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.
