Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1907-11-16

The public has right to know all
about the doings of the corporations
that furnish It with food. They are
dealing in the kind of "public utili-
ties" that mean life or death. In OBJ
tanning this knowledge. the public ex-
poets to I've enlightened from the re-
ports of state Pure Food Commission.
crs and the columns of the press.
Next year Is the presidential year,
and on every stump the packers and
their records will be held up to the
public eye and given to the public ear.
The failure of the government In its
attack on the Beef Trust because the
packers turned states evidence on
themselves and were granted an i'm.
munity bath in consequence. has not
been forgotten by the people. ana the
great rise in the price of meat has
tested the patience of the voters to the
limit.
The withdrawal of the City Of Chi.
cago inspectors from the big packing
houses. presumably to oblige the pack.
ers. has added fuel TO the fire, and
next year will see the country ablazc
upon the subject.
The pure food department Of Illinois
like the health department Of Chicago
has rested supine. while other states
like Michigan. North Dakota. Pcnnsyl
vania and Kentucky have taken great
pains to protect their citizens.
And the packers appreciate the ef.
forts of these states to protect the
health Of the men, women and children
residing In them by promising not to
send adultcrated food into these com.
monwealths.
We have not heard of their saying
anything about sending unfit food into
the states where the authorities are
not so honest.
According to all accounts, much bo.
racic acid and sulphites. as well as
many dyes. are used by packers. and II
Is against these prcscrvativcs that
many states having honest officials
have taken action.
The records Of the North Dakota
and Kentucky Pure Food departments
show what has been done in this direc.
tlon In past years.
We do not know whether borlc acid
and sulphites are used by the big Chi.
cagO packers now or not. as city In.
spcctors have been withdrawn from
the large houses.
Showing the effect of borlc acid and
of the borates, the following Is repro.
duccd from pages II and IL, of Part
.. Of the Fifteenth Annual Report Of
II. +. Ladd, food commissioner Of North
Dakota:
:" the use of boraX and
boric acid intcrfercs with the ab.
sorption Of food and causes the excre-
tIOn Of an abnormally large amount OF
nitrogen. lie believes 1t IL demon.
strated that large doses of borlc acid
reduces the body weight and that the
eXcretion Of these substances from the
body Ia no slow that their accumulation
In the body IL probable. BOrax and
bOric acid cause dlurcsis, which may
produce damage of the kidneys; they
may cause skin disturbances; they
may produce diarrhra they interfere
with the abnormal absorption Of food ;
and they may produce vomiting. The
conclusion IL that the use Of bOrlC
compounds In food should be forbid.
den."
On page 1o Of the same part Of the
same report. the North Dakota food
commissioner has this to say about the
,ise Of sodium sulphltes In meats:
'Our own studies with sausages and
hamburger steak indicate that from
90 to O3O per cent Of sulphites are
employed In these meats. As to the
harmfulness OF these products a recent
article by DIR. Harrington, Of Harv'
~ Medical College, entitled Sodium
Sulphite; a Dangerous Food Preserva'
tive,' gives the results of his investl.
cations and from this we quote the
following:
"'It Is classed as food preserva,
tive, but its antiseptlc properties are
comparatively feeble 1t Is used more
especially on account of its effect on
the appearance Of the food to which II
Is added, its prcservatlvc influence be-
ing decidedly minor consideration. II
confcrs upon minced meat Chopped
meat an abnormally brilliant red col,
or, which conveys TO the purchaser the
idea Of freshness. Perslstng ms II
does, meat which Is in reality we'll adj
yanced In decomposition is readily dis
posed of as perfectly fresh, for although
the number of bactera per grain may
run as high as 800 millions, 1t may
give off no marked OdOr. 1t may fairly
be said that on account of its masking
decomposition, 1t Is an undesirable
admiXture.
Certainly, then, with these facts be-
fore us, we do not believe that the peo-
pie. of North Dakota wish to allow the
indlscriminate use of these drugs and
chemicals in their food products"
The following standards are laid
down for food control work, in the
same report, page ID:
Preserved meats: Ham, bacon,
dried beef and cured meats should
be preserved by smoke, deslccatiOn,
salt ana sterilization only,