Lethal Lozenges and Tainted Tea: John Postgate and the Crusade for Safe Food
by John Postgate, Brewin Books, 拢11.95, ISBN 1858581788
LEST you imagine that microbiologist John Postgate has penned a tribute to
his own work, this book is actually about his great-grandfather and namesake,
who campaigned for Britain鈥檚 19th-century Food and Drug Adulteration Acts. The
latterday Postgate embellishes Lethal Lozenges and Tainted Tea with
vivid descriptions of adulteration from wilful substitutions and accidental
contaminations to illicit practices that later became orthodox (hops in beer,
chicory in coffee).
Postgate鈥檚 Victorian forebear was an austere, self-assured doctor and
academic who saw that it was not enough to ban adulteration, but that dependable
systems were required for detection and monitoring, including the appointment of
public analysts. The doggedness and selflessness with which he pursued his
campaign meant that he drove his own family nearly as hard as himself.
Postgate鈥檚 offspring did not appreciate the 鈥済eneral contempt for the luxuries
and comforts of life鈥� that he urged upon his medical students.
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It鈥檚 a bit of a mystery why Postgate鈥檚 great contribution has remained
largely forgotten compared with those of his co-crusaders Thomas Wakley (editor
of The Lancet) and public health pioneer Arthur Hill Hassall. His
great-grandson, an affectionate yet critical biographer, suggests that
Postgate鈥檚 own self-absorption and lack of generosity to colleagues helped to
deny him the fame that his work unquestionably warranted. This absorbing
monograph should redress the balance.