THE ETHICS OF FOOD 281 



acid to all sorts of food materials is openly tolerated, indeed it 

 is difficult, if not impossible, at the present time, in many 

 important markets, to purchase butter which is free from this 

 preservative. 



All evils of the flesh have been attributed of late to White 

 Bread. The outcry might be safely ignored had not many taken 

 part in it who might have been expected to know better and 

 to have been guided by facts rather than by fancies. The Local 

 Government Board is therefore to be congratulated on having 

 instituted an inquiry into the whole subject and on the promptness 

 with which their reports have been issued. It is to be hoped 

 that at no distant date the Board will be properly organised to 

 undertake systematic inquiry into subjects affecting the public 

 welfare, especially into the quality of our food supplies. Our 

 American cousins already possess such an organisation in the 

 various Bureaus of the Department of Agriculture ; these con- 

 tinually issue reports on the examination of foods and drugs 

 which are of the greatest value both to the American nation and 

 to civilisation in general. 



No struggle of greater consequence has taken place anywhere 

 during the last few years than that waged in the United States 

 of America to secure reform in the quality of foods. Origin- 

 ally the position there was a very serious one, as foodstuffs of 

 every kind were adulterated or made of inferior materials and 

 the public imposed upon in every imaginable way without the 

 possibility of defence. Under Dr. Wiley's leadership, a deter- 

 mined stand was made against the practice : when the gravity 

 of the issue was appreciated, Pure Food Laws were readily 

 passed by the State; and in administering these laws an 

 enormous number of analyses have been made of every kind 

 of food product by his Department. The results were altogether 

 startling and innumerable prosecutions became necessary; the 

 consequence has been, however, to render the food supply in 

 the United States second to none in purity. Of necessity, 

 in enforcing a principle as the only practical solution of the 

 difficulty of deciding in cases in which experts differ irrecon- 

 cilably, Dr. Wiley has been forced to err on the side of severity 

 and regulations have been made which, in some instances, have 

 led to an undesirable restriction of trade. Naturally the fight 

 has been a very bitter one and the Trusts and the various 

 vested interests concerned have sought by every means, fair and 



