Evening journal., 1901-12-11
WAR AGAINST
FORMALDENYDE
Waged by City Solicitor and
Milk Inspector
10 CALL UP NEW ORDIGANCE
At Tomorrow Nights Meeting Of
Council Mr.. NcEVilIv Receives
Congratulations

AT tomorrow nights meeting oi City
Council the Law Committee Of uhat
body VIII call mp tor final reading and
passage the ordinance which is intend
"a 10 better protect the people ol the
city aBdinsl the sale oI aduterated
milk. II iB II measure that has been
given c1nsidOlab,e thought by City So
licitor Reinaarglt and Milk Inspector
MelNilly by whom il VIII be publicly
endorsed al the discussion whieh will
fellow It's final reading.
Although several milk dealers may
protest there Is no doubt Of the passage
ot tlae ordinance. The subject OF
pure milk supply for 6he city Is one
that has been discussed by many per-
sons for several months. or lnie. In
speetor McENiny Mas been iudefat-
gable in his prosecution Of UNI crupu-
luus milk dealers and because Of the
work ne has been commended general
~. Bnt There perhaps, have been cases
where prosecution was unwarnnted it
having been established that the stanl-
ard fixed by ordinance was too high
ln view Of his, the new ordinance re-
duces the standard 40 twelve per cent
solid
That lormaldehyde has been added
90 much Of the milk used here is
subject Of grave concern to the people
Of the city and the practice one that
calls for severe punishment by law
Nearly an the wholesle dea,ers Of the
city agree in this statement, and they.
I'M particular. have given the City So
licitor and Milk Inspector able assist
ance in drawing the new ordinance
Chemists pronounce formaldfhyde "A
rank poison. which has the effect of
keeping mix sweet for several days.
on the adult body the poisoned milk
hns little or no effect. but to the baby.
land particularly % the nursing one. HI
can have no other effect than to pro-
duce illness. and possibly death.
4 Hence the necessity OF such severe
punishment as the new ordinance pro
vides for those milk dealers Who use
the poison
Several dealers. while in support Of
any measure that win prevent the poi
lsonous adulteration OF Ohe nudd. think
/ that an unusually high standard should
not be fixed by law They argue that
milk does not stand as goI1d a chemical
/ test IN winter as il does IN summer. a
condition that IS attributable to ma
lture aud not to foreign adultelatlon. as
may be insisted by city officials.
4 Among the dealers recently fined for
violation Of the old ordinance was one
who swore that he had never handled
folmaldehyde, never permitted any
one ON his farm to- nor had HE added
lany adulteraton 10 the fluid Yet. the
milk he offered for sale was not up
to dhe legal standard. and he was fined
for violation of the ordinance
/ Severa. cit,- dealers talked to a re-
porter for tae Evening journal this
morning en- The subject
II think there can be 10 punishment
too severe, said cne. for the man who
ladUlterates milk. TO do so may mean
death 10 many chldren and long ILL
ness to some persons We have not
Iheari of amy cases Of fOrmaldehyde
poisoning by that name but who knows
that many cases of sickness have net
been caused by the drinking of milk
/ lthat has been preserved BY this poison
4 Consider what this matter means to
the sick people Of amy city who are on
milk diet
The fixing Of 12 per cent us tho
quantity Of solids no be contained in
all milk sod here ! think. is wise the
old ordinance having compelled a
standard a tride higher In months
when pasture was short much OF the
milk would not readh the standard fix
ed by tine ordinance.
HAS BEEN coNoRATuLArED
Since the Milk Inspector has begun
his crusade lie has received many con-
lgratulau0na upon his Efforts To obtain
purer milk Among those who spoke to
Mr.. McEyilly on the subiec. is Profess
sor Robert ]. Osborne. chemist Of the
Wilmington High Sohoo,. who oifers
every assistance in his power to carry
ON the work
In taking samples of milk the inspec-
tor obtains about four ounces, which
The places in q bottle thoroughly sterll-
lied and sends 1t to Dr. Frank Roop
Smith fer analysis AT the same time
he gives the dealer privilege to take
a sample for analysis, and send it to
any -esponsib,e chemist me may name