The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-11-29
ONE OF THE POISON
SQUAD MEMBERS DEAD
r. v. Frema7's Mother Says He
Was Killed by Experiments.
SHE WILL SUE GOVERNMENT
Tested Food Adulterants-VOIun.
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,b by
his mother, Mrs. Lurea Latham, OF
this city. Z
The young man died of tubercu-.
losis, 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
hrst volunteered three years-ago tC
test on themselves the effect of adul-
terants. Fireman was one of these.
Mrs. Latham declares she will seek
to recover damages from the Govern.
ment, though the volunteers for the
Poison Squad" signed contracts
agreeing to abso1ve the Government
from blame for any ill 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
49, II Oo - y OO4 oO IL
result of DR.. Wiley's idea, developed
in 1908, of feeding to a class of es-
pecially selected young men, voIun-
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 tc
guinea pigs and rabbits.
IF the digestive conditions of the
human animals were the same as
those of the animals used for ex-
perimental purposes" said he, ''it
would not be necessary to carry the
experimental research any further.
1t is we'll known, however, that every
species of animal has it's 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 O. the
Department Of Agriculture, and fed
them three times a day on foods
preserved" with borax, boric acid,
salicylic acid, salicylates, s%ulphurous
acid, sulphites, benzoic acid, and
benZoates.
The experiments were continued
over a period Of two years, and the
data obtained on the effect of borax
and boracic acid published. 1t was
found that large doses continued for
a 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, it is doubted il
resort can be had to law for compen-
sation for injuries to health which
any of them may have suffered as q
result Of their chemical dieting.