21 



the purchaser into purchasing stale, partially decomposed, or tainted 

 meats, which should cause its use to be prohibited. 



TIN AND LEAD IN CANNED GOODS. 



The Brooklyn chemist finds the presence of lead and tin in large 

 quantities in unsealed cans and tin pails, while in hermetically sealed 

 cans the tin and lead does not seem to be affected to any considerable 

 extent when deprived of the air, but as shown here the case is quite 

 different. (See report 1885, page 134.) 



COLORING MATTER IN FOOD. 



The vermacelli manufacturers not only use poor flour and whiten it 

 with pipe-clay or kaoline, but the absence of eggs is supplied by saffron, 

 tumeric, and chromate of lead. The practice of the use of chrome yel- 

 low has decreased materially since inspection has given publicity to the 

 practice in New York State. Aniline red or fuchsin was found to be 

 used in coloring head cheese. 



Speaking of these practices the Brooklyn report says (p. 132) : 



The manufacturer colors hjs meats to please a public taste for a bright red color, 

 but when the public learn that such meat may be colored with harmful colors, while 

 the meat itself is the worst salable meat in the market, the manufacturer will not be 

 called upon to practice it. Aniline red is in itself an objectional color, because many 

 samples in the market contain arsenic. 



The supposably wholesome and toothsome licorice drops given the 

 children for colds are said to be made from the -candy factory sweep- 

 ings, and are apt to contain a good deal of foreign substances as well 

 as dirt. Several cases of sickness have been reported from their con- 

 sumption. 



Pickle greening is a source of poisoning that all know of, and few pay 

 any regard to the addition of copperas. All the American eater seems to 

 care for, is that the article be pleasant to the eye and pleasant to the 

 palate j whether it be wholesome is not taken into consideration. 



The Brooklyn health commission says the proper dose of sulphate 

 of copper is from one quarter to 2 grains, while in "greened" pickles 

 analyzed three small pickles contained the full medicinal dose and 5 

 grains was contained in one-quarter pound. On page 110 an interest- 

 ing case is cited, that of Maggie Martin, a little girl, who was killed by 

 eating a part of one large pickle greened with sulpate of copper. 



Dr. E. H. Bartley, chief chemist of the Brooklyn health department, 

 in his report for 1887, speaking of the result of the inspection of meats, 

 vegetables, and other food products, says : 



Although it can not be claimed that all improper articles of food have been de- 

 tected it is certain that fewer complaints of sickness having resulted from various 

 kinds of foods have reached us during the past year than any year since 1883. 



The cause of this decrease the doctor ascribes not only to the work 

 of his department, but to the fact of the education of the people to seek 



