Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-27
LACQUER CHEMICAL
.CR|PPLES DRINKERS.
"Jake" Paralysis Is Traced
to AduIterant Used in
Leather Trade.


ant in alleged fluid extract Of ginger
which acts specifically on the lower mo
tor neurons of human beings and which
apparently has made hopeless crippiel
of several thousand persons, has beer
determined by chemists of the Bureau
of Industrial Alcohol, it was announces
today.
With this definite determination
comes to light the handiwork Of some
unknown chemical genius Of the under
world who hit upon the ideal substance
for adulterating the extract for beverage
purposes, making 1t dirt cheap anc
drinkable. This man, 1t is pointed out
doubtless had no. idea. Of the terrible
consequences of his chemical Tickery
for he had no reason to believe the
adulterant was poisonous.
The substance finally isolated, IL was
Announced, is ortho-tri-ereSyl phosphate
q chemical preparation used extensively
IN the LACQUER and leather industries
n makes LACQUER surfaces, such as these
Of patent leather shoes, more plastic.
It also is used in treating cellulose MI
frate films 70 make them less imam
inable. and it will dissolve gums ana
resins.
0rtho- tri-cresyI Causes Paralysis.
II Is the ortho-tri-cresyl alone that
eanses the paralysis. So long as the
rhosphate radicle remains IN complna-
fion with the cresyl group 1t Is narm-
less. The body itself takes what Is
originally not poisonous and splits IL
apart until it becomes poisonous.
But the Industrial Alcohol Bureau
chemists are taking of their hats 10 the
fellow who thought OF It, the SUN Is
tasteless and odorless. IL canhoL ps
DISTINGUISHED. unless the chemist is LOOK
ing for something ap1iss, from the oleo..
resin of ginger, the total OF natural
products obtained from the ginger root
which forms the base of the extract
It mixes readily with all gums and Is
easily soluble in alcohol Besides, it is
dirt cheap compared with the expensive
ginger product. Probably what was
used was the residue from lestnef
ist probably was q man familiar with
those industries.
BY his cleverness the man was able TO
save the beverage ginger business for
time. and he might have continued IN
definitely had it not been for the queer
trick of fate.
Before and after the advent Of pro-
hibition the single strength tineture OF
ginger was found to be used for beyef-
ace purposes. The strengt' of this
tincture was double, but this did not
stop its use for Beverage purposes.
Finally DR.. James NJ. Doran, Commits
siCner of Industrial Alcohol, was forced
to discontinue all tinctures of ginger,
allowing to be manufactured only
u. S. p. fluid extract OF ginger Tor
general sale.
This gave it such burning potency
thai after one swig nobody ever would
expensive and the margin Of profit so
small that there would be little tempta-
ton to manufacture it rs . beverage.
Adulteratsd Continued.
Still folks continued to dring adult
terated extracts, and the chemists won
dered. They found that it was being
adulterated with castor oil, which es-
caped detection unless the product was
arllayzed. But it could be detected
easily enough then. Besides, tasteless
castoI oil was expensive and did not
allow a "bootlegger's profit"
Until the reports OF paralysis cpl
demic began to come in last March
the leather factory waste product must
have seemed like an ideal solution. 1t
was supposedly harmless, and 1t mixed
with the ginger root extract SO nicely
that 1t could not be detected by .
superficial analysis. 1t was sold as
standard" When the alcohol and
water were removed the residue showed
the required amount OF solid material,
which there was no reason TO believe
was not genuine. 1t constituted about
4 per cent of the entire preparation. 1t
made the extract comparatively pleas
ant to drink by reducing the amount
of burning ginger. 1t cost next to
nothing, so the profit must have been
enormous.
Bureau of Industrial Alcohol chemists
started to tear the extract to pieces"
leaving the hygienic laboratory TO de-
termine the physiological effects on
animals of each substance found.
Actually the oTtho-tri-cresyl phosphate
was found soon after the researches
started, bue it seemed SO innocent that
it almost escaped blame, especially when
by the first trial IL was found that 1t
caused no effect on q monkey. But the
research finally narrowed down 10 the
point where other possible cuiprits had
proved perfect alibi.
An analogy was drawn by Peter : =
ser, head of the non-beyerage lapora-
tory, to common salt, made up o. two
poisonous substances in table eombi-
nation. 1t is the most interesting APP
peaFing substance in the world, but II
the combination happened to be broken
down into its omponents-which is i'm
possible by any physiological process
there might be serious consequences.
Injured Ginger Ale Sale.
Bureau Of Industrial Alcohol chemists
are especially anxious TO remove sus-
picion from anything actually obtained
from the gingE; root. This Is reported
seriously to have injured the sale OF
ginger ale, in which there is large
financial investment, and even OF gin
ger cakes and ginger bread IN the
South. These are entirely harmless,
But the public should know, the
chemists say that the very fact that
1t is possible to drink the alleged ginger
extract is in itself warning that there
is something In 1t which shouldn't be
there.
"Up to date" says a statement from
the bureau. many theories have Been
advanced as to the substance which mas
caused this paralysis. Among these
theories was the possible presence OF
clare and other poisonous herbs. There
has been no trace of such poisonous
ingredients found. Production o. gin
ger root is a l--ge and definite sgri-
cultural pursuit, and 1t Is practically
impossible for any foreign root TO Pc
come mixed with the crop.
'"Tri-ortho-cr. syl phosphate is one on
the most stable esters used In organic
commercial chemistry. 1t is definite
compound, used very extensively every
day in the year in the leather and paint
indust. les, and up . the present time
is considered the best and most stable
substa. zee to be used In us class OF
chemicals. Its chemical formula Is
(CHz CeHLO)a Pc.
''The exhustiv chemicals examina-
ton of hundreds of samples of this
paralysisrproduein ginger extract from
all the stricken areas failed to show any
denaturants Whatever. and It Is sbso-