Tenth annual convention of the Association of State and National Food and Dairy Departments, held at Hartford, Connecticut, July 17-20, 1906.

  • Association of State and National Food and Dairy Departments 1906 : Hartford, Connecticut)
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Tenth annual convention of the Association of State and National Food and Dairy Departments, held at Hartford, Connecticut, July 17-20, 1906. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    famous Dr. Licbreich himself would be willing to eat meat every day to which sulphite of soda had been added. In this same case there was another distinguished specialist who appeared for the State. Now this last expert and Dr. Liebreich agree perfectly in their opinions of boron preservatives that they are not harmful and should be allowed free use. But they differ very seriously on the question of sodium sulphite. He testified as follows: “Sulphites, when administered by the stomach, affect, in- the first place, the stomach itself locally. They are irritating to the stomach, to the mucous membrane of the stomach. The exact degree of irritation caused by a sulphite will depend, of course, upon the quantity administered and the concentration in which it is administered. A more concentrated solution will, of course, irritate the stomach more than a dilute solution, and a larger quantity more than a smaller quantity. To some extent sulphites are decomposed in the stomach, depending upon the action of the hydrochloric acid upon the sulphites in setting free sulphurous- acid gas. However, whether sulphurous-acid gas is set free or not, the sulphites locally irritate the stomach. They would do so, whether given on an empty stomach, free from hydrochloric acid, or whether given upon a full stomach; and the sulphites, when absorbed from the stomach,—and they are rapidly absorbed from the stomach—act as poisons by ridding the blood of its oxygen and destroying the red blood-corpuscles. The poisonous action, of course, will depend on the amount of the sulphite hat is given, the way in which it is given; if it is given by the stomach or in large amount and in a highly concentrated condition it will in lower animals give results in a very few minutes.” I quote these two experts simply for the sake of illustration, showing how many men absolutely disagree in regard to matters of this kind. I have selected these two men because they agree upon another substance, namely, borax or boric acid, in believing that it is perfectly innocuous. The 'first-named expert, who is the protagonist of sulphite of soda, has for many years been the ablest and most enthusiastic advocate of the use of borax in foods. He has criticised without stint the conclusions of the