The Washington herald., 1909-01-25
BENzOATE OF SODA QUESTION
Opinion That Use of Preservative in
Fruit and Condiments Is Not In
furious Is UnanimOuS-Dr. Wiley
Has Declared 1t to Be Distinctly
HurtfuI to Health-WuI Not Talk.

| injurious. He has caused, therefore, the
issuance OF a series Of restrictive regu-
lations under the pure food act concern
ing the use OF benzoate Of soda by can
ners of fruit, tomatoes. &C. bottlers Of
catsup, and other condiments.
When these regulations were issued
| food manufacturers from coast TO coast
| brought pressure enough to bear on the
President 10 appoint a referee board TO
consider the question, and. pending the
boards decision, the manufacturers have
been allowed to use one-tenth Of / per
cent Of benzoate Of soda. providing the
use Of such preservative Is plainly stated
on the bottle. car, OF other package.
The referee board was appointed IN
March last, and consists Of DR.. Ira Rem
| sen. president OF Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity; Russell II. Chittenden, director Of
the Sheffield Scientific School OF Yale
University; John II. Long, professor Of
chemistry. Northwestern University Ned
icaI School; c. A Herter. professor OF
physiological chemistry, College OF Ply
sicians and Surgeons. New York. and
AlonzO F. Taylor. professor Of pathology.
University Of California. Dr. Taylor,
the department states. has been absent in
Europe. and did not participate in the
consideration Of the question. Otherwise
the report OF the board is unanimous
Poison Squads Utilized.
The report Of the board was handed to
Secretary Wilson Saturday. and he viii
transmit Il 10 President Roosevelt to-day.
II is believed Secretary Wilson viii still
require manufacturers who use the pre-
servative 10 stape on their labels that
fact and the quantity used
To make this experimental inquiry as
thorough as possible" says the unani-
nous report Of the board. and to mini
mize the personal equation. three inde-
pendent Investigations have been carried
out-one at the medical school Of North
western University. in Chicago. under the
charge OF Prof. John II. Long; second
at the private laboratory Of Prot Chris
tian A. Herter, OF Columbia University.
New York. and the third at the Sheffield
Scientific School. Of Yale University. IN
charge Of Prof Russell Il Chit1enden.
The same general plan OF procedure
was followed in all three experiments. A
certain number OF healthy young men
was selected as subjects. and during
period OF fOJr months these men. under
definite conditions OF diet. &c. With and
without sodium benzOate. were subjected
TO thorough clinical and medical O0seTva-
ton. while the daily food and the ex-
cretions were carefully analyzed and
otherwise studied, and comparison made
Of the clinical. chemical, meteorological.
and other data collected In this manner
material has been brought together which
makes possible conclusions regarding the
effect Of small and large doses Of sodium
benzOate upon the human system
Agree on Main Features
The board says the fact should be en-
phasized that the results obtained from
the three separate Investigations are in
close agreement in all essential features.
The main general conclusions reached by
the board are:
FIrs.-Sodium beuzoate IN snail doses tznder o5
gram per dayl mixed with the food is without dele
terous OF poisonous action and Is not inturi0Gs 20
health.
seooud-sodsuna bsnzoste IN large doses tup to
grams per dsy1 mixed With the food has net been
found to exert any deeteTious effect on the general
oeTtstiou q the term. In some direcrions there
were slight notifications IN certain physiological proc
esses the exact siguihcation Of which notifications
Is Dot KNOWN
Third-The adniKture q sodium 6enzoate with
food in snail OF large doses has not been found &c
affect iuiriocsy o. impair the quality nutT1tiFe
value CT such food
DR.. Wiley. as the result OF experiments
on his poison squad" said that from
a careful study Of the data in the indi-
vidual cases. and Of the summaries OF
the results. it is evident that the admin
istration OF benzoic acid. either as such
or in the form Of benzOate Of soda, is
highly Objectionable and produces a very
serious. disturbance Of the metabolic func-
tons, attended with injury 10 digestion
and health.
Wiley Found III Effects.
These Injurious effects" said Dr.
Wiley. are evident IN the medical and
clinical data, which show grave disturb
ances Of digestion, attended by phe-
nomena which are clearly indicative Of
irritation. nausea. headache, and. in a
few cases. vomiting.
Coming TO the final consideration Of
all these different phases OF the subject.
there Is only one conclusion to be drawn
from the data which have been pre-
sented. and that Is that IN the interests
of health both benzoic acid and benzoate
of soda should be excluded from food
products
This conclusion is reached indepen-
IDENTIFY Of any consideration Of the condi-
tions which. il is alleged, surround the
processes Of manufacture. and which re-
suit in the demands OF manufacturers TO
De allowed 70 continue the use Of these
substances.
This is a subject which must be dis
cussed from an entirely different point
Of view and has no bearing whatever
upon the general conclusions which have
been reached. namely, that both benzoic
acid and benzoate OF soda are bodies
which. when added 10 foods. are in
furious to health"
Dr. Wiley was asked last night II he
wished to make any comment on the
findings Of the referee board
Il have nothing whatever to say at
this time" he said.
But doubtless you viii have a state
ment to make later?"
81 don't know whether I VIII have OF
not: certainly not before I shall have
seen and had opportunity to digest the
fun report
People who have watched with interest
the fight made against Dr. Wiley are of
the opinion he viii resign his government
Office on account Of the report Presi-
dent Roosevelt was represented as much
incensed over DR.. Wiley's course. and as
a result OF the outcry the President ap-
pointed the board to examine into the
matter.
Hire a seT. T. Cor Cab.
PROMPT xnaeSv stylish SDho1.a ~ 1850