The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-20
POISON IN MEAT.
What Made One Hundred People sick
at MRrysvilIe sale.

In the forthcoming bulletin of the
state board Of health there viii be a
report of an analysis made by Prof. +.
H. S. Bailey of the State university Of
samples of the food which was fed to
g. large crowd of people at an auction
sale at Marysville some weeks ago, and
caused a wholesale poisoning Of the
community Scores Of people were
made dangerously sick by what they
ate, and the State university chemists
were called uDon to ind out what
caused the trouble.
Prof. BaHeyis report will show that
the poison was entirely ptomaine; that
there was no mineral poison Of ans
sort in the food, except a quantity Of
borax which was discovered in the
sausage which was served. The bora1,
however, did not make anybody sick.
It was the ptomaine poison that did the
business.
An Investigation showed that the
meat which was eaten at the sale had
been cooked four or We days before II
was needed It was chopped. and
made INTO pressed meat The eEamin-
alton showed it to be filed with animal
germs, the result Of putrifaction-
The sausage, which was made by
Kansas City firm, was found to be free
from ptomaine, but it was we'll dOped
with borax, as is generally the case
with packing house sausage.
In addition to dealing with the
MarysviIIe case, Prof. Bailey has an
other CHAPTER on food preSerya tfres
and adulterants Prof. Bailey's former
report on this subject created a sensa-
ton among the manufacturers Of the
state, for he found that borax, acids,
and adulterants were commonly used
in many Of the food products made In
Kansas factories. He also cited some
examples Of mislabeIing Of foods. In
the forthcoming report, Prof. Bailey
continues his list of adulterated foods
afr,zrf errfz~
as interesting and important as in the
former report.
DR.. S. J. Crumbine said this morn
ing; What the state needs is a state
chemist, with an Office here in the
state house, who can devote his whole
time to the examination of food prod
ucts. The last legislature placed the
work Of testing foods upon the chem
fca1 departments at the State univer-
isty and State Agricultural college.
The professors there all have their
regular work to do. and it Is almost i'm
possible for them to find time to make
the examinations which the law re-
Quires. Prof. Willard of Manhattan
has a lot of food stuffs which he viii
examine, but thus far he has not had
time to complete his work, and no re-
port has been received from him. But
with the passage Of the national pure
food law, it becomes important to the
state to look after its own food
products.
THE national pure food law, which
viii in all probability be passed by the
house, as it has passed the senate, win
take care of all food products manu-
factured for sale in other states. But
when it gets beyond interstate com
nerce, the governmen has no control.
Every state must protect itself from its
own manufacturers. In a state the
size Of Kansas, a manufacturer OF food
can do a lucrative business without
sending anything. outside the state.
Hence the state must make prepara-
tions to attend to its own analyses.
fit to authorize the employment OF a
state chemist. who shall have an Office
in the state house. and do al the
analytical work required by the state
in the enforcement OF the pure food
laws"