200 Master Minds of Modern Science 



We ought to be thankful that the Government chemists 

 of to-day save us from abominations such as these, 

 inflicted upon our grandparents. In i860 Parliament 

 passed the first Act dealing with adulteration, but because 

 there were few means of enforcing its provisions it did 

 very little good. 



At last in 1875 came the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, the 

 first real attempt to cope with the evils of adulteration. 

 Tea, coffee, pepper, and various other foodstuffs were 

 already examined by the State chemists, but the new Act 

 (which was followed by the Margarine Act of 1887 and 

 other similar Acts) greatly increased their work. Indeed, 

 it would have been impossible for any one body to safe- 

 guard the food of the whole nation, and Parliament there- 

 fore ordered local authorities to appoint public analysts, 

 who now do most of the food analysis. When a sample 

 is taken, one part goes to the Public Analyst, one to the 

 vendor, and a third part is reserved for the Government 

 chemist in case of a dispute between the parties. 



In 1900 there was a terrible scare about arsenic in 

 beer. A number of people died from this cause and a 

 still larger number became very ill. The trouble was 

 traced to ' invert ' and other sugars used in the brewing 

 of malt liquors, and the whole of this sugar was destroyed. 

 Beer-drinkers are no longer in any danger of being 

 poisoned in this way. Arsenic, however, has been found 

 in other substances, such as paint, wallpapers, and cer- 

 tain toilet preparations. Frequently samples of these are 

 analysed in the Laboratory. The poison in yew leaves, 

 which is so fatal to cattle, was once the subject of a 

 lengthy research at the Laboratory ; on another occasion 

 glazes were tested for lead. The amount of lead in glazes 

 is now restricted by law, with great benefit to the health 

 of the workers employed in potteries. 



A poison which claimed many victims was the white 

 phosphorus formerly used in the manufacture of matches. 



