Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25


body and its health Hippocrates welcomed him
longost brother, and Herophus the first disciple of
dissection, brushed his brow with cold but encouraging
touch CELSIUS, reclining the shores of a crystal lake,
enthused in ghosty gestures because the doctor apprc
ciated what he had done in defining the esophagus.
Rufus of Ephesus, Galen Pelops, and all the noble
band OF bygone physicians, rouslng themselves from
the lehargic contemplation of their achievements
strolled by his side in the Gardens of knowledge,
offered him for his couch, and plated in his
hair gorgeous garlands of aromatic plants and healing
herbs.
And one fine evening. when the breeze came heavy
with stores of perfume and Israfee sang his widest
and his best, old Erasstratus made this suggestion
"The digestion, Harvey, my boy Save the dges-
ton! That is the great work for you to dol
Whereupon, Harvey needing the advice and appre-
ciating that he had done all there to do in agcu
tura chemistry, made up his mind to learn something
and say something about the action of chemicals and
food adulterants the human digestive organs After
that, his easy. He began to illuminate in
poetry and prose against the sale of impure foods and
the trade in injurious medicines and quack remedies.
He formed his famous poison squad and, by feeding
them on aduterants, acids and poisons acquired an
exact knowledge of what havoc is wrought in the body
of woman by food that has been colorcd
preserved with harmful ingredients.
what want" he said once, as to convince the
people of this country that they fools to let the food
suppers hurt their health rob their pocketbooks by
selling them impure worthless foodstuffs.'
His campaign of education succeeded, and in the
Roosevelt administration, when Congress hardened to
the call of the voters and decided to pass law against
the misbrandng of drugs and the harmful adulteraton
of foods the House Committee Agriculture asked
Wiley to write the act He did, and to this day the
members of the House and Senate say that to Wiley is
due the lions share of the credit of Pure Food legislation
But he has been tremendously active in many other
ways. 1t is his habit tell mothers how feed their
children, to warn children against the purchase of bad
1cecream, to explain why some goods arc wholesome
and why some others not His work agricultural
chemistry is standard the world over French and
German scientific editors constantly besiege him with
requests for special articles His lectures and writings
3good germs and 3bad germs have given him such
emnence that whenever he goes to Europe he cannot
escape continuous round of entertainments and
tons. The hlghbrowed and longhaired gentry of the
Continent fall themselves and ride about horse
back to round him up and make him sit at table with
them.
In Washington Dr. Wiley is always in demand as an
after dinner speaker He is apt with airy badinage
and persfage he is with the liquid cadences of me
and he always brings laugh More than six feet tall
and built with all the massive strength of Cornthian
column, he towers above group of dinersout and fur
n1SheS enough wit to make them fat.
head has today five hundred employees,
pared with the three who made up its membership
when he took charge OF It years ago and the
great growth of the staff be taken the
expression of the manner in which the public has
sponded to Wieys preachings that the people of this
country have right to be sold foods that will not poison
them and drugs that will heal them. He and his men
the legal guardians of national digestion, and the
protectors of the country's pantry.
The doctor has always been a student of chemistry
and the effects OF chemistry plants and human beings
native of Indiana he began life instructor in his
State, became State Chemist, to Washington and
took the proessorship of chemistry in George Washing
ton University, and later into the service of the
Government. Since then he has enjoyed merely
growing procession of foreign decorations honorary de-
grees and marks of distinction from bodies Every
day his mail is burdened with letters from cities and
countries that want to enlist his in reform for
better milk better sanitation, and better anything that
preserves health His chief reward has the
IGNITION given him by the of the people.
But, first and foremost, he is poet: kind of
poet for he is not ashamed of his lyrical output Far
from it! He has published of his epcs, songs
1ampoons and dirges And when man does that he is
poet
His love of the muses. falters. Day by day he