Washington sentinel., 1900-12-15
BEFR SCARE IN ENGLAND.

| one nunoTeu miles Ol NldASAS9NN''
sufferers to date number more thar
three thousand.
The beer scare reached London las
week. News of the irlghttul illness il
the north Of England from this lates
epidemic, with its long list ofcasualties
has reached the metropolis. Itwas made
still more alarming by the report tha
the disease had reached the great city
It is announce i that the local Govern
ment Board will institute an inquiry al
once DR. Buchanan, the Boards
medical Inspector, has gone to the dis
tricts where periphiral neuritis is shown
most violently, and will investigate
promptly the causes Of the disease, with
especial reference to tbs. dangers which
menace the metropolis.
Meanwhile, many beer drinkers,
millions, IN fact, have turned to other
beverages and the brewers are IN funk.
Some Of the larger companies, brewers
with a world wide fame, are using the
scare as an advertisement, andare filling
the newspapers with announcements
that nothing but pure ingredients are TO
be found in their products,
It is the small concerns which are the
chief sufferers, especially those in the
affected counties, where not only have
their sales fallen off alarmingly, but
many are menaced by the medical
authorities, who threaten to turn the
contents OF their cellars into the sewers.
Tue Manchester Hospital Committee
last week made an examination Of the
sugars and saccharine matters submitted
by the Manchester brewers and admit
tedly used by them. They found six
samples which contained arsenic Of
sufficient strength to be dangerous.
All Of these samples came from The
factory of a single maker. There was
no attempt on the part of the firm TO
deny that sulphuric acid was used in the
manufacture of ITS sugar. All CONNER
cial glucoses are obtained from corn bv
means OF chemical change induced by
this poison.
1t is a we'll known fact that there is a
trace of arsenic in all sulphuric acid, but
why there should be such quantities of
1t in the sugar was a question hard TO
answer.
The firm in question stated that the
pyrites from which its acid is mace
came from a certain district in Spain,
and it is possible that it was more than
commonly inpregnated with the poison.
The mineral will be analysed.
There is good news for the American
glucose makers in the fact that OF all the
specimens examined which came from
the United States not one was found in
which there was trace OF arsenic. This
was the case also with most OF the
English made glucose and invert sugar.
The Lancet, IN discussing the beer
poisoning cases, says:
1--WE are pleased to learn that definite
steps are being taken to stop the sale Of
arsenic beer. We have examined a
specimen OF invert sugar "a variety Of
sugar consisting of mixture of fdextrose
and levuIose found naturally in frLifs
and produced artiicially by the inversion
OF cane sugar. used in brewing and
found that it contains three grains OF
arsenious acid per pound.
"Hence a glass OF beer might contain
oue-fift Of a grain Of arsenic. A careful
examination ofthe form in which arsenic
existed in this sugar shows that it was
mostly srsenious acid in small quantities.
Arsenic acid was also detected
The Lancetappeals to the Government
exclusively from barley, hops and malt;
to force brewers who make any other
form of drink to give it different name.
It calls attention to a report made by
the authorities in France in 1873 declar-
ing that the glucose used in brewing
contained arsenic, and emphasizes the
fact that Germany absolutely prohibits
the use Of any substitutes for the regular
ingredients of beer.
The hop growers Of Surrey have taken
up the cudgels in behalf of pure beer.
Petitions are being circulated. and are
receiving signatures by the tens Of
thousands, appealing to Parliament to
abolish the use of chemicals, under
heavy penalties, in the making OF beer.
Other counties are moving in a similar
direction, and it begins to look as if
public opinion weuld force Parliament
to interfere. The Englishman's stomach
is very precious to him, and II the
growers of hops are actua;ed by selfish
motives they certainly have the people
behind them in their search for legIsla-
tioD.
Many newspapers are urging the
brewers to empty all suspected beer
into the streets. This would be pretty
expensive operation, but it is argued that
il would pay in the end, inspiring as it
would confidence in the honesty OF those
who took such heroic action. Already
more than $4,000 barrels have been
dumped into the streets of Manche ster,
but that is only drop IN the bucket
The effects OF the beer poisoning,
even where it is not fatal, are certainly
alarming. Here is a typical one: A
man in the prime OF life was until three
weeks ago as strong as bull. Today
he cannot stand, nor grasp the hand
held out to him. He has not half the
strength in his fingers Of healthy child,
The arms, chest and face are copper
colored and the eyes running.
The symptoms are similar to those OF
Italian pellagra