R-U.S.S. 2/8/32 *-2-^ 



If you have been following my series of talks, whici for tlie past few 

 weeks have liad to do \7ith the '.7ork of the Food and Drug Administration' s 

 field inspection stations, you will know what I am about to say next. I 

 am about to say next that it mast be a hard job for the fo'.'ce stationed at 

 the Baltimore station to keep in close touch with traffic in such wide 

 varieties of foods, drugs, insecticides, etc., as go throug.'. the port of 

 Baltimore every day. The territory of the Baltimore Station is a large one, 

 including Marj^and, Virginia, T7est Virginia, the District of Colooj-nbia, and 

 southern Pennsylvania. 



If you iTill go down to 218 Water Street and take the eTavator to the 

 fourth floor, you will find the offices and laboratories of t> e men who 

 are in charge of the enforcement of the Federal food and drugs act in the 

 Baltimore station' s territory. You will meet their chief, D« M. T7alsh, who 

 is one of the real veterans in food and drug control activities. Walsh is 

 aided by eight chemists, two chemists' helpers, five inspectors, and four 

 clerks. The station is one of the largest maintained by the Food and Drug 

 Administration. Walsh was one of the first 13 inspectors appointed when 

 enforcement of the food and drags act was started in 1907. He is a Vermonter — 

 a graduate of the University of Vermont and of the George Washington University 

 in Washi::]gton, D. C. The chief of the Baltimore station has been aided in 

 his knowledge of enforcement work by experience at stations located in St. 

 Paul, Spol::ane, Portland, Pittsburgh, Bu.ffalo, Boston, a:id Baltimore. Two 

 of his assistants, T. F. Pappe and E. H. Grant, were formerly in charge of 

 branch laboratories in the food and drug inspection service. Another of 

 Walsh' s aids, John F. Earnshaw, one of the earliest inspectors appointed 

 was in char-;e of the inspection of foodstuffs furnished the A.E.F. during the 

 War. 



Regulatory control of shipments of seafood, such as oysters, crabs, 

 and fish, ranics anipng the most important projects of the Baltimore Station, 

 Walsh tells rne. And he told me sorje thing else— ~ when I was in to see him 

 recently > v/hich I am sure all of /ou v/ill be interested to hear. "We fre- 

 quently find oysters adulterated ^ith \7ater," said Walsh. "This is, of course, 

 illegal under the food law if the oysters are shipped interstate. While the 

 shippers generally are putting up good packs these days, and complying with 

 the law, there are still a few who deliberately " swell" , or water, their 

 oysters. This is partly due to a mistalcen idea on the part of the average 

 buyer, who gives preference to oysters of a white color. Watering the 

 bivalves has a tendency to whiten them, although oysters naturally are of a 

 grayish color. They may even liave a slight greenish tinge. "I understand" 

 said Walsh, " tlxat in France they prefer a greenish or grayish oyster, but 

 in the United States val'uable beds have been abandoned because American 

 consumers will not accept oysters of a green coloration. 



"Virtually the same thing holds true for scallops and crabmeat. Un- 

 soalced s.callop, in its natural state, lias a pinkish tinge, while natural 

 crabmeat is slightly cream colored. The average buyer, however, wants his 

 scallops and crabmeat to be white and this preference undoubtedly has some- 

 tning to do with the practice of washing and soalcing crabmeat and scallops 

 excessively," 



Supervision of shipments of seafoods is not the most inportant project 

 of the Baltimore Station, however, Walsh infoimis me that the canning industry 

 famishes the chief supervisory activities of his men. The largest pro- 



