The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-12-26
DEPARTMENT
AFECUARD|NC
FOOD AND DRUGS
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
LIVES THOUSANDS OF
SHIPMENTS FOR IMPORT AND
INTERSTATE SHIPMENT.

=
samples OF foods and drugs offered
for interstate shipment and for i'm
port. \ physical examination was
made Of samples from 7G.l6S ship
mGnts and for import physical
examination was made of samples
from 76,46S shipments offered for i'm
port. or these foreign shipments, g.
353 were found to violate the law in
some respects and were either eXclud-
ed from the country or admitted only
after the importers had re-labeled
them to comply with the law OF the
samples of domestic products analyz-
ed 3,535, either because of the ma
ture of the product or because the
label on it did not tell the truth, were
found to be in violation of the federal
law. In 1864 cases the department
recommended to the department of
justice that criminal prosecution be
instituted agains the manufacturers
or that the goods be seized In many
cases where there was no evidence of
intention to defraud, and where there
was no evidence of intention to de
fraud, and where there was merely
some easily remedied flaw in the word
ing of label, the shippers, after be-
ling warned in hearings, voluntarily
took steps which made their products
fully comply with the requirements.
In all, there were held S,715 such
Hearings, many of which resulted in
the prosecutions indicated and the
gathering of evidence for a large mum
forwarded to the department of JUS
tice.
The bureau of chemistry in its an
nual report, also calls attention TO the
fact that through the system of ser
vice and regulatory announcements
now in use, manufacturers are given !
thus are enabled voluntarily to make !
their products conform to the law. In ,
this way the government achieves its |
purpose frequently without entering |
into needless and very expensive lit. !
cation.
In the regulatory work special en-
phasis has been given to the control !
of drug products and foods liable TO !
spoilage and pollution. These fire. /
lquently constitute serious menace !
to health The food inspectors have ,
been instructed to be particularly |
watchful for interstate shipments of
bad eggs, milk, oysters and spoiled
canned goods, and false and fraudu.
lently labeled medicines and spurious,
synthetic drugs.
Curbing Fraudulent Medicines.
| Attempts TO counterfeit or adulter.
ate imported drugs have been more
common since the recent high price /
land scarcity of many of these pro
ducts encouraged their imitation. 1t
| is interesting to note that of the 1895
cases terminated in the courts during
! the year, 1873 were brought on account T
OF the false and fraudulent labelling of
medicines. In all these medical cases,
save five, the courts found for the
government and this, it is believed, 4.
has exercised an important deterrent q,
effect on the vendors OF nOstrums
shipped from one state 10 another.
The work of controlling the fraudu.
lent labels OF medicines and mineral
waters has been greatly strengthened
by the establishment OF separate Of
! flee to deal with these matters. At the l.
request of the secretary OF agriculture L
an officer of the United States public I.
health service has been detailed to
take charge of this work. Moreover, l.
through the close co-operation estab- h
liShed with the foods and drugs Of .t
fcials of many of the states the de L
partment was able TO direct the at,
Itention OF the local authorities to the +,
presence of spurious drugs in their
states and. as a result. much OF these /
fraudulent goods in the hands of local
dealers and beyond the reach Of the
federal authorities were destroyed by I
state and municipal officers who, in /
many cases. prosecuted those respon-
sible for the local traffic.
Milk, Eggs and oysters.
The cooperation in the sanitary
control OF the milk supply of small
cities described in the report for last
year has been extended in Illinois,
Iowa. Missouri. Kansas. Nebraska and
In New England. II is proposed to
repeat this work year after year. eX-
tending it each year TO new territory. !,
In some localities bad conditions were
found. due in the main to insufficient
] 1 II