The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-16
Prosecution For. eEmbalminga the
Fluid May Be Revived.
WHATDEFENSE WILL SHOW.
STATE DAIRY COMMISSIONERS
WORKING UP A CASE.
Medical Authorities Differ-some
Claim Formaldehyde or Preserva-
line In Milk Is Injurious to
Health, and Others Will Swear It
Is Beneficial.

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Along in the middle of the GUNNER,
when State Dairy and Food Commits
sioner Faust contemplated prosecu-
tons against half a dozen dairymen
for using formaldehyde as nreserva-
tive for milk and withheld the. COM
plants upon the offenders promising to
abandon the practice, it was believed
that the public would hear of no more
trouble for the milk dealers. But now
the indications are the dairymen and
the state commissioner will have a fight
to a finish in the courts to test the
effectiveness of the law prohibiting the
sale of any milk or other dairy prod
ucts deemed to be impure, unhealthful
or adulterated.
Preparing a Defense.
When the dairynlen were slated for
prosecution for using preservatives in
their milk they commenced to work out
plan. of defense, and their efforts
have not ceased. Evidently believing
that the trouble would break out afresh
some time in the future, they have
gone on preparing a defense, and when
ever the state commissioner sets the
machinery of the law in motion again
they will undertake ito prove by high
medical authorities that preserving
milk from fermentation by the aDDli-
cation of small proportions of formal
dehyde is not injurious to the health
of milk users.
Advocates of "Em balmed'' Milk.
1t is known that the dairymen under
Commissioner Faustls ban of suspicion
will go further and try to demonstrate
that preservaline, as formaldehyde is
sometimes known, even if used in ten
times the quantities alleged, is a posi-
tive benefit, in a health sense, to milk
consumers. Several physicians in Salt
Lake, it is said, are ready to testify
that they frequently prescribe formal
denyde TO patients, even babes, to pre-
vent fermentation of milk and to aid
its digestion.
While it is probably true on account
of the cooler weather, that little or no
"embalming'' of milk is now done,
Commissioner Faust has kept an eye
upon all dairymen and his ear open for
complaints from those who last sum-
ner attributed all sorts of ills to drink
ing "embalmed" milk.
Analysing Milk Samples.
Anticipating the defensive attitude
of the milk dealers and their attorneys
and the expert witnesses in the med
zeal profession, the state commissioner
a couple of weeks ago swooped down
upon every milk wagon in the city and
took samples of the fluid. These sam
pies were subjected to chemical tests
by Professor Kingsbury and Professor
Harms.
All but one sample was found to be
free from preservaline or adulteratlon.
This sample has been carefully an
alyzed for formaldehyde, and upon the
report will depend the proposition OF
prosecuting the vendor. A slight varl-
anoe in the returns on this sample is
said to be the cause of delay in Com
missioner Faust announcing his deter
mination. he having given the chemists
an opportunity to reanalyze the milk.
Prosecution Moving Cautiously.
Commissioner Faust is making haste
slowly in working up test case against
users OF preservaline. He is mindful of
the fact that he has a possibly de-
fective law under which to prosecute,
and hence is moving with extreme eau
ton under the guidance of the county
attorney. However, he is advised by
medical authorities equally as high IN
the profession as are the vendors eX-
pert witnesses that the use of formal
dehyde as a preservative for milk is
positively detrimental to the public
health, and if he fails to make a case
in this instance he will pursue the mat
ter until by a test case the courts de-
eide whether 'emoalming" milk is the
correct thing from a sanitary stand.
coint.
Without doubt but possibly not until
next SKINNER, the much mooted cues
ton will come to an issue. When the
issue is defined it will surely be the
signal for the Iiveliest kind of a scrap
between medical authorities, the milk
men and the public prosecutors. The
public will be interested in the contro-
yersy. and many will probably stop
drinking milk while the fight is on.