No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 339 



Veiling could be colored with the coloring matter of one pound of 

 that candy. This should give you an idea of the extent to which 

 this coal tar coloring is used. If it were not for the question of 

 these coal tar colors, the pure food question would be much more 

 simple than it is. Any ordinary adulteration could be detected, 

 but it is not so easy to detect and overcome the insiduousness of 

 the coal tar colors. 



Now a word as to their wholesomeness. About fifty years ago 

 • the use of coal tar coloring was discovered accidentally by Sir 

 "\^'illiam Perkins. The anniversary was celebrated with a great 

 deal of pomp in this country last year; he was here as the guest 

 of honor, I mention this to show you the regard to which most 

 chemists hold it. Nothing is known of the physical action of these 

 products on the human system. Most of them are supposed to be 

 injurious to health. Some have been proven to be positively injuri- 

 ous to health, while others have been proven to be almost inocuous. 

 The great majority we know nothing about. Some of them are 

 poisonous, but are used in food products. For instance, we have 

 butter color. There are two coal tar products used to color butter. 

 We have one that is not soluble in water, but is soluble in oil, and 

 on(j that is so poisonous that a teaspoonful will produce death in 

 an adult. Then there is another one that is known as "Marsh's 

 Yellow'' that has been used very extensively. We have found it 

 frequently used in mustard, in what is known to the trade as 

 Durham's Mustard, made up of wheat flower, a little cayenne 

 pepper, and colored yellow. You can make about 75 per cent, on 

 it. and put it on the market as "mustard." Marsh's Yellow is one 

 of the poisonous products of coal tar. 



I know there was a lengthy program, so I came prepared only to 

 give a very short talk, and it occurred to me that you might be 

 interested in the use of coal tar colorings in our foods — a subject 

 which has interested me very much. I feel that in the use of 

 coal tar coloring we have made an opening that w^e hardly know 

 where it will end. It is used first in one article, then in another, and 

 then in another, until, from my standpoint, I hardly knov»^ where 

 to draw the line. 



REPORT OF MICROSCOPIST AND HYGIENIST. NO. 2. 

 CHEMICAL CLEANLINESS. 



By Prof. Q. G. Groff, Lewisburg. Pa. 



What can the Hygienist think of except the preservation of 

 health, and the increase of human happiness? How can the teacher 

 aid in the dispersal of knowledge outside his classroom? The 

 Good Book says "The people perish for lack of knowledge." And, 

 yet, within a few weeks, two leading citizens of a foremost county 

 in our own State, have expressed themselves to the effect that no 

 great amount of learning is needed to make good farmers. There 

 are others, also, who hold the same idea, for those destined for 

 many divers occupations. 



