Chapter C: Green, Leicester Street,

LEICESTER SQUARE.

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NOTICE.

_The Public are respectfully informed, that a new Edition,
considerably enlarged (price 9s.), has lately been published_,

OF

ACCUM’S

Treatise on Adulterations of Food,

AND CULINARY POISONS;

Exhibiting the fraudulent Sophistications of Bread, Beer, Wine,
Spirituous Liquors, Tea, Coffee, Cream, Confectionary,
Vinegar, Mustard, Pepper, Cheese, Olive Oil,
Pickles, and other Articles employed in
Domestic Economy; and Method
of detecting them.

(_Copied from the British Review, No. XXIX. p. 171._)

Mr. Accum seems determined that even the outside of his book shall awaken our fears. The cover of our copy bears a death’s head emblazoned upon a pall, and, underneath, the motto “there is death in the pot.” The pall is supported by the point of a dart. Four other darts support the four corners of the device. Twelve serpents, with forked tongues and tails entwined, form a terrific wreath around; while the middle is occupied with a large cobweb, delineated with much attention to detail, in the centre of which a spider, full as large as a moderate sized hazel nut, and so frightful that more than one young lady of our acquaintance would think it necessary to scream at the sight of it, holds in its envenomed fangs an ill-fated fly, which is sinking under the loss of blood, and buzzing in the agonies of death.

We are by no means desirous to raise or maintain a popular clamour; but Mr. Accum certainly advances some weighty charges, and his work comes with an advantage in bearing a name not unknown to the scientific world. Of the adulterations specified, some are deleterious, and others merely fraudulent. Accordingly, we shall offer a few extracts, both from the original matter of Mr. Accum, and from his citations drawn from previous authors.

“Among the number of substances used in domestic economy
which are now very generally found sophisticated, may be
distinguished,—tea, coffee, bread, beer, wine, spirituous
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.” (P. 3.)

But we pass on from the general statements at the beginning of the work to particulars.

Water, by standing in leaden reservoirs, acquires a highly deleterious property.

In some particular cases, the consequences have been most fatal.

“‘A gentleman was the father of a numerous offspring, having had
one and twenty children, of whom eight died young, and thirteen
survived their parents. During their infancy, and indeed _until
they had quitted the place of their usual residence, they were
all remarkably unhealthy_, being particularly subject to
disorders of the stomach and bowels. The father, during many
years, was paralytic; the mother, for a long time was subject to
cholics and bilious obstructions.’” (P. 78, 79.)

These effects were traced to a leaden pump, in the cylinder of which there were found several perforations, while the cistern “was reduced to the thinness of common brown paper, and was full of holes like a sieve.” (P. 79.)

We now come to the adulteration of wine; to many of our readers, probably, a far more interesting concern than that of water.

“All persons moderately conversant with the subject are aware,
that a portion of alum is added to young and meagre red wines,
for the purpose of brightening the colour; that Brazil-wood, or
the husks of elderberries and bilberries, are employed to impart
a deep rich purple tint to red port of a pale, feint colour;
that gypsom is used to render cloudy white wines transparent;
that an additional astringency is imparted to immature red wines
by means of oak-wood sawdust, and the husks of filberts, and
that a mixture of spoiled foreign and home-made wines is
converted into the wretched compound frequently sold in this
town by the name of _genuine old Port_.... A _nutty_ flavour is
produced by bitter almonds; fictitious Port wine is flavoured
with a tincture drawn from the seeds of raisins, and the
ingredients employed to form the _bouquet_ of high-flavoured
wines, are sweet brier, orris-root, clary, cherry-laurel-water,
and elder flowers. The flavouring ingredients used by
manufacturers, may all be purchased by those dealers in wine who
are initiated in the mysteries of the trade. And even a
manuscript receipt-book for preparing them, and the whole
mystery of managing all sorts of wines, may be obtained on
payment of a considerable fee.” (P. 95, 97.)

“The particular and separate department in this factitious
wine-trade, called _crusting_, consists in lining the interior
surface of empty wine bottles, in part, with a red crust of
super-tartrate of potash, by suffering a saturated, hot solution
of this salt, coloured with a decoction of Brazil-wood, to
chrystallize within them.” (P. 101, 102.)

But the crusting is not confined to the bottle.

“A correspondent operation is performed on the wooden cask; the
whole interior of which is stained artificially with a
chrystalline crust of super-tartrate of potash, artfully affixed
in a manner precisely similar to that before stated. Thus the
wine-merchant, after bottling off a pipe of wine, is enabled to
impose on the understanding of his customers, by taking to
pieces the cask, and exhibiting the beautiful dark-coloured and
fine chrystalline crust, as an indubitable proof of the age of
the wine; a practice by no means uncommon to flatter the vanity
of those who pride themselves in their acute discrimination of
wines.” (P. 103, 104)

This our readers will excuse, for it is pleasing to read of impositions which are practised on the sagacious. But, says Mr. Accum,

“Several well-authenticated facts have convinced me, that the
adulteration of wine with substances deleterious to health is
certainly practised oftener than is, perhaps, suspected.” (P.
104, 105.)

Presently follows the story of the passengers by the coach, who dined at Newark. Half a bottle of port made them all ill, one dangerously. Part of the other half caused the death of an inhabitant of the place, on whom an inquest was held, and a verdict returned, of—_Died by poison_.

A gentleman having been taken severely ill on two successive days, after drinking each day a pint of Madeira from the same bottle, his apothecary ordered that it should be examined.

“‘The bottle happened to slip out of the hand of the servant,
disclosed a row of shot wedged forcibly into the angular bent-up
circumference of it. On examining the beads of shot, they
crumbled into dust, the outer crust (defended by a coat of black
lead with which the shot is glazed) being alone unacted on,
whilst the remainder of the metal was dissolved. The wine,
therefore, had become contaminated with _lead and arsenic_, the
shot being a compound of these metals, which no doubt had
produced the mischief.’” (P. 113, 114.)

For detecting the presence of lead or any other deleterious metal in wine, Mr. Accum recommends the _wine test_.

We now come to that part of the subject, which, as _some persons_ have thought, _is merely the business of ale-drinkers_, and their brethren, the porter-drinkers.

“The fraud of imparting to porter and ale an intoxicating
quality by narcotic substances, appears to have flourished
during the period of the late French war. For, if we examine the
importation lists of drugs, it will be noticed that the
quantities of cocculus indicus imported in a given time prior to
that period, will bear no comparison with the quantity imported
in the same space of time during the war, although an additional
duty was laid upon this commodity. Such has been the amount
brought into this country in five years, that it far exceeds the
quantity imported during twelve years anterior to the above
epoch. The price of this drug has risen within these ten years
from two shillings to seven shillings the pound.... It was at
the period to which we have alluded that the preparation of an
extract of cocculus indicus first appeared, as a new saleable
commodity, in the price-currents of _brewers’ druggists_. It was
at the same time also that a Mr. Jackson, of notorious memory,
fell upon the idea of brewing beer from various drugs, without
any malt and hops. This chemist did not turn brewer himself, but
he struck out the more profitable trade of teaching his mystery
to the brewers for a handsome fee. From that time forward,
written directions and receipt books, for using the chemical
preparations to be substituted for malt and hops, were
respectively sold. And many adepts soon afterwards appeared
every where to instruct brewers in the nefarious practice first
pointed out by Mr. Jackson. From that time, also, the fraternity
of brewers’ chemists took its rise. They made it their chief
business to send

travellers all over the country with lists and samples
exhibiting the price and quality of the articles manufactured by
them for the use of brewers only. Their trade spread far and
wide, but it was amongst the country brewers chiefly that they
found the most customers. And it is among them up to the present
day, as I am assured by some of these operators, on whose
veracity I can rely, that the greatest quantities of unlawful
ingredients are sold.” (P. 157-160.)

Part of these evils the porter-drinkers bring upon themselves.

“One of the qualities of good porter, is, that it should bear a
_fine frothy head_, as it is technically termed: because
professed judges of this beverage, would not pronounce the
liquor excellent, although it possessed all other good qualities
of porter, without this requisite.—To impart to porter this
property of frothing when poured from one vessel into another,
or to produce what is also termed a _cauliflower head_, the
mixture called _beer-heading_, composed of common green vitriol
(sulphate of iron) alum and salt, is added. This addition to the
beer is generally made by the publicans.” (P. 182, 183.) It is
added in a note:—”’Alum gives likewise a smack of age to beer,
and is penetrating to the palate.’—_S. Child on Brewing_, p.
18.” “The great London brewers, it appears, believe that the
publicans alone adulterate the beer.” (P. 211.)

“Capsicum and grains of paradise, two highly acrid substances,
are employed to give a pungent taste to weak insipid beer. Of
late, a concentrated tincture of these articles, to be used for
a similar purpose, and possessing a powerful effect, has
appeared in the price-currents of brewers’ druggists. Ginger
root, coriander seed, and orange peels, are employed as
flavouring substances chiefly by the ale brewers.” (P. 184,
185.)

We find the following articles, in a list of illegal ingredients, seized at various breweries and brewers’ druggists.

“Multum, 84 lbs.; cocculus indicus, 12 lbs.; colouring, 4 galls;
honey, about 180 lbs.; hartshorn shavings, 14 lbs.; Spanish
juice, 46 lbs.; orange powder, 17 lbs.; ginger, 56 lbs.; grains
of paradise, 44 lbs.; quassia, 10 lbs.; liquorice, 64 lbs.;
carraway seeds, 40 lbs.; multum, 26 lbs.” “Capsicum, 88 lbs.;
copperas, 310 lbs.; colouring and drugs, 84 lbs.; mixed drugs,
240 lbs.; coriander seed, 2 lbs.; beer colouring, 24 gallons.”
(P. 186-189.) [The list which includes these articles is copied
from the minutes of the committee of the House of Commons.]

Some of the substances above enumerated may be thought comparatively harmless. But others are absolutely poisonous.

“To increase the intoxicating quality of beer, the deleterious
_vegetable_ substance, called _cocculus indicus_, and the
extract of this poisonous berry, technically called _black
extract_, or by some, _hard multum_, are employed. Opium,
tobacco, nux vomica, and extracts of poppies, have also been
used.—This fraud constitutes by far the most censurable offence
committed by unprincipled brewers. And it is a lamentable
reflection to behold so great a number of brewers prosecuted,
and convicted of this crime. Nor is it less deplorable to find
the names of druggists, eminent in trade, implicated in the
fraud, by selling the unlawful ingredients to brewers for
fraudulent purposes.” (P. 205, 206.)

Then follows a list of thirty-four convictions of brewers, for receiving or using illegal ingredients.—We perfectly agree with the following observations.

“That a minute portion of an unwholesome ingredient, daily taken
in beer, cannot fail to be productive of mischief, admits of no
doubt: and there is reason to believe that a small quantity of a
narcotic substance (and cocculus indicus is

a powerful narcotic), daily taken into the stomach, together
with an intoxicating liquor, is highly more efficacious than it
would be without the liquor. The effect may be gradual; and a
strong constitution, especially if it be assisted with constant
and hard labour, may counteract the destructive consequences
perhaps for many years. But it never fails to show its baneful
effects at last.” (P. 209, 210.)

We now come to the business of another small portion of the community, namely, the _tea-drinkers_. Perhaps the following descriptions will assist them in forming a diagnosis.

“All the samples of spurious green tea (nineteen in number)
which I have examined, were coloured with carbonate of copper,
(a poisonous substance), and not by means of verdigrise, or
copperas.” (P. 240.) “Mr. Twining asserts, that ‘the leaves of
spurious tea are boiled in a copper, with copperas and sheep’s
dung.’” (P. 240. Note.) “Tea rendered poisonous by carbonate of
copper, speedily imparts to liquid ammonia, a fine sapphire blue
tinge. It is only necessary to shake up in a stopped vial, for a
few minutes, a tea-spoonful of the suspected leaves, with about
two table-spoonsful of liquid ammonia, diluted with half its
bulk of water. The supernatant liquid will exhibit a fine blue
colour, if the minutest quantity of copper be present. Green
tea, coloured with carbonate of copper, when thrown into water
impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, immediately acquires
a black colour. Genuine green tea, suffers no change from the
action of these tests.” (P. 241.)

The following extracts may perhaps prove interesting to _brandy-drinkers_.

“‘It is a custom among retailing distillers, which I have not
taken notice of in this directory, to put one third or one
fourth part of proof molasses brandy, proportionably, to what
rum they dispose of; which cannot be distinguished, but by an
extraordinary palate, and does not at all lessen the body or
proof of the goods; but makes them about two shillings a gallon
cheaper; and must be well mixed and incorporated together in
your retailing cask. But you should keep some of the best rum,
not adulterated, to please your customers, whose judgment and
palate must be humoured.—When you are to draw a sample of goods
to show a person that has judgment in the proof, do not draw
your goods into a phial to be tasted, or make experiment of the
strength thereof that way, because the proof will not hold
except the goods be exceedingly strong. But draw the pattern of
goods either into a glass from the cock, to run very small, or
rather draw off a small quantity into a little pewter pot, and
pour it into your glass, extending your pot as high above the
glass as you can without wasting it, which makes the goods carry
a better head abundantly, than if the same goods were to be put
and tried in a phial.—You must be so prudent as to make a
distinction of the persons you have to deal with. What goods you
sell to gentlemen for their own use, who require a great deal of
attendance, and as much for time of payment, you must take a
considerably greater price than of others; what goods you sell
to persons where you believe there is a manifest, or at least
some hazard of your money, you may safely sell for more than
common profit; what goods you sell to the poor, especially
medicinally, (as many of your goods are sanative), be as
compassionate as the cases require.—All brandies, whether
French, Spanish, or English, being proof goods, will admit of
one pint of _liquor_‘ (_water_) ‘to each gallon, to be made up
and incorporated therewith in your cask, for retail, or selling
smaller quantities. And all persons that insist upon having
proof goods, which not one in twenty understand, you must supply
out of what goods are not so reduced, though at a higher
price.’” (P. 267-270.)

Some of the adulterations of spirituous liquors are exceedingly pernicious.

“Another method of fining spirituous liquors, consists in adding
to it, first, a solution of sub-acetate of lead, and then a
solution of alum. This practice is highly dangerous, because
part of the sulphate of lead produced, remains dissolved in the
liquor, which it thus renders poisonous.” (P. 284.) “The cordial
called shrub frequently exhibits vestiges of copper.” (P. 285.)

Gloucester Cheese has been found contaminated with red lead. The article used in colouring cheese is anotto. In one instance, the anotto, being inferior, had been coloured with vermilion; and the vermilion adulterated by a druggist, (who little thought that it would ever enter into the composition of cheese,) with red lead. The account of the whole transaction as given by Mr. Accum, is worth reading, but too long to be extracted.

Cayenne pepper, “is sometimes adulterated with red lead, to prevent its becoming bleached on exposure to light.” (P. 305.) Pickles “are sometimes intentionally coloured by means of copper.” (P. 306.) “Mrs. E. Raffald directs, ‘to render pickles green, boil them with halfpence, or allow them to stand twenty-four hours in copper or brass pans.’” (P. 309.) “Vinegar is sometimes largely adulterated with sulphuric acid, to give it more acidity.” (P. 311.) “Red sugar drops are usually coloured with the inferior kind of vermilion. This pigment is generally adulterated with red lead. Other kinds of sweetmeats are sometimes rendered poisonous by being coloured with preparations of copper.” (P. 315, 316.) “The foreign conserves ... are frequently impregnated with copper.” (P. 317.) “Quantities” of catsup “are daily to be met with, which on a chemical examination, are found to abound with copper.” (P. 319.) “The quantity of copper which we have more than once detected in this sauce, used for seasoning, and which, on account of its cheapness, is much resorted to by people in the lower walks of life, has exceeded the proportion of lead to be met with in other articles employed in domestic economy.” (P. 320.) “The leaves of the cherry-laurel, _prunus laurocerasus_, a poisonous plant,” are used to flavour custards, _blanc-mange_, and other delicacies of the table. (P. 324.) An instance is given of the dangerous consequences of this practice. (P. 325, 326.) “The water distilled from cherry-laurel leaves is frequently mixed with brandy and other spirituous liquors.” (P. 327.) Several samples of anchovy sauce “have been found contaminated with lead.” (P. 328.) It is not unusual to employ, in preparing this sauce, “a certain quantity of Venetian red, added for the purpose of colouring it, which, if genuine, is an innocent colouring substance. But instances have occurred of this pigment having been adulterated with orange lead, which is nothing else than a better kind of minimum or red oxid of lead.” (P, 328, 329.) In lozenges, “the adulterating ingredient is usually pipe-clay, of which a liberal portion is substituted for sugar.” (P. 330.) Dr. T. Lloyd says, “‘I was informed,’” (at a _respectable_ chemist’s shop in the city) “‘that there were two kinds of ginger lozenges kept for sale, the one at three-pence the once, and the other at six-pence; and that the article furnished to me by mistake was the cheaper commodity. The latter were distinguished by the epithet _verum_, they being composed of sugar and ginger only. But the former were manufactured partly of white Cornish clay, with a portion of sugar only, with ginger and Guinea pepper. I was likewise informed, that of Tolu lozenges, peppermint lozenges, and ginger pearls, and several other sorts or lozenges, two kinds were kept; that the _reduced_ prices, as they were called, were manufactured for those very clever persons in their own conceit, who are fond of haggling, and insist on buying better bargains than other people, shutting their eyes to the defects of an article, so that they can enjoy the delight of getting it cheap: and, secondly, for those persons, who being but bad paymasters, yet as the manufacturer, for his own credit’s sake, cannot charge more than the usual price of the article, he thinks himself therefore authorized to adulterate it in value, to make up for the risk he runs, and the long credit he must give.’” (P. 332, 333.)

Well—there is then some honesty left in the world. What a pleasure it is to have to deal with a _respectable_ man. But we return to the practices of the _knaves_.

Olive oil “is sometimes contaminated with lead.” (P. 334.) The dealers in this commodity assert that lead or pewter “prevents the oil from becoming rancid. And hence some retailers often suffer a pewter measure to remain immersed in the oil.” (P. 336.) “The beverage called soda water is frequently contaminated both with copper and lead.” (P. 351.) Mr. Johnston, of Greek Street, Soho, was the first who pointed out the danger to the public. “Many kinds of viands are frequently impregnated with copper, in consequence of the employment of cooking utensels made of that metal. By the use of such vessels in dressing food, we are daily liable to be poisoned.” (P. 352.) “Mr. Thiery, who wrote a thesis on the noxious quality of copper, observes that ‘our food receives its quantity of poison, in the kitchen by the use of copper pans and dishes. The brewer mingles poison in our beer, by boiling it in copper vessels. The sugar-baker employs copper pans. The pastry-cook bakes our tarts in copper moulds. The confectioner uses copper vessels. The oilman boils his pickles in copper or brass vessels, and verdigrise is plentifully formed by the action of the vinegar upon the metal.’” (P. 353, 354.) Moreover, “various kinds of food, used in domestic economy, are liable to become impregnated with lead.” (P. 359.)

Mr. Accum, speaking on the subject of Beer, says,

“It will be noticed that some of the sophistications are
comparatively harmless, whilst others are affected by substances
deleterious to health.” (P. 185.)

We think, however, that the candour of Mr. Accum leads him to
make too much allowance for this consideration throughout.
Surely, though many articles of food be not absolutely
poisonous, a diet consisting of drugs and chemical compounds and
articles never intended by nature to be eaten or drunk, articles
for which, presented simple, the hungriest stomach would feel no
appetite or inclination, cannot be wholesome. Brick and mortar
are not poison; yet we cannot, like the dragon of Wantley,
swallow a church, and pick our teeth with the steeple. Many can
eat oysters, but few could manage the oyster-knife. Even the
Welshman of King Arthur’s court, fond as he was of toasted
cheese, would inevitably have been choked by the mouse that ran
down his throat to eat it, had he not “pulled him out by the
tail.”

We could give farther extracts; but must refer the reader to the work itself, which contains much interesting matter, besides what we have selected. THE MONEY THAT IS OFTEN LAID OUT IN THE PURCHASE OF COOKERY BOOKS, WHICH TEACH THE ART OF EXCITING DISEASE AND PAIN BY DUBIOUS COMBINATIONS AND CULINARY POISONS, MIGHT, WE THINK, BE MUCH BETTER EXPENDED UPON A BOOK LIKE THE PRESENT; EVERY PAGE OF WHICH GIVES WARNING OF SOME DANGER, OF WHICH WE OUGHT ALL TO BE AWARE.

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A

Treatise on Adulterated Provisions.

BY FREDRICK ACCUM.

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THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT.