Boric compounds as food preservatives
1926-06 1926 1920s 8 pages - 5 - (1) By Dr. Tunicliffe and Dr. Otto Rosenheim (see report of the Committee on Food Preservatives. 1901, Cd.833, pages 337-354.) These were experiments made on children for the British Government. (2) By Prof. Rost and his colleagues, for the Prussian Ministry of Hea...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
June 1926
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/DB825C9E-3BF9-4A44-BBBB-8FD4A5D58391 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/BBE1EBE3-507E-4982-8526-F673628E77AB |
| Summary: | 1926-06
1926
1920s
8 pages
- 5 - (1) By Dr. Tunicliffe and Dr. Otto Rosenheim (see report of the Committee on Food Preservatives. 1901, Cd.833, pages 337-354.) These were experiments made on children for the British Government. (2) By Prof. Rost and his colleagues, for the Prussian Ministry of Health, 1902. (3) By Dr. Wiley. These were experiments made on healthy young Americans in 1904. Dr Tunnicliffe and Dr. Rosenheim found that :- (i) Both boric acid and borax were quickly eliminated, no cumulative action being therefore probable. (ii) Neither boric acid nor borax in any way affected the general health and well-being of the children. and the 1901 committee as a Whole expressed the opinion that :- "Compounds of boracic acid have not been proved to be more hurtful than saltpetre to the consumer, yet saltpetre has been used from time immemorial in curing bacon, etc. After very carefully weighing the evidence we have come to the conclusion that as regards the trade in fresh and cured meat, fish, butter, margarine, and other food substances in the consumption of which but small quantities of the antiseptic are taken into the system, there exists no sufficient reason for interfering to prevent the use of boron preservatives." Professor Rost's experiments showed that boric compounds were harmful. This research has been very severely criticised by the late Professor Liebreich and others, but nevertheless the German Government proceeded to forbid the use of boric preservatives. Dr. Wiley’s experiments could not be considered as conclusive, but nevertheless the United States Government have prohibited the use of boric compounds. Their use has also been prohibited in Sweden. The results of these experiments have been surveyed in the book by Thresh and Porter on "Preservatives in Food and Food Examination" 1906. We cannot say that the whole of them taken together give sufficient reliable evidence to form the conclusion that it is scientifically proved that the consumption of small amounts of boric compounds are harmful to the system. We are not
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |