Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-08-11
THE DEADLY PICKLE
MORE DEADLY BY
USE Of ALUM
How the Soft and Soggy Fiftyl
Seven Varieties Are Madel
Plump and Tempting by thel
Magic PreScrvatiye,

Washington. ID. G., Aug. 9.
Although the board OF food and drug
Inspection has had under consideration
Tor some time the question Of the use
of alum as a preservative no indica-
ton has been given as to when it will
hand down its decision. Alum is one
Of the lesser known personalities, its
use being much more cireumscribed
than that Of benzoatc Of soda, boraX,
formaldehyde and the other chemical.
personalities heretofore the subject Of
experiments by DIR. II. w. Wiley and
strongly condemned by him. What
benzoatc of soda is 10 the decaying
tomato and borax to "ombalmed beet, "
alum is to the withered and half
spoiled cucumber pickle. Under its
magic influence the soft. soggy and
generally unp%resentablc pickle of COM
morce is pumped out, rejuvenated and
becomes so pleasing to the eye that
few Fan resist it. This is equally true
of al pickle products in which alum is
used to an extent unknown to ana UNI
appreciated by 3iir public. II have had
evidence presented to me" declared.
The distinguished author n lecturer
on Therapeutics. Or. II. \. Hare, of
Philadelphia, at a recent hearing be-
fore the board. ITO show that pickles
frequently contain quantities of alum
sufficient to carry into the BODY IN
one cucumber as much AS from n to
five grains of alum and | would con-
slider every such dose to be deieteri-
Gus even If not repeated again When,
asked by DR.. Wiley as to what he con-
sidcred the minimum dose that could
be administered without injury he SAID
that single doses of less than 4 grain
might not be. but addcd that no one
could feed him such doses. As he was
not appearing as an expert against
alum DR.. Hare's testimony made al
deep impression.
A striking instance of the wide
spread use of alum in pickles and
pickle products Is the ease of some
girl students Of Herkiomen seminary
near Philadelphia, who were taken
violently i'll after a class supper ana
suffered with extreme nausea and
prostration. Their Illness was alter
wards traced to pickles consumed
which were found To contain alum IN
large quantities. Speaking ON TINS Df
j. NJ. Andcrs, Professor of Technology
of the jefferson Medical school of
Philadelphia. said: What, then, are
the delctcrious effects Of alum taken
into the system Unquestionable in
diguation Is caused by even small doses
oft repeated; just such doses as those.
who are fond of pickles for example
would be apt to obtain, and we know
thai ncurutic females and chlorotlc
girls very often take large quantities
Of pickles. and for them it might be q
very serious matter
The stand taken by those who favor.
chemical presorNatives such as alum
benzoatc of soda. etc, was outlined by
Dr.. \. T.. Smith. of New York. who has
become somewhat notorious through
his persistent championship of the.
reactiunarN interests opposing the pro-
visions of the pure food low lie said
"lf YOU legislatc for the sick where
should you draw the line? with the
individual suffering from Sigh injury
or more pronounced illness 1t seems
to mo logical to draw the line etween
those who are healthy and those who
are rot
"rhat is" commented Or. Wiley,
'thc sick can take care of themselves.
That is it. precisely, retortcd Dr
smith.
And the devil take the hindermost'
sarcastically concluded DIR. Wiley
That pr Wiley has not weakened
i'm his stand against chemical prcs'r-
|vativcs was strongly evidenced by his
statements when alum was under fire
Tf .4 A.... .AYrttfLt all
chemical p-rcscrvativcs where their use
Was demonstrated to be unnecessary
The Inference was that ne was against
the use of alum i'm pickles even II pas
siVc ina the case of baiSing-poWdcr II
is considered probable that the board
WIN report against the use OF alum ia