The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-09-02
How Home Work Nay Assist the
New Inspector.
new YORK HEALTH BOARD
rests Suggested BY a. Eminent Expert.
Simple SD Certsia-Is Much
AduIteratioa.

DR.. Edward w. Martin, chief Of the
food inspection division Of the Health
department OF New York city, said re-
Gently that the heads Of families, not
only in the great metropolis, but
throughout the country generally, have
within easy reach the means OF self
protection against deleterious food pro-
ducts, which, II put in universal prac-
tice, would soon make food adultera-
ton a non-paying business. 1.-THE
fact that during the past year more
than z million pounds Of food unfit for
use have been seized and destroyed,
and nearly 100 persons engaged In the
illegal traffic have been convicted and
punished" said DR.. Martin, Shows
that the health officials have not been
idle during that period OF time. But
when the enormous quantity Of food
brought into the city each year,
amounting to billions Of pounds In
weight, is considered, 1t can be seen
readily that, to make such supervision
faultless, the expense would be cor
respondingly enormous.
"There are, however," continued DIR.
Martin, "a number OF simple. inexpen-
siye home tests, easily applied, and
recurring only the expenditure OF a
little time, which would make every
housewife her own food inspector, and
which would do more than any official
action could to lessen the evil effects
of this nefarious traffic, which seeks
profit at the expense Of the good health
of the community, and often times at
the cost of life itself" Among the
home tests suggested by Dr. Martin
for the detection of food unfit for use
through adulteration, or from other
causes, are the following:
PICKLES.
The bright green color of pickles
is often due to the presence of salts
of copper in solution. To detect this,
crush a small piece OF the pickle. place
1t in a cup with bright coarse needle,
and, at the end Of 20 minutes, II there
is any copper in the pickle the needle
will be coated with red film. This
test can be made more interesting by
placing the needle, after 1t Is taken
from the pickle, in cup containing
a teasoon Of ammonia water. The lat
ter will become bright blue In color
IL copper has been precipitated on the
needle. Such pickles are harmful and
should be thrown away.
THE BUTTER TEST.
Rancid or poor butter Is easily de.
tected by its taste or smell, but oleo-
margarine, which Is q complete sub
stitution OF another substance in place
of dairy butter, Is difficult OF detection
even by experts. A simple test for sus
pected butter Is to place some of 1t In
a tin cup and heat 1t on the stove, al
the same time stirring the substance
with a fork. II 1t Is eleomargarine
considerable spluttering and spittint
will take place. On the other hand
genuine butter melts quickly, with lit
tie or no noise.
CANNED FOODS.
In selecting canned food, always taxi
the cans that have dents In them
Cans that are smooth and we'll round
ed out are likely to be what are know
as "swelied cans" which Is caused b!
gas formed through fermentation
Dents in the can are proof Of the alb
sence OF fermentation. When cal
is opened the inner sides should b.
examined; II they are black and hav
evidently been acted upon by acids, tn
contents OF the can should not be used
Canned corn, peas or beans shoul,
ha h
litmus pencil, SO called, Is a usefu
household friend. One end Of the pen
Gil is blue and the other red. II to-
much acidity Is suspected put littl
of the liquid on a piece OF stout whit
paper, or IL 1t Is a solid moisten some
what, and make a mark with the blu
end of the pencil. II the substance
acid the blue mark will turn red a
once. In a test for excessive alkali as
the red end of the pencil, when tn
red mark will turn blue, IL the sub
stance Is alkaline.
COFFEE AND TEA.
II a few grains OF coffee are droppe
into a small quantity OF cold water
will be found that, II the coffee Is adul
terated, more or less coloring matte
will show In the water. Genuine col
fee imparts no color to cold water. An
other test Is to take u needle and TT
tS pick up grains Of ground coffee
chickory and other adulterants are 8
soft that they are easily penetrated b
the needles point, while genuine col
fee Is hard and very difficult 10
picked up in that way.
What is known as "lie" tea Is ofte
substituted In place OF genuine tel
This ''lie" tea Is prepared by rolling u
grains of sand with tea leaves alread
used, SO as to initiate the weight an
plumpness Of genuine tea leaves.
can he detected by moistening the sus
pecttd tea and carefully opening tn
leaves with needle, thereby disclo!
ing The hidden grains of sand. Leave
Of the oak, plum, peach and sloe al
also used as adulterants, and can
detected by comparison with leaves {
genuine tea.
FRESH FISH.
Freshly caught fish have bright gil
and clear. bead-like eyes; when fish b