New-York tribune., 1908-12-20
Iron The Tribune Bureau. J

Washington Dec ls.-Are certain baby foods
On the market NJ 1or babies to eat, or are they
infant destroyers? Are certain invalid foods
calculated to bring back health and strength 10
those who have lost them, are they more
likely 10 hurry the Unfortunates 10 their graves?
These are the Two great questions that the
Tinted States Department Of Agriculture has set
out TO answer acting through its chief chem
isr Dr. Harvey ". Wiley. the work Of iDvestiga-
zion is already well under way. Hundreds Of sam
pies Of prepared foods and diets" have already
been collected and the scientists OF the bureau
OF chemistry are busily engaged in finding out
lust what they contain. II they are found TO be
composed Of substances unit for infants and in
vaIids stomachs all the power Of the department
VIII be directed prevent their future sale
The work OF investigating baby foods" which
DR.. Wiley regards as the more important Of the
two classes, was begun some time ago, when the
following letter sent TO about two hundred OF
the leading pedriatists, or chilorens doctors'
y throughout the country
Dear Doctor: In the near future We shall prob
sbly take Up the consideration Of imported infant
:hose Of American origin entering interstate com
rneTce- am especially anxious 10 get the opinion
.1Ehat should be the constituents Of infant food;
that is for an infant less than one year Old? Par
1icularly, should il contain starch as such or as
modified by malt or other inverting agent and Il
What limit of bacterial content should be set
teria should be rigidly excluded2'
opinion On this subject in the incIosed addressed
] beg that you not only answer the questions 8
character OF infant in general especially for
HARVEY ". WILEY.
Many interesting replies were received and let
ters are str coming in. When all the pedriatists
have been heard from Or. Wiley will address a
similar letter the baby food makers. and Will
discover 81 their products are built TO fit their
knowledge Of what infant diet should be com
posed
i regard this investigation as tie most impor-
tant work ever taken up by the bureau Of chem
istry," said Dr. Wiley. discussing the subject to-
day and I am going TO do my best 10 make It
as thorough ard farreaching possible. II is
no exaggeration TO say that So per cent OF the
infants that die under the age OF two years are
killed by trnprOper food Of some sort More babies
are murdered by impure unwholesome food
than are doEe death by all the Group, diph-
liberia measles and other so-caeG children's dis
eases put together. Just what proportion OF them
are killed by patent baby foods il is impossible
Of course. TO determine Even after get through
this investigation shall not know the answer
to that question. hut We will come pretty near
knowing which Of these proprietary diets are 1T
70 be put into infants stoIrachs and which or
them should be avoided
a.-r,e rDer. fact that q baby food is wholesome
and contains no poisonous deleterious substances
would not put Il IN the safe class II might agree
perfectly with ST adult. but TT the same time Il
would not be IT FOR infant consumption The pre-
r,ayed food that approaches most nearly 10 the
natural milk IS Of course The best. Natures baby
food contains only three substances-milk sugar,
milk fat ard milk proteid- II IS therefore entirely
safe 10 say that any proprietary food which con-
tsins starch cottonseed OIL lard or other animal
fat o. any ether substance outside OF the three
named above Is not proper infant diet and should
not be fed such.
We have already examined several hundred
speoir1snx OF baby fooc-' both OF domestic and
foreign roanufscture, and VIII within the neyt few
weeks buy = Ereat many more In the open market
Those we have hand are being enalyEso an rap
IDLY ss our chemists &c ths work am not
AZ liberty 70 tell you just what we have found thus
far, but I say that the results justify the
effort AZ q have reached our concu-
ssons and have made list Of good and
bad foods. Will take the proper measures 10 sup
press the bad. The pure food law gives absO-
lutte Jurisdiction all focdstufs that sent
70 the District Of Columbia and the Territories.
are shipped from state 10 another and thus
enter interstate commerce
After we get through with the investigation Of
baby foods shall take up the subject Of in
valid foods which is IA my opinion, next IN i'm
portance 10 that Of infants diet.
In the last few years infant mortality has been
s1st from one hundred and fifty 10 the thousand
forty OF Fifty. and with proper knowledge OF food
snd hygisns this percentage win be brought
STE levsx. In sgr Investigations into the subject