Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-21
GOVERNMENTS WORK FoE
PROPERLY LABELED DRUGS
AND BETTER FOOD.
Activities Of the Bureau of Chemistry
as Described in Its Annual Report.

Washington, D. c., Dec. 19.-The
false and fraudulent labelling Of medi-
clnes and mineral waters has recently
received great deal Of attention
from the Bureau of Chemistry, ac-
eording to the Bureaus report for the
year ending June 80. 1914. A large
number of instances have been found
in which impossible claims for the
preparations in question have been
made and in these cases steps have
been taken to compel the owners to
alter the labels. This is true of q
large number of veterinary medicines
and in particular of (so-called) cures
for hog cholera. AS for mineral
waters, the position long held by the
Bureau, that so-called lithia water
must contain enough lithia to pro-
duce an appreeiable therapeutic eff
feet, has now been sustained by the
Supreme Court of the District of Co.
lumbia, and in consequence action
has been taken to enforce this ruling.
Measures are being taken to prevent
the exploitation Of so-called radio
active waters in which the amount of
radium is negligible. Furthermore,
mineral waters to which has been
added carbonic acid gas or mineral
salt, are not any more, sold as nat
ural." but are properly labeled.
In connection with the Bureaus
work of food inspection, two impor-
tant sanitary surveys have been made
of oyster growing localities, one in
Chesapeake Bay, and one in Jamaica
Bay. N. Y. Wherever these surveys
resulted in the discovery of polluted
areas the oystermen moved their
stock to clean water and maintained it
there for a sufficient time, until all
danger to the consumer was done
away with.
Altogether there were nearly 1900
samples of food and hevera ges col
lected and analysed. The cooperation
Of other branches of the Government
has been secured for the prosecution
of cases not fully covered by the Food
and Drugs Act. For example, in one
case connected with illegal traffic in
bad eggs, a number of persons were
indicted for conspiracy. In another
case a manufacturer of beverages re-
ceived long prison sentence for put
ting wood alcohol in his products.
In addition to this regulatory work
connected with the enforcement OF
various laws, scientists of the Bureau
have been carrying on important in
vestigations. The report makes par
ticular mention of the study of the
subject of potato drying Dried pota-
toes may be kept indefinitely for stock
feed and are of course much less
bulky and, therefore, less expensive to
transport than ordinary potatoes. This
investigation will ultimately be ex-
tended to other uses for potato prod
ucts, such as the manufacture OF
starch and glucose, in order to en-
courage the production of potatoes as
regular part in crop rotation in Sec
lions where this could be done with
benefit.
Two new ways have also been dis
covered of utilizing surplus and Gull
apples. One is the manufacture or
apple strip by clarifying and boiling
down apple juice. The strip OBJ
tanned promises to be a welcome ad-
dition to our diet as well as afording
a new market for the apple grower
The other method of disposing of the
surplus of apples is the manufacture
of concentrated cider. Hitherto the
market for cider has been limited, due
to the fact that 1t can only be kept
sweet a short time and that its bulk
makes it's transportation too expensive
when long distances are to be COW
cred. The concentrated cider Ter
ments very slowly when kept at a low
temperature. When diluted with
water 1t has practically the same
favor as the original apple Juice from
which it was made, and its con-
densed form makes it much cheaper
to ship.
Considerable attention has also been
devoted to the fish industry when up
to the present time has been a SUD
tect of much less scientific study than
meat packing. With the GROWING
scarcity of meat, however, 1t seems
obvious that fish will come to play a
more important part in the Nation
food supply and such questions as tne
hest means of storage. transportation
and the prevention of waste deserve
careful investigation. An instance OF
the value of this work is AFFORDED py
the Maine sardine industry. AS re-
suit of Government investigation
marked improvement has taken place
in the quality of American sardlnes
put up by establishments along the
coast of that State.