Show poison in daily foods A matter of practical science to which legislation must be directed much more seriously than has yet been done was brought before the congress of medicine recently held at madrid dr Brou ardel of paris spoke strongly of the dangers arising from the addition of antiseptics to wine beer elder milk syrups butter fish preserved fruits and other corn ahlich are in dally use as food it Is well cnown that salicylic acid of soda sulphates sulphites sulp hites borax boric acid and a va biety of other chemicals are employed to make the substance in question heep the pretence being that they are used in such small quantities as to be innocuous to this allegation dr Brou ardel opposed two Indi sputa facts determined by analysis and experience first that the u alves employed are used in tar larger quantities than the users admit and secondly that the continued consumption of alimentary substances containing these antiseptic materials even in very small proportions becomes gravely detrimental to the bu man organism amounting in the long run to slow poisoning man s constitution has not been made for the dally elimination of minute doses of poison in this insidious form of mischief may lie some of the blame tor our physical degeneracy apparently the evil Is of such sort than international measures may be necessary to check it treatment of food in this manner should not be called adulteration but poisoning pure and simple |