42 A New Dairy Industry. 



chemical admixtures, is little short of criminal. For- 

 merly great efforts were made to establish the harm- 

 lessness of boracic acid, but more recently it has been 

 repeatedly proven that it has a deleterious influence 

 on the mucous membrane of the intestines, even if 

 administered in doses such as we have seen are neces- 

 sary to be added to milk ; this acid has been used not 

 only in milk, but in a large variety of foodstuffs and 

 fluids. Consumers would after some time be troubled 

 with salivation, increased urination, diarrhea, loss of 

 weight and on several occasions in aged persons — 

 death insued. 



From Norway and Sweeden, where the use of 

 boracic acid seems to" be quite prevalent, more so at 

 least than anywhere else, repeated cases of poisoning 

 by the comsumption of such " preserved " milk have 

 been reported. In other countries the use of this 

 acid as a preserving chemical has been entirely con- 

 demned. Also in regard to salicylic acid it has been 

 established that, even in the minutest doses, its con- 

 tinued use is harmful to the entire human organism, 

 more especially to the nervous system, and the 

 French sanitary authorities are wageing a livelv war 

 against its use as a preserving chemical in the manu- 

 facture of canned and bottled foodstuffs. Equally 

 obnoxious is the admixture of bicarbonate of soda to 

 sour milk, because it has a laxative effect and should 

 certainly not be tolerated ; the same may be said of 

 benzoate potash, hydrogen peroxide and ozone ; even 

 if inoffensive in a pure state the trouble here remains 



