20 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



be added and yet be harmless had not yet been determined, while the 

 notions of food purveyors were much too iudetinite to be safe.' THE 

 ONLY PROPEK COUKSE THEN WOULD BE TO PROHIBIT THE 

 USE OF SUCH SUBSTANCES ALTOGETHER." 



"Dr. Fosbroke (Worcester C. C), in moving a vote of thanks to the 

 President, said 'that he looked upon boric acid in some respects as he 

 would arsenic, namely, as useful in small amounts and in skilled 

 hands only. It should never be given as a preservative to children 

 and invalids.' " — British Medical Journal, Oct. 8, 1898. 



The following resolutions by the Incorporated Society of Medical 

 Officers of Health sustain the above view. The British Medical Jour- 

 nal of 1809, page 1071, in reporting upon the meeting of the Medical 

 Officers of Health, states as follows: 



"Dr. A. Hill read a paper before the Society of Medical Officers of 

 Health, April 14, 1899, on the 'Use of Antiseptics in Foods.' " 



After the discussion the following resolutions were passed, almost 

 unanimously: 



1. "Resolved, That the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of 

 Health strongly disapproves of the practice of adding preservative 

 chemicals to milk and other foods. 



2. "That if preservative chemicals are added to any food, a full dis- 

 closure as to the nature and amount thereof should be made to the 

 purchaser." 



In the British Medical Journal of August 18, 1900, Albert S. Grun- 

 baum, M. D., D. P. H., says: 



"If we could rely on the quantity and quality of a preservative 

 being always intimated to the purchaser, it might be possible to per- 

 mit its use within certain limits, but I see no hope of inducing the 

 trade at large to do so. * * * For most articles of food the ad- 

 dition of preservatives should be uncompromisingly forbidden. * * * 

 We should use the experience already gained in surgery. Asepsis 

 now rules instead of antisepsis, and what we require is aseptic not 

 antiseptic food. Two physical means are at our command for this 

 purpose — heat and cold." 



In the discussion that followed. Dr. Walsh stated, that "without a 

 more accurate knowledge of the effect of these preservative drugs 

 on the human system, we lacked data on which to found legislation. 

 In the present transition stage, Dr. Grunbaum's insistence upon asep- 

 sis as against antisepsis of food was the most practical contribution 

 yet made on the subject." 



The Mason Committee appointed by the United States Senate had 

 before it experts upon food adulteration, who testified as to the pro- 

 priety of the use of antiseptics in foods. 



The "Journal of the Americal Medical Association," published the 

 following comment upon their sessions held in Chicago: 



