PRESERVATIVES IN FOODS.

By W. DOHERTY, F.I.C.

MR. W. DOHERTY, F.I.C., of the Government Laboratory, Sydney, forwarded a paper strongly adverse to the use of preservatives, which was well summarised in the concluding paragraph:

"So general has the use of antiseptics become, that we encounter them in almost every article of food. Thus, at breakfast, we may have borax in our coffee, boracic acid in our milk, in our butter, in fish (fresh and otherwise), in sausages, and salicylic acid in jams and preserves. Later on in the day we meet them again in wine, in ale, in aërated waters, in cheese, in pickles, &c., in quantities more or less in accordance with the personal equation of the purveyor. Our supper may consist of salicylated stout, and oysters soaked in a solution of boracic acid. Formaldehyde, sulphites, fluorides, &c., may add their quota to the day's menu. The cumulative effect of all this dosing, hour by hour, day by day, continued throughout the year, is quite a different matter from a grain or two of a drug in a bottle of gingerbeer. We may not fear a single ant, but we carefully avoid sleeping on an ant-bed. That's the point."

A discussion followed.

Mr. Blackett, Government Analyst, Victoria, spoke against the use of preservatives,, and more especially of salicylic acid in wine or beer.

Mr. W. F. Ward, the Tasmanian Government Analyst, said that, in his opinion, it might be laid down as a general rule that any chemical which retarded decomposition also retarded digestion, and was, consequently, harmful. The onus of proof that it was not so should be upon those who desired to use such chemical. He especially wished to emphasise one point, which concerned future generations. In the first place, it was a matter of special, if not of general, knowledge, that the women of Australia were, to a large and increasing extent, shirking the duties of maternity, as the birth-rates showed. This being so, and until they could be brought to a more patriotic and less morbidly selfish frame of mind, we must do our best to preserve as many as possible of the lessened number of infants. Far too many

of them are fed on condensed milk, to much of which preservatives are added, and while the milk has only been condensed to one-third of its bulk, with the addition of some

M

cane sugar, most extravagant quantities of water are directed to be used, so that for a certain quantity of milk solids the unfortunate infant, bottle-fed (often only owing to the selfishness of the mother), may have to drink seven times more water than in its proper natural food. But this is not the worst. In a book specially devoted to Australian infants, it is directed to dilute condensed milk with no less than 48 times its bulk of water, whereas cows' milk is only to have an equal bulk of water added to it. This seemed a distinctly dangerous piece of advice, which required immediate correction, when it was borne in mind that the milk is condensed to one-third only. The mothers, in these respects, he strongly condemned. Much of it he attributed to laziness. They wilfully lowered the birth-rate, or injured their infants with foods containing unwholesome preservatives, and did their best to ruin their country and their

race.

Two members spoke more or less in support of the use of preservatives, but the Section generally agreed with Dr. Greig Smith, who claimed that no one should be dosed against his knowledge and will.

Attention was called later to the "humanised condensed milks" now being made, and to the report of the English committee on the subject, one of the recommendations of which is, "(e) that in the case of all dietetic preparations intended for the use of infants or invalids, chemical preservatives of all kinds be prohibited."

NOTES ON THE COMPOSITION OF METEORIC IRON FROM BENDOCK, VICTORIA.

By JOHN C. H. MINGAYE, F.I.C., F.C.S.. Analyst to the Department of Mines, New South Wales.

IN 1899 a small sample, consisting largely of metallic iron much oxidised, also a number of brittle stones, were submitted to a qualitative analysis, and reported to be of meteoric origin.

A letter from Mr. J. A. Skinsleigh, dated 27.12.200, to the Department, states as follows:-"Found, about seven

miles from here (i.a., Bendock, Victoria), in a sluicing claim in heavy boulder-wash." It is said to have weighed about 60 lbs. when first discovered. Various inquiries have been made, with a view of obtaining the balance of the meteorite, but no answer has been obtained; hence it is assumed that the sender has left the district.

The meteorite comes under the class of mixed meteorites, or siderolites, which contain metallic iron, and various silicates, in their composition. The non-metallic portion was separated from the metallic portion, a separate analysis being made of each.

Metallic portion.-This consisted mainly of metallic iron, iron oxide, and nickel. The mass had undergone considerable oxidation, and is thickly coated with rust, portions of the material being readily broken on slight pressure being applied.

Non-Metallic portion. On treatment with hydrochloric acid, the powder gave off a copious evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen. Decomposed by acids, with separation of gela tinous silica. 96 4 per cent. of the material was found to be soluble in hydrochloric acid. On treating some of the fine powder with distilled water, and filtering, the clear solution gave a reaction for chlorine, iron, lime, and magnesia. Under a 1-inch objective, small grains of a yellowish mineral, inclined to green, and resembling olivine, were observed; also grains of a mineral clear-white in colour, enclosing material of a reddish tinge. Several pieces of mineral of a dark colour, and somewhat resembling troilite, are noticeable.

From the above analysis, it will be seen that the nonmetallic portion is essentially a silicate of magnesia and iron, with iron sulphide. Some of the olivine has undergone alteration, and is changed into hydrous magensium silicate, as shown by the material containing 6 19 per cent. of

water.

THE OXIDATION OF CHARCOAL TO MELITTIC

ACID.

By Professor EASTERFIELD.

SECTION U.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY.

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

By T. S. HALL, M.A., University, Melbourne. THE POSSIBILITY OF DETAILED CORRELATION OF AUSTRALIAN FORMATIONS WITH THOSE OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE.

"It is the aim of the Stratigraphical Geologist," says a well-known author (Marr, 1898, p. 1), "to record the events which have occurred during the existence of the earth in the order in which they have taken place." In the case of formations which come into contact, the order of succes sion can be settled by the Law of Superposition—the underlying strata are the older. But the law is not always applicable, and the identification of strata by their fossil contents becomes necessary, and thus their relationship to other sets of strata is made possible. As a matter of fact, no two series of beds, separated from one another by any reasonable distance, ever do contain exactly identical faunas, but differences, more or less marked, are discernible on careful examination. These differences may be due to several causes, such as slight differences in age. geographical remoteness, or different conditions of deposition as regards depth of the water, the rate of sedimentation, and the numerous other factors which cause differences in the fauna at various places near our shores to-day.

In recent times geographical remoteness is an important factor in bringing about differences in the facies of faunas. As distances increase, specific and generic agreements decrease, and, speaking generally, the wider spread is any form the older is it geologically. The converse, however, is not always true, for many genera or species now restricted to small and isolated areas have a considerable geological antiquity. Highly specialised types, as opposed to highly organised ones, are prone to have but a short geological range, and yet these forms. as, for instance, those terminal twigs of a genealogical tree, which bud forth into spines and bizarre ornament, are just those which are easy to recognise