The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-10
THE PURE FOOD PR0BERS
Listen to Some Startling Testimony
Regarding Adulteration.
DANGER IN USING "FREEz1NE. /"

Chemist Mitchell, of wisconsin, Says
1t Is Extensively Used by Butchers
and Dairvmen, and That 1t Acts Dis
astrously Upon the Stomach.
Chicago, May 1o.-Freezene, preserv-
aline, freeze EN-, rosaline and lacktone
are things few people know Of, but
that they take these adulterRuts into
their stomachs was stated by PROBES.
sor A. s, Mitchell, analytical chemist
of the Wisconsin dairy and food COM
mission, to the senatorial committee
on pure food investigation yesterday.
Professor Mitchell gave the commit
tee some important information. As
result Senator Mason has had sew
eral manufacturers subpoenaed, and
they will be called on to tell the COM
mittee something about these com
pounds
1.-THE use Of antiseptics as preserva-
tives," said Professor Mitchell, has
become alarmingly great They are
used as coloring and to stop the de-
velopment of germs in dairy products,
also in chopped meats. bulkeye steers
fish, hams and possibly corned beef"
The chemist first told of his test of
liquid known as "Freezine" Profess
sor Mitchell said that the stuff had
been used extensively by farmers to
keep milk and butter, it being the
custom to mix it with the former in
small quantities and pour quarts of it
into watts for the preservation of but
ter.
This 'Freezine' I found to be moth
ing less than almost pure formic aide
hyde" narrated the expert This is
a chemical that acts disastrously upon
the tissue of the stomach, and I can
only surmise the results when milk
diluted with 1t is used constantly by
family. Where butter Is placed in
watts filled with this stuff the porous
commodity takes up no small amount
of the liquid, with result that can
only be conjectured.'
The professor proceeded to tell of
his experiments with fluid sold ex-
tensively to butchers for the purpose
OF making hamburger steaks last and
keep up healthy appearance.
This liquid contains q great per-
sNhtnSV VI NuNN Is hllON dS SulDulQo
of soda. with complement of color
ing matter" he continued. ut is
styled an antiseptic. and in certain
respects is. 1t must be borne in mind,
however that where fermentation and
waste are arrested the digestive prop
critics are consequently destroyed"
DR.. Wiley, the government expert,
who examined the antiseptic, with
out going on the stand, said he identi-
fled 1t as practically the same as that
used during his experience at medical
college to preserve cadavers, and was
now occasionally put to service in dis
injecting houses where smallpox pa
tients resided
The testimony resumed the form of
debate as 70 whether or not the use
OF alumni in the manufacture Of baking
powder is injurious to the public
health.
George ", Rev. a chemist, stated
that the injurious characteristics of
alum are destroyed in the process of
baking
Professor G. N. Hallberg, former ed-
tor of The Western Druggist, and Pro-
lessor Mitchell conbatted this theory,
and expressed the opinion that alum
should not be used as an ingredient
unless the public was aware of the
fact by the labels on the cans
The common basis for the majority
of jellies manufactured nowadays, &C
cording to several witnesses, are the
cores and parings of apples. utilized
after they had been evaporated. This
substance. it was claimed is mixed
with glucose in large. quantities, with
sugar in small quantities, and then
colored and favored to suit the out
side design on the package