18 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. DoC. 



a gtvat coiivrin(.'iKe (o mannfactiii'ers in the preparation of their 

 <M»ods for sale in rennsvlvania. 



The criticism has been made that these definitions and standards 

 are purely arbitrary, and not having been enacted into law, have no 

 standing in court and cannot be sustained. 



Whilst it is true that the standards are not legal enactments, yet 

 they are believed to be so manifestly conservative and acceptable in 

 their requirements as to make it manifest to the courts, that articles 

 represented to be pure which do not come up to their requirements 

 are clearly below proper grade and are, therefore, inferior in quality, 

 and to that extent, a fraud. 



FOOD PKESERVATIVES. 



In a recent bulletin issued by this Department, giving the chemists 

 reports upon samples of food analyzed, attention is called to the fact 

 that perhaps the greatest danger to the public that exists in the 

 adulteration of foods, arises from the use of antiseptics or germicid's 

 for the preservation of perishable food substances. The use of thesi- 

 preservatives is such a convenient and cheap method of preventing 

 decomposition, that manufacturers and dealers are tempted to take 

 advantage of their existence and dose their food preparations, until 

 the ])ublic is, unconsciously, being medicinally treated by a class of 

 manufacturers who are either ignorant of the physical effects of 

 these preparations, or else are regardless of their consequences upon 

 the health of an unsuspecting public. Milk, butter, oysters, mince 

 meat, ham, bacon, canned meats, sausage, bologna, cider, catsup, fruit 

 juices, jcllirs, j;ims, nuirmalades, canned fruits and vegetables are 

 all liable lo be adulterated with one or more chemical preservatives, 

 such as sul|.linrous acid, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, formaldehyde, 

 borax, etc., in their various forms. 



TIh' following tiible, by T. Lauder Brunt on, taken from Pharma- 

 cology and Thcrjipcutics, !)1, will give some idea of the relative value, 

 as anlisei)tic8, of some well-known substances, of which it will be 

 Hoen that the violent {.oison, Conosive Sublimate, is by far the 

 strongest: 



