170 PROCEEDINGS OF TWENTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



excelled in ingenious mixtures, and knew how to impart the flavors of 

 age and maturity to new wines. His ingenuity was such, that it was 

 commemorated in the proverb, "Artificial as Canthare." 



In Rome, also, wine was much tampered with; even the rich, accord- 

 ing to Pliny, could not obtain the natural wines of Palermo, for they 

 were adulterated in the cellars; and certain wines from Gaul had an 

 artificial color given them by means of aloes and other drugs. That 

 kind of wine is still a popular drink in some parts of Spain — as 

 Valencia. 



In England and in Europe generally from the eleventh century 

 onwards, the different tradespeople, particularly, bakers, brewers, and 

 dealers in spices, were accused of corrupt practices. 



In England and France the first laws regulating the sale of bread 

 were passed at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The original 

 object was to regulate the price of bread by limiting the profit of the 

 baker on each cental of wheat, so that the price of each loaf should 

 bear a certain proportion to the price of the cental of wheat. There 

 were various modifications of the§e assays, and they were finally abol- 

 ished in 1815. In 1266 a law was in force forbidding the sale of 

 unwholesome meat and wine. This law remained active until the middle 

 of the seventeenth century. 



In the sixteenth century ale- tasters were appointed, whose duty it was 

 to "try, taste, and assize" all beer before it was sold. They had one 

 very peculiar and crude method of testing for adulteration with sugar, 

 which was probably more convincing to the laity than our present more 

 scientific laboratory methods. The ale-taster poured some of the ale 

 upon a wooden bench, and then sat down upon the spot, attired in 

 leathern breeches; if he, later, experienced any difficulty in rising from 

 the bench the ale was pronounced "adulterated," but if the dried extract 

 had no adhesive property, and rising was easy, the ale was pronounced 

 "pure." 



Cases of dishonest tampering with food were severely dealt with in 

 England during the middle ages, the offenders being subjected to corporal 

 punishment and exposure in the pillory. 



In Germany there were many regulations in regard to bread, wine, 

 beer, and drugs. There is a case on record of a dealer in Biebrich who 

 was convicted of selling adulterated wine. He was sentenced to drink 

 six quarts of his own mixture. He did so, and died from the effects. 



Up to the middle of the present century but little progress was made 

 in reducing the extent of adulterations, the practice increasing rather 

 than decreasing. The establishment, however, of the Lancet's Analytical 

 Sanitary Commission in 1850, with Dr. Arthur Hill as analyst, and Dr. 

 Hassall as leading spirit, marks a new and most important era in this 

 work. This commission was the first to undertake any systematic 



