Recent information in regard to the status of the question in France, together with a very strong argument in favor of prohibiting entirely the use of this preserving agent, may be found in the following recommendation by Dr. Bartley :2

Dr. Bartley, the chief chemist of the Brooklyn Board of Health, has sent a communication to Health Commissioner Otterson, of that city, on the subject of poisonous beer adulterations, and strongly recommending that the Board take action against it. Dr. Bartley says: "During the year 1885 I had the honor to call the attention of the Department to certain abuses in the manufacture of lager beer, so called, in the course of which 1 said that 'the most important adulterations discovered, from a sanitary point of view, were yeast and sodium bicarbonate.' Since that time I have from time to time inspected the breweries of the city. As this beverage has become so largely used by families, it is now kept in bottles by many grocers. All brewers are compelled to manufacture an article for the use of bottlers. This is pre-pared with more care, in most cases, on account of the longer time it is to be kept before using. Unless it be thoroughly cured and well cleared the beer will often spoil before it is consumed, by a process of fermentation or putrefaction. To avoid the necessary care in the manufacture and the keeping of the beer for a longer time, it has become a practice among brewers to add salicylic acid to prevent this fermentation after the beer is sent out. I have for some time been aware of this use of salicylic acid, as well as its addition to wines, canned fruits, cider, milk, and other goods, for the purpose of preserving them from fermentation. In fact, the use of this acid is coming into such general use in foods that it is becoming an important sanitary question as to its effects upon health when used in small quantities for a long time. There can be no doubt that in large quantities it acts very injuriously both upon the digestive processes and the kidneys. In its elimination the kidneys not rarely become acutely congested or even inflamed, giving rise to acute Bright's disease. Although a potent remedy in the treatment of acute rheumatism, it is not suitable for long administration, owing to the above injurious action. It requires the addition of from eight to ten grains of free salicylic acid to one gallon of beer in order to prevent the growth of ferments. If bicarbonate of soda, has also been added, the quantity of acid necessary to be added is much more. Three grains have recently been found in each pint of wine. Assuming that the smallest effective proportion of the acid is used, viz, ten grains to the gallon, there are many persons in this city who take no inconsiderable amount of this drug every day of their adult lives. The salicylic acid of the market is prepared from carbolic acid, and is frequently contaminated with a small proportion of this very poisonous agent. This is a well known fact to all pharmacists. The sanitary question, then, rests upon the question of the action of small and long continued doses of salicylic acid, possibly contaminated with carbolic acid."

'American Analyst 1830, p. 410.

2 American Analyse 1887, April 1.

"Upon this point I think it necessary to quote here but one of many authorities. In 1881, and again in 1883, upon the recommendation of the Central Committee of Hygiene, the French Government prohibited the sale of articles of food containing salicylic acid. As protests were made against this legislation, and as these protests had led to contradictory judicial decisions, the above committee requested the opinion of the French Academy of Medicine. A commission created by that body of savants has recently made a report (Bulletin de l'Acad. de Med., Paris, 1886, T. XVI., pp. 583 et seq.), from which the following is an extract: 'While in persons of good health the prolonged use of such small quantities of salicylic acid as would be contained in articles of food or drink treated with this substance is probably not injurious to health, it may nevertheless produce very decided disorders of health in certain persons, and especially in the aged and in those who have a tendency to diseased kidneys or dyspepsia. Salicylic acid and its salts are eliminated by the kidneys. They tend somewhat to check the action of the digestive ferments contained in the saliva, enteric juice, and pancreatic fluid, and hence to delay digestion; hence it is easy to understand that they may aggravate digestive or renal troubles."

"The report closes with the recommendation that the addition of salicylic acid or its compounds, even in small amounts, to articles of food or drink shall be absolutely prohibited by law. This commission found by their investigation that the quantities added to wine were about six grains to the gallon, and to beer from twelve to fifteen grains."

"From the facts hero stated I am of the opinion that it is time that the addition of salicylic acid to articles of food received a check at the hands of sanitary authorities. I have made examinations of several different kinds of bottled beers manufactured and sold in this city, and have found a number of them to contain salicylic acid. The list examined contained some of the Western beers, which were also found to contain it. I would respectfully recommend that some action bo taken by this Department towards the prohibition of this injurious adulteration. "Respectfully,

"E. II. HARTLEY, M. D., Chief Chemist."