Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-11-04
Public Health Is Aim OF
Food, Drug Administration
Control of Authorizations Direct Bearing on Public
Health: Agents Work in Flood Areas and In
Safeguarding II Packed Foods
pT1RIJC HEALTH

PUBLIC HEALTH -. -.
WASHINGTON, Nov Control OF food
and drug authorizations having direct
bearing on public health continued 10
require the major efforts of the Foou
and Drug Administration in the last
fiscal wear, according to the annual
report of w G. Campbell, chief OF the
administration.
Mobilization of an emergency force
to follow the 1887 flood in the ONO
Valley and protect residents from food
contaminated by flood waters was one
of the conspicuous services by the
Food and Drug Administration IN the
last wear. Many of the A Federai
food men assigned to the work had
had experience in the 1886 flood. They
were assisted by about 20 men from
state and city food inspection organ
izations and from other Federal agen-
cies. The emergency organization
functioned promptly. Work programs
were under way in some areas before
the flood waters began to recede
These crews handled food and drug
preparations enough to have suppled
a city of 100000 population for tull
year.
Another emergency requiring quick
action by many field employees arose
when it was discovered that emer-
gency fumigatiOn with hydrocyanlc
gas had made dangerous a quantity OF
raisins and other dried fruits-about
100000 pounds-held up at the ship
ping point during the maritime strike
and that these had been widely dis
tributed Food and Drug Administra-
ton workers quickly traced and seiz-
ed nearly all the contaminated food,
and the use of this method OF fumiga-
ton for these commodities was imme-
diately discontinued.
Fines Vary Widely
Mr.. Campbell comments on the l.
700 court cases terminated in the year
Il 1855 food cases and 345 drug cases.
Fines varied" he says, from sums as
low as 81, 3d. and SIS to maximum
actually paid of $500. Much higher
fines were imposed in several cases
but were RENTED in large part by the
courts. Three Jail sentences imposed
in connection with second offenses
were also suspended and the DEFEND
ants placed on probation. In pleas OF
guilty to the adulteration of olive oil
with tea-seed oil, two defendants were
each fined $4,000 but $4,000 was sub
sequently RENTED in each case.
Courts in general vouchsafed no
explanation for the imposition of NOM
inal penalties. In one instance OF
So penalty for the shipment of filthy
and decomposed walnuts, the court in
Dictated that it had taken into consid-
Grafton the fact that the defendant
had suffered a $1,4O0 loss in the seiz-
ure and destruction of the shipment
by the government. In another in
stance dealing with a practically
worthless product offered as a treat
ment for serious diseases of the eye,
the court imposed without comment,
a fine of 81 and costs of $685."
"Other courts Mr.. Campbell con-
tjnues, "have indicated a growing In
terest in the public protection afford
ed by the Food and Drug Act. In pass
ing sentence against spinach Gamer
who had entered a plea of guilty to
the sale of dirty canned spinach a
court remarked that if the defendant
was unable to manufacture clean food
he had letter get out of business and
oIoJ OuI VI IHdL COul
Issues in Legislation
Discussing possible changes in the
law, Mr.. Campbell says; "As in the
three preceding years, legislative eff
forts have been continued in the Con-
gress for more adequate food and
drug law. Senate Bill 5, introduced
Jan. 6, 1887, was passed by the Sen
ate, March g. This bill proposes a
comprehensive revision of the Food
and Drug Act. Other bills Of similar
character are H. r. 300 and H. H. 5286.
H. R. 1926 is designed to amend the
Federal Trade Commission Act by au-
thorizing specific control under that
act of false advertising of foods, drugs,
therapeutic devices and cosmetics.
AT the close of the fiscal year an
these measures were pending before
the House Committee on Interstate
and Foreign Commerce. The princi-
pal issues involved were: .is
i. Should seizure action to prevent
distribution to consumers of a mis-
branded product be limited, pending
court trial of the case, to a single
interstate shipment of that article, or
should the authority in the present
law to seize all such shipments be
continued?
20. Should seizure cases be tried, as
at present, where the goods are seized,
before the courts and juries of the
consuming areas where the goods are
intended for distribution, or should
the law be changed to authorize the
case to be removed to the place from
which the goods were shipped and
there tried before the courts and
juries of producing areas?
.. Should the misbranding prowi-
sion OF the present law, which prohi-
DTS labelling that is false or nislead-
ing In any particular be retained, or
should the standard of truthfulness
thus imposed be changed to ban labels
only when misleading in a material
respect?