Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover ©2019 | -- |
Publisher's Hardcover ©2019 | -- |
Wiley, Harvey Washington,. 1844-1930. Juvenile literature.
Wiley, Harvey Washington,. 1844-1930.
United States. Food and Drug Administration. Juvenile literature.
United States. Food and Drug Administration.
Competition, Unfair. United States. History. Juvenile literature.
Food law and legislation. United States. History. Juvenile literature.
Competition, Unfair. United States. History.
Food law and legislation. United States. History.
Starred Review Beneath a skull-and-crossed-utensils cover, Jarrow (Spooked!, 2018) unleashes the Poison Squad as part of her fascinating, stomach-churning account of Harvey Washington Wiley's crusade for food safety standards and regulation in the U.S. She opens with a fictional dinner scene in 1890, where she unmasks the true ingredients of a meal that realistically could have been served at the time. Sausage, canned peas, and cake sound wholesome enough, but that sausage was actually "made from a pulverized mass of meat scraps swept off the floor ong with the rat feces d mixed with borax to keep it from rotting." It's enough to make you reach for a soothing elixir, but Wiley also debunked patent medicines. Trained in medicine and chemistry, Wiley was passionate about understanding the effects of altered or enhanced food products and medicines on human consumers. As the chief chemist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Chemistry Division, he spearheaded the pure-food movement, which fought for a law to keep food and medicine safe and to require ingredient labels. Vintage ads, product labels, newspaper headlines, cartoons, and photographs offer a visual feast for readers, who will be so engrossed in the stories of unconscionable products and unwitting victims that they won't realize they're imbibing a powerful lesson in food safety and the evolution of today's FDA. Extensive source notes and resources are icing on the cake.
Horn BookFormaldehyde in milk, cocaine in toothache drops, sausage made from pulverized meat scraps swept off factory floors along with rat feces. "At the dawn of the twentieth century, few people had a clue that they were regularly being ripped off, drugged, and poisoned." More and more Americans were living in towns and cities, and, instead of producing their own fruits, vegetables, and meats, they bought food from stores. They didn't know who made the food they were consuming, and there was little regulation of the food industry. Jarrow (Bubonic Panic, rev. 3/16; Spooked!, rev. 9/18) traces the story of Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, now known as the "Father of the FDA," who devoted his life to getting the federal government to take responsibility for protecting consumers from poisonous products. No longer would radium be used to paint watch faces, or deadly nightshade in baby teething tablets. It's a fascinating horror story and an important study of real-life heroes who stood up and fought for government intervention on behalf of the American people. The book's open layout and plentiful archival photographs, advertisements, and other visuals enhance accessibility and interest. Thorough back matter includes a (necessary) glossary, meticulous source notes, a lengthy bibliography, an index, and a "More to Explore" guide.
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)A provocative chapter title -Embalmed Bees and Other Delicacies- opens this riveting chronicle from Jarrow (
Gr 5 Up-Candy made with arsenic, babies soothed by morphine, and milk preserved with formaldehyde. After hooking readers with these gut-wrenching accounts, Jarrow focuses on Harvey Wiley, whose tireless efforts during the early 20th century heavily contributed to the first food and drug regulations in the United States. His food additive experiments on 12 men nicknamed the Poison Squad rose to national attention. While people were learning of the dangers they were ingesting, the government resisted regulations that would hurt its relationship with big business. But after Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle was published, the government was swayed and the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 was born. The book recounts Wiley's attempts to effect change through his government work and as a writer for Good Housekeeping , up until the end of his life. Jarrow then briefly discusses current food regulation. Examples of contaminated foods and toxic medications will awe readers, and photos and graphics depict the horrors. VERDICT With detailed descriptions of revolting food-production standards and dangerously uncontrolled medications, Jarrow captivates readers with a history of food and drug regulation. Recommended for nonfiction readers and anyone interested in what they are eating. Katherine Rao, Palos Verdes Library District, CA
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)
Starred Review for Publishers Weekly
Horn Book
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)
It's 1890, and you live in a large town or city, just like a third of Americans. Your grandparents had a farm and grew their own food. Now, your mother and all her friends buy food at a grocery store.
You pick up your fork and dig in. The meat on your plate was supposed to be chicken, but it sure doesn't look or smell like that. Actually, it's cheap, fatty pork someone a thousand miles away stuffed in a can and shipped to your neighborhood store.
The sausage sizzling in the pan also came from a filthy factory a thousand miles away. It was made from a pulverized mass of meat scraps swept off the floor--along with the rat feces--and mixed with borax to keep it from rotting.
[Borax is the same stuff in scouring powder and laundry detergent.]
The peas are bright green and look delicious. The company that canned them added copper sulfate to enhance the color.
[Today this chemical is used to prevent wood rot and pond scum.]
The milk in the bottle was watered down. Then a dash of formaldehyde was stirred in to keep it fresh longer.
[Formaldehyde is used to embalm dead bodies . . . and not recommended for drinking.]
The jam is tasty enough, although your mother assumed she was paying for something made from strawberries and sugar. Instead the jar is full of glucose, leftover apple pieces, a dangerous red dye, and salicylic acid to keep it from spoiling.
[Today, salicylic acid is an ingredient in wart remover, acne cleanser, and dandruff shampoo.]
Your little brother starts crying. He's cutting a new tooth. Mom gives him a spoonful of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, guaranteed to calm a fussy baby. She has used it before, and it works. That's because the medicine contains morphine, a strong narcotic, which knocks out your brother for several hours.
For dessert, your mother places a yummy-looking cake on the table. To prepare it, she added baking eggs. Not only were they cheaper than the eggs she fries up for breakfast, but they were also older. Much older. She would have noticed the telltale odor of rotting eggs except that they'd been deodorized with formaldehyde.
Winking, Dad slips you a piece of candy under the table. Unknown to him, the candy company tinted it with arsenic- and lead-based colors.
[Arsenic and lead are not ideal treats for growing children. Arsenic causes digestive ailments. Lead affects the brain and nervous system.]
Mom has no idea that she's serving the family these cheap substitutions and hazardous chemicals. The packages and bottles don't list the ingredients. She can only trust her nose and eyes to tell if the milk is sour, the eggs decayed, or the meat rotten. Food manufacturers have found ways to fool her.
****
At the dawn of the twentieth century, few people had a clue that they were regularly being ripped off, drugged, and poisoned. A dedicated group of Americans recognized what was going on, and they set out to make food and medicines safer.
The battle would be long and frustrating. Victories were often unsatisfying. Before it was over, men, women, and children suffered and died. But eventually, the persistence and hard work changed our world.
Excerpted from The Poison Eaters: Fighting Danger and Fraud in Our Food and Drugs by Gail Jarrow
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Washington Post Best Children's Book
Formaldehyde, borax, salicylic acid. Today, these chemicals are used in embalming fluids, cleaning supplies, and acne medications. But in 1900, they were routinely added to food that Americans ate from cans and jars.
In 1900, products often weren't safe because unregulated, unethical companies added these and other chemicals to trick consumers into buying spoiled food or harmful medicines. Chemist Harvey Washington Wiley recognized these dangers and began a relentless thirty-year campaign to ensure that consumers could purchase safe food and drugs, eventually leading to the creation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, a US governmental organization that now has a key role in addressing the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic gripping the world today. Acclaimed nonfiction and Sibert Honor winning author Gail Jarrow uncovers this intriguing history in her trademark style that makes the past enthrallingly relevant for today's young readers.