Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-01
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR AD- ENRICHMENT OF SCIENCE LIS
 TENS TO PAPERS.
POINT COVERED IN MESSAGE
IMPORTANT ADDRESS OF DR. H. W. WILEY AT CONVENTION
 GIVEN IN FULL.

| DAbllMOhE, 4nu., DcccIHDcT oi.-
 That the influence and efforts of lead.
 ing scientists will be concentrated in
 an effort to establish h national or
 ganization for the conservation of pub
 lie health and the prevention of disease
 was demonstrated in the symposium of
 public health of the American Associa-
 tion for the Advancement of Science
 this afternoon.
 | Particular interest was attached to
 the meeting by the fact that President
 Roosevelt in his message to congress
 covered this point.
 Papers were presented by Dr. Walter
 Wyman, and Dr. II. w. Wiley. Dr. Wiley spoke as follows:
 "First must be mentioned the effect
 which the food and drugs act has had
 upon the ethics of trade. It is the mi
 versa consensus of opinion of all high
 grade manufacturers and merchants in
 food and drug products that the moral
 ity of the trade has been distinctly inn
 proved When low grade or debascd articles have to be named and speci fled and adulterations excluded, there is no longer the necessity which exist
 ed before of really high grade manufac- turers stooping to the debasement of
 their food products to meet competition, but high grade competition, and thus the merit and excellence of the product, other things being equal, will set the pace for success of the business.
 'The second good which has been ac- complished by the food and drugs act is the judicial determination in many cases of the principles involved in the law itself Judge Smith MePherson of the United States district court, west ern district of Missouri, KansaS~ City, in q decision which he rendered on the food and drugs act, stated: 'This statute is to protect consumers, and not producers. It is most benefcent and righteous statute and within the pow CTS of congress to legislate concerning, and should be enforced. Here we have the judicial statement showing the sub stantiality of the act and its benefeen. purpose and the purpose for which it should be enforced The consumer in all cases is the party to be protected, but in protecting the consumer the rights of the manufacturers gre also protected.
 ''Thc third good which has been ac- complished by the law is the improve ment in the quality of the food and drug supplies. This has been apparent in both food and drugs. Cold storage foods are no longer sold, or at least, not so extensively as fresh products, and greater care is exercised in the sanitary preparation of foods than ever before, so that the foods which the peo- pie of this country are eating today are more wholesome, and consequently more palatable and more nutritious than ever before. The improvement in the quail ty of drugs is not less marked. A rigid inspection of imported drugs keeps out of the country all that are not up to the pharmaceutical standard, and the careful control, although not complete, of interstate commerce tends to produce the same effect on drugs passing from state to state. The making and sale of deleterious patent medicines has been greatly restricted, especially in those | productions which relate to the intro duction of habit forming drugs into | patent medicines and of alcohol. The | statement on the labels of these. pro- duets respecting the presence of these bodies has served to warn great many | persons of the danger of their use and | thus restricted their sale. While per haps there is much left to be desired | in this direction, the progress which has been made is most encouraging, and the good which has been accomplished already is pronounced.
 ''Finally, the general attitude of the public has been strengthened respecting this law so that it has the support of a more unified and enthusiastic public opinion. Add to this the almost unani- nous support of the courts in all cases which have come before them and we see that the foods and drugs act has been firmly established and will con tinue the good work in which so much has already been accomplished.