14 



metabolism. These injurious effects are evident in the medical and 

 clinical data, which show grave disturbances of digestion, attended 

 by phenomena which are clearly indicative of irritation, nausea, 

 headache, and, in a few cases, vomit'ng. These symptoms were not 

 only well marked, but they Avere produced upon healthy individuals, 

 receiving good and nourishing food and living under proper sani- 

 tary conditions. It is only fair to conclude, therefore, that under 

 similar conditions of administration of benzoic acid or benzoate of 

 soda in the case of weaker systems, or less resistant conditions of 

 health, much more serious and lasting injury would be produced. 



It was also noticed that the administration of benzoic acid and 

 benzoate of soda was attended with a distinct loss of Aveight, indic- 

 ative of either a disturbance of assimilation or an increased activity 

 in those processes of the body which result in destruction of tissue. 

 The production of a loss of Aveight in cases of this kind must be 

 regarded as indicate of injurious effects. 



The influence of the benzoic acid and benzoate of soda upon 

 metabolism Avas never of a character indicative of a favorable change 

 therein. While often the metabolic changes were not strongly 

 marked, such changes as AA T ere established Avere of an injurious nature. 

 It is evident that the administration of these bodies, therefore, in 

 the food tends to derange metabolism in an injurious way. 



An important fact in connection Avith the administration of these 

 bodies is found in the efforts which nature makes to eliminate them 

 from the system. In so far as possible the benzoic acid is coiiA T erted 

 into hippuric acid. There is a tendency usually manifested, how- 

 ever, to retain the benzoic acid in the body for a notable length of 

 time, and this is much more marked in the case of benzoate of soda 

 than in the case of benzoic acid. 



While the administration of both these bodies, therefore, is un- 

 doubtedly harmful, the injurious effects are produced more rapidly 

 in the case of benzoic acid than they are in the case of benzoate of 

 soda ; the data, however, Avill show that the total harmful effect 

 produced in the end is practically the same in both cases; hence 

 there appears to be no reason for supposing that the administration 

 of the preservative in the form of benzoate of soda can be justified 

 by any argument relating to the less injurious effect thereof upon 

 health. 



The occurrence of microscopic bodies in the urine is undoubtedly 

 increased under the administration of benzoic acid in both forms, 

 thus showing conclusively the tendency to stimulate the destructive 

 activities of the body. 



Coming to the final consideration of all of these different phases of 

 the subject, there is only one conclusion to be drawn from the data 



[Cir. 39] 



