70 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



the markets by manufactuiers in various combinations, with proprietary or 

 trade names, and sold to dairymen and milk-dealers, generally, its power for 

 evil can scarcely be under-estimated. It was for this reason that the Dairy and 

 Food authorities were determined to interfere with its improper use, and if 

 possible, confine its use solely to the purposes for which it was originally 

 manufactured. 



Its cheapness of production was another factor that helped to swell its un- 

 warranted sale for illegal purposes, and when sold under these aliases, it was 

 especially profitable to the manufacturer and retail dealer, the latter per- 

 haps not suspecting its real composition. 



FORMALDEHYDE AS A MILK PRESERVATIVE. 



The Dairy and Food Commissioner is greatly pleased to report that the cru- 

 sade for pure milk in Pennsylvania has revealed a gratifying change in the 

 quality of the milk supply, as compared with the conditions that prevailed 

 several years ago. The common use of formaldehyde as a milk and cream 

 preservative is no longer tolerated either by the State or municipal authorities. 

 It is estimated that 8,500 samples of milk and cream were purchased in the 

 open markets by the special agents of the Dairy and Food Division during the 

 past summer and submitted to the official chemists for analysis. The analytical 

 reports showed that less than a dozen milkmen were employing formaldehyde 

 as a preservative, and these were promptly prosecuted and convicted of a 

 misdemeanor and heavily fined. Its serious effects upon invalids and infants 

 are too well known to require any extended discussion, while even the healthy 

 individual cannot escape depression and consequent indisposition if the drug is 

 used for several days. The United States Dispensatory refers to formaldehyde 

 in the following language: 



"It probably ranks in power as a little inferior to corrosive sublimate, al- 

 though it is certainly much stronger than carbolic acid. It has a very powerful 

 action on various forms of organic matter; one part in 4000 completely dis- 

 colorizes wine, precipitating extractive and coloring matters. Upon the higher 

 animals it is one of the most irritating substances known. Formaldehyde is 

 much used for the preservation of human bodies; an injection of one per cent, 

 solution usually suffices, the body in a dry room, rapidly hardening without 

 decomposition." 



During the trial of an important milk adulteration case in a neighboring 

 court. Prof. Cochran, Chemist of the Dairy and Food Bureau, said under oath, 

 that one part formaldehyde in 7,000 would be sufficient to prevent milk from 

 souring. As the average dairyman has no conception of the strength and 

 dangerous character of this awful stuff, he is inclined to use it recklessly and 

 freely, thus greatly augmenting the danger to human life. This is especially the 

 case where he obtains possession of the solution at a low price, although in 

 many cases the article is sold in packages retailing at one dollar for a quart 

 bottle while the contents may represent only from 7 to 10 cents worth of the 

 drug, the balance being nothing but water. 



If the Dairy and Food Division had not done any other work than to look 

 into the milk supplies of the various sections of the Commonwealth, the people 

 would have been fully compensated for the few thousands of dollars expended 

 in securing these changed conditions. Dairy products should always be pure, 

 and the press of the State and consumers in general are demanding that such 

 shall be the rule, in language and terms that cannot be misunderstood or 

 mistaken. 



PRESERVATIVES AND COAL-TAR COLORS IN CATSUP. 



Within recent years there has been established a demand for "condimental 

 sauces" which is unprecedented. The term applies to catsups, pickles and the 

 numerous array of miscellaneous sauces which are to be found on sale in every 

 first-class grocery or delicatessen sliop. These goods are very generally colored 

 and chemically preserved. While the prudent housewife will produce and keep 

 such products for home consumption in their original purity, the manufacturer 

 who caters to the grocery trade will insist upon the use of benzoic acid, ben- 

 zoate of soda or salicylic acid and added coloring matter in their preparation. 

 This questionable rule has been in vogue so long that many manufacturers 

 thought they could not dispense with these foreign ingredients. Several of 

 the largest manufacturers, in compliance with the changed sentiment, dis- 

 carded the further use of coloring materials and chemical preservatives, and 

 are now preparing and shipping many of their products in small packages that 

 had been carefully sterilized, while the quality of the goods, has also been 

 greatly improved. 



In other cases, the manufacturers attach labels to the packages, certifying 

 that the contents "are artificially colored," and that they contain "one-tenth of 

 one per cent, of benzoate of soda." Purchasing at random, and in different sec- 

 tions of the State, many of the leading brands of catsup were placed in the 

 hands of our official chemists for analysis. It was found that nearly two- 



