The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-18

the others labors. bat Il IS certain that
the medicinal properties of benxoin-
the active principle of ben1oic ae;d-has
been known since shortly ate. the Eliza
bethan era The use OF this substance as
a preservative tor foods. however, was
not attempted. nor perhaps known. until
4 decade ago. Manufacturers OF food
products who had been using the aeesie
acid and spice method cast aocu, for an
equivalent that would perform the de-
sired service with fewer OF the draw
backs OF the earlier or home method,
and Il was suggested that beuzo:c acid
could be cut, or neut.alized with soda.
exhaustive experiments were carried on
along these lines. aud after two years
several hrms decided 20 make use OF IL.
his took place in 1904 or nearly seven
years before the adoption of the present
Food and Drug Law.
ben-oic acid. then, We have learned,
IS actually the vital natural substance.
contained IN certain MINOR fruits and
vegetables. that acts as 4 rreservatIve
against decay. When combined with
SODA and applied 10 any vegetable or ami
NAL substance. its action is precisely the
same as IN ITS natural state ard place
II arrests the process of decay The
quantity necessary adequately to prevent
the process OF ferincnta,,on-which %
actually decays very small and IL ef-
fecfually prevents the development Of
bacteria. destroying these should they
md entry. In the form Of bcnsoate of
soda this preserv7tive IS white crys-
ialline substance. and IL is eoloriess,
odorless. and practically taste,ess That
which IS used in foods = obtained from,
soiuene. coai-.ar product The inn
preston which has been fos:ered TO the
At s~f - - - Il
acid IS erroneous Such benzoic acid Is
too expensive for commercial use. and
IS of German production. Importers
state that not Al ounce is sold in this
country for use IN foods DR. H w.
Wiley has stated: In so far as | know,
none OF this particular kind of ben1oic
acid IS used III foods"
Many seiensists ossteA.
Further list Of all the experiments
that have been made along these lines is
given. and II IS AZ once apparent that of
the las authorities quoteo. not one
found any harmful effects from BEN
zoase of soda, but each. on the contrary.
upholds its use as the cnly certain. safe.
clean and harmless substance to use Ia
connection with either home or factory
rs d tuitHcf SSiOSuCc tu1t pOpu0IU
distributed information is not all il pre-
tends to be. Food Prese,rssis1 cites
the work of DR.. H. w. Wiley. the Gov.
eminent chemist. who has declared
against benxoate of soda 1t has been
generally supposed bv the uniformed
that DR.. Wiley spent many long and
arduous years of toll investigating this
preservative. but the facts. as given by
the doctor himself. show most -'-;-iy
that his work along this line
fined to one month. and that
no attempt to 60 deeply into T.
ter. We also find that the much quu,cd
expression. when experts disagree"
summers down to the fact that Dr..
Wiley. with his brief and incomplete en-.
pertinent. is ranged on the one side, and
that four of the greatest scientists this
has ever known. Professors Rem
sen. Of Johns Hopkins University: Chit.
tenden. Of Yale: Herter. Of Columbia.
and Long. of Northwestern. with their
long and painstak;ns investigation exc
lending over four months. on the other.
Also that these latter are amply and
definitely supported by such eminent men
as Professor Edward Kremers. of the
University of Wisconsin: Professor r.
Kedzie. Of the Michigan Agricultural
College: Professor Victor c. Vaughan.
of the University Of Michigan. and mary
others OF high scientific authority.