The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-12-12
ONE OF THE POISON
SQUAD MEMBERS DEAD
r v. Freman's Mother Says He
Was Killed by Experiments.
she WILL SUE GOVERNMENT
Tested Food Adulterants-Volun-
teered and Agreed to Absolve
Authorities From Blame in
Case of Disaster.

Washington, D. C.-Because his
health was undermined by eating
poison as a member of DR.. H. w.
,Wiley's first Poison Squad" Robert
Vance Fireman, aged twenty-three,
is dead. This is the charge made by
, his mother, Mrs. Lurea Latham, of
this city.
The young man died of tubercu-
1osis, contracted, as his mother de-
clares, from the effects of the adul-
terants he ate in the interest Of
science. Borax and boric acid were
fed to the class of young men who
first volunteered three years ago to
test on themselves the effect of adul-
terants. Fireman was n of these.
Mrs. Latham declares she will seek
to ecove damages from the Govern
ment, though the volunteers for the
"Poison Squad" signed contracts
agreeing to abSolye the Government
from blame for any i'll results of the
experiment by DR.. Wiley as chief of
the Bureau of Chemistry of the De-
partment of Agriculture.
The first Poison Squad" of which
young Latham was a member, was the
result of DR.. Wiley's idea, developed
in 1903, of feeding to a class of es-
pecially selected young men, volun-
teering as subjects for experimental
ton, chemicals commonly found in
foods "doctored" to further preser-
walton.
Writing about these experiments
in March, 1905, DR.. Wiley pointed
out how unsatisfactory had been the
results previously obtained by arti-
fetal digestion induced by digestive
ferments secured from the stomachs
and pancreatic glands of animals.
and by feeding food adulterants to
guinea pigs and rabbits.
IF the digestive conditions of the
human animals were the same a.
those of the animals used for ex-
perimental purposes" said he, cit
would not be necessary to carry the
experimental research any further.
It is well known, however, that every
species of animal has its own pc
culiarities respecting the digestive
processes. Hence they cannot be
particularly applied to man The
final answer in such cases, therefore,
must be obtained by experiment
upon man himself"
DR.. Wiley admitted then, with ap-
parent regret, that "the final deter
mination Of the effects which are
produced in the feeding of lower an
imals are determined by an examina-
ton Of the organs themselves, but
this crucial test cannot be applied to
man."
He organized, however, a "poison
squad" of twelve young men re-
cruited from among employees Of the
Department of Agriculture, and fed
them three times a day on foods
preserved" with borax, boric acid,
salicylic acid, salicylates, sulphurous
acid, sulphites, benzoic acid, and
b%enzoates.
The experiments were continued
over a period Of two years, and the
data obtained on the effect of borax
and boracic acid published. It was
found that large doses continued for
q short time, or small doses of a
half-grain per day continued for a
period Of fifty days, exerted IAN un-
favorable effect upon digestion and
health" >
Inasmuch, however, as the MEM
bers of the poison squad. volun-
teered their services, 1t Is doubted If
resort can be had to law for compen-
sation for injuries to health which
any of them may have suffered as a
result of thei chemical dieting.