The Washington times., 1920-10-24
GERMAN GRASP ON
RARE SUGARS GONE
America Now Producing Costly
Sweets for Detection of
Disease Germs.

NEW YORK. Oct 2i.-Germany's
grip on the rare sugar industry has
been brokn at last by several AmeriN
can manufacturers who are now able
to produce those costly sweets used
in the detection of disease germs.
The most expensive of these.
quoted at several hundred dollars
pound, Is far beyound the reach OF
the average housewife, and yet II
plays an important part in scientfic
research and must be obtained.
At the outbreak of the European
war, the group of rare sugars in our
Laboratories was manufactured In
Germany. The Teutons had such a
hold on the processes that they were
able at any time to destroy compe-
tition.
One Of these sugars is OF excep-
tional value in the detection OF ty-
phoid. as the organisms OF that
disease are so fond OF 1t that they
naturally select 1t and so multiply
upon 1t that their presence can read
lily be detected. The military hospi-
tails of the United States called upon
members of the American Chemical
Society to cooperate in the making
OF rare meteorological sugars for
typhoid work and, according to bull
forts soon proved successful The
fact the health of the American Ex-
peditionary Force in France was so
good was largely due to the quest
for typhoid germs which was mace
possible by the preparation OF these
unusual sacchrine substances in lab
oratories of the United states. Inc
Investigations which developed from
the employing of these agents did
much to forestall outbreaks of ty-
phoid fever and to indicate the need
of special vigilance In vaccination
against that dread disease, which In
the Spanish-American war caused
more deaths that did the bullets OF
the enemy.
USED TO DETECT GERMS.
Other rare sugars are used as
guides in the detection of cholera
germs and are therefore invaluable
as weapons against the pestlence
which walks in darkness.
Psychological or rare sugars re-
quire the utmost care in handling,
for the presence of any impurities or
of another kind of sugar renders
them unfit for the precise purposes
for which they are intended. 1t re-
ouires the utmost patience and scien-
tific skill to put them through the
various steps of publication. Otten
through some slight slip or mishap
days of work may be lost and 1t is
necessary to go back and repeat the
processes in order to obtain the re-
Quired standard.
This elaborate care Is responsible
for the seemingly enormous prices
at which the rare sugars are listed.
High as these costs may appear they
are said to yield only nominal prohts
to the manufacturers.
The most expensive rare sugar
quoted In the catalogue is dulcitoi, for
which 1915 a pound is asked.
Mannose Is worth $40 pound.
The ivory nut, better known as "vege-
table ivory" is imported in large
quantities from Ecuador, and Is used
for the manufacture of buttons for
coats and gowns. The chemist makes
mannose from the scraps of the but
ton factories, but the high cost or the
resulting product is due to the many
accurate processes through which he
must put It in order to obtain abso-
Lutte purity.
SUGAR FROM MAMMA.
Another sugar is mannite, derived
from mamma, that nutritive gum with