The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-29
Il. Wiley Tells Frank Etr.t5
Carpenter About Queer Things
American People Eat. u
sBoRAx AND |.sT /: He / {: 3 GARD S
sA5 Dozen Government Clerks Fe
Exclusively OIL Via11ds Pre-
.A.. s pared for Tests.
BY Frank G. Carpenter.
3

By Frank 6. Carpenter.
Especial Correspond enoa OF The Times
u Dispatch.) @ti 81
,s3{s WASTLINGTON,s D.. CT ~ q II spent
e hi, afternoon this week with Or. N II.
Wiley talking about the grea American
stomach and the queer things which go
Z into it.. DR.. Wiley is In charge. Of 81 the
Bureau OF Ciktnistr OF the Agricultu ral
4 Department und he knows more 9 tD'to>rA Z
IN what man eats than any other pei son cons
M ,iected with tbs government. He sis U ncle
SANS chief authority on fonds,@ and Inc
has been studying and nnalyzing our gu s. s
q ables for the past twenty year s. He las
an international reputation as q chemist
and Is member Of the chief chemical cal
societ ties Of this country ana Europe.is "a
large part Of the present cussion 8as StO
pure meats and other foods which IS nov
# agitating the public mind Is based upon
81 his & invcstiE cations. and, more than any
other ma IL, he has awakened the people
y TO u knowledge Of certain poisons' which
we are taking In daily doses. 3i Il S,2S SKI.
Uncle Sam B oarding House,
It was DR. Wiley who 2origtnated the idea
Il Of Uncle Sans boarding house, the.
uueerest institution ever presided over by
IA q ma tional landlord This has boon In
5lEexistence for the past four years, dun Ing,
which time tho actual affect OF prepared
meats and Sndulterated foods has been
tested by giving them to q dozen gov
, ernment clerks, who were pledged TO eat
nowhere else and who had ito subject
themselves to regular examinations as
10 metaphysical condition. XVI: a5
hi 4 This boarding house has been carried on
~ IN connection with the Burea u OF Clleslli-
81 istry A lal chen WAS established and the
V food was carefully prepared. Il Or. Wiley
Il. has in many cases weighed out k.ac Il rtl-
\ ton OF bread and meat, and he has seen
that every man alto Just the things re-
i 5quired ITO mako the tests. The sboarNfers
q have been consclentiou they The nre coy
II ernmentS clerks receiving from $50 is.and
{ upward per IN onth. and they have known
that If they broke their oath as to Eating
they would probablyllose their Jobs with
l. the government for all time In -.he tu-
8ture The clerks chosen for this purpose
Y were from twenty to thirty years OF &C..
4 They were lusty young fellows. IN 1.-The
III prime Of physical manhood, and they en-
tered the boarding house OF their own
yolition, agreeing to submit to Its re-
quirements They paid nothing for food.
{ Uncle Sam furnishing everything In or
III der to ascertain, by actual test. the ef-l
II feet Of certain 4ilulterapts. acids, and
& other things upon the. htttrlnn system.
During these experiments the bonrders
were carefully watched. They We're tested
as whole and as individuals, and, r one
lost weight too rapidly or had more than
an undue amount of headache or other,
ailments, his peculiar poison was omitted
for a time, only to be resumed as he got
better. BY carefully experimenting upon
the twelve mon, DR.. Wiley has been able
to gather large amount OF accurate
information from which he and
Z other scientists have made valuable de-
auctions.
These food experiments have covered
different articles from year to year. They
y started out with meats and later, on took
up certain acids and other personalities
\ used in butter. pickles and canned foods.5
Tho scientists have tested different
liquors, and have, in short, carefully ex-8
atnined almost every important article
prepared by man for the great American
stomach.
y Borax for Meat, Fish and Oysters
During the first year the experiments
were largely devoted to borax anu
/ boracc acid, Every ono of US has seen
(, borax. Women frequently use It for
\ washing their hair. and also for cleaning
y clothes II Is n clear. white, crystalline
| substance, which floats on certain lakes
81
1 I have seen great quantities Of 1t on lakes
\ In Chile and Bolivia. and 1t is also found
+ abundantly In parts OF California and
I Nevada The stuff Is practically taste
less, and one might eat q considerable
Il amount of 1t without knowing It, II mixed
with other foods, Bornx and boracic
acid are used by meat packers. dairymen.
y and those who prepare fish for the mar
kets They arc sprtnkled over oysters
Ia keep them fresh. and arc often put
4 into the tub In which oysters nre carried
over the country, They nre sometimes
a used in butter, milk and cream, and arc
4 frequently sprnkled over fresh meat and
z fresh fish.
Borax and the Boarders.
sF When these facts were first published
the packers claimed that borax and boz
raclc acid were harmless. and Uncle Sam
6 REPLIED
harm TO test IT,"
IT was with this view that DR. Wiley
started his boarding-house. He took these
twelve lusty clerks and fed them food
which contained just 60 much boraclc acid
Zach man alto In one shape and another
an amount about half tho size OF q lea
every day for the first five. days, Fot
The Ee1t five days he was given double
~ much, and the quantity was gradually
Increased Until he sickened. He was thet
y put ON a RECREATION diet. and when better
started again. Tho stuff was so admin
istered that the men hardly knew they
we're taking IT. They could not taste II
and It gave forth no smell. To all opt,
ward appearances their food was just
~, 90 ~. ordi /, s7,Nardiny-k