Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

EDITORIAL. 163
one of the most significant symptoms of he report attributes no abnormality to benthyroid
excess. Still another is elevation zoate while the experiments were going on,
of the body temperature beyond the normal, that there were nevertheless abnormalities.
bBNZO/\TE OP soD«. 1,1 the Chicago squad, several of the young
The long mooted question as to whether men were depressed. On the New Haven
benzoate of soda as a food preservative is squad, stomach troubles of one young man
injurious has at last been settled, so far as was attributed to 'cold weather' and to
it is possible to settle such a problem, by 'hard work.' It is rather noteworthy that
the Pure Food Congress which met in Den- cold weather and hard work should have
ver, Col., during the last days of August, had these effects rather than the chemical.
The resolution, adopted by a vote of 57 However, the report and resolutions of
to 42, follows: the Pure Food Congress will go far toward
"That this association indorses the report removing the popular belief in the injuriousof
the referee board of consulting scientific ness of this commonly used food preservaexperts
appointed by Secretary of Agriculture
Wilson, at the direction of President
tive.
auabama meoicau examiinbrs.
Roosevelt, upon the use of benzoate of soda The Alabama State Board of Medical
in food products." Examiners has announced the list of suc-
The report referred to was based on the cessful applicants in the recent examinaexperiments
carried out in Chicago, New tions. Of one hundred and fifty who stood
York and New Haven. the examinations saventv-three were suc-
These experiments consisted in the ad- cessful. Dr. Fred. W. Wilkerson, of Montministration
of quantities of benzoate of gomery, led the class.
soda into the food given to healthy young Only one of the successful applicants is a
men for periods respectively of two months negro, though six negroes undertook the
and one month. The work of Dr. Russell examination. Not a woman applied for a
H. Chittenden, of New Haven, Conn., a license.
member of the referee board, will be reraem- All successful applicants are residents of
bered. In the period of observation three- Alabama, with the exception of two from
tenths of a gram of the sodium benzoate Arkansas and two from Mississippi,
was administered daily to each subject dur- „ .^ ^ ^ ,
., , ,1 . J T .1 OSTEOPATHS SUCCEED IN GEORGIA.
ing the two months period. In the one- ~, ^, . , .
, ^ , /- ,
month experiment each man The Georgia Legislature, after a hot fight
received per
day during the first week six-tenths gram; ""^^^"^'y :
P^^f^ ^^^ '^^nl^' ^^"'^^ ^'^^ ^^^"^^
second week, one gram; third week, two
«^^ osteopaths are systematically presentgrams;
fourth week, four grams.
'"?. ^ legislatures throughout the country
It would
^"^er this b.l the governor is authorized
certainly appear that this administration,
when accompanied by
and directed within M) days to name fi\
a gi
of body weight and without loss of power
members of a board, who shall examine
='PPl'cants
to digest and absorb the protein and
and issue licenses to those who
fat of
the required percentage
the daily food must be taken as evidence "^^J^/^
that sodium benzoate
^he subjects in which applicants are to
in the doses admiiiis- ,
''« examined include anatoiny chemistry.
tared is not seriously detrimental to health.
toxicology, physiology, pathology, d-
Discussing the question Dr. Chittenden
nosis, hygiene, obstetrics, gynecology, sursaid
ffery medical jurisprudence, the principles
'Certainly huckleberries, cranberries,
of osteopathy
plums, prunes and
and such other subjects as the
other related fruits coiitain
appreciable amounts
examining board may require,
of benzoate. In
other words, the eating of a small quantity Virginia medigau examining board.
of huckleberries, raspberries or kindred The State Board of Medical Examiners
berries is accompanied by the taking into of Virginia held the regular semi annual
the system of more benzoate than in tlie examinations, June 22-2Fi, in Richmond,
administration of three-tenths of a gram of The results were announced through Dr.
sodium benzoate. R. \V. Martin, president of the Board,
"In the light of our experiments it is difcult
to say why benzoate in moderate
August 15th. There were 118 successful
candidates, including several young women,
amounts should be considered any more
inimicable to health than such a salt as
sodium chloride."
and a number of negroes,
RBX hospitau.
The new Rex Hospital in Raleigh, N. C,
There is, however, another side to the will be ready for occupancy by October
question which makes one doubt whether
these experiments were clearly and defifirst.
Miss Helen Orchard, of Columbia,
S. C, who for the past ten years has been
nitely conclusive. Dr. Reed, of Cincinnati, engaged in hospital work in Richmond,
has called attention to the fact that while Va., will be superintendent of the hospital.