Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A few words on adulteration. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![people against it. ^Miilst at Scarbro' an entire family was made seriously ill in consequence of an adulteration with this substance practised in a neighbouring countiy town, and from a flaw in the Bread Act, rendering its provisions almost inoperative, in small towns and villages no redress could be obtained. At Liverpool, within the present month, it appeal's from the report of a meeting of the Health Committee, that kegs of butter have been sold to the poor containing only 48 per cent, of butter—the remainder being composed as follows: salt, 24 per cent., mucilage (supposed to be from Irish moss), with water and traces of fat, 28 per cent.—the mucilage no doubt enabling the fat and butter to retain more water.—The Law Clerk considered an indictment under the Health Act woidd not lie, as nothing in this nefarious compound could be established as prejudicial to health; he therefore recommended the purchasers to proceed against the vendor for fraud. But there is no need to enumerate fiu-ther instances of adultera- tion : it may perhaps become incumbent on the honourable member for Wolverhampton (]\Ir. VUliers), and on those who aided to estab- lish free trade, to see that its doctiines are not prostituted. Fi'ee trade implies integrity and confidence in transactions, other- wise there can be no freedom; it means, that no class shall fictitiously and unnaturally enliance the value of a commodity and pocket the sur[)lus; what comiection can there be between these principles and adulteration ? Say what they may, an adulterator is a sly thief, a deceiver, and a swindler. It matters little what position wealth may give him.—He may reside in Chicpiy Villa or Catechu Hall, in ill-gotten Penny Square: nevertheless, he is a swindler, perhaps a poisoner, and his proceedings have nothing whatever to do with fi-ee or fettered trade, unless a monopoly in fraud is to be granted. With reference to the remedy for this enormous social evil, it has been said of the poor, God help them, of the rich, They may protect themselves. But how the latter can be accomplislied is to me a mystery, unless the cook is furnished with a good microscope, turned into a chemist, and the kitchen into a laboratory. Oh, but](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22283225_0006.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
