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The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentiet...

Deborah Blum

Start date: September 1, 2020

Finish date: September 30, 2020

Discussion: Book Club 2020

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Book Club 2020

November 2020 - Disordered Mind
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Aug 22, 2020 David Rubenstein rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nutrition, chemistry, audiobook, business, politics

This is an amazing book about Dr. Harvey Wiley, a chemist in the Department of Agriculture at the turn of the century. He worked tirelessly to keep food and beverages safe for consumption. A hundred years ago, adulterated food products were very common. Unhealthful--or even poisonous--additives stretched the volume of foods, making them devoid of nutrition, and even harmful. Sometimes the additives were employed to stretch the apparent volume of products. Sometimes the additives were used to pro This is an amazing book about Dr. Harvey Wiley, a chemist in the Department of Agriculture at the turn of the century. He worked tirelessly to keep food and beverages safe for consumption. A hundred years ago, adulterated food products were very common. Unhealthful--or even poisonous--additives stretched the volume of foods, making them devoid of nutrition, and even harmful. Sometimes the additives were employed to stretch the apparent volume of products. Sometimes the additives were used to prolong shelf life. Sometimes the foods were deliberately mislabeled, to trick consumers. And, some foods were processed under very unsanitary conditions. It was a very big problem. And it could be argued that the problem still exists.

While Theodore Roosevelt was president, the first law was passed, aimed at these problems. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed was passed, to help ameliorate these problems. However, the law did not, by itself, fix any problems. The Department of Agriculture was still in bed with food manufacturers. And, there was no proof that food additives or adulterants were dangerous to health. And, in order to prohibit a manufacturer from adding a chemical to foods, it was necessary to first prove that the chemical was dangerous to health.

Harvey Wiley, the head of the chemistry division at the Department of Agriculture, was the leading proponent of food safety and honesty in labeling. He formed what was known as the "Poison Squad". He had some rooms in the basement fixed up like a restaurant. He invited healthy civil servants to be served free meals there. Participants were admonished to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at this location, and to eat nothing at any other location. Of course, free meals were a big attraction, but they realized that they would be participating in nutrition experiments. The cooks added different concentrations of food additives, with the purpose of determining who would get sick. These experiments showed that certain food additives were clearly dangerous, and therefore prohibited from use.

Wiley's efforts at upholding the safety of foods made him a nationwide hero in the eyes of women. He had to constantly battle against the Secretary of Agriculture, who very frequently sided with food producers instead of siding with food safety. But Wiley's popularity made it difficult to fire him, although firing was attempted several times.

This book is about the courage of this man who stood for food safety and honesty, above all else. It was an enjoyable read, engaging, and full of surprises. But, I didn't read this book--I listened to the audiobook. It is narrated very nicely by Kirsten Potter. I listened to the book while taking long walks from Arlington to Theodore Roosevelt Island. And the most amazing experience occurred while listening to the discussions between Harvey Wiley and Theodore Roosevelt, while viewing the super-sized statue of Theodore Roosevelt! The central circle on the island is ornamented by Roosevelt's statue and chiseled quotes by Roosevelt that show how progressive he was for his times. What a treat! ...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Jimmy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science, history, political

The author gives many examples of deceptive food practices in the 1800s and the turn of the century. Here is one: Honey was often tinted corn syrup. Without laws and regulations, how would we stop such unscrupulous practices? A few years ago I heard a friend complain about laws in California that required honey makers to register with the state for quality control. They forget that there are reasons for regulations.

The book is a tribute to the great Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley who in 1883 as a ...more

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