Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-02-08

ties" that mean life or death. In OBJ
tanning this knowledge. the public ex.
poets to be enlightened from the re-
ports Of state Pure Food Commission
ers and the columns of the press
This 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. and 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
era has added fuel to the fire. and
next year will see the country ablaze
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. Pennsyl-
wanna 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 adulterated food into these com.
monwealths.
We have not heard Of their snying
anything about sending unit food into
the states where the authorities are
not so honest.
According to all accounts, much bo.
rncic acid and supplies. as well MS
many dyes, IRE used by packers. and 1t
II against these preservatives 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-
tion In past years.
We do not know whether boric acld
and supplies are used by the big Chi.
cago packers now or not. as city In.
spectors have been withdrawn from
the large houses.
Showing the effect Of boric acid and
Of the borates, the following IL repro
duced from pages II and ~. Of Part
2. Of the Fifteenth Annual Report OF
r. F. Ladd, food commissioner Of North
Dakota:
Z" the use OF borax and
borlc acid interferes with the ab.
sOrption Of food and causes the excre-
ton Of an abnormally large amount Of
nitrogen. He believes 1t Is demon.
strated that large doses OF bcrlc acid
reduces the body weight and that the
excretIon Of these substances from the
body Is 10 slow that their accumulation
IN the body IL probable. BOrax and
boric acid cause dluresls, which may
produce damage Of the kidneys; they
may cause skin disturbances; they
may produce diarrhGa; they interfere
with the abnormal absorption Of food
and they may produce vomiting The
conclusion is that the. use Of boric
compounds In food should be forbid.
den"
On page ~ Of the same part Of the
same report, the North Dakota food
commissioner has this to say about the
use Of sodium supplies in meats:
"Our own studies with sausages and
hamburger steak indicate that from
O.2O to O3O per cent OF sulphltes are
employed In these meats. As to the
harmfulness OF these products recent
article by DR.. Harrington, Of Harv'
ard Medical College, entitled Sodium
Sulphite; a Dangerous Food Preserya-
tive gives the results of his investl-
cations and from this we quote the
following:
"It Is classed as food preserva.
tive, but its antlseptic properties are
comparatively feeble. II Is used more
especially on account Of !ts effect on
the appearance of the food to which 1t
Is added. It's preventative influence be-
ing decidedly minor consideration. II
confers upon minced meat chopped
meat an abnormally brilliant red col
or, which conveys 10 the purchaser the
idea Of freshness Persistlng as II
does, meat which Is In reality well adj
vanced in decomposition Is readily dis
posed Of as perfectly fresh, for although
the number Of bacteria per grain may
run az high as 800 millions, It may
give off no marked odor. II may fairly
be said that on account OF It's masking
decomposition, II is an undesirable
admlxture'
Certainly, then, with these facts be-
fore US, we do not believe that the Deo-
Pile 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
came report, page 10:
Preserved meats: Ham, bacon
dried beef and cured meats should
be preserved d, smoke deslccatlon
salt and sterilization only.
Sausagcs Sausages are finely diva
cd or hashed meats mixed with spices
and nayoring. They may be cooked or
uncooked and are usually encased In
aLins frh. xpatar Shoull no hcIntr, IN