Questions and Answers
What was the main focus of Harvey W. Wiley's study?
The state of American food
What was the standard formula for milk production at the time?
A pint of warm water for every quart of milk
What did dairy manufacturers add to milk to get rid of its bluish tint?
Plaster of paris or chalk
What were some of the deadly bacteria found in milk during the government's testing?
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What did Wiley's study reveal about other dairy products?
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What was the name of the legislation passed by Congress in response to Wiley's study?
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What did the Butter Act of 1886 do to address the dangerous state of milk production?
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What was the role of the US Department of Agriculture in relation to American farmers?
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What was the position held by Harvey W. Wiley in the US Department of Agriculture?
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What did dairy manufacturers add to milk to cover up spoiled milk?
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What was the purpose of the US Department of Agriculture when it was created?
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Who became the new chief of the US Department of Agriculture's division of chemistry in 1883?
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What was Harvey W. Wiley's agenda for the bureau?
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What was Wiley's first target for study in the dairy industry?
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What was the standard formula for milk adulteration in the dairy industry?
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What were some of the dangers associated with the milk produced by the dairy industry?
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What did the government's testing of milk reveal?
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What did Wiley's study reveal about other dairy products?
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What did Congress focus on regulating after Wiley published his study?
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What did the Butter Act of 1886 accomplish?
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Study Notes
The Battle for Pure Milk in the United States
- The US Department of Agriculture was created in 1862 to provide support for American farmers.
- In 1883, Harvey W. Wiley became the new chief of the department's division of chemistry.
- Wiley had a bold new agenda for the bureau - a wide scale study of the state of American food.
- Wiley's first target was the dairy industry, including the quality and healthfulness of milk.
- Milk production was becoming increasingly corrupt as dairy manufacturers adulterated their product to make more money.
- The standard formula was a pint of warm water for every quart of milk, and producers would add whitening agents such as plaster of paris or chalk to rid the remaining liquid of its bluish tint.
- Milk purveyors were often selling a product laden with deadly bacteria, and outbreaks of scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and cholera were common.
- The government's testing of milk revealed problems nationwide, including worms wriggling in the bottom of bottles and the use of the deadly chemical formaldehyde to cover up spoiled milk.
- Wiley's findings about other dairy products turned up widespread fraud and deception, such as the labeling of oleomargarine as butter.
- Wiley published the results of his study in a government bulletin, which made a persuasive case for federal regulation of the entire dairy industry.
- Congress held hearings and focused its attention only on regulating oleomargarine, passing a tepid piece of legislation called the Butter Act of 1886.
- The Butter Act imposed only a small tax on oleomargarine and did nothing to address the dangerous state of milk production across the country, proving that the food industry had a stranglehold on Congress.
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