l6o BACTERIA, YEASTS, AND MOLDS 



own country is less common, because our markets are 

 nearer the sources of supply ; but probably even here 

 they are used more than is suspected. It is quite certain 

 that all who depend upon the markets for supplies will fre- 

 quently use food preserved by some of these ingredients. 



It has been an open question for some years whether 

 borax used in small quantities under such conditions is 

 injurious to the consumer. Nor is the question yet posi- 

 tively settled. It has become in a measure an interna- 

 tional question, involving the importation of American 

 beef and other products into foreign markets, and a great 

 deal of contradictory evidence has been advanced. The 

 fact that people have for years been unconsciously using 

 food preserved by means of such substances, without any 

 apparent injurious effects, sttms prima facie evidence that 

 no harm results. But it is possible, of course, to say that 

 the harmful effects are not at first discernible, and that 

 many of the digestive and other troubles of man are due 

 to this unconscious consumption of such drugs. In short, 

 no positive answer can be given to the question, although 

 it is certain that many people in large cities occasionally, 

 or even constantly, consume them without any apparent 

 injury. 



Moreover, when such materials are used for preserving 

 food, it frequently happens that a considerable quantity 

 is unconsciously used. Our foods usually pass through 

 the hands of several people before they are consumed. 

 The original producer may put in a little preservative, 

 the middleman adds more in order that the material may 

 not spoil on his hands, and the householder, in ignorance 

 of these additions, may put in a little more. By the time 



