FOOD PRESERVATIVES — HOW FAR ARE THEY 

 INJURIOUS TO HEALTH ? 



By L. E. Sayee, University of Kansas, Lawrence. 

 Read before the Academy, at Topeka, December 29, 1904. 



TT is well known that we have now on our statute-books laws which 

 -^ prohibit the use of various substances as adulterants. Many of 

 the substances may be classed as food preservatives. Outside the 

 public, there is no class of people more interested in legislation in 

 this direction than the pharmacist and physician. 



Legislation in different countries and different parts of the United 

 States concerning the employment of these substances has been of 

 varying character, prohibiting in some parts what is allowed in others, 

 and those local regulations, often contradictory, have emphasized the 

 necessity of a bureau in Washington for an investigation which shall 

 establish certain principles concerning the use or prohibition of these 

 substances. This bureau not only analyzes chemically, microscopic- 

 ally and otherwise samples of food and drugs offered for sale, but by 

 investigation determines how far the modern and other chemical pre- 

 servatives are deleterious. In a recent bulletin of the Department of 

 Agriculture, Bureau of Chemistry (Circular No. 15) the excellent 

 work of this department is set forth. It may be said in passing that 

 this circular shows the result of the physiological investigation re- 

 garding the use of borax and boric acid as a preservative upon diges- 

 tion, etc. 



The object of the present paper is to call attention to the possible 

 undue antagonism against many of the new antiseptics furnished by 

 organic chemistry, having, as they are used, little toxicity. We will 

 cite but two, salicylic acid and benzoic acid. Doctor Biglow, of the 

 Bureau of Food Investigation, at Washington, says of the former — 

 salicylic acid : 



"It has been used chiefly to preserve fruit and vegetable products. 

 In following the directions of dealers in food preservatives, an oun-^e 

 of salicylic acid or sodium salicylate is added to from 400 to 600 

 pounds ( 50 to 75 gallons ) of liquids, and from two to three times 

 that amount to pasty or semisolid substances. . . . Owing to th& 

 early exploitation of salicylic acid as a food preservative, and the well- 

 known indifference which characterizes both legislative bodies and 

 the general public regarding the wholesomeness of foods, the use of 



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