The Washington herald., 1913-08-31
New Regulations Governing
Sale of the Popular Bever-
age in Mexico Will Go Into
Effect Soon.

The classic" pulque shop OF Mexico is
to be a thing of the past. when the new
regulation governing the sale OF the nat
uraI beverage go into effect, says the
Mexican Herald.
Tourists will search in vain for Re
cuer dos del Future" La FortaIeza de
los Pulmones Debiles," "El Desastre, -
and other suggestive inscriptions upon
the walls of gaudily painted street cor
ner establishments, from out of whose
doors fringed with fly-specked paper
streamers emanate words, odors, and in
dividuals whose like it is difficult TO find
elsewhere.
The pulque connoisseur of the future
will pass through an Immaculate little
doorway fringed with white tiles, buy
his beverage bottled or sealed in some
sterilized wooden receptacle, which VIII
be passed out to him by a white uni
formed employe, and will walk away
with his acquisition to partake of it apart
The convivial throng about the pulque
counter is to be abolished. A drink Of
sterilized, odorless pulque taken within
the white tiled doors will cost the drinker
Just twenty pesos. This Is the fine which
will be charged to all who linger there
more than the time necessary to receive
their purchase and depart with the pack
age.
This non-loitering feature, the govern
ment officials believe, will save the police
a lot of work and society in general a
deal of annoyance. The gatherings about
the puldue establishments are said by the
police to be one OF the principal factors
in street fights and escandalos in gen.
eraL
Sanitary Feature of Law.
The other great factor of the new re-
form will be the sanitary feature.
The trainers of the new law, headed
by the minister of gobernacion, DR.. Aure-
liano Urrutia, an expert on hygiene, are
convinced that the peculiarly noxious ef-
fects of the pulque jag are not due to the
alcohol which the beverage contains, but
to the effects of the fermentation of myr-
lads of mixed yeasts, molds, and other
micro-organisms In the organic matter
which the liquid holds IN solution.
The byproducts of these fermenta-
tive processes, especially that of butyric
acid fermentation, which predominates in
puIuue as now sold, are said by Dr. Ur-
rutia to be intensely poisonous. The eff
fects of the alcohol taken in a pulque
drunk are significant, he says, but the
toxic poisons upset ones whole physical
organism and leave him incapacitated for
days The permanent effects are also
very harmful.
In order TO reduce to the minimum the
fermentation in pulque, the authorities
have decided to abolish the process of
vending it in skins or other insanitary re-
ceptacles. They will oblige all dealers to
seal the liquid in steriliZed wooden cas-
taflos'' or glass bottles, in which form it
will be delivered to the pulquerias and
sol to the consumer.
Must Be Fresh.
Probably the most unpopular disposl-
ton of the health experts from the pull
quero's standpoint is that which makes
IL obligatory upon the retail pulquero to
throw away what is left at nightfall of
each days supply. so that only fresh
pulque may be sold. The police will visit
each pulqueria after the day Is over and
see to the enforcement of this rule.
All the other features of the new law
are sanitary. The pulqueria must be lined
with tiles which must be kept scrupulous-
" clean. The pulquero must wear