depend on national vitality even more than on the resources of the minerals, lands, forests and waters. "The average length of human life in different countries varies from less than 25 to more than 50 years. This span of life is increasing wherever sanitary sciences and preventive medicine are applied. It may be greatly extended. There are constantly about 3,000,000 persons seriously ill in the United States, of whom 500,000 are consumptives. More than half this illness is preventable. "If we count the value of each life lost at only $1,700, and reckon the average earning lost by illness at $700 a year for grown men, we find that the economic gain from mitigation of preventable disease in the United States would exceed $1,500,000,000 a year. This gain, or the lengthening and strengthening of life which it measures, can be had through medical investigation and practice, school and factory hygiene, restriction of labor by women and children, the education of the people in both public and private hygiene, and through improving the efficiency of our health service, municipal, state and national." EDITOR'S NOTE. We desire to inform our readers that the culinary department will be developed to the nearest extent of perfection with information of the latest methods in domestic science; opportunity will also be given to the mention of firms whose products strictly comply to the Pure Food Laws and are worthy of recommending to con sumers. MISBRANDING CHARGED. Federal Attorney McPherson the other day filed in the District Court information against W. H. Harrison & Co., of East Second Street, Cincinnati, charging that the company misbranded a so-called extract of lemon, and ordered the seizure of several packages of the article which were shipped to Shea & Co., Paris, Ky. The labels bear the information: "Lemon flavoring made of doubleproof spirits, distilled water and best oil of lemon, with a trace of harmless coloring." It is charged that an analysis shows that the product is a terpeneless extract of lemon, artificially colored and containing no oil of lemon, and that, therefore, it is not a true lemon extract or flavor. This is charged to be false, misleading and deceptive. After thorough examination of Munyon's pile ointment, the British Medical Journal concluded that it was only soft paraffin containing less than 0.2 per cent. of ichthyol-value I cent, sold at 25 cents. Springfield, Mo.--As the result of eating canned corn at a cold luncheon, Misses Stella, Flora, Ella, and young Ross Burnett were seriously ill at the Burnett home, No. 1101 Robertson Avenue, from ptomaine poisoning. Miss Flora Burnett was in a serious condition, and it was feared serious consequences may result. Chicago, Ill. — Twelve new suits against various food product manufacturers under the provisions of the Pure Food Law were filed by District Attorney Sims, in the United States District Court. Five of the cases are against the Scudder Syrup Co. These complaints charge that in five specific instances the Scudder Company shipped in Interstate Commerce Scudder Maple Syrup containing less than 50 per cent of Maple Syrup, but misbranded so as to make it appear to be pure maple syrup. The other companies made defendants are: Calumet Tea & Coffee Co., charged with making Interstate shipments of pepper which had mixed with it a substituted substance. Atwood & Steel Co., charged with shipping misbranded "tropical extract of lemon." Greatwestern Cereal Co., shipping "Daisy Dairy Food" that is adulterated and misbranded. Berry-Mayburn Co., alleged to have made Interstate shipments of "Northern Woods Maple & Cane Syrup," that contains less than 50 per cent of real maple and cane syrup. D. B. Scully Syrup Co., accused of shipping in Interstate Commerce "Westmoreland New Hampshire Maple Syrup" which is alleged to be maple syrup mixed with a substitute sub stance. Thompson & Taylor Spice Co., accused of shipping "standard full measure Compound Lemon Flavor" which contains little or no lemon. King Cereal & Manufacturing Co., alleged to have adulterated "King's Quick Rising Buckwheat Flour" with wheat product and shipping it in Interstate Commerce. Followers of Professor Metchnikoff in France are seriously advocating the extension of his sterilizing idea to the entire household-that is, in so far as such an idea would be practicable. Meanwhile, as has been stated, it, will be necessary to look well to our food supply. Most of the diseases which now kill human beings are preventable, and most of them are due to impure food. STATE BOARD OF HEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS CALLS FOR MORE RIGID ENFORCE- Pure Foods and Drugs. The annual report of the State Board of Health, filed with the legislature, contains two recommendations for legislation which will enable the board to enforce the laws relating to pure foods and drugs more rigidly. In the law which requires the labeling of patent and proprietary drugs and foods the board recommends the striking out of the provision which enables manufacturers to state upon the label the "proportion" of alcohol, morphine, codeine, opium, heroin, chloroform, cannibis indica, chloral hydrate, acetanilid, or any derivative of these substances; with the word "proportion" stricken out, the law would then require the stating of the "quantity" of each of these substances in each package, and would render it impossible for manufacturers to evade the law, as the State Board claims some do at present, through the word "proportion." The board has also found it difficult to enforce the law prohibiting the sale of cocaine, which provides that cocaine shall not be sold in any "street, way, square, park or other public place or in any hotel, restaurant, liquor saloon, barroom, public hall, place of amusement, or public building;" persons desirous of evading the law have discovered that it does not apply to a "private house" or to a "tenement," and are now able to carry on their traffic in such places. The board therefore recommends that private houses and tenements be included in the law. It is gratifying to hear that the Courts are "standing by the Pure Food Law." This news ra.her offsets the further news that in Mr. Wickersham's opinion the Board of Referees is a legally created body. There are legal minds who are willing to challenge the Attorney General of the United States as to his opinion. The circumstances attending the establishment of this Board have led some to suspect that it was created as a means of softening the law, to inject water rather than milk into its veins; and its first decision in the Benzoate of Soda case, rather justifies that suspicion. The (average man) whose existence we maintain, despite the protest of the grammarians, had reason to suspect after that decision that it was the prescribed function of the referee board to dilute, or as it were, to adulterate the spirit of the pure food law. That suspicion may be ill-founded; but whether it is or not, it is peculiarly gratfying under the circumstances to hear on authority, that the Courts "are standing by the pure food and drug law." This verdict comes from the action of the courts in several rather notable cases within the last few months, and the circumstances, aside from showing the sympathy of the Court, show also the need of the law. In one of them a Kentucky Company was shipping Corn Meal labeled "Fresh Ground Meal, best water ground style." Investigation disclosed that it was ground, not by water, but by roller press. There was no allegation that the meal was impure; the only charge was fraudulent deception, the Courts sustained the charge, getting the Company under bond to brand its product truthfully in future. Another of cases cited to show the ค sympathy of the Court, relates to a shipment of eggs. This was a more serious violation of the aw. A Cincinnati firm shipped to a Detroit firm 276 tubs of unshelled, frozen eggs. Upon investigation it showed that they were culled eggs, frozen into a solid mass, to conceal the fact that they were unfit for human consumption. The action of the Court in this case was to force the Detroit firm to give bond that the eggs would not be sold. That punishment does not seem to fit the crime; penitentiary should have. been the verdict, but those who have the duty of enforcing the law are apparently satisfied with it. The Pure Food Law was enacted none too soon, nor is it likely that if left unrestrained, Dr. Wiley would have given it an enforcement more rigorous than the circumstances warrant. The fact is that, so low had the standard of business ethics sunk, that men who in personal transactions would scorn to resort to any deception, felt no compunction whateve in profiting by the use of fraudulent brands. and labels. More than that, men who would have a horror of homicide have not scruples to use adulterants and preservatives that are injurious to health, if they do not actually shorten the term of life. It is almost incredible that man's avarice should make them so unscrupulous, but unfortunately there is an abundance of evidence to show that this is true of many. Again we repeat, it is gratifying to learn that the Courts are "standing by the pure food law," and if the Board of Referees should render a few more verdicts like that in the Benzoate of Soda case, we hope the millions of consumers will help to abolish it, even if "legally constituted." Benzoate of Soda is what the Packers use to destroy the odor of meat which is too old to be fit for sale. It is used also in preserving vegetables. The Benzoate of Soda decision, however, is of principal value to the Beef Trust. It is hardly necessary to add that the decision is a reversal of Dr. Harvey Wiley "father of the Pure. Food Law." The decision comes from the so-called Remsen Board, a Board secured by the packing interests after the Government authorities had construed the Pure Food Law to forbid the use of the poisonous drug. The reversal order was signed the day before President Taft's Inauguration, on March 3rd, by Secretaries Cortelyou, Wilson and Strauss. The facts of its signing were unknown until recently, when the beef packers throughout the country were officially informed that they might use Benzoate of Soda. "This legalizes embalmed beef" said a high official of the government. This phrase states the case concisely. It is contended by the members of the Remsen Board that Benzoate of Soda, in the quantities authorized is not a serious menace to health. Whether this contention is true or not has little to do with the case. The very extensive experiments conducted by Dr. Wiley resulted in conclusions, that Benzoate of Soda was poisonous and injurious to health. What the Pure Food Commissioners object to, however, is the deception which is made possible by its use. Packers are enabled to sell products which have progressed so far toward decay as to be actually unfit for human consumption, the odor and other incidents of decay being hidden by the use of a small portion of Benzoate of Soda. Food Commissioners say, it is significant that more than half of the largest firms engaged in packing and selling pickles, catsups and other preserved vegetables, do not use this chemical. and have thrown their influence in every way against its use. One of the last official acts of President Roosevelt was an effort to keep the packers and distillers from undermining the Pure Food Law. The packers, however, have won temporarily, and the case of the distiller has been reopened, but back of all stands a mighty wall of consumers, whose opinion is of far greater value and force than a Referee Board's decision or Distiller's influence. At its next annual meeting the Association of State and National Food and Dairy Departments, will take steps to have him produce in Congress a bill for Government supervision of factory in which foods are manufactured for Interstate Commerce. The bill will be modeled after the Meat Inspection Law. This organization was instrumental in getting the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Law passed, and it is not satisfied with the ruling of Secretary Wil son, and the Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce and Labor allowing the use of Benzoate of Soda in the preservation of food products. Most of the State Food Departments are dissatisfied with this ruling, and the association of State and National Food and Dairy Departments will conduct an investigation on its own account and will try to find out, not merely whether the use of Benzoate of Soda is harmful, but will look into the conditions of canning and food factories, and especially will endeavor to find out whether Benzoate of Soda is used to disguise the use of decayed and poor fruits and vegetables, PROF. JOHN URI LLOYD ON SODIUM BENZOATE. (Reproduced from the Druggist Circular.) Please accept my personal thanks for the admirable editorial in The Druggists' Circular for February, pages 56 and 57, on the subject of Dr. Wiley and the pure food crusade. In my opinion, all fair-minded and patriotic Americans will agree with the substance of your editorial, and without exception will hope that the efforts of Dr. Wiley and the department in purifying drugs and foods will not be interrupted. In my opinion, the corruptionists in the direction of canned goods and such, have now been driven to the last ditch, and their methods would have been annihilated could the introduction of chemical preservatives have been altogether prevented. Speaking for myself, I will say that in the very beginning of the introduction to trade of the artificial benzoic acid made from urine, I opposed its use in pharmaceutical preparations. In print I protested against permitting such substances to displace the natural benzoic acid made from gum benzoin, which, together with its aromatic accompaniments (cinnamic acid, volatile oil, etc.), had been used from time out of mind in the making of paregoric. I taught my classes that although the benzoic acid made from urine was cheaper, and although it might possibly be made free from impurities, both offensive and injurious, still there was no question of quality as regards benzoic acid made from gum benzoin, and that, therefore, this was the preferable material for medicinal use. At that date, benzoic acid made from urine, was derived altogether from Germany. It was in beautiful satinlike crystals, but had an offensive odor, second only to that of carbon bisulphide but yet, under the name “German Benzoic Acid," it was at once extensively sold for use in medicines. The pharmacopoeial requirements for sodium benzoate may or may not, at the present time, be fulfilled in the commercial sodium benzoate employed. by preservers of foods, whether such benzoic acid be a product of hippuric acid from urine, or of naphthalene or toluene from coal tar. To the canner of foods, I take it, the origin or structure of the preservative matters little, nor in my opinion, unless the law compels, will any great effort be made by commercial users to determine the origin of the acid from which the preservative is made. Under these circumstances, simply as a question of choice, I believe that we should still resist the putting into the foods that are eaten daily by our people, of a product such as benzoic acid or sodium benzoate may be, unless the consumer knowingly eats it. If Dr. Wiley is over-ridden by those who desire to use, and those wishing to sell these artificial preservatives, the salt of the benzoic acid made from urine, should, in my opinion, be pro |