Chemistry

President Roosevelt looks at milk under a microscope, surrounded by containers of milk and scientific tools.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Of the many reforms advanced during the Roosevelt presidency, the work to assure poor foods and drugs was as noble and far-reaching as any. “Adulterated” foods and drugs, “patent medicines,” miracle cures, and foods and beverages stretched by chalk, sawdust, and worse, were a plague that affected all. Rancid meat and fraudulently labeled perishables were clear hazards to health.

President Roosevelt asks James Burrill Angell, president of the University of Michigan, if he knows of any chemist who would be willing to work with Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson. Roosevelt does not believe that a practicing physician would be willing to accept the low pay, but perhaps a college professor would be willing to work for the government.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-03-19