No. 6. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Id 



The attitude of Hygienists in regard to the indiscriminate use of 

 certain preservatives in food, can be seen from the reports of the 

 proceedings of their meetings, wherever the subject has been dis- 

 cussed. The following extracts from leading authorities in England 

 and the United States, express the views of these eminent men, and 

 show that there is no essential difference of opinion among them as 

 to the harmfulness of chemical preservatives, indiscriminately used, 

 upon the public health. 



"At the meeting of The Sanitary Institute Congress, held at Bir- 

 mingham, Sept. 27-30, attended by 1,979 members, the president of the 

 Sanitary Science Section, Dr. Alfred Hill, M. O. H., Birmingham, in 

 his address 'drew attention to the enormous use of food preserva 

 tives. Many of them had uncertain physiological effects. After re- 

 viewing various methods of preserving food — such as by dry heat,~ 

 salt, sugar, etc., — he referred especially to the more modern methods 

 of adding chemical substances, such as boric acid, borax, salicylic 

 acid and formaldehjde. For the preservation of milk, butter, cream 

 and meat, boric acid was principally and very largely used. It had 

 been shown that borax was fatal to the lower animal and vegetable 

 organisms, and he contended that it was also injurious, if not fatal, 

 to higher organisms. Although some authorities argued that the 

 small quantities in use as preservatives could not be prejudicial to the 

 human organisms, they overlooked the fact that at present there was 

 no limit to the quantity which might be added. He wished to point 

 out practically that several individuals might add a small quantity 

 successively, so that the resulting amount might be sulKicient to 

 cause an increased secretion from the intestines, with serious diar- 

 rhoea as a consequence. Opinions of experts, such as Drs. Stevenson 

 and Luff were quoted to show that the precise amount which might 



