The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-13
DIR. WILEY'S GOOD TEST.
Time Is Approaching When Results
Can Be Made known.

New York Evening Post.
The experiments of DR.. Wiley's poison
squad" have appealed so strongly to the
imagination that every season of .feasting
or fasting In the outside world is made the
occasion for inquiries as to what these
venturesome young men are doing with the
doctored viands. The Lenton season and
the Thanksgiving dinner alike become
strange and mysterious rites within the
narrow precincts where the Department Of
Agriculture spreads it's table. The accounts
which are published contain. doubtless,
many grains of truth, but they have some
times taken the guise of premature pub
locations of results. The most recent pub
lication, made when the squad had COM
pleted its stint with salicylic acid, for
instance, was a long and somewhat whim-
steal account of how the boarders felt
about the whole matter, and how one was
rejoicing because his rheumatism had been
benefited by the diet. The publication did
not purport to be an authoritative state
ment, but out Of 1t, eliminating all the
playful passages, was constructed and sent
broadcast from Washington explicit
statement to the effect that salicylic acid
had been proved harmful Two days later
DR.. Wiley himself, testifying before
House committee, said that while the gen
eral opinion was that salicylic acid was
harmful, his experiments had not yet
finally established it. Every item pub
lished about the poison squad brings TO
the bureau OF chemistry dozens of letters
of inquiry, but the head Of the bureau him
self does not know precisely what the re-
suits of the experiment have been, and will
not except in a general way, until the tab
ulated data are studied Granting that the
men were made sick by both the preserva-
tives and experimental with, the fact has
little practical bearing without informa-
ton as to the size. Of the doses
There has been no such thing as a strike
against salicylic acid, at al events. The
men completed on Dec. a fifty-day period
of eating preserved food and entered upon
an equal period of eating undoctored food
On Jan rs they will begin again with some
preseryative While the data regarding the
ulated, an expert, reading over the figures,
will be able to decide whether there is any
reason TO distrust the results OF the test
and whether it had better be repeated. The
borax test was three times repeated, TO
make assurance doubly sure 1t included
altogether los days on the diet and 100 days
off, Experience has given greater prof.
cheney to the staff engaged on the tests, and
they are now made more easily and more
accurately. II, for instance. the result of
the first borax period should differ from
will not-the first might be discredited be-
cause the system of collecting the data
was only then in process of working out
The tabulation of the many thousands OF
items of the borax tests is now completed,
and DR.. Wiley is studying the tables daily.
His conclusions will probably be reached
before the end of this month. preim-
inary announcement of results will be made
through the secretary of agriculture, and
this will be followed by the publication OF
complete data which will enable other SCI
entists to draw conclusions of their own
to the meaning OF the hgures
After the salicylic acid Investigation Is
completed work is laid out for long time
ahead. Experiments Of the same kind are
to be made with sulphurous acid. benZoic
acid, formaldehyde. sulphate of copper and
various colored matters