Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-05
ADULTERANTS OF FOOD
STRANGE SUBSTANCES THAT MAN
TAKES INTO HIS STOMACH.
Drugs and Dyes That Enter Human
Beings Systems Under False
Names and False Pretenses.
From what-te-Eat.


aiding and abetting dishonest manufac-
turers in robbing the public by adulterating
the food and drug supplies of this country.
Various estimates have been given as to the
exact amount of money spent each year
for adulterated foods and drugs; accord
ing to recent statistics published. 1t ranges
from 1915. 100000 to $IJ0,0o0oo0. and large
percentage of this represents money paid
out for supplies that contain rank poisons-
The law in many states is very explicit as
to what constitutes adulteration, and pro-
hibits all substitution of one Ingredient for
another in making up prescription or in
the matter of food. In general the law de-
clares that if any substance has been added
to reduce or lower or injuriously affect its
quality or strength, or If cheaper or infe-
rior ingredients have been substituted who'll
~ or in part for the article. or II any valu-
able constituent of the article has been re-
moved, the food is adulterated. Thus IL Will
be seen that food may be aduterated and
yet not contain any poisonous substances.
Senator Hepburn, who was in charge of
the pure food bill during the last session OF
the Senate where it failed to pass, Is re-
ported to have said that thirteen out of
fourteen samples of drugs analysed were
rank frauds. while 30 per cent of the pat
ent medicines injurious. and some
were absolutely poisonous. Bearing this
in mind, il is not surprising to find that one
patent medicine manufacturer said that the
passage of the bill meant an annual loss
to his firm of S40.VD
Just here l should like to speak of the
dangerous practice of using wood alcohol
for making essences and witch hazel Many
deaths have been reported from this cause
alone, while 1I5 persons have lost their
eyesight. 1t is interesting to note that
| tonic recommended for inebriates has 41.6
per cent of alcohol A sulphur bitters ad-
vertised as containing no alcohol does con-
| tain 2O.5 per cent of it, and does not con-
| tain any sulphur. Nine face beaches
examined in Massachusetts contained cit her
| corrosive sublimate bichloride of mer
curry.
Flour That Isn't Flour.
To turn to our everyday products. we
| find that not only is -four frequently sdul-
| terated. but there are two mills, one I'm
Ohio and one in Kansas, which turn out
certain grade of Indian corn -four used only
| to adulterate wheat flour. 1t is a we'll
| known fact that the gluten and diabetic
| hours contain starch. The Massachusetts
report reads follows:
Gluten flour. percentage of starch-Whole
| wheat gluten GAS per cent: unsurpassed
| gluten. GA. 46 per cent: germ gluten. protein
1 in its purest form. 1904 per cent: pure veg
etabie gluten, $3.50 per cent.
Cestus diabetic flour, percentage of starch
1900 per cent.
| The food laws have been described as
! chaotic In this country, and they cannot
be anything else until we have national
| law. At present in New Jersey the courts
neither are condiments; hence the state law
does not hinder any one from adulterating
| them However, no law seems able to pre-
vent spice adulteration. The government
| reports show that in peppers and spices ex-
| amined by the department of chemistry the
! following ingredients have been found:
In peppers-Red sandalwood. wheat. corn.
! buckwheat. red dye. anilpe dye. starchy
matter, grain hulls, rice. pea or bean Shells
| corn meal. sage. cocoanut shells. pepper
shells. olive stones. mustard hulls, linseed
meal, red SawduSt, charred matter and sand
| in excess. In spices-Cocoanut shells, ground
| shells. Glove stems. wheat, corn meal woody
| matter, foreign bark, red sandalwood
| starchy matter, bread, buckwheat rice
| flour. hulls. turmeric. charcoal, sand mus
| tard hulls, gypsum, potato -four and saw
| dust.
Substitutes for Cocoa.
1t Is impossible to more than glance at a
| few articles of food examined by govern
ment experts. The results were as follows:
In cocoa and chocolate were found wheat
corn. rice. potatoes. husks; In mustard, Oil
| cake, seeds of radish. rape, wheat -four,
| corn meal. cornstarch. lime or plaster. mar
| tins yellow. turmeric; in catsups. preserva-
| tiyes and artificial coloring abound.
| Fifty-five samples of canned tomatoes
analysed showed that twenty-five of them
| contained preServativeS.
| French peas examined revealed the fact
| that eighty-six samples out of ninetyeight
| contained copper, while twenty nine out of
| forty-three cans OF American peas showed
| the same adulterant.
| String beans were even worse: in one case
| seven samples were analysed and every one
contained copper.
4 In some of the states the law compels
| the Gamers of old peas that have been
| soaked to label them so that the purchaser
| will know they soaked peas. An en-
terprising Gamer overcame this little tech
meal difficulty by labelling his cans thus
These peas carefully selected for their
| quality. and are soaked in pure artesian
| we'll water"
Corn is sometimes whitened with acids,
| and forty-one cans examined showed that
/ twenty-four contained preservatives.
One hundred and Sixty-seyen samples of
| molasses out of 1914 contained glucose, while
| a third of them showed the presence OF tin
Sixty-three samples of maple sugar were
adulterated with glucose.
Machine Made Honey.
One sample of honey labeled 10 per cent
| common syrup. % per cent extracted honey
| proved on analysis to contain no honey, but
\ 81 per cent of glucose colored with coal tar
4 dyes.
In confectionery two hundred samples of
| candy purchased in New York stores were
found to contain paraffin, particularly cara
mels, chocolates and molaSses candy. Glu-
| cose was found in nearly all cheap grades.
while red and blue aniline had been used
| for coloring gumdrops and sticks of candy.
| and varnish to give glossy coating for
chocolates.
Butter Is adulterated with oleomargarine
and colored with coal tar dyes. According
to reports from Ohio and New Jersey fully
| 95 per cent of the samples examined were
adulterated.
Olive Oil is mixed with peanut, cottonseed
and sesame oils.
Almost so per cent of the milk examined
| In Massachusetts, in 1888 and 1894 was adul-
terated but owing to the strict inspection
the percentage dropped to % per cent in
| 1900 In Pennsylvania large proportion
| of the milk anayzea contained formalde-
| hyde.
Other authorizations are too well known
| to even mention. among them beiag jams
and jellies, which are largely adulterated
with glucose and colored with coal tar
dyes, The constant use of these coal tar
products may account for the lafge in
crease in heart affections reported or late.
Eighty per cent OF cream of tartar exam
fned contained alum. starch. calcium sui
phate, while the baking powder often show
ed foreign mineral matter. The New York