[♪♩INTRO]
I think we can all agree that food… is pretty great.
So participating in an experiment where almost all you have to do is eat three delicious
meals every day for up to a year sounds kind of like the dream.
But imagine knowing that hidden in one of the foods—maybe the butter, maybe the
freshly picked peas—is a substance that's probably toxic.
It sounds unthinkable today, but that was the setup of some of the strangest and most
infamous human experiments in American history, known as the poison squads.
They ran for five years starting in 1902.
And even though they wouldn't pass any scientific ethics committee today, they were revolutionary
at the time because people started to realize that maybe they should make sure things are
safe to eat before eating them.
The trials were the brainchild of Harvey Washington Wiley, the head chemist with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
Back then, food additives didn't have to be tested, or even put on labels, and he wasn't
really okay with the idea that no one in America had any way of knowing what they were actually
eating unless they had grown or raised it themselves.
Formaldehyde, for example, regularly popped up in milk to keep it from souring.
Yeah, the known carcinogen that we use to preserve dead bodies.
You'd also often find borax, a mineral that contains sodium and boron, in meat.
It made the meat firmer, which made it seem fresher — especially when combined with
an extra pinch of salt and red food coloring.
These days borax is a common ingredient in things like detergent and pesticides.
And we're not talking tiny, insignificant amounts of this stuff, either.
But no one had bothered to investigate whether these additives were actually safe to eat.
So, with five thousand bucks from the government, Wiley hired a chef, promised a bunch of otherwise
great free food, and recruited a dozen healthy young men as volunteers.
He took their weight and vitals, made them collect their urine and feces, and gave them
weekly physicals.
Then, they started with a low dose of a specific chemical and went up, stopping only when the
men were too sick to continue.
The first poison squad tackled borax and its derivative, boric acid, because they were
so common.
At first, the chef hid the chemicals in butter or milk.
But the volunteers could taste the metallic flavor and instinctively avoided it, because
no one wants to eat butter that tastes like their silverware.
Wiley still needed the men to get the right dosage, so he just put the borax in pills
for them to pop about halfway through their meals.
Bon appetit!
The guys on the Poison Squad reported stomach pains and feeling less hungry when they were
fed 2-3 grams of borax a day.
At 4 grams, they became very tired, developed headaches, and couldn't work normally.
Which sounds like an average Monday to me, but apparently in their case it was caused
by the borax.
Through other trials, Wiley also found that if they took a lower dose of half a gram a
day for long enough, they'd get similar symptoms.
Today we know that eating borax can cause tissue damage, which can eventually lead to
fun things like vomiting and convulsions, so thanks for saving us from that one, Poison
Squad.
Thankfully, though, almost no one walked away from these experiments with any obvious long-term
problems.
Wiley also tested copper sulfate, which was added to things like canned peas to make them
bright green, as well as formaldehyde, sodium benzoate, and salicylic acid.
While the effects on the men varied, Wiley concluded that none of the additives were
safe.
Today, any scientist looking back at these trials would be horrified by not only the
ethical problems -- because giving people potentially deadly substances, even if they
know about them, is never OK -- but also the poor experimental design.
For one thing, the participants knew they were eating a potential poison, which could
have easily skewed the symptoms they reported and made them feel more sick than they actually
were.
Not to mention that for the most part, the experiment had no real control group.
In between testing each substance, the squads were given a break for several weeks, but
they weren't asked to continue reporting symptoms or to keep collecting their urine
or fecal samples.
You also can't really conclude much from a small and specific group of people.
Wiley thought that if healthy young men got sick, the same chemical would also be unsafe
for women and children.
That's not really how biology works, though, and a few dozen young white guys didn't
exactly represent all of America.
But even though there were a lot of flaws with this experiment, it was the first time
somebody thought to test food additives and study them one at a time.
Later research that was actually reliable led to almost all of these additives being
banned from food -- except for sodium benzoate, which is a common preservative in acidic foods,
like orange juice and soda.
But only because we've tested it and it's considered safe.
And journalists loved covering the happenings in the D.C. lab kitchen, so people across
the country started thinking seriously about the things that might be used to preserve
their food.
In 1906, partly because of the public's new awareness, Congress passed the Pure Food
and Drug Act, a precursor to today's more rigorous regulations.
Those concerns also led to the creation of the FDA, which is the organization that makes
sure the ingredients in your food aren't going to kill you.
For the most part, anyway.
If you decide to crack open ten thousand cans of baked beans, there's not much they can
do to help.
That one's on you.
Since Wiley was so instrumental in protecting America's food, he's often called the
father of the agency.
So, the Poison Squads were a really horrible idea and full of sketchy science.
But because of the progress we've made since then, going to the supermarket today is a
whole lot safer.
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow!
If you'd like to learn more about some of the most common additives used in foods today,
you can check out our video about 5 chemicals that are in almost everything you eat.
And for more episodes like this, you can go to youtube.com/scishow and subscribe!
[♪♩OUTRO]
For more infomation >> The Poison Squads: The Stupid, Risky First Food Safety Tests - Duration: 5:18.-------------------------------------------
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For more infomation >> Jay King Angel Peak Turquoise Bead 181/4" Necklace - Duration: 6:54. -------------------------------------------
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For more infomation >> Les signes que votre pression artérielle est dangereusement élevée - Duration: 7:06. -------------------------------------------
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For more infomation >> [FLOYT FR] Shiny Grodoudou/Wigglytuff sur Pokémon Jaune /Yellow après 2641x3 SRs (English Subtitled) - Duration: 10:52. -------------------------------------------
Chocolate Panic OST | Side B | 07. | Hustle Bustle - Duration: 4:06.
You take the subways and the highways Let wheels just keep on turning, turning
You make the plans and the promises Let body keep on moving, moving
The secret's revealed In this 20th Century's end
So soon you'll find out You got nothing but the restless heart
Where you goin' hustle bustle
What you doin' hustle bustle
24 hours hustle bustle
Lose your mind hustle bustle
You save the money for a rainy day It ain't no use when you're falling, falling
You wake up every morning like before You'd better know the earth is turning, turning
The secret's revealed In this 20th Century's end
So soon you'll find out You got nothing but the broken dreams
Where you goin' hustle bustle
What you doin' hustle bustle
24 hours hustle bustle
Lose your mind hustle bustle
Learn the leaving hustle bustle
Find its meaning hustle bustle
60 seconds hustle bustle
Stop and think hustle bustle
-------------------------------------------
Funny Animal Cartoons
For more infomation >> Funny Animal Cartoons-------------------------------------------
Things Are Starting to Fall Apart - Duration: 10:40.
For more infomation >> Things Are Starting to Fall Apart - Duration: 10:40. -------------------------------------------
Darkhounds | "The Fall of Clovis" - GameMasters' Studio RPG Backstory - Duration: 4:33.
The Fall of Clovis.
Clovis was once a powerful and honorable Paladin.
He charged into battle with Glaxius-aderondus-Calus a mighty Golden Dragon.
Clovis was once as happy as he was powerful.
He was known for always having a smile upon his face wherever he went.
Even on his darkest journeys he would have a smile, when asked why he would reply, "Life
is good!
Though I am here in this place, I am not alone, I am here with you, my fellow comrades at
arms, my friends.
So I fear not and smile for my blessings for together we are strong and will always endure
our next challenge."
One horrible day, everything changed for Clovis....
Upon returning home after a few days away on a short adventure, Clovis found his small
humble cabin in the woods was burned to the ground, the charred remains still smoking.
Clovis quickly searched the remnants to find the smoking bones of his wife.
A great and powerful rage coursed through Clovis.
He tempered the fire in his blood long enough to investigate the scene looking for a direction
to aim his fury.
Clovis found little though his experience taught him that sometimes, less is more and
that nothing is still something.
The clues started to stack up; his cabin was a crater of ash but nothing around it was
burned, it was set a flame…?
Ahhh there is a clear tunnel of burned leaves and branches straight from the point of the
cabin up into the sky at about a 45 degree angle…
Fireball spell he pondered?
No it would not have burned a path it would have just exploded on target.
No, he's seen the likes of this before…
DRAGON FIRE!
Focusing once more Clovis used his divine sense looking for the presence of any dragons
near by, nothing.
He had to try…
Through further investigation Clovis was able to find a single gold scale near the scene
of his wife's murder.
He brought it to one of his fellow comrades who magically deduced the owner of the scale.
Clovis never told any of his comrades what he had come home too.
So there was no reason to doubt or try and make sense of the answer given to Clovis when
his comrade told him that the scale was from Clovis' Draconic comrade and supposed friend
'Glaxius'.
Clovis smiled politely, bowed to his friend, and left.
The next day Clovis's party was contacted by some near-by villagers informing them of
what seemed to be a great battle near by.
They set out to investigate.
What they found horrified them.
Clovis sat bloodstained upon a tree stump, surrounding him were the bodies of a half
dozen gold dragons, including 'Glaxius'.
His party questioned Clovis, asking what he has done, who replied, "He took away my
love and family, so I took away his, then I took his life."
Confused and afraid of what he might do next, the party attempted to talk to Clovis.
But he said a short prayer to his late wife telling her he would be with her again in
just a few moments.
Then with lightning speed pulled the sword from 'Glaxius's' chest and plunged it
through his own.
His friends moved into stop him but all were too late.
Clovis had killed himself.
Several attempts to revive Clovis were made by both the party and others who had once
looked up to Clovis, the jovial Paladin and defender of the weak, however none were successful.
Shocked and confused the party put their friends body to rest.
They later found out what had happened to his Wife.
Though the situation made little sense none could find any evidence to disprove Clovis's
theory of it being 'Glaxius' and wished him peace in the next life assuming he had,
had his revenge.
-------------------------------------------
Chocolate Panic OST | Side B | 07. | Hustle Bustle - Duration: 4:06.You take the subways and the highways Let wheels just keep on turning, turning
You make the plans and the promises Let body keep on moving, moving
The secret's revealed In this 20th Century's end
So soon you'll find out You got nothing but the restless heart
Where you goin' hustle bustle
What you doin' hustle bustle
24 hours hustle bustle
Lose your mind hustle bustle
You save the money for a rainy day It ain't no use when you're falling, falling
You wake up every morning like before You'd better know the earth is turning, turning
The secret's revealed In this 20th Century's end
So soon you'll find out You got nothing but the broken dreams
Where you goin' hustle bustle
What you doin' hustle bustle
24 hours hustle bustle
Lose your mind hustle bustle
Learn the leaving hustle bustle
Find its meaning hustle bustle
60 seconds hustle bustle
Stop and think hustle bustle
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