The Poison Eaters

The Poison Eaters by Gail Jarrow

Today most people know what goes into the food they eat, and the medicine they take. And you can always look on the label at the list of ingredients. This hasn’t always been the case. Before food and drug regulations were put into place there was no way of knowing if what you were eating from those cans and boxes was really actually what it claimed to be. Foods marketed as “pure” and “natural” could have harmful chemicals, dyes, and even human and animal waste because the factories they were made in were completely unsanitary! Medicine marketed for children could contain narcotics such as cocaine, morphine, opium, and THC. Sounds crazy right? No mother in their right mind would give those things to their child. Well, unfortunately, mothers and fathers weren’t aware of what the ingredients were or what that even meant. All they could do was trust what the bottle said, same with their food too.

Full of photographs and ads from the 19th and early 20th century, this book tells the story of Harvy Wiley, a farm boy who went on to become a doctor and a chemist. He noticed that the preservatives and additives in foods were toxic and that many “quack medicines” were causing more harm than help. He fought for years to put health and safety regulations into place. He would test these products in his laboratory, noting their harmful effects. Eventually he enlisted a group of brave young men who willingly partook of these poisons to prove the harm they were causing. The group that soon became known as the Poison Eaters.

My favorite thing about this book was all of the vintage advertisements and newspaper clippings. It's awesome to see all of the unbelievable products you’re reading about. It’s crazy to think that many of these drugs even existed, now knowing what the ingredients are. At the end of the book there is also an index of different youtube videos to watch about different topics covered in the book.