The Daily Missoulian., 1909-06-07
FOOD PRESERVA7|VES
DANGEROUS
DOCTORS DECLARE THAT USE OF
RENZOATE OF SODA is HARM
FUL TO HEALTH.

Washington, June 6--The first
compilation of expressions of promi-
nent physicians in regard to the use
of benzoate of soda in ketchup, pre-
serves, dairy products, meat prod
ucts, etc, shows that While in view
of the Remsen boards experiments
some are not prepared to say that
small quantities of the drug may not
be used without harmful effect upon
healthy persons, the opinion is unani
nous 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 unanimous conclusion that in
the case, of children and invaids,
with which classes the physicians are
mostly concerned the effect of chemi-
cally preserved foods cannot but be
| injurious. Those who have given the
| subject deepest consideration believe
that the upsetting of the conclusions
| reached by the department of agricul-
| ture that the use of benzoate of soda
should. be prohibited, is but the en-
| tering wedge to the overturning or
emascuating of the pure food law
Experiments are now being made by
the Remsen board with the sulphuret-
| ting of fruits with the probabilities
| favoring a conclusion that in this
| case also the department of agri-
culture went astray and the posssl-
hility of a future ruling permitting
| 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 and to restore conditions. as
! far as preservatives are concerned, to
what they were before the passage
of the 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 in
| sidious attacks upon this statute and
at it's meeting in August at Denver,
Colo, will consider ways and means to
preserve the law in it's integrity and
entirety.
| First Victory.
The first victory for the "preserva-
tive" element having been on benzoate
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 fol-
lows:
| Professor John I7ri Llovd Of Gin
cinnati, ex-president of the United
States Pharmaceutical association.
SAYS: "In my opinion the corrup-
| tionists in the direction Of canned
goods and such have now been driven
| to the last ditch and their methods
would have been annihlated could the
| introduction of chemical preservatives
| have been altogether prevented
| !" Under these circumstances I
| believe we should still resist the put
| ting into foods that are eaten daily
| hv our people of a product such as
| benzoic acid or benzoa'e of soda may
| he" Speaking Of such nreservatives
| in general Dr, " q. Vaughn, dean
| of the medical faculty of Ann Arbor
| UNIVERSITY Michigan. saws: GAS
| rule their use is condemned for two
| reasons. Tn the first place, like col
| orne matter. it enables man to sell
| a moor grade article in nace Of .
| better grade: and. in the second
| mace. it ena hles the manufacturer to
he less careful in other means of
nreeervation,'' DIR. James w. Holland,
professor OF te~ico'ogy in the Teffer-
son Medical col1opn: at defeats the
| efforts of the human system to as
simlatn or DESTROY it," Dr. Harvey
w Wi'ev, chief rhenst of tho de-
nartment Of agricu'ture saws: "Ben-
zoate OF soda is highly Objectionable
and produces a very serious disturb
| ance of the n,etaholic functions, at
! tended with iniurv to digestion and
health. The evidence points SO
strongly To the noisonone nropcrties
| Of nroservatves that their usn as a
class should. under the act he inhbit-
cd in foods and food prnducts'
| No Reason.
DR. C. Harlan Wells, president OF
| the Philadelphia Academy of Medl-
cine saws: "There is absolutely no
| adequate reason for use of benZoatc of
soda as Il preservativo of foods To
| lesalizc it's use would omen up a wide
door for fraud and endaneer public
health by making possible and profit
able the employment of inferior and
unsuitable materials in the manufac-
ture of food preparations" DR. AL
bert P Matthews. professor of physi-
| ologica chemistry University of
Chicago: "Whatever the final deci.
sion on this question of the effect
on health of sodium benzoate, wise
men will continue to regard germ,-
cides, such as sodium benZoate, as
i1,i1 nf