A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons | Page 2

for Domestic Economy, in Leaden Reservoirs 60
Method of detecting Lead, when contained in common Water 69
ADULTERATION OF WINE 74
Method of detecting the Deleterious Adulterations of Wine 86
Specific Differences, and Component Parts of Wine 89
Easy process of ascertaining the Quantity of Brandy contained in various sorts of Wine 92
Tabular View, exhibiting the Per Centage of Brandy or Alcohol contained in various kinds of Wine and other fermented Liquors 94
Constitution of Home-made Wines 96
ADULTERATION OF BREAD 98
Method of detecting the Presence of Alum in Bread 108
Easy Method of judging of the Goodness of Bread-Corn and Bread-Flour 110
ADULTERATION OF BEER 113
List of Druggists and Grocers, prosecuted and convicted for supplying illegal Ingredients to Brewers for Adulterating Beer 119
Porter 121
Strength and Specific Differences of different kinds of Porter 125
List of Publicans prosecuted and convicted for adulterating Beer with illegal Ingredients, and for mixing Table Beer with their Strong Beer 129
Illegal Substances used for adulterating Beer 131
Ingredients seized at various Breweries and Brewers' Druggists, for adulterating Beer 136
List of Brewers prosecuted and convicted for adulterating Strong Beer with Table Beer 143
Old, or Entire Beer; and New or Mild Beer 144
List of Brewers prosecuted and convicted for receiving and using illegal Ingredients in their Brewings 151
Method of detecting the Adulteration of Beer 158
Method of ascertaining the Quantity of Spirit contained in Porter, Ale, &c. 160
Per Centage of Alcohol contained in Porter, and other kinds of Malt Liquors 162
COUNTERFEIT TEA-LEAVES 163
Methods of detecting the Adulterations of Tea-Leaves 171
COUNTERFEIT COFFEE 176
ADULTERATION OF BRANDY, RUM, AND GIN 187
Method of detecting the Adulterations of Brandy, Rum, and Malt Spirit 195
Method of detecting the Presence of Lead in Spiritous Liquors 202
Method of ascertaining the Quantity of Alcohol contained in different kinds of Spiritous Liquors 203
Table exhibiting the Per Centage of Alcohol contained in various kinds of Spiritous Liquors 205
POISONOUS CHEESE, and method of detecting it 206
COUNTERFEIT PEPPER, and Method of detecting it 211
White Pepper, and method of manufacturing it 213
POISONOUS CAYENNE PEPPER, and method of detecting it 215
POISONOUS PICKLES, and method of detecting them 217
ADULTERATION OF VINEGAR, and method of detecting it 220
Distilled Vinegar 221
ADULTERATION OF CREAM, and method of detecting it 222
POISONOUS CONFECTIONERY, and method of detecting it 224
POISONOUS CATSUP, and method of detecting it 227
POISONOUS CUSTARDS 231
POISONOUS ANCHOVY SAUCE, and method of detecting it 234
ADULTERATION OF LOZENGES, and method of detecting them 236
POISONOUS OLIVE OIL, and method of detecting it 239
ADULTERATION OF MUSTARD 241
ADULTERATION OF LEMON ACID, and method of detecting it 243
POISONOUS MUSHROOMS 246
Mushroom catsup 250
POISONOUS SODA WATER, and method of detecting it 251
FOOD POISONED BY COPPER VESSELS, and method of detecting it 252
FOOD POISONED BY LEADEN VESSELS, and method of detecting it 257
INDEX 261

A
TREATISE
ON
ADULTERATIONS OF FOOD,
AND
CULINARY POISONS.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.
Of all the frauds practised by mercenary dealers, there is none more reprehensible, and at the same time more prevalent, than the sophistication of the various articles of food.
This unprincipled and nefarious practice, increasing in degree as it has been found difficult of detection, is now applied to almost every commodity which can be classed among either the necessaries or the luxuries of life, and is carried on to a most alarming extent in every part of the United Kingdom.
It has been pursued by men, who, from the magnitude and apparent respectability of their concerns, would be the least obnoxious to public suspicion; and their successful example has called forth, from among the retail dealers, a multitude of competitors in the same iniquitous course.
To such perfection of ingenuity has this system of adulterating food arrived, that spurious articles of various kinds are every where to be found, made up so skilfully as to baffle the discrimination of the most experienced judges.
Among the number of substances used in domestic economy which are now very generally found sophisticated, may be distinguished--tea, coffee, bread, beer, wine, spiritous liquors, salad oil, pepper, vinegar, mustard, cream, and other articles of subsistence.
Indeed, it would be difficult to mention a single article of food which is not to be met with in an adulterated state; and there are some substances which are scarcely ever to be procured genuine.
Some of these spurious compounds are comparatively harmless when used as food; and as in these cases merely substances of inferior value are substituted for more costly and genuine ingredients, the sophistication, though it may affect our purse, does not injure our health. Of this kind are the manufacture of factitious pepper, the adulterations of mustard, vinegar, cream, &c. Others, however, are highly deleterious; and to this class belong the adulterations of beer, wines, spiritous liquors, pickles, salad oil, and many others.
There are particular chemists who make it a regular trade to supply drugs or nefarious preparations to the unprincipled brewer of porter or ale; others perform the same office to the wine and spirit merchant; and others again to the grocer and the oilman. The operators carry on their