- Advertisement -
Just Perfact
  • Entertainment
  • World
  • Nature
  • Science
Just Perfact
- Advertisement -

Poison Squad: The men who tried to bring a revolution for the world

Poison Squad: The men who tried to bring a revolution for the world
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

It was in the late 19th and early 20th century when mass food production started and shipped to long distances. Instead of growing locally and selling it fresh, it was like a Wild West regarding the production of food, and we see that there were no official regulations on what you could add to a diet. If you even had some labeled chicken then, it had to chicken at all or not. There were no rules about reporting any ingredients, so businesses did pretty much whatever pleased them.

Adulteration everywhere

To give you a central idea, the drug and food industries crammed into things by secretly adding morphine to children’s cough syrup. Borax, formaldehyde, sulfuric acid, and copper sulfate were used as preservatives back then. The lead was also used commonly to candy or grind up various scraps and organs from animals and sell it as chicken meat. They used charcoal, sawdust, and ground-up charred animal bones to fill out coffee grounds.

This is an example of how popular selling products as one thing when it was something else, was found by the hero of the hour, Dr. Harvey Wiley. In an experiment by him and his team found out that 9 out of 10 maple syrup brands sold in Indiana were adulterated and supposedly did not include any maple syrup while claiming to be a pure maple syrup product.

It was by the turn of the century when the state of the food industry became a significant cause for concern in terms of public health. But it was found that nobody was bothered, which is when Dr. Wiley and his Hygienic Table Trails entered. These experiments carried a motive to test the safety of various preservatives that are commonly used by the food industry at that time.

Dr. Wiley and his work

Dr. Wiley began working in 1902, and he petitioned the government to get him permission to get conduct such experiments. After much of requests, he was finally given about $5000 (about $143,000 today) and a license to run tests and do whatever was necessary. He also got a lot of letters from males wanting to join in the experiments.

In a letter, a man also mentioned that “I have a stomach that can stand anything. I am afflicted with 7 diseases. Doctors told me at the age of 15 that I could not live for 8 months.”

Owing to the nature of the experiment, volunteers were expected to be in perfect health and were given the best medical care and money. In return, it was expected from the volunteers to do what Wiley used to put in front of them, and they had to agree that they will sue neither him nor the government in case the experiment gets them into serious health troubles.

The group that the media would come to cover, The Poison Squad, seemed too much likely to enjoy conducting the experiments. There were also some things tested that didn’t have much of any apparent adverse effects on the volunteers. To add a touch of class, they also used to make volunteers dress formally for evening meals and made excellent publicity shots that appeared in the news across the country.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

But it soon happened that Dr. Willey and his Poison Squad got themselves into serious trouble. It happened when the reports regarding his experiments got leaked. Though the tests consisted of Wiley’s theory of how harmful preservatives were, and they tried to suppress by using political sway and collective might, but it was all fruitless. So they found the chance to point Wiley and his credibility instead, claiming he was a “man doing all he can to destroy American business.”

Conclusion

After much of controversies and hustle-bustle Poison Squad in the year 1907, they formally ended the experiments. Wiley, although it has been eventually credited as being instrumental in the first significant step towards making sure that the food consumed in the United States is safe. But sadly, the contributions of the Poison Squad have been mainly overlooked. The primary reason why this happened is said that the identity of volunteers was kept anonymous, even though their name “The Poison Squad” certainly endured.

- Advertisement -

Related Posts

Actors who got paid too low for these iconic roles
Entertainment

Actors who got paid too low for these iconic roles

2 days ago
When the Beatles met Muhammad Ali
Entertainment

When the Beatles met Muhammad Ali

1 week ago
20 Facts About Pi
Entertainment

20 facts about ‘Pi’

1 week ago
Ever seen anyone paying a briefcase full of cash for something?
Entertainment

Ever seen anyone paying a briefcase full of cash for something?

2 weeks ago
What happened to the parents of Donald Duck’s nephews?
Entertainment

What happened to the parents of Donald Duck’s nephews?

2 weeks ago
The Lion King’s original ending
Entertainment

The Lion King’s original ending

3 weeks ago
- Advertisement -

Join Our Community

justperfact

171

justperfact

justperfact

View

Aug 10

Open
A surgeon’s work is never done, even after hours.

A surgeon’s work is never done, even after hours. ...

justperfact

View

Aug 8

Open
Take off that shyness and wear some red.

Take off that shyness and wear some red. ...

justperfact

View

Aug 4

Open
Wanderlust and city dust.

Wanderlust and city dust. ...

justperfact

View

Aug 2

Open
Look for the magic in every moment

Look for the magic in every moment ...

justperfact

View

Jul 31

Open
Stand tall and be fabulous.

Stand tall and be fabulous. ...

justperfact

View

Jul 28

Open
Happy girls are the prettiest girls.

Happy girls are the prettiest girls. ...

justperfact

View

Jul 24

Open
Stress less and enjoy the best!

Stress less and enjoy the best! ...

justperfact

View

Jul 21

Open
When the sun goes down, that’s when you see me glow ☀️☀️

When the sun goes down, that’s when you see me glow ☀️☀️ ...

justperfact

View

Jul 16

Open
In the mood for spicy food.

In the mood for spicy food. ...

justperfact

View

Jul 14

Open
Just (sea) lion around

Just (sea) lion around ...

justperfact

View

Jul 7

Open
#beach #summervibes

#beach #summervibes ...

justperfact

View

Jul 6

Open
Mystical Garden

Mystical Garden ...

justperfact

View

Jul 1

Open
Peaceful protestors at the #blacklivesmatter demonstration in Salzburg, Austria.

Peaceful protestors at the #blacklivesmatter demonstration in Salzburg, Austria. ...

justperfact

View

Jun 25

Open
#village #worldheritage #ancient #traditional

#village #worldheritage #ancient #traditional ...

justperfact

View

Oct 25

Open
Instagram post 17912493770119371

...

justperfact

View

Oct 6

Open
Instagram post 17863645445616127

...

justperfact

View

Sep 15

Open
Instagram post 18107283529255633

...

justperfact

View

Aug 26

Open
Instagram post 17896872977258319

...

justperfact

View

Aug 9

Open
Instagram post 17886668471488844

...

justperfact

View

Jul 20

Open
Instagram post 17895757085187513

...

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Newsletter

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Trending Now

    Actors who got paid too low for these iconic roles
    Entertainment

    Actors who got paid too low for these iconic roles

    2 days ago
    65-Year-Old Veteran Becomes First-Ever Paralyzed American To Finish New York City Marathon
    World

    65-Year-Old Veteran Becomes First-Ever Paralyzed American To Finish New York City Marathon

    5 days ago
    The powerful enzyme that may break the spell of aging
    Science

    The powerful enzyme that may break the spell of aging

    6 days ago
    When the Beatles met Muhammad Ali
    Entertainment

    When the Beatles met Muhammad Ali

    1 week ago

    We bring you the best Premium WordPress Themes that perfect for news, magazine, personal blog, etc. Check our landing page for details.

    • About us
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclaimer

    © Just Perfact

    • Entertainment
    • World
    • Nature
    • Science

    © Just Perfact