking. In this reaction the nature of
the original ingredients is entirely
changed SO that to say that a baking
powder is a cream of tartar powder gives
substances left in the food. What the
consumer really wants to know is what
he eats.
The so-called cream Of tartar baking
powder consists of bi-carbonate of soda.
cream of tartar and starch. The chemi-
cal reaction which takes place in the
baking is between the soda and the
cream of tartar, the starch acting only
as a filler or keeper. The soda and the
cream of tartar react upon each other il
such a way as to free carbonic acid gas
and to form water and Rochelle salts
which drug remains in the bread and al
of it is eaten. DR.. Prices baking pow
1n 10 nc hon
% per cent Of bi-carbonate OF soda
which will require 62.6 per cent. OF
cream oe tartar for naturalization and the
two will make over 93 per cent. OF
Rochelle salts such as is found in Tho
drug stores. One heaping teaspoonful OF
baking powder weighs about 200 grains
and will make IA ounces of bread OF
twelve good sized biscuits In these
twelve biscuits then we have the enor
nous quantity of 1876 grains of Rochelle
salts. With an average meal, at which
three biscuits are eaten, one would take
into the system 4612 grains of Rochelle
salts.
Rochelle salts is the active ingredient
of Seidlitz powders and is most excel
lent medicine in it's place. but it is
medicine and not an article of food and
the daily consumption of from so to $50
grains will seriously derange the stom-
ach, bowels and kidneys. When we con-
slider the residue left in the food, DR.
Prices baking powder is simply Seid-
litz powder, diluted with starch. Below
is given the opinion of an Eastern medi-
cal authority on this constant dosing
with Rochelle salts.
Dr. A. Warner Shepard, formerly health
officer in Brooklyn, said: 81 have not the
slightest doubt that the mental and physi-
cal health of thousands is permanently in
Jured by the excessive use of Rochelle salts
in impure beer, bread and other forms of
food and drink. 1t is certainly factor IN
the alarming increase of Brights disease of
the kidneys and similar complaints. 1t ir-
may therefore produce the most unfortunate
results
In an interview the manufacturers of
powders mentioned in the article re-
ferred to, stated that food prepared with
their product was entirely free from
Rochelle salts, alum, ammonia, lime or
any injurious substance.