37 



you. From the worst specimens they found in Chicago, a person eating an ordinary 

 ineal of pork (the specimen containing 18,000 to the nilm- inch), would soon become 

 infected with not less than 1,000,000 of young trichina. 



PUBLIC OPINION. 



I herewith present extracts from sundry letters and reports of gen- 

 tlemen who as scientists, officials, and publicists may be deservedly re- 

 garded as authorities on the subject we have in hand. 



I will first quote Prof. Stephen P. Sharpless, State assayer of Mas- 

 sachusetts. This gentleman is probably one of the best informed men 

 in the country on the subject of food adulteration, and he has been 

 good enough to favor me with advance sheets of a pamphlet entitled 

 "Adulteration of Pood," from which I will offer here several extracts, 

 and whom I will also quote again in a subsequent portion of this 

 report, devoted to an enumeration of adulterated articles and adulter- 

 ants. The professor says : 



Tfce statute-hooks of all nations abound in laws upon this subject, which are prac- 

 tically dead-letters. 



This arises from two causes : the first is ignorant, indiscriminate legislation ; a law 

 which condemns equally flour or rape-seed andchromate of lead in mustard is soon 

 looked upon with contempt. The second cause is too conservative or too definite 

 legislation. 'There are many laws which condemn specifically certain adulterations- 

 The adulterator carefully avoids these substances, and substitutes for them others, 

 perhaps not less dangerous, and continues in his way. 



Another objection to this specific legislation is the fact that, when an adulteration 

 is thoroughly exposed, it becomes practically dead, since, if it is known to the whole 

 of the trade, it ceases to be profitable. 



But all prohibitory legislation necessarily follows the act which it is intended to 

 prevent, and therefore specific laws against any particular adulteration have but 

 little force, since they come too late to be of any benefit ; by the time the law is upon 

 the statute-book the old adulteration has been forgotten, and a new one has taken 

 its place. 



England has legislated more on this subject during the past hundred years than 

 any other country, and a careful examination of her laws will serve fully to illus- 

 trate what I have said. 



A law upon this subject must be simple, easily understood, and general in its appli- 

 cation, and it should not attempt to control all commercial frauds, but only such as 

 are directly detrimental to health. 



Dr. Beckwith, chairman of the committee on adulteration of food, 

 drinks and drugs, of the Ohio State board of health, has also kindly 

 favored me with the advance sheets of the first annual report of the 

 board, from which I extract the following : 



At the present time nearly all the adulteratioas are mere dilutions and substitu- 

 tions in the interest of pecuniary gain, as exemplified in the dilution of milk with 

 water, and the substitution of glucose for cane sirups, so extensively practiced; 

 careful lesearch showing in nearly all cases that the presence of absolutely pernicious 

 ingredients is the result of accident and uot design. An exception, perhaps, may be 

 noted in the use of alum in damaged flour, but the effects of this*adulteration upon 

 th<> human system are as yet a matter of speculative controversy. 



