Poison Squad

POISON SQUAD

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Historical Context
The Progressive EraPoison SquadPrior Legislative Acts The JungleTheodore Roosevelt
The Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug ActFollowing Legislative Acts
Impact
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"There's no pressure on Congress (to reform food conditions) ..because the public doesn't know; and if the
public doesn't know, the public doesn't care."

-Deborah Blum, Author, The Posion Squad.

The Bureau of Chemistry at the USDA, photograph, 1890. Wiley is the tall individual, third from the right.

In Harvey W. Wiley: An Autobiography, 1930. Linda Hall Library.

HARVEY W. WILEY

Harvey Washington Wiley (Oct. 8, 1844 - June 30, 1930), was an American chemist. As a chemist, he had become interested in food. Wiley desired to dissect the food bought in supermarkets to analyze their exact ingredients.

He was hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1883, consequent to his discovery of corn syrup in honey and maple syrup. Wiley was employed as a "head up" of their new Bureau of Chemistry.

Harvey Washington Wiley fought to strengthen food-safety policies.

Library of Congress.

Undated clipping of Harvey Washington Wiley, Prints & Photographs Division.

Library of Congress.

Poison Squad

The Poison Squad was a collective group formed in 1902, with the simple goal to test commonly used food additives in order to determine their effects.

"Chemicals fed to the young men included borax; salicylic, sulphurous, and benzoic acids; and formaldehyde.
The experiments went on for 5 years. Wiley and the public became convinced that chemical preservatives
should be used in food only when necessary; that the burden of proving safety should fall on the producer;
and that none should be used without informing the consumer on the label -- basic principles of today's
law and regulations."

-(FDA)

Harvey Wiley and members of the "Poison Squad," circa 1905.

U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Harvey Wiley ate with the members of his “Poison Squad” when he could, to offer encouragement and support.

FDA012 & FDA004, Flickr.

Postcard Petitions to Label Oleomargarine, from citizens in Iowa. Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.

"On Prussic acid we break our fast; we lunch on a morphine stew;
We dine with a matchhead consomme, drink carbolic acid brew."

-S.W Gillian, The Song of The Poison Squad.

"It was not difficult to condemn formaldehyde used to preserve milk as both a cheat and a danger to health,
but it was not known whether borax, for example, could be safely used to preserve meat."

-"Food Standards and The 1906 Act," The FDA.

Colored peas contaminated with copper sulfate, or whiskey composed of tobacco-tinted ethyl alcohol are other common examples. Salicylic acid and sawdust were toxic additives during this time as well.

The list of adulterated foods continued to expand, and Wiley had found his goal in life. Harvey W. Wiley had begun lobbying for a pure food and drug law to terminate the abuses occurring within the food industry.

Harvey W. Wiley weighing out food for a Poison Squad luncheon, photograph, ca 1902.

in Harvey W. Wiley: An Autobiography, 1930. Linda Hall Library.

Mrs._Winslow's_Soothing_Syrup_for_children_teething_(37138031816).jpg

Among the products Wiley's FDA banned was "Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup," a popular medication for fussy babies, the primary ingredients of which were morphine and alcohol.
The National Library of Medicine.

Puck Magazine satirized products of "The Beef Trust" such as Potted Poison, Embalmed Sausages, Putrified Pork, and Chemical Corn Beef.

Library of Congress.

Initially panned by critics within the industry, Wiley's food-safety efforts eventually won him praise from consumers and the federal government.

Library of Congress.

Although Wiley's work was initially mocked, tests performed by the chemist and his Poison Squad had grasped the

attention of the public. This inspired new reforms preventing harmful chemical preservatives in food throughout

the United States.

POISON SQUAD

"There's no pressure on Congress (to reform food conditions) ..because the public doesn't know; and if thepublic doesn't know, the public doesn't care."​​​​​​​-Deborah Blum, Author, The Posion Squad.

"On Prussic acid we break our fast; we lunch on a morphine stew;We dine with a matchhead consomme, drink carbolic acid brew."​​​​​​​-S.W Gillian, The Song of The Poison Squad.

"It was not difficult to condemn formaldehyde used to preserve milk as both a cheat and a danger to health, but it was not known whether borax, for example, could be safely used to preserve meat."​​​​​​​-"Food Standards and The 1906 Act," The FDA.

"There's no pressure on Congress (to reform food conditions) ..because the public doesn't know; and if the
public doesn't know, the public doesn't care."

-Deborah Blum, Author, The Posion Squad.

"On Prussic acid we break our fast; we lunch on a morphine stew;
We dine with a matchhead consomme, drink carbolic acid brew."

-S.W Gillian, The Song of The Poison Squad.

"It was not difficult to condemn formaldehyde used to preserve milk as both a cheat and a danger to health,
but it was not known whether borax, for example, could be safely used to preserve meat."

-"Food Standards and The 1906 Act," The FDA.