August 22, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



103 



Let us consider what should be some of the leading pro- 

 visions and definitions of such a proposed national law. 



Definitions. 



The word "food" should be defined as including every 

 eatable, beverage, commodity, material or ingredient for 

 food whatsoevei', intended for consumption; and an article 

 of food shall be deemed to be "adulterated" — 



(i) If any substance has been added thereto which does 

 not exist in the normal article or is only found there in an 

 appreciably lower proportion ; 



(2) If any substance has been subtracted therefrom which 

 is normally present in the article and which is not found in 

 the abnormal article, or only there found in au appreciably 



. lower proportion ; 



(3) If any substance has been substituted wholly or in 

 part for the article ; 



(4) If it be an imitation, or sold under the name of an- 

 other article ; and 



(5) If it consists wholly or in part, whether manufactured 

 or not, of an animal or vegetable substance that is diseased, 

 decomposed, putrid, or rotten: provided, that the addition to 

 foods of any substance that increases their value; or the 

 subtraction from foods of any inferior constituent, without 

 deteriorating the resulting article; or the substitution of a 

 superior for an inferior article, where there is no intention 

 to defraud or to deceive, shall not be considered adulterations 

 within the meaning of the act. 



When substances known to be injurious to health (as 

 those specified in the fifth definition above, and the mineral 

 and organic salts and compounds enumerated below) are 

 present in food, the manufacturer or dealer in whose posses- 

 sion or ownership sucli adulterated foods are found shall be 

 liable to the confiscation and destruction by the proper oiH- 

 cers of such adulterated articles without compensation for 

 the goods, and want of knowledge in the possessiou of the 

 manufacturer or dealer that the same was adulterated shall 

 be no excuse. He shall also be liable to more or less heavy 

 penalties, at the discretion of the court. If, on account of 

 dealing in or consumption of articles spoiled iu manufacture 

 or transportation, or in those injurious to health, a death or 

 even a severe sickness is caused by the same, the penalty 

 shall be increased to imprisonment at hard labor for a term 

 of years. 



The following substances are known to be injurious to 

 health when present in foods:' salts of antimony, arsenic, 

 barium (except the sulphate), bismuth, cadmium, chromium, 

 cobalt, copper, iron (the chloride and sulphate, though most 

 iron salts are harmless), lead, magnesium, nickel, zinc, and 

 some of the potassium and sodium salts ; oxalic acid, picric 

 acid, cocculus indious (Indian berry, Levant nut), picrotox- 

 ine, gamboge, aniline, aloes, eosine, fuchsine and its imme- 

 diate derivatives; coloring matters containing nitrous va- 

 pors, as naphthol yellow, victoria yellow ; coloring matters 

 prepared with di-azo compounds. 



The following substances are known to produce more or 



less toxic effects, and whose presence in food is therefore 



harmful, and whose use is forbidden, under severe penalties, 



1 From the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury con- 

 cerning analysis of foods and drugs in the District of Columbia under control 

 of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Series 7, No. 15, U. S. Int. Rer 

 1888, p. 16. 



in most foreign countries having laws on the subject: sali- 

 cylic acid and its salts, boracic acid and borax, glycerine, 

 alum, beta-naphthol. 



The following is a list of harmless coloring matters: 

 Black, — Chinese black. Blues, — Berlin blue, indigo, litmus, 

 Prussian blue, saffron blue, ultramarine. Brown, — caramel. 

 Greens, — chlorophyl, as spinach juice, mixtures of yellow 

 colors with blue. A mixture of Prussian blue, Berlin blue, 

 and Persian berries gives a green rivalling in brilliancy 

 Schweinfurt's green. Reds, — annotto, Brazil lac, carmine, 

 carmine lac, cochineal, orseil, the juice of beets and red 

 berries, such as cherries and currants, etc. Yellows, — - 

 Avignon berries, curcuma, fustel, marigold, Persian berries, 

 quercitron, safflower, saffron, turmeric. Chalk, and the 

 ochres. 



The adulteration of food, as specified in the first four defi- 

 nitions, being aimed at the pocket and not at the health of 

 the consumer, the taxes, fines, or penalties, as the case may 

 be, provided for their violation should be such as to make 

 dealing in them, unless clearly and distinctly labelled and 

 branded, unprofitable. By thus compelling all manufac- 

 turers and dealers to wrap, label, and brand in a conspicuous 

 manner all articles of food intended for consumption adul- 

 terated within the meaning of the first four definitions, the 

 purchaser could readily recognize that such articles were of 

 an inferior quality, and therefore should not be as expensive 

 as the pure article. For instance, a mixture of beef stearine 

 and cotton -seed oil has been placed on the market to compete 

 with lard, having been sold as " refined or compound lard." 

 These ingredients are as wholesome as the best kettle-rendered 

 leaf lard, but being less costly, the mixture should be sold 

 at a cheaper rate. As was said two years ago, " Food 

 adulteration is carried on by manufacturers in the interest of 

 pecuniary profit and gain, and they take pains to keep them- 

 selves well posted on the subject of cheap and harmless 

 substitutes." "The public is cheated but not poisoned." 

 (Annual Report Commissioner Internal Revenue, 1888, p. 

 clxxxvi.) 



All adulterated goods, when sold as such, should be so 

 branded, with the word " Adulterated," or the words "This 

 is a mixture," in letters printed in broad-faced type at least 

 one inch square and affixed in a secure and conspicuous 

 place, either by a label to the vessel containing the goods or 

 on the goods themselves; and likewise such goods should be 

 wrapped in paper or other covering with said words printed 

 on both sides of the wrapper. Provision should be made for 

 the character of the packing and quality of the vessel, either 

 metal or glass, in which food products are put up. Acid 

 foods will attack and dissolve the solder with which tin 

 packages are closed, and such foods should be put up in glass 

 or acid-pi'oof vessels. The drawing of liquids like beer, 

 vinegar, etc., intended for food, through lead or copper pipes 

 should be prohibited, and iron or block-tin jjipes only al- 

 lowed. 



Provision should be made in regard to the way-bills, bills 

 of lading, etc., of railroad and transportation companies in- 

 dicating distinctly the character of goods shipped. 



The manufacture or sale of substances intended for the 

 adulterations of articles of food, but which are themselves 

 unadulterated, should be considered as the manufacture and 

 sale of adulterated foods. 



