The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-28
PURITY OF FOOD PRODUCTS
Continued from First Page.)

regard to foods and food personalities,
each person is a law unto himself, ana
to avoid discomfort and i'll health he
must find out what he can eat and drink
with satisfaction and what he should
avoid This becomes impossible If his
food is liable to be loaded with antisep-
tics that he cannot at once recognize
Even milk and oysters, which once we
could safely assume to be fresh, are
at present not uncommonly preserved
for days by adding to them either Dor
ak or formaldehyde. 1t is just these
foods, too, which are frequently pre-
scribed for persons of feeble digestion,
and convalescents. Fresh" opened
oysters, guaranteed to be pure and as
represented" are sold in the New Ha-
ven markets. which contain more than
3S grains of borax to the pint.
While the opinions of medical men
may differ widely regarding the effects
on healthy adults of moderate" doses
of borax, we doubt if any reputable
physician would assert that it is safe
for patient to subsist on food liable
to contain such quantities of borax,
during a long period of convalencence.
1t Is tlGdI llltl, WItliiSl VI iipl titCN7S
preservatives, which have come into ex-
tensive use of late years, are proved to
be harmless when administered in mod
crate amount to healthy adults, it is ne
cessary in the interests of public health
that the purchaser should be informed
in all cases of their presence and pro-
portions in the food products which he
consumes, as he is informed when salt,
vinegar, or wood-smoke are used, AS
chemical preservatives are now being
sold in large quantities under proprie-
tary names which give no hint of what
they contain and as it is evident that
they are extensively used in trade, the
Station has bought more than thirty of
these preparations and has analysed
them to see what they contain.
OF the milk or cream personalities,
"Freezine," "Iceline' and 'Preserva
line" We're weak solutions of formal
dehyde, or formaline. Other brands
contained boric acid or borax Wine
and cider preservatives contained either
benzoate or soda, salicylic acid, borax,
formaline or beta -naphtol. Beer pre-
eervatives contained salicylic acid, sal
icylate of soda, or bisulphites Meat
preservatives for the most part contain
ed borax with or without salt or sulph-
ties.
One of Them "Freeze-Em,' contain
ing sulphites as the chief active ingre-
dent, has this endorsement from the
manufacturer: when Freeze-Em is
used all kinds of small pieces Of beef
can be shopped up for Hamburger
steak; it can be exposed for show on
the counter and will remain perfectly
fresh for many days. Another
great advantage for the butcher Is that
all kinds of small pieces of meat can be
used, and also that water can be work
ed into the meat
Three tests were made of 'borax' sold
at department stores. None of the three
was pure borax. One contained no bor-
ak whatever, one contained a third of
it's weight and the other two-thirds of
it's weight of saleratus. Three analyses
We're also made of banana -four"
which which was said to be meal made
from bananas after stripping from the
skins and drying, and was claimed to
be a very nutritious food. The analyses
showed the flour to contain less than
half as much protein, f1esh-forming ma
terial, as rice, and to have only a very
moderate food value. The report also
contains report of the work done for
the dairy commissioner in the examina
ton of suspected butter, milk, vinegar
and molasses, and covers, in all, exam
nations of nearly one thousand foods
and feeds. This report, like others is
sued by the station, is mailed free to
all citizens of this state who apply for
it as long as the very limited edition
permits