America's Coming of Age
Dr. Ketcher's 8th grade project
By: Aurora Calma
Food and Medicine Safety
Before the FDA was founded, medicines, cosmetics, and food contained harmful ingrediants like arsenic, heroin, cannabis, cocaine, opium, etc. Also, food, especially meat, was made or packaged in highly unsanitary factories.
Between the rat excrement, leaky roof water, and worker spit, Theodore Roosevelt knew something had to be done. In 1906, Roosevelt made the Pure Food and Drug Act. The purpose was to protect the public against contamination of food and from products identified as healthful without scientific support.
The muckrakers, a journalist group who only discussed the bad issues, had successfully heightened public awareness of safety issuescoming from careless food preparation/procedures and the increasing incidence of drug addiction from patent medicines.