Arizona republican., 1909-06-08
BENzOATE OF SODA
 HANGS IN THE BALANCE
Friends of the Agricultural Depart ment Inclined to Condemn
 1t Unheard.


 Washington, D. C., June 1.-(Spec-
 ial Correspondence of The Republi-
 can.)-The first compilation of ex-
 pressions of promient physicians in
 regard to the use of benzoate of soda
 in ketchup, preserves, dairy pro- ducts, meat products, etc, shows that
 while in view of the Remsens boards experiments some are not prepared
 to say that small quantities of the drug may not be used without harm- full effect upon healthy persons, the opinion is unanimous that no benefit
 to the consumer can be had from : taking it into the system in any quantity whatever. Coupled with this negative opinion is the unani-
 nous conclusion that in the case of children and invalids, with which classes the physicians are most con cerned, the effect of chemically pre- served foods cannot but be injuri- ous. Those who have given the subject deepest consideration believe that the upsetting of the conclusions reached by the Department of Agri- culture that the use of benzoate of soda should be prohibited, is but 2 ing or emasculating or the Pure Food law. Experiments are now be- ing made by the Remsen board with the sulpheretting of fruits with the probabilities favoring a conclusion that in this case also the Department of Agriculture went astray and the possibility of a future ruling per- mitting this practice. Behind these two comes boraX and formaldehyde and already tentative "feelers" are being sent out to the effect that after all there is a chance that boraX has been unjustly condemned and it's use should be permitted These facts give ground to the suspicion that a concerted movement is on foot to undo the good done as to restore conditions, as fas ~ preservatives are concerned, to what they were before the passage or rne National Pure Food law. The Association of State and National Dairy and Food departments, which fought so hard for the Pure Food law, is gravely concerned about these insidious at tacks upon this statute and at it's meeting in August at Denver, Col. W III COlSAdtl Way lllGdnS lO preserve the law in it's integrity and entirety
 The first victory for the ''preser- vative" element having been on ben Zoate of soda, the use of that drug is now the bone of contention. Some of the extracts from opinions of physicians which have been collected are as follows. Prof. John Uri Lloyd, of Cincinnati, eX-president of the United States Pharmaceutical asso- citation, says: Tn my opinion the corruptionists in the direction of canned goods and sucn, have now heen driven to the last ditch, and their methods would nave been anni- Inflated could the introduction of chemical preservatives have been prevented Cnder these believe We should still resist the putting into foods that are eaten daily by our people of product such as benzoic acid or benzoate of soda may De.''
 Speaking of such conservatives in 1 general, Dr. V. C. Vaughn, dean of the medical faculty Of ann ArbOr un- iversity, Michigan, says: "As rule | their use is condemned, for two req sons. In the first place like color 1 ing matter it enables q man to sell | a poor grade article in place of a | better grade; and in the second i place, it enables the manufacturer to | be less careful in other means of | 
 Dr. James w. Holland, professor | of texicology in the Jefferson Medi- |