|
Happy Birthday to the FDA! June 30th
marks the 100th anniversary
of the 1906 Food and Drug Act and the birth of the Food and Drug
Administration. The act came into being as a backlash against
unfettered
captitalism at the start of the 20th century. “Federal
interference
in commerce was a hateful notion in Washington at that time; intrusion
upon
business was not to be countenanced,” explains Philip J. Hilts in his
recent
book. “The business leaders were not called robber barons for nothing;
the era
has been described as the most shameless in American history,” he adds.
Decaying fruits, vegetables and meat were made to appear palatable with
dyes
and preservatives, including formaldehyde, borax and benzoic acid.
Flour was
bulked up with chalk, and sugar with ground-up insects. Mothers who
gave their
infants widely advertised “soothing syrups” were unwittingly
administering high
doses of opium, morphine, cocaine or acetanilide.
Harvey W. Wiley had been the Indiana State Chemist and a Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University before coming to Washington DC in 1883 to become Chief Chemist of the Department of Agriculture. He has been called the “crusading chemist” – it was his efforts, along with those of newly formed women’s groups and the American Medical Association that persuaded President Roosevelt to sign the new law. The history of the FDA, and of the regulation of food, drug, cosmetics and medical devices over the next century makes an interesting story. There is heroism, greed, politics, and inspiring acts of chemistry. And the challenges today are no less than they were in the past. Read all about it:
|
