512 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 173. 



to undertake the work. More than this, 

 conflicting decisions by the magistrates be- 

 fore whom the cases were tried added to 

 the difficulties of enforcing the acts. The 

 word ' adulteration ' itself received vari- 

 ous definitions at the hands of those charged 

 with enforcing the law. 



As the intention of the law became more 

 generally understood, standards in all 

 classes of foods were adopted. Legal ques- 

 tions were settled and the machinery for 

 enforcing the acts reduced to working order. 

 In consequence, there has been a constant 

 improvement in the quality of food in the 

 English market, until at the present time 

 there is no government which more com- 

 pletely protects its people from adulterations 

 in food. 



So much attention has been given to Eng- 

 lish law because of the important effect it 

 had in influencing the legislation of other 

 countries. An example of a good working 

 law was offered, a law which had not only 

 .outlived the jealousies and misunderstand- 

 ing of the friends of reform, but had over- 

 come the most skillful, determined and 

 persistent opposition of its foes. In the 

 framing of all subsequent laws in other 

 countries the English law has been care- 

 fully studied and the experience gained in 

 the thirty years' contest between the friends 

 and foes of pure food legislation has saved 

 much loss of time and misspent effort. 



The machinery for enforcing the law must 

 necessarily vary with the form of govern- 

 ment. Sometimes standards have been in 

 eluded in the laws, again other provisions 

 have been made for the adoption of stand- 

 ards. 



Since 1880 governmental supervision of 

 the food supply has become general among 

 the nations of the world. In some coun- 

 tries we find scarcely any article of food 

 left unprotected by general enactment. In 

 others the laws are less comprehensive. 

 Where modern civilization is just super- 



seding the ancient order the laws are con- 

 fined to city ordinances, while in outlying 

 districts where only simple foods are used 

 there is no occasion for restriction. 



It is my conviction that in centralized 

 governments the state of a nation's civiliza- 

 tion may be judged with accuracy by the 

 protection it affords its people in the qual- 

 ity of the food sold. The absence of na- 

 tional food laws hitherto in the United 

 States may not be well understood in other 

 countries, but it is plain to all who under- 

 stand the limitations of our federal govern- 

 ment. Municipal and State laws, in some 

 cases models of their kinds, we have; but 

 the necessity of a national law, covering 

 the whole question in its relation to manu- 

 facture and commerce in the District of 

 Columbia and the Territories, the commerce 

 between the States and between the States 

 and the District of Columbia and the Ter- 

 ritories, and to our foreign commerce, is be- 

 coming apparent to all thinking men. By 

 no other means can we hope to secure laws 

 uniform in their scope, requirements and 

 penalties among ourselves, and for our 

 foreign commerce nothing less can avail. 



We have come upon an era of intense 

 competition and consequent small profits in 

 manufacturing. It often happens that the 

 success, even the life, of an honest business 

 depends on protection from the competition 

 of debased or otherwise fraudulent prod- 

 ucts. Without protection it becomes a 

 question with the manufacturer whether he 

 shall give up his business or his integrity. 

 Never before did the adulteration of food 

 present so strong temptations to the manu- 

 facturer. It is true, indeed, that the fraud- 

 ulent manufacturer often employs his chem- 

 ist to help him perpetrate and conceal fraud, 

 and thus adulteration has become a fine 

 art. But there are always honest manu- 

 facturers and dealers ready to come to the 

 aid of the health officer. Never before was 

 protection so sure. We can almost say that 



