{"product_id":"the-poison-squad-one-chemists-single-minded-crusade-for-food-safety-at-the-turn-of-the-twentiethcentury-paperback","title":"The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentiethcentury - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDeborah Blum\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom Pulitzer Prize winner and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e-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 \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy 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.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOver 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.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlum 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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeborah Blum\u003c\/b\u003e is director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT, and editor of Undark magazine, (undark.org). In 1992, she won the Pulitzer Prize for a series on primate research, which she turned into a book, \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey Wars\u003c\/i\u003e. Her other books include \u003ci\u003eThe Poisoner's Handbook\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGhost Hunters\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLove at Goon Park\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSex on the Brain\u003c\/i\u003e. She has written for publications including \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWired\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDiscover\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e. Blum is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a lifetime associate of the National Academy of Sciences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.3 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 24, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53756850176333,"sku":"9780143111122","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0927\/3304\/7117\/files\/eFY5eThOSGR0UWt3SjdoQ3FIdG45QT09.webp?v=1776754590","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.us\/products\/the-poison-squad-one-chemists-single-minded-crusade-for-food-safety-at-the-turn-of-the-twentiethcentury-paperback","provider":"belfastbooks.us","version":"1.0","type":"link"}