36 



COAL-TAR COLORS USED IN FOOD PRODUCTS. 



and comprehensive summary of the effect of such legislation, the! 

 following plan has been followed : 



The provisions of a selected number of laws and regulations, 13 in! 

 number and dating from 1883 to 1902, were read with respect tol 

 permission or prohibition of the 695 chemical individuals listed in thel 

 Green Tables. The effect of each law upon each separate entry in] 

 the Green Table numbers was noted, either as permitted, forbidden,] 

 or noncommittal when the law was silent upon such entry; the lawsl 

 were read with the understanding that what was not forbidden was 

 permitted, and what was neither forbidden nor permitted was non- 

 committal; if this were an incorrect or improper procedure the 

 number of permitted colors would be reduced but not augmented. 

 For the purposes of this first approximation, no attempt was made 

 to segregate those specifically permitted from those permitted by 

 blanket expressions or phrases. 



For the purposes of a side-by-side comparison, the term " index 

 number " was coined; this " index number" gives in the first place the 

 number of legal enactments that permit the color; in the second place 

 the number of enactments that forbid it; and in the third place the 

 number of enactments that are silent or noncommittal. Thus : 283 

 as an index number would mean 2 enactments permit, 8 forbid, 

 and 3 are noncommittal; so that an index number with the 

 highest hundreds would have the greatest number of permissions, 

 and with the highest tens would have the highest number of pro- 

 hibitions. With this understanding of these terms, the following 

 table of so-called index or "P. F. N." numbers is offered: 



Thirteen legal enactments classified by Green Table numbers and the "P. F. N. figure,"' 



or "index number." 



Italicized figures Indicate colors permitted by F. I. D. 76. 



