market, made up so
skilfully, as to elude the discrimination of the most experienced
judges.

But of all possible nefarious traffic and deception, practised by
mercenary dealers, that of adulterating the articles intended for human
food with ingredients deleterious to health, is the most criminal, and,
in the mind of every honest man, must excite feelings of regret and
disgust. Numerous facts are on record, of human food, contaminated with
poisonous ingredients, having been vended to the public; and the annals
of medicine record tragical events ensuing from the use of such food.

The eager and insatiable thirst for gain, is proof against prohibitions
and penalties; and the possible sacrifice of a fellow-creature's life,
is a secondary consideration among unprincipled dealers.

However invidious the office may appear, and however painful the duty
may be, of exposing the names of individuals, who have been convicted of
adulterating food; yet it was necessary, for the verification of my
statement, that cases should be adduced in their support; and I have
carefully avoided citing any, except those which are authenticated in
Parliamentary documents and other public records.

To render this Treatise still more useful, I have also animadverted on
certain material errors, sometimes unconsciously committed through
accident or ignorance, in private families, during the preparation of
various articles of food, and of delicacies for the table.

In stating the experimental proceedings necessary for the detection of
the frauds which it has been my object to expose, I have confined myself
to the task of pointing out such operations only as may be performed by
persons unacquainted with chemical science; and it has been my purpose
to express all necessary rules and instructions in the plainest
language, divested of those recondite terms of science, which would be
out of place in a work intended for general perusal.

The design of the Treatise will be fully answered, if the views here
given should induce a single reader to pursue the object for which it
is published; or if it should tend to impress on the mind of the Public
the magnitude of an evil, which, in many cases, prevails to an extent so
alarming, that we may exclaim with the sons of the Prophet,

"_THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT._"

For the abolition of such nefarious practices, it is the interest of all
classes of the community to co-operate.

FREDRICK ACCUM.

LONDO