﻿166 
  Seventh 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  pay 
  very 
  heavy 
  penalties 
  for 
  their 
  disregard 
  of 
  

   ihe 
  law. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  paraffin 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  samples 
  of 
  

   oleomargarine 
  submitted 
  by 
  agents 
  to 
  the 
  chemists. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  well- 
  

   known 
  fact 
  that 
  paraffin 
  is 
  absolutely 
  indigestible; 
  that 
  it 
  resists 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  acids, 
  and 
  that 
  120 
  degrees 
  of 
  heat 
  are 
  

   required 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  soluble. 
  The 
  best 
  medical 
  authorities 
  in 
  the 
  

   country 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  substance 
  into 
  the 
  

   human 
  stomach 
  is 
  dangerous 
  to 
  health, 
  and 
  the 
  laws 
  against 
  the 
  

   adulteration 
  of 
  a 
  food 
  product 
  in 
  that 
  way 
  should 
  be 
  most 
  vigor- 
  

   ously 
  enforced. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  an 
  extract 
  from 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  chem- 
  

   ists: 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  pertinent 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  paraffin 
  

   in 
  oleomargarine 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  cheapen 
  the 
  article, 
  but 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  more 
  

   homogeneous 
  fat 
  mixture 
  by 
  preventing 
  the 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  fats 
  

   and 
  oils, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  general 
  consistency 
  and 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  mass 
  and 
  its 
  behavior 
  under 
  the 
  trier 
  in 
  sampling. 
  One 
  

   of 
  th€se 
  samples 
  was 
  with 
  difficulty 
  distinguished 
  from 
  butter 
  by 
  

   physical 
  tests. 
  

  

  The 
  use 
  of 
  paraffin 
  under 
  these 
  conditions 
  naturally 
  gives 
  rise 
  

   to 
  the 
  query, 
  What 
  effect 
  has 
  it 
  upon 
  the 
  system? 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  

   unable 
  to 
  find 
  any 
  records 
  of 
  researches 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  physiological 
  

   effects 
  of 
  paraffin 
  which 
  throw 
  much 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  Par- 
  

   affin 
  is 
  generally 
  regarded 
  as 
  an 
  indigestible 
  substance. 
  This 
  is 
  

   undoubtedly 
  true 
  of 
  paraffin 
  taken 
  into 
  the 
  system 
  by 
  itself. 
  An 
  

   interesting 
  physiological 
  question, 
  however, 
  presents 
  itself 
  in 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  substance 
  in 
  oleomargarine 
  for 
  the 
  

   following 
  reasons: 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  paraffin 
  is 
  dissolved 
  in 
  the 
  vegetable 
  and 
  animal 
  fats 
  

   constituting 
  the 
  oleaginous 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  compound. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  fat 
  mixture 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  melts 
  at 
  the 
  normal 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  fat 
  mixture 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  highly 
  emulsified 
  condition. 
  

  

  These 
  conditions 
  are 
  so 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  presented 
  in 
  the 
  

   occasional 
  swallowing 
  of 
  small 
  masses 
  of 
  paraffin 
  that 
  no 
  analogies 
  

   as 
  to 
  absorbability 
  are 
  presented 
  from 
  which 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  fair 
  infer- 
  

   ence. 
  Hager 
  cautions 
  against 
  the 
  internal 
  use 
  of 
  paraffin. 
  It 
  would 
  

   appear, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  symptoms 
  there 
  noted 
  were 
  caused 
  by 
  

  

  