The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-07
Worthington and Richards Have a
Debate.
USED SOME HOT WORDS
BOTH MEN ALLOWED TEMPER
TO RISE.
During Discussion As to the Prac-
tice of Putting Formaldehyde
Into Milk As a Preservative,
Two Salt Lake Medicos Say Mean
Things to Each Other.

Therapeutics, not parliamentary law
is the impregnable fortress of the Salt
Lake County Medical society. They
met last evening at the city and county
building ostensibly to discuss and pass
an opinion on the virtues or vices con-
tanned in the dairyman's alloy of mix
and formaldehyde, and probably would
have reached some sort of conclusion
had they not lost sight of the object
of the meeting in the clouds of battle
smoke generated by skirmish be-
tween Drs. Worthington and Richards.
DR.. WOrthington was of the opinion
that somebody had inveigled the So
ciety into the discussion in the hope
that they would put themselves on rec
ord one way or another concerning the
application of formaldehyde to the
preservation of milk, so that political
capital might be made out of it; that
there was political chicanery at the bot
tom of the meeting, and he for one was
opposed to seeing the society made the
butt of political junketeers.
DIR. Richards said he had been in
formed that men supplying the city
with milk had been in the habit of pre-
serving it from the souring process by
dumping formaldehyde into it; that the
laws on the subject of adulterating food
products were explicit. and the society
should take hold of the matter instan-
ter: that it was a matter Of public
health-not political chicanery at all.
Then DR.. Worthington had another in
ming, and repeated what he had said
about the society being made the cats
paw to pull the chestnuts from the fire
for the monkey to feast upon. and he
wound up by contradicting fatty few
of the epigrammatic remarks made by
DR.. Richards.
DR.. Richards Was Wrathy.
DR.. Richards arose in his wrath and
proceeded to smite Worthington TO the
earth. He dubbed him duffer of no
mean hue; said he was a coward; that
he was moth-eaten with conceit, and
with characteristic urbanity sought to
all the wisdom of the So
ciety TO himself, and. of course, being
the unhappy possessor of all those ques-
virtues it must surely follow
as the night the day, DR.. Worthington
was no gentleman.
DR.. Worthington's Kentucky blood
rose to the fusing point of platinum.
and as DR.. Richards sat down TO cooy
off and reflect on what he had said, DR..
Worthington arose in towering wrath
and presented DR.. Richards with a
tongue flashing that he will remember
TO his dying day. He told DR.. Richards
that his Impeachment of him (Worth-
lngton) as being other than a gentle
man was uncalled for; that his learned
friend was too hot under the collar
to be otherwise than hysterical. Then
he wiped the floor with him, in a meta
phorical sense, and in true southern
fashion of aEte-bellum days, told Rich
ards to choose, his weapons and be
hanged to him.
An Exciting Debate.
1t was the most exciting debate and
liberal swapping of airy persihage that
has been seen outside the hall of rep
resentatives in Washington for many a
lay. When the smoke had cleared
away and the victims of the conflict
buried by the dignity of the president
IF the society, DR.. Fisher, the general
ieoate on the subject of formaldehyde
was resumed.
A general discussion followed on the
treatment of milk and other food pro-
iucts by injecting preserving fluids and
'ther adulterants into them. The sem |
iment Of the society as a whole was
against the formulating of any set of
resolutions either for or against the
application of formaldehyde to milk as
. preventative to souring. Dr. King !
hought it would be very bad taste for /
hem to attempt to forestall the verdict |
u Lie COuTl WHICH TO De GeH-
Tered in the test case to be brought. |,
lie thought that none of the doctors
present seemed well enough informed !
m the subject to warrant their taking |
Iefinite action or passing resolutions.
DIR. Bower said it had been openly |
omitted to him by milkman that he /
vas in the habit of using formalde-
Iyde; that he and all the other dairy ,
men who had to cart their milk a long i
distance could not get along without
t, and if the ban were pronounced !
gainst it by the health board he and
lis competitors would have to go out
t business, because it was impossible
o keep the milk sweet an6Jpure by any
ther means.
DR.. Wright's Theory.
DR.. Wright said that r. was unwise
nd unjust to discriminate against the
Sc of one food preventative, and If a
rusade was about to be commenced
gainst the use Of adulterants. the at
ention of the society had better be di-
ected against others things that were
ii. M '''' 'D'' 80 na' Al
DR.. King followed with a short dis
ussion on the limited knowledge pos
essed by the society about the details
onsequent upon the use of formalde-
yde and other adulterants. He then
loved that the chairman. President
Usher, appoint committee of five
lembers to investigate the action of
reservatives, especially formaldehyde,
n foods. The committee is to report
leeting in January. The motion was
arrried by vote of six to five.
INcvipANrE ruANcr