The San Francisco call., 1910-08-02
CITY OFFICIALS
PUT BAN upon
POISONED sweet
Investigation of Mysterious
Juvenile MaIadies Leads to
Discovery
Factories Using Dye TO Color
Pastry Cone in Danger of
Prosecution

The. product, but it is expressly prohib-
ace to the health of the community
Naphthol yellow has been used in col
oring butter, cheese, macaroni. saffron
and mustard, which, medical science
has declared, makes such foods unfit
for human consumption. The effect of
the chemical when used on the cones
is TO create the Impression that eggs
have been used in. the manufacturing
process. As a. matter of fact, the cor
nucopias are made Of -four, water and
sugar and are harmless without the
acid.
The tests, as conducted at the labor
atories. were made with: the. greatest
caution and.theroughness+ The sample
was digested. in water acidiiied with
hydrochloric acid Apiece. of. woolen
cloth which had been" washed in. "a: very
dilute solution of boiling potassium
hydroxide and then washed :. in water
was Immersed in the first solution.
This was boiled i've or ten minutes.
The cloth was then removed; thorough
1y washed in water and boiled again
with dilute hYdrochloric acid: selu-
zion. This first piece of -coiored wool
was treated and second. uncofored
piece placed in a solution OF hydro
chlOric acid and boiled The ;coloring
from the first piece was conveyed to
the second piece through. the chemical
process and naphthOI yellow was dis
covered. If vegetable. coloring had been
used the second process would have
90 7aE T7l,4a
TO the formulas Of Alfred II. Allen.
whose works on the chemistry Of food
stuffs have become standard =.
Factories Warned
When the reports were forwarded to
Doctor McNutt BY Doctor Bottle he gave
immediate instructions TO the inspect4
tors 10 notify the two factories from
whose cones napthol had been ex-
tracted. 1t has been the practice of the
department TO caution the manufac-
turers before taking any other steps,
and, under the city ordinance. notice to
them is necessary. Both the factory
of Hague & Krone and Yiba win be
closely watched and within a week
another test made OF their products
This is a matter within the Surisdic-
ton Of the state board of health.'' said
Doctor McNutt yesterday. Under the
city ordinance we have TO give such
people notice before we take any legal
steps to close them up. 1t amounts to
giving them another chance If they
stop the acid coloring we will. be salts
fed, but If, when we make the second
inspection, we find that the poisonous
coloring material IS used we will go
after them and close them This is a
fragrant violation of the Mccartney
pure food act and is punishable under
the state law. / doubt whether these
men appreciate the danger to which
they subject the community. In the
case Of yellow cones the acid. adds little
to the natural color and is. positively
dangerous to the hundreds. of children
who eat then. - ~:
The inspection of. coIored food will
continue with the regular work of the
chemical laboratory and the inspectors
are daily purchasing in the open mar
ket art5hcially colored foodstufs. The
data and reports made on the colored
cones by Doctor Bottle win be for
warded to Sacramento and the tests
with respect to the other factories
prosecuted.