POISONED FOODS by H. W. Wiley

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 8, 1901

POISONED FOODS.

By H. W. Wiley

*H. W. Wiley, in Leslie's Weekly.*

There are many other poisonous principles in our foods besides ptomaines which are not powerful enough to produce immediate sickness and death, yet which act on the organs of the body, gradually reducing their vitality, changing their physiological functions, and finally undermining the health of the subject. These insidious poisonous principles are very common constituents of food products. I refer particularly to those which are not the result of fermentation or decay, but which are added in the preparation of the food, either for improving its appearance, increasing its bulk, cheapening its cost, or preserving it.

Chief among these mildly poisonous principles may be mentioned the preservatives added to food products to prevent decay. The only proper way of destroying the germs in food products is by sterilization or Pasteurization. These two terms practically signify the same process, namely, the destruction or paralysis of fermentative germs by the application of heat. The term “sterilization” is, however, by common consent applied to that form of the process in which the intensity of heat employed is that of boiling water or higher, while “Pasteurization” is used to designate that form of the process in which a lower degree of heat is used.

There are certain chemical reagents which, on account of their cheapness and efficiency, have been largely used instead of heat for germicidal purposes. It is much easier to add a reagent of this kind than it is to subject the food product to a high temperature. Moreover, there are many food products the physical state and appearance of which are unfavorably changed by the application of heat, and for this reason some other form of preservation is sought.

Chief among the common preservatives which are injurious to health may be mentioned salicylic acid and formaldehyde. I am aware that there are many contradictory statements in regard to these bodies. Some authorities of a high reputation in medicine and hygiene claim that the moderate use of them is not prejudicial. I am far from saying that in every case the use of these poisonous bodies in the minute quantities which are administered in the consumption of food preserved by them, is productive of immediate injury; in fact, perhaps most really healthy stomachs are able to dispose of small quantities of these chemicals, even for an extended time, without suffering any apparent inconvenience. But the public supervision should look after the weak and diseased digestive systems rather than the strong and vigorous, and there is no doubt of the pernicious influence of these preservatives in cases of this kind.

Digestion itself is only a form of fermentation, and the admixture of any body with a food which prevents fermentation outside of the digestive organism tends also to interfere with it in the body. I by no means advocate a law which would forbid the use of preservatives in food. There are many food products which are less objectionable when preserved with practically harmless bodies than if left to the natural decay they would undergo before use. Foods intended for mining camps, ocean voyages, and points far from the source of supply, must be preserved in order to secure their highest utility.

It is not the purpose of this article to discriminate between preservatives, and to say what may and what may not be used. That is a question for the lawmakers and the courts, guided by the experience of physiological chemists and hygienists. But it is evident that there are certain preservative bodies, such as common salt, saltpeter, sugar, and borax even, which have no deleterious effects upon digestion, and yet which possess high preservative powers. Sugar, indeed, is one of our most valuable articles of food, and salt is essential to health. The admixture of a small quantity of borax with butter fits it for transportation to distant points, and renders it more wholesome and more palatable than if allowed to become rancid.

No food product, however, containing a preservative should ever be offered for sale without a plain statement on the label of the package showing the character of the preservative and the amount employed. In the same category with preservatives, though not open to the same serious objection, are the coloring matters which are often used in foods. The butter which is commonly found upon our market is colored with a coal-tar dye. Canned peas and beans have the green color of the vegetables preserved by copper. Preserved meats and sausages are made to imitate in color the fresh products from which they have been made by artificial coloring matters. I would not assert that all coloring matters in food products should be forbidden by law, but the law should require in each case a statement on the package showing the character of the coloring matter and the amount of it in the product.