1908.] 



UPON HEALTH AND METABOLISM. 315 



haps with the use of very small quantities of the preservative these 

 organs would continue to perform their function for many years 

 before finally breaking down. 



This work is offered as an unbiased study of all the data re- 

 corded, both of those which appear to be in favor of the use of 

 salicylic acid and those which appear to be against its use, and leads 

 to the inevitable conclusion that salicylic acid is a substance which, 

 when added to foods even in small quantities, exerts a depressing and 

 harmful influence upon the digestion and health and the general 

 metabolic activities of the body. Further, there appears to be no 

 necessity for its use, as food can be preserved in unobjectionable 

 ways without its aid. Its indiscriminate use would tend to care- 

 lessness in the quantities employed, thus increasing the dangers to 

 which the consumer is subjected. Also its use in the preservation 

 of foods tends to induce carelessness and indifference on the part 

 of the manufacturer, as when a chemical antiseptic is employed 

 many of the processes necessary to the proper selection, cleaning, 

 and preservation of foods may be omitted. 



The addition of salicylic acid and salicylates to foods is there- 

 fore a process which is reprehensible in every respect, and leads to 

 injury to the consumer, which, though in many cases not easily 

 measured, must finally be productive of great harm. 



Sulphurous Acid and Sulphites. — From a careful consideration 

 of the data in the individual cases and the summaries of the results, 

 it appears that the administration of sulphurous acid in foods, either 

 in the form of sulphurous acid gas in solution or in the form of 

 sulphites, is objectionable and produces serious disturbances of the 

 metabolic functions and injury to health and digestion. This injury 

 manifests itself in a number of different ways, both in the produc- 

 tion of clinical symptoms which indicate serious disturbances, 

 malaise, or positive suffering, and also by inducing certain changes 

 in the metabolic processes which are not manifested in the way of 

 ordinary clinical symptoms, and are only detected by careful chem- 

 ical and microscopical study of the excretory products. It can 

 safely be said from the evidence adduced that the administration 

 of sodium sulphite and sulphurous acid as above indicated produces 

 a marked influence of an unfavorable character on metabolism. As 



