Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-02-19
SENATE COMES TO
WILEYS DEFENSE
REFEREE BOARDS REVERSAL OF
HIS OPINION ON BENZOATE IS
DENOUNCED.
SENATOR HEPBURN BITTER.
Demands Authority Under Which Referee
Board Is Supposed to
Exist
FAvoRs AN INVESTIGATION.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 16.--The
reversal by the referee board of consult
ing scientists of the findings of DR.. Har-
vey W. Wiley, pure food expert of the
agricultural department, in regard to the
alleged poisonous nature of benzoate OF
soda when used as a preservatiye for
fruits, aroused much comment and some
criticism. In the Senate the board was
put under fire by Senator Hepburn, OF
Idaho, while friends of DIR. Wiley are
declaring that the tests reported by the
board are not of long enough duration to
offset the careful Investigations of the
pure food expert.
DR.. Wiley, it is pointed out by his
friends, never has claimed that the poi
son was quick acting. In fact, the con-
tention of the advocates of pure food has
been all along that the danger lay in
poisons so slow in their effects that it
was almost impossible to bring home to
the offending manufactures his compile
ity in resulting disease. DR.. Wiley's
friends are saying that the judgment it
took him nine months of experiment to
demonstrate to his own satisfaction, in
the nature of the drug under considera-
ton, hardly can be overturned by two
months investigation, especially when
this investigation was conducted by
chemists some of whom have net in re-
cent years been out of the chemical lab
oratories, and whose specially was not
foods
Chemist Sustains DR.. Wiley.
DR.. II. S. Blackmore of Washington,
who is consulting chemist to the state
of New York department of health, i'll
an interview with a Post reporter said
'BenZOate of soda, of which we have
heard so much of late as being en-
plOyed as a food preservative, has all
the earmarks of a most dangerous sub
stance. 1t is a compound of benzolc
acid and soda. Benzoic acid is phenyl-
formic acid. The phenyl content is the
active constituent of carbolic acid and
acetanilid, the latter of which is employed
in headache powders, and has been the
cause of many wrecked lives from dis
eases of the heart, which it affects Sc
riOuSly, while the former is a we'll
known corrosive poison. The formyl CON
tent is a constituent of formic aldehyde.
which has been universally condemned
as food preservative. The benzoyi
(phenyl-formyD contest of benZoic acid
is the substance which makes cocaine
active.
Commercial benzoic acid is manufac-
tured from horse or other animal unrlne
Or artifcially made from coal tar. All
these facts would point to the possibility
Oh DellZOlC dClI VI It's Co1upoulld> ll't
only being of a composition most dam
gerOus to health. if continuously used,
but, to say the least, an unclean sub
stance as a constituent of an article Of
food. 1t would seem that the foisting Of
this substance on the public as a con-
stituent of food by commerclalism would
be as dangerous as the fOisting of opium
on the people"
The discussion in the Senate came up
under debate on an item of 100000 i'll
the emergency deficiency bill for the bu
reau of chemistry. About 100000 was
appropriated last year for this purpose.
but a deficiency of about 100000 since
had developed The item was agreed TO
finally. but not before the objection
raised by Senator Hepburn had been reg
istered along with q promise from Sen
ator Lodge to look into the matter.
Wants Board Investigated.
Il know of no law" said the senator
from Idaho, whereby this board of ref
erees exists. And the question / should
like to ask is whether this board does
not attempt to do indirectly what Con-
gress directly refused to do when it vot-
ed down the bill establishing a bureau of
standards, supplementing the pure food
provisions of my bill | should like to
know from what source this board gets
its authority, and under what law it ex-
lists. | think this might we'll be lOoke%
into, along with the Investigation into
the ramifcations of the activities Of the
secret service. Washington Post.