Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-02-10

Gals, includes many other minerals en-
ployed by manufacturers of proprie
tary articles of food.
The feeding of the people of the Uni
ted States, thanks to the beneticent
forethought of the trusts. is In the
hands of comparatively few men. To
all intents and purposes. all the beef
is furnished by a single corporation,
and the same condition prevails with
reference to sugar.
1t would be natural for the manufac-
turers to deny that their products are
adulterated; but. knowing that the
most elementary cumulative and
qualitative analysis is able to deter
mine just what and how much Of it
is used in their goods. they wisely
admit the soft impeachment and pro-
coed to 'braZen 1t out" with the ale
cation that their adulterants are as
innocuous as demineralized water and
as harmless as oxygen. They start
out, for instance, with the self-evident
proposition that it has become physi-
cally impossible to supply the demant.
for strictly fresh beef. The cattle must
be fattened where there are facilities
for doing 1t, and they must be slaugh-
tered near the scene of the prepare
ton for their sacrifice; otherwise they
will lose many pounds in the long rides
to the various markets, and will, be-
sides, arrive in such poor condition as
to be almost unfit for food. SO boric
acid Is employed to preserve the
dressed beef.
This acid is not dangerous in ordi-
nary use, though scientific men have
contended that if taken into the system
regularly its effects will be detrimen-
tai to health. But the other great pre-
sentative of beef. formaldehyde, is
different sort of proposition 1t is al
legged In behalf of formaldehyde that
it is one of the most effective proven
tives of decomposition the world has
ever known. and this would undocbt-
eddy be valid argument if the sub
ject under discussion were the human
body after death. but inasmuch as
Uncle Sam has a weakness for live
citizens the statement of the beef
packers did not influence him sutfi-
ciently to induce him to keep his hands
off. Instead he decided to open sort
of experimental boarding house in
Washington that the matter might be
intelligently tested. He further con-
cluded that as he was going into one
phase of the matter 1t would be as
well to take 1t up In MI its branches,
and DIR. Henry w. Wiley. chief chem
ist of the Agricultural Department at
Washington. was accordingly instruct
ed to get to the bottom Of the entire
subject of food adulteration.
Dr. Wiley. like Barkis. was willin'."
for this had long been his pet hobby.
but he suddenly realized that while 1t
was an absurdly simple matter to as
certain the extent of the adulteration
of any given article of food. it was not
so easy to determine the effect upon
the human system OF the daily ABSORB
ton of unknown quantities of minerals
proporIioned solely to the appetite and
vagaries of taste of the individual. At
last he hit upon the plan of a free
boarding house. the victims In which
should agree beforehand to submit to
any treatment the learned doctor
might prescribe. Certainly. the doctor
argued. there could be no risk in 1t for
him: so he advertised for martyrs.
Now comes the strange part of the
story; the martyrs were forthcoming
more than were needed. The doctor
selected a dozen of them and started
the poison brigade with six.
Inasmuch as but one adulterant Will
be used at q time. the experiments will
scarcely demonstrate the simultaneous
effect upon the average individual OF
the large variety Of impure articles
sold in the open market. But they viii
demonstrate what products ought to be
kept out OF trade channels and will
suggest what legislation, II any. Is
needed to so improve the quality Of
foodstuffs as to make 1t Of no conse
quence what a person may eat.
Coincident with these tests. DIR. WI
ley is experimenting with animals for
the purpose os ascertaining by eaalo
gy when the danger point a @sss- use
Of most of the well known adulter-
ants would be reached IN the human.