The Elk Mountain pilot., 1909-09-02
BENzOATE OF SODA
IS NOT HARMFUL
so SAYS THE PURE FOOD CON
vENTioN AFTER A THOR
OUCH INVESTIGATION.
FLANDERS IS PRESIDENT
ENGLAND APPROVES OF REPORT
MADE BY REFEREE BOARD
UNDER ROOSEVELT.

Denver-Benzoate OF soda and DR..
Ira Remsen won out before the con-
vention of state and national food and
dairy departments in most decisive
manner.
The proceedings were marked by
verbal storms, but the passage OF the
following resolution put an end to the
controversy:
Resolved. That this association
hereby indorses the report o: the Ref
cree Board of consulting scientific
experts. appointed by Secretary OF Ag-
riculture Wilson at the direction OF
President Roosevelt. upon the use OF
benzoate OF soda in food products.
In other words. the report OF DR..
Remsen and his associates in favor
of benzoate Of soda is sustained and
DR.. Harvey w. wiley's opposition to
benzoate as a food preservative Is re-
buked. The Wileyites were complete
ly routed during the session.
The Remsen board was honored
also by the acknowledgment from
England that its report had been ac-
cspted as authority by the British
government.
DR.. John II. Long, a member OF the
board, received from London cores
spondent a letter informing him that
the English government holds the
Remsen board in the highest regard.
and has accepted its findings AS final.
A letter was received from Nathan
Straus. the New York philanthropist,
who has been fighting for eighteen
years to have the milk supplies OF cit
les pasteurized SO as to save the ba-
bies from infectious diseases that are
often carried In milk. Straus wrote:
Since your last annual meeting
very important advances have been
made by many OF the members OF your
association in the protection OF the
public from the infections that are
often carried in milk. Particularly 10
II true that many OF the Officials
charged with the duty OF seeing to the
purity OF the food supply have taken
steps to prevent the sale OF tubercu-
loua milk. in order that this universal
food may no longer be the means OF
spreading the great white plague.
in Chicago DIR. Evans. the health
commissioner. has made gallant
fight for the public health in insist
ing that milk sold in that city must
come from tuberculin-tested herds or
must be properly pasteurized. Some
twenty other cities are moving alopE
the same lines.
THE exhaustive investigation by the
public health service has proved both
the necessity for pasteurization and
the fact that the process in no way I'M
pairs the nutritive qualities OF the
milk or its digestibility.
This verifies the practical expert
ence that have had through eighteen
years in feeding $4,000 babies in New
York alone upon pasteurized milk and
in finding that they undoubtedly
flourished upon this milk besides be-
ing spared diseases they might have
contracted from raw milk.
DR.. Remsen addressed the conven-
ton. He said in part:
'In the early part OF the year 1908,
President Roosevelt wrote to the
presidents of half n dozen universities
OF the country. saying that in the ad-
ministration of the pure food law some
difficulties had arisen and that 1t
seemed desirable to call in the aid OF
a group OF scientific men to pass upon
such disputed matters. Shortly after
this was invited to take the chair
manship OF the board. and asked to
select the members.
Now. in regard to this work on
benxoate OF soda. The referee board
was asked to determine two points:
Whether benzoate Of soda, in guam
titles as are likely to be used. is or is
not injurious to health.
Whether the quality or strength OF
food to which benzoate Of soda has
been added is thereby reduced. low
cred or injuriously affected.
"The board had a number of long
meetings. in which the methods were
fully discussed. During the progress
OF the work I kept informed in regard
to 1t. We then agreed upon the form
Of the report. and the knowledge I
had gained was such that felt JUS
titled in signing the report"
Now that the soda question is set
tied, other matters OF Importance will
be taken up.
In all probability DR.. George Flan-
ders OF New York will be elected pres.
ident for the coming year.