The poison squad : one chemist's single-minded crusade for food safety at the turn of the twentieth century
(Book)
Author
Published
[New York, New York] : Penguin Books, 2019.
ISBN
9780143111122, 0143111124
Status
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Prairie State College - Stacks | TX518.W5 B58 2019 | On Shelf |
Subjects
LC Subjects
Biographies.
Chemists -- United States -- Biography.
Consumer protection -- United States -- History.
Farmer, Fannie Merritt, -- 1857-1915.
Food -- Safety regulations -- United States.
Food -- United States -- Safety measures -- Government policy.
Food additives -- Safety regulations -- United States -- History.
Food adulteration and inspection -- United States -- History.
Food inspectors -- United States -- Biography.
Food law and legislation -- United States -- History.
Heinz, H. J. -- (Henry John), -- 1844-1919.
Sinclair, Upton, -- 1878-1968.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909.
United States. -- Bureau of Chemistry -- Officials and employees -- Biography.
United States. -- Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Wiley, Harvey Washington, -- 1844-1930.
Chemists -- United States -- Biography.
Consumer protection -- United States -- History.
Farmer, Fannie Merritt, -- 1857-1915.
Food -- Safety regulations -- United States.
Food -- United States -- Safety measures -- Government policy.
Food additives -- Safety regulations -- United States -- History.
Food adulteration and inspection -- United States -- History.
Food inspectors -- United States -- Biography.
Food law and legislation -- United States -- History.
Heinz, H. J. -- (Henry John), -- 1844-1919.
Sinclair, Upton, -- 1878-1968.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909.
United States. -- Bureau of Chemistry -- Officials and employees -- Biography.
United States. -- Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Wiley, Harvey Washington, -- 1844-1930.
More Details
Published
[New York, New York] : Penguin Books, 2019.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xix, 330 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780143111122, 0143111124
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-319) and index.
Description
By the end of the nineteenth century, food in America was increasingly dangerous--lethal, even. Milk and meat were routinely preserved with formaldehyde, a practice based on the embalming of corpses. Beer and wine were preserved with salicylic acid, a pharmaceutical chemical; canned vegetables were greened-up by copper sulphate, a toxic metallic salt; rancid butter was made edible with borax, best known as a cleaning product. This was not by accident; food manufacturers had rushed to embrace the rise of industrial chemistry and were knowingly selling harmful products. Unchecked by government regulation, basic safety, or even labelling requirements, they put profit before the health of their customers. By some estimates, in New York City alone, thousands of children were killed by adulterated and chemically 'improved' milk. Citizens--activists, journalists, scientists, and women's groups--began agitating for change. But although protective measures were enacted in Europe, American corporations blocked even modest regulations. Then in 1883, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, a chemistry professor from Purdue University, was named chief chemist of the United States Department of Agriculture, and the agency began methodically investigating food and drink fraud, even conducting shocking human tests on groups of young men who came to be known as the Poison Squad. Over the next thirty years, a titanic struggle took place, with the courageous and inimitable Dr. Wiley campaigning tirelessly for food safety and consumer protection. Together with a gallant cast, including the muckraking author Upton Sinclair, who fought to reveal the horrific truth about the Chicago stockyards; Fannie Farmer, then the most famous cookbook author in the country; and Henry Heinz, one of the few food producers who actively advocated for pure food, Dr. Wiley changed history. When the landmark 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act was finally passed, it was known across the land as 'Dr. Wiley's Law.' Deborah Blum brings to life this timeless and hugely satisfying David and Goliath tale with righteous verve and style, driving home the moral imperative of confronting corporate greed and government corruption with a bracing clarity, which speaks resoundingly to the enormous social and political challenges we face today.
Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Blum, D. (2019). The poison squad: one chemist's single-minded crusade for food safety at the turn of the twentieth century . Penguin Books.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Blum, Deborah, 1954-. 2019. The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety At the Turn of the Twentieth Century. Penguin Books.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Blum, Deborah, 1954-. The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety At the Turn of the Twentieth Century Penguin Books, 2019.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Blum, Deborah. The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-minded Crusade for Food Safety At the Turn of the Twentieth Century Penguin Books, 2019.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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