Overview:
Friedrich Christian Accum, a chemist, published “A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons” in 1820 to expose the rampant practice of food adulteration in England. The book focused on identifying and detecting fraudulent and harmful substances added to common food items. Accum argued that while some adulterations were merely to improve appearance or reduce cost, others posed significant health risks, and he condemned the use of poisonous substances like lead and cocculus indicus.
The book provided practical, easy-to-follow methods for detecting adulteration, primarily using readily available chemical tests. It covered a wide range of food items, including bread, beer, wine, tea, coffee, cream, pickles, and various culinary sauces. Accum condemned the “Wine Doctors” who manipulated wine using harmful ingredients like lead to make it appear older and more palatable. He also criticized the use of cocculus indicus to increase beer’s intoxicating properties, calling it a “slow poison.”
Key Findings:
- Widespread Food Adulteration: Accum documented the widespread adulteration of almost every food item available in England, from bread to wine to pickles. He argued that this practice was driven by profit and lack of effective legal enforcement.
- Lead Poisoning: Accum highlighted the dangers of lead contamination in food, specifically in wine and cream-colored glazed earthenware. He detailed the historical knowledge of lead’s toxicity and the harm it could cause through the consumption of contaminated food and drink.
- Hidden Poisons: Accum revealed the use of hidden poisons, like cocculus indicus in beer, and their detrimental effects on human health. He exposed the clandestine operations of brewers’ druggists who supplied these substances to brewers.
- Unconscious Deception: Accum acknowledged that many retailers and consumers were unaware of the adulteration in the food they sold or consumed. He argued that the complexity of the food supply chain and the lack of knowledge about the origins and processing of food contributed to this ignorance.
Learning:
- The Importance of Food Quality: Accum’s work underlines the importance of ensuring food quality and safety. It highlights the need for increased awareness, stricter regulations, and more effective enforcement to protect consumers.
- The Dangers of Lead: The treatise emphasizes the significant health risks associated with lead contamination in food and drink. It highlights the need to avoid lead-based products, particularly in food storage and preparation.
- Understanding Adulteration: Accum’s detailed descriptions of common adulteration techniques and methods for detecting them provide valuable insights into the history and practices of food adulteration.
- The Importance of Chemical Tests: The treatise demonstrates the power of chemical analysis to identify harmful substances in food. It emphasizes the importance of developing and using scientific methods for food quality control.
Historical Context:
This book was published in 1820, a period marked by significant growth in England’s industrial economy and population. This led to a rise in urban centers and an increasing reliance on processed and imported foods. With this growth came the opportunity for profiteering and the exploitation of a burgeoning consumer market. Accum’s work reflects the social and economic anxieties of the time, where concerns over food quality and safety were growing alongside concerns about the rapid pace of industrialization.
Facts:
- Ancient Knowledge of Lead’s Toxicity: The ancient Greeks and Romans were aware of lead’s harmful effects and banned its use in water pipes.
- Lead Contamination of Wine: Lead was commonly used to clarify and preserve wines, leading to widespread lead poisoning in some regions like Paris.
- Cocculus Indicus in Beer: The importation of cocculus indicus berries skyrocketed during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily for use in adulterating beer to enhance its intoxicating effect.
- The “Multum” Trade: Brewers’ druggists sold concoctions like “multum” (composed of quassia and licorice) to brewers as a cheaper substitute for malt and hops.
- Counterfeit Tea Leaves: Sloe leaves, ash leaves, and elder leaves were commonly used in the manufacture of counterfeit tea, which was sold to unsuspecting consumers.
- Counterfeit Coffee: Roasted pease and beans were widely used to adulterate ground coffee, often mixed with coffee sweepings.
- Poisonous Confectionery: Red sugar drops were often colored with vermilion contaminated with red lead. Green sweetmeats were sometimes colored with sap-green adulterated with copper.
- Copper in Catsup: Many brands of walnut catsup were contaminated with copper due to the use of copper vessels in their preparation.
- Cherry Laurel Leaves as a Poison: The use of cherry laurel leaves to flavor custards and other desserts was exposed as dangerous due to the plant’s poisonous nature.
- Lead Contamination of Anchovy Sauce: Venetian red used to color anchovy sauce was often adulterated with orange lead (red oxide of lead), leading to lead poisoning.
- Adulteration of Lemon Acid: Tartareous acid, a cheaper substitute, was often used to adulterate citric acid, which was used in making lemonade, negus, and punch.
- Mushroom Poisoning: Many species of mushrooms are poisonous, and several accounts detailed cases of mushroom poisoning with varying degrees of severity.
- Copper in Soda Water: Copper and lead were used in the manufacturing of soda water apparatus, leading to metal contamination in the final product.
- Copper in Culinary Utensils: Copper vessels used for cooking were frequently contaminated with copper oxide, leading to poisoning.
- Lead in Glazed Earthenware: The glaze on cream-colored earthenware was often lead-based, leading to lead contamination of acidic foods stored in these vessels.
- Lead in Milk Pans: Lead was used to make milk pans in some regions of England, contaminating milk with lead.
- Lead-Based Paint on Toys: Toys painted with red lead or verdigris posed a significant risk of lead poisoning to children.
Statistics:
- 2000 Years of Lead Toxicity Knowledge: The ancients understood the dangers of lead and prohibited its use in water pipes.
- Lead in Wine: Dr. Watson documented the widespread use of lead in wine adulteration in Paris.
- Lead Poisoning Case Study: Sir George Baker detailed a case where 32 people became ill after drinking white wine adulterated with lead.
- Cocculus Indicus Importation: The quantity of cocculus indicus imported to England in five years during the Napoleonic Wars exceeded that imported in the twelve years prior.
- Cost of Cocculus Indicus: The price of cocculus indicus increased from 2 shillings to 7 shillings per pound within ten years.
- Black Extract Seizures: In 1817, 6lbs of cocculus indicus extract, 560lbs of multum, and 88lbs of capsicum were seized at a brewer’s druggist, showcasing the scale of illegal operations.
- Seizures at Breweries: Various seizures of illegal ingredients, including cocculus indicus, multum, capsicum, and quassia, were made at breweries throughout England, demonstrating the widespread use of adulteration.
- Coffee Adulteration: An excise officer seized 1,567 pounds of ground pease and beans resembling coffee at a coffee roaster’s premises.
- Coffee Adulteration History: A grocer convicted of selling counterfeit coffee admitted to having done so for 20 years, highlighting the long-standing nature of this practice.
- Brandy Adulteration Recipe: A recipe for compounding brandy for retail included 108 gallons of brandy, 118 gallons of flavored raisin spirit, and 4 gallons of tincture of grains of paradise, reflecting the extent of adulteration in the spirit trade.
- Gin Adulteration: A rectifier’s recipe for sweetening gin involved adding 19 gallons of water, 1 lb of alum, and 25 lbs of sugar to 120 gallons of spirits, demonstrating the significant dilution and adulteration of gin.
- Poisonous Cheese: Analysis revealed that a sample of Gloucester cheese contained red lead, highlighting the dangers of adulterated cheese.
- Mustard Adulteration Recipe: A recipe for “genuine Durham mustard” included 2.5 ounces of Cayenne pepper, 1.5 lbs of bay salt, 8 lbs of mustard flour, and 1.5 lbs of wheaten flour, demonstrating the prevalence of adulteration in mustard.
- Mushroom Poisoning Case: A man and his wife became ill after eating poisonous mushrooms, demonstrating the danger of consuming this potentially toxic food.
- Lead in Milk Pans: A study revealed the use of lead in milk pans in Lancashire, highlighting the potential for lead contamination in dairy products.
Terms:
- Sophistication: The act of adulterating or making a substance impure.
- Multum: A bitter concoction used by brewers as a cheaper substitute for malt and hops.
- Black Extract: A concentrated extract of cocculus indicus berries, used to increase beer’s intoxicating properties.
- Beer Heading: A mixture of vitriol, alum, and salt used by publicans to give beer a frothy head.
- Hard Beer: Beer artificially aged by adding sulphuric acid to create a more robust taste.
- Proof Spirit: The legal standard of alcohol strength used by the Excise to determine duty.
- Over Proof: Spirit stronger than the legal proof strength.
- Under Proof: Spirit weaker than the legal proof strength.
- Sikes’s Hydrometer: The instrument used to measure the strength of spirits.
- Anotta: A natural dye made from the seeds of the achiote tree, used to color cheese.
- Venetian Red: A pigment sometimes used to color anchovy sauce, but potentially adulterated with orange lead.
- Sap-Green: A green pigment made from the juice of buckthorn berries, used to color confectionery.
- Verdigris: A green pigment made from copper, used to color confectionery, but potentially toxic.
- Dutch Pink: A yellow pigment sometimes used to color green tea.
Examples:
- The Poisoning of Mr. Bland: The story of Mr. Bland’s death after consuming a poisoned bottle of wine demonstrates the potential lethality of food adulteration.
- The Case of Lord Ashburnham’s Family: The poisoning of Lord Ashburnham’s servants due to lead in their water supply emphasizes the dangers of lead contamination.
- The Counterfeit Tea Factory in Goldstone Street: The case exposes the large-scale production of counterfeit tea, using sloe, ash, and whitethorn leaves, and highlights the use of potentially toxic substances like verdigris to color green tea.
- The Grocer Selling Counterfeit Coffee for 20 Years: This case exemplifies the long-standing practice of coffee adulteration and the extent to which consumers were unknowingly consuming counterfeit products.
- The Poisonous Catsup Manufactured for 20 Years: This example demonstrates the unconscious adulteration of food through the use of copper vessels, showing the lack of awareness among manufacturers and the potential for widespread contamination.
- The Cherry Laurel Custard Poisoning: The poisoning of four children after consuming custard flavored with cherry laurel leaves highlights the dangers of using poisonous plants in cooking.
- The Use of Lead in Milk Pans: The practice of using lead in milk pans in Lancashire illustrates the ways in which lead can contaminate everyday food items.
Conclusion:
Accum’s treatise “A Treatise on Adulterations of Food, and Culinary Poisons” stands as a chilling historical account of widespread food adulteration in early 19th century England. It exposed the rampant use of harmful substances like lead and cocculus indicus in food production, often without the knowledge of consumers. The book highlights the dangers of relying solely on appearance and taste to determine food quality and the importance of employing scientific methods to detect and prevent food adulteration. It remains a relevant reminder of the need for vigilance and regulation in ensuring the safety and quality of our food supply.