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piecemeal today, a daily podcast between me pays brown world these reporter and editor at full speed news. Each morning, we'll talk to experts and other importers. To recap the most important news from trumps impeachment in a way they won't. Let you didn't side by side in peace today, on the I radio, apple podcast or wherever you get your pockets Welcome to stuff you missed in history. Class from housetop works dot com, hello and welcomes it up. I can't stand it going to check the wording and I'm carried out and when you walk into the grocery store these days, there's a lot of things to kind of worry about. I guess I mean by organic, should you buy through setter grass. A cage free is what your look locally grown, just to name a few problems you, my facebook is theirs pretty serious health related feared concerns.

Like mercury levels and fish in bacterial contamination, in other words, that news firstly, that half of all the meat thought in the United States is tainted with drug resistance. You have already reconsider had. Apparently some people aren't very concerned about it I don't know I'm. I guess that's a big statistic that it sounds weird and so we have the salmonella egg recall a few years ago there is the peanut scared Ojo and you couldn't need certain granola bars. I remember my mom colony up about that. Like don't need any good, I mean. How do you know that We know we have a lot to think about yes, so it's not a perfect system right now. As far as food regulation goes, but it still seems to have come a long way from what it was about a hundred years ago. In the U S, when there were really know, labeling requirements, no safety tests and no one really monitored additives. Those substances like for acts it is actually used in detergents, and things like that and format. Hide these were useless

who'd preservatives at the time. Formaldehyde in your food sounds pretty ridiculous. If you ve ever done like a jack action in class or something and smell the staff. But that's when the chemist Harvey W Wily came into the picture because, obviously, if you have stuff like boring, in formaldehyde in your food, things need work. Yes, they stopped in first mainly trying to change things solely through legislation and through something that came to be known as the poisons glide, and that was a kind of human experience, through which wily tested substances used in food that he believed to be harmful, and this became can media sensational Ryan invitation yeah as it would so we're gonna take a look at how the poisons

worked and what had accomplished and also why wily is considered by many to be the founding father of the? U S: food and Drug Administration yeah, but first we're gonna, give a little background on wily, he's kind of a pioneer man almost who was born in eighteen, forty, four in a log cabin on a frontier farm in Indiana, thrill classic beginnings, and in addition to being a father, his father with a candle light preacher, so wily grew in this real evangelical ground without strong emphasis on doing there, thing which is clearly gonna come into play in his later courier. Yet before that career took off, he went to Hanover College in Indiana and eighteen. Sixteen he dropped out briefly in eighteen, sixty four to serve in the union army during the civil war, but he never we saw combat. So he returned to finish up at hand over and then went to get a medical degree at Indiana Medical College and he studied medical science for you,

Harvard. So very educated and from there he got a professorship in chemistry, Purdue, university and its while he there that he helped Rehder report for the indian state, born of health, condemning, adulterated foods and his in thoughts and main research had to do with honey, and he found basically that companies were trading honey, passing off it's pure honey, but really adding glucose in fact, the product they were, so with mostly glucose and he was pretty disturbed by their. So this is the first time he caused a little bit of a controversy, but it was not alone time. No, this experience is what caused the interest in food adulteration that wily would have throughout his entire career and his life in eighteen three. He actually got a chance to take that interest to the national level when he was offered the position of chief chemist in the Department of Agriculture in Washington DC, and this came at a good time to because he heads

trouble with the administration of produce around that time to make an exit yeah exactly think of something about writing a bike on campus and they didn't think that was like sitting for professor, oh yeah, Capitola, definitely though his main job as the chief chemist was to support new agricultural industries, because this was, after all, a government job. That's the kind of thing that he'd be expected to deal, but he still followed his own passion and develop. This test for food purity on the side something. So he could look at what people really putting into food yeah. Eventually, he took his fight for federal food regulation to Congress has work contributed to several pure food bills in eighteen, eighty and eighty nineties. So this is what we are, two. When we talked about legislation he contributed to that. None of these they none of them went anywhere near all kind of failed. So something had, be done, though I mean adulteration.

Food was a real problem. There were instances of standard sugar watered milk sawdust enhanced our, which sounds crazy, just anymore things that were problems at the time in some states have against these things, but with the growth of nation wide food distribution, it was really hard to enforce them once they cross state line. Yes, so people didn't know where their food was even coming from and according to an the call by Bernard, a wise fervour and american heritage late Nineteenth century technology brought more additives and the picture to is that wasn't just these being added like sugar or watered milk, it with colouring agents and preserve it s like copper, sulphate and flower bleachers and wild first, big concern that we mentioned earlier borax. Yes, so since effectual more required to prove preservative safe he Wily asked Congress in eighteen. Ninety nine for money to do the test himself. He wanted to learn quote

preservative should ever be used or not, and if so, what preservatives and in what quantities. So he thought he could prove that these substances were harmful. That Congress in the public would We support national regulation policies, so that was the goal here. Third party testing, essentially so in night to Congress gave wily funding to start these tests that he wanted to do, and they were known officially as the hygienic table trials. And the way they worked is kind of medieval seeming. They reminds me of the king's food test. Yeah. It's really interesting. Actually wily recruited, twelve young, healthy men. They were all volunteers actually from the Department of Agriculture, but I hope they weren't drift in any way they were all Twenty is, though, and that was so they'd be sturdy enough for the experiment or so wily determined and for a span of six months, those twelve men,

to eat only meals that were prepared and attest kitchen that why we set up in the basement of agriculture, department, building yeah, but here's the catch each meal would include one fuss backed ingredients that wily wanted to test, so for example, the boar act. Yeah, that's gonna, make you question this free meal deal a little, but definitely sounds good up until that point that another aspect of it, that the men also pledged to eat all their meals at the hygiene at table, and that was meant that they were eating at a dining table and a dining room that was set up next to the test kitchen. So this is all in the basement together. I am thinking of the counterpart to and Pierre and splendid something here, not very pleasant, though though they agree that they would not consume any outside. Foods are beverages to accept for water, and even that had to be measured and reported. I mean the deal. Was they didn't want to get thick from something that I was on our side exactly and each participant Hunter to record his way, temperature,

ass before each meal and what he ate. They also had to submit urine and these samples daily. So not definitely Saul around very gross, but I would say that is probably the most as it happens, over the daily Ritual Thea, and then also doctors were examined. The participants any note any symptom Thinketh. These additives were having negative effect on a weekly basis, ripe though all the volunteers obviously knew that they were eating potential poisons, but they all signed to these waivers that that thought the government from my ability in case they got ill and so an initially while approach was to make it pretty random to mix the potential poison when the poison of the week was into the food, which was supposed to be pretty good too. I mean, I guess, that's why they got these volunteers and the firstly yeah I've seen differently poles mentioned roast chicken brays beef, thundered asparagus, so in a little bore, acclimatized away. If you forget about the borax sounds a decent deal,

but even though the men were told which food item wily put the substance such as borax and they ended up avoiding that particular item in the first couple of trial so to take money yeah, for example, of what but more x and the butter they wouldn't either, because they would notice that I'm not sure how different the, how different the tastes would be yeah, you would realise: oh that's where the poison as and move on here breasts chicken and asparagus meal so then? What wily dead pretty early in a trial as he changed his approach, he started putting the preservatives in these gelatin capsules instead, and this meant the poison, was no longer hidden. But, surprisingly, really, surprisingly to me, the men took them willingly why

but the mountainous serving ball with each meal, with the understanding that if they were taken in the middle of the meal, they would dissolve in the digestive food to be pretty much the same as eating it. Actually mixed in with the food item yeah and another interesting point: wily didn't make the guinea pigs take all the rest. He took the key joined them from any animals. To imagine that endeared him to the twelve volunteers are what I'll bet, though, obviously These hygienic table trials become national sensation, pretty quickly in the newspapers, think of ebony and better name for the whole thing and dubbed the volunteer test subjects the poison flawed and the experiment really did have a show like quality to it. The volunteer

even had their own slogan. It was none, but the brave can eat the fair and people even wrote, songs about them. Yeah one was called the song of the poison squad and it was by the Lou Doc statement strolls. I hope I said that right, yeah all you lose doc state or found that there can. Let us now it yeah right in and tell me if I so that correctly, but the sun went like that, sir. This was one verse. Oh, they get over it, that they'll never look the same. That kind of dough affair would drive most men insane next week. He'll give them off laws, Alan Newberg or else plain. Oh they get over it. But they'll never look the same. You have pretty catchy there a light to think they might have been that at the dinner table or something, but some people obviously put a were spent on this whole thing in the experiment even made its way into variety act for the time, probably understandably so, because research at the dinner table didn't really theme that fire and see it seemed kind of fun,

well not that fine, I guess but differently here, compared to most traditional scientific stand on a lab care, a kind of situation. The add I mean you could I could imagine This being like a reality show couldn't you I mean, I think it is the rehearsing learning across between fear factor in top share for some there. So you can imagine a million people wanting to tune in speak and see what's happening every week with these guys and why he didn't worry about this at first, because he wanted to take the research seriously, but he still but he needed to win over. The public can get them involves the point on the whole thing, so he worked the banquet circuit, even in a little poems for listeners like this one entitled. I wonder what's in it, and it goes, the pepper perhaps contains who shells and the mustard as cottonseed meal, the coffee in sooth of baked trickery smells and the terrapin tasty. Rose veal, yeah, and he also started talking to reporters to about the experiment, though not just writing these catchy little poems but giving them

every detail of the effects that the poisons had on the men and some of the examples of the effects were disturbing me borax proved to be not so bad. Perhaps that gave the man a little bit of indigestion but long term and in increased amount it cause weight, loss and reproductive system damage so definitely some problems with a frequent food additive. There. Out ahead was tested later in wily, had to end those tests pretty much right off the bat, because the men got so sick. They couldn't even get out of bed, though you know that's good stuff, for the news gathers. Definitely some scare factor there, but the merriment, went on for five years with different groups of volunteers and eventually that publicity that they got definitely paid off the public Growing awareness put pressure on the government and on June thirtieth, nineteen o six President Theodore Roosevelt sign the pure food and drugs at which was largely and by wily- and it was the nations

this law, regulating food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, many call the wily act, not surprisingly greatly in an wily gotta, a new job out of it to yeah. He got to oversee this new acts, administration and that's kind. He's known ass, the father of the pure food and track ACT, as you might imagine here, but things were still a little bit rough for him after this big triumph, even he had a lot of adversaries in Congress and he met with a lot of opposition while trying to enforce the act, because no one act and the books is only as good as its enforcement, though he even better heads with the president and the Secretary of Agriculture and ended up resigning in nineteen twelve yeah, but it wasn't so bad for his career because he ended at moving onto another. Really high profile position he signed on is the director of the bureau food. Sanitation and health for good Housekeeping magazine, and the magazine at that point had already created the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Vittorio to ensure the red reliability of things that featured in the magazine on its pages, so widely It is only lab in DC to the mix and continued his fight for pure food. In that way, can he worked there for another nineteen years? Is the director before he died in nineteen? Thirty at the ripe old of eighty six. I guess some of these additives didn't too bad of an effect on him for the long term. But during those years he led the fight for a tougher government inspection of meat and for pure butter. Was unadulterated with water and for whole wheat flour among a lot of other things and, interestingly, that good housekeeping tested and approve feel also became a real symbol of responsible industry of safe food and it still printing something to consumers today, I'd say for sure, while he's accomplishments and other ways to borax sales outlets, asset, formaldehyde and copper sulphate

All of these things are long gone from the food additive mark at it. We have to thank goodness and that your food and drink Claude, no official, followup, was done on how they did in later years, but anecdotal evidence show that at least some of them did ok, one, for example, a guy named William O Robinson Lastly, in us for former members of the poison squad, no official followup was done on how they did in later years, but anecdote evidence show that at least some of them did ok, one, for example, a guy named William O Robinson, lived to be ninety four. So here you go the internet so badly for everyone. Imagine, maybe poisons glad, was on their business cards or something after the fact. Oh yeah would where they went to the restaurant business or something I think I'd always be suspicious, though he asked in a restaurant business. I would be I'm suspicious now after reading this, and I think others would probably filling we suspicious about the food their consuming nowadays to definitely since I'm cool there was an hour

go on slate dot com actually buy Deborah bloom about this exactly I can already hoisting red. Yes, she brings out the poison squads and basically ties it into current day food issues with bacteria contamination, and so for things that we mentioned an intro end. You know just talks about how it be time to kind of crackdown on food regulation again, maybe grab lunch there before you was the little punk

read the article yeah like a long time before I went over five thousand with article, although vehicles and he now you're probably are related to a sorry. But that is all we have today on the poison squire, all wrapped up with some less than their male. So we got another email from Marcia and you guys remember, she's the one who wrote in proposing a little bit of a deal. If we covered Catalina errors, though we re in return here, some high cost at her own students reported that we obviously accepted that deal is pretty fun. But she read it in to know that our use of exclusively feminine pronouns to refer to arouse, though my that from people who are very attached to her status or his status as a transgender hero, for example, Leslie Fine Bird. There was one of the examples writes about areas, though using not going profound exclusively in transgender warriors. She off the road that some people might wanna claim era a bath kara. We didn't get one male from somebody questioning our use of the feminine pronounced for and a face, but comment. I believe the icing so Jeff Road and say that I believe you made the wrong choice when referring to him with female, understand and agree that sticking with one type of personal pronoun, to avoid confusion at the good idea. However, taking into account Alonzo Choice to live and identifies a man any exception, he ultimately receive, I believe his others back to his chosen gender identity

mentioned our decision to refer to arrow. So as a female does, her was based on consistency, especially for an audio pie cast. We wanted it to be clear who we were talking about in the context of, podcast that we haven't. We vote fully respected, citizens right to be five, however, there to be fair, and I mean I was definitely interested to see the male. We have gathered great poet and am glad that we have this opportunity to put that out there, so that people now definitely yeah and if you, I don't know about unaware in to make a comment like that or to make a suggestion that maybe anything just you your own food,

poison squad story. Hopefully you don't have well, maybe actually we don't want to read that, although unaware of any very thin substances, may I don't worry about that, but anything else. You can definitely contact us at history. Podcast at how stuff works. Tat come for us to ensure a mist in history, inward basic, and if you want to learn a little bit more about human experiments, an article on our website called how human experimentation worse can work at it. By this I mean our Homepage W W W done how stuff works not come for more on this and dozens of other topic for the house to works that come to learn more about the pond. Cast click on the pond cast icon in the upper right corner of the House of Lords that I've been has arrived, download it today, and I do hope that the vote of stuff- you missed an extra glasses, brought to you by Katy, keen I love Riverdale. So I'm really excited that the creator of Riverdale has a sparkling adventure in the big apple coming out, full of fashion drama in dreams colliding with real life, Thursday February six at eight seven central, it's the new Sea, W serious Katy, keen the big apple, better watch out, no matter who or what gets in the way. The four friends we were part of the show are about to take a big old bite they take on the runway. The recording studio, Broadway am a social, seem there's. So much higher

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