SKU: 93835850820

The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

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The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth CenturyA New York Times Notable Book The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad. From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Deborah Blum, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change By the end of nineteenth century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. "Milk" might contain formaldehyde, most often

A New York Times Notable Book

The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad.

From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Blum, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change

By the end of nineteenth century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. "Milk" might contain formaldehyde, most often used to embalm corpses. Decaying meat was preserved with both salicylic acid, a pharmaceutical chemical, and borax, a compound first identified as a cleaning product. This was not by accident; food manufacturers had rushed to embrace the rise of industrial chemistry, and were knowingly selling harmful products. Unchecked by government regulation, basic safety, or even labelling requirements, they put profit before the health of their customers. By some estimates, in New York City alone, thousands of children were killed by "embalmed milk" every year. Citizens--activists, journalists, scientists, and women's groups--began agitating for change. But even as protective measures were enacted in Europe, American corporations blocked even modest regulations. Then, in 1883, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, a chemistry professor from Purdue University, was named chief chemist of the agriculture department, and the agency began methodically investigating food and drink fraud, even conducting shocking human tests on groups of young men who came to be known as, "The Poison Squad."

Over the next thirty years, a titanic struggle took place, with the courageous and fascinating Dr. Wiley campaigning indefatigably for food safety and consumer protection. Together with a gallant cast, including the muckraking reporter Upton Sinclair, whose fiction revealed the horrific truth about the Chicago stockyards; Fannie Farmer, then the most famous cookbook author in the country; and Henry J. Heinz, one of the few food producers who actively advocated for pure food, Dr. Wiley changed history. When the landmark 1906 Food and Drug Act was finally passed, it was known across the land, as "Dr. Wiley's Law."

Blum brings to life this timeless and hugely satisfying "David and Goliath" tale with righteous verve and style, driving home the moral imperative of confronting corporate greed and government corruption with a bracing clarity, which speaks resoundingly to the enormous social and political challenges we face today.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 09/24/2019
ISBN: 9780143111122
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 0.80d
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SKU: 93835850820

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Tran Nguyen
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Great book
Format: Paperback
A must read
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Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2024
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Kindle Customer
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Just Classic Batman!
Format: Kindle
I don't think I have read these tales in about 20 years. I miss Jeph Loeb on Batman. While I think he put a great spin on Superman, Loeb set the foundation for all of the visual medium for Batman. This collection of three one-shots gives us good Scarecrow and Mad Hatter Halloween stories. My favorite was the final story with a retelling of A Christmas Carol but Halloween and Batman.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
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Gary Greear
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
A few twists
Format: Paperback
These stories are well written and have a unique take on several beloved characters… I completely recommend this for some light reading in between some of the more intense story’s.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2022
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SStoker
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Batman is Awesome!
Format: Paperback
Everytime I read a comic I became entranced. I want to turn page after page. It helps that this issue has Halloween in it. (Miy favorite holiday!)
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2022
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Michael A. James
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Five Stars
Book arrived as advertised. Shipped fast and was well packaged. Would buy again.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2015

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