Volume 2

Health lectures for the people.

Date:
1883-1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Health lectures for the people. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    148/600 (page 136)
    irresistible impulse to the power of invention ; and when lucre becomes the reigning principle, the possible sacrifice of a fellow- creature's life is a secondary consideration. Those, then, are a few facts relative to the history of adultera- tion of food; let me now lay before you one or two statements indicative of the prevalence of this crime. One very well-known analyst, writing on this part of the subject, states that during six years he examined over 3000 articles of food, and the result was that there were few of these which admitted of adulteration or the adulteration of which was profitable which were not extensively subjected to sophistication. Such an assertion as this is almost incredible, and would, I dare say, have been very generally disbelieved had it not been corroborated by many competent witnesses,—such, for example, as those examined before the Parliamentary Com- mittee on adulteration in 1855. Indeed, such was the nature of the evidence adduced on that occasion that the Committee stated in their report ^Hhat they cannot avoid the conclusion that adulteration widely prevails. Not only is the public health thus exposed to danger, and pecuniary fraud committed on the whole community, but the public morality is tainted and the high com- mercial character of the country seriously lowered both at home and in the eyes of foreign countries. These are certainly very grave statements, coming from a very high authority. It is satisfactory, however, to remember that they refer to a period of nearly thirty years ago, also that by recent legislation and the consequent appointment of a number of properly trained chemical analysts, matters have in late years in this respect been very much improved. Still, as I shall have occasion to show directly, we are very far even yet from being altogether free of the demon of food adulteration. The practice still exists in our midst, and will continue, I very much fear, until much more stringent measures than at present obtain are enforced for its suppression. I am not aware of the reason of what I am about to state, but