Medical Preparations
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As people moved from farms to cities at the end of the 19th century and relied increasingly on packaged and mass-produced goods, especially food and drugs, state legislatures passed laws to control the quality of food and drug contents and advertising practices of manufacturers.
Department of Agriculture Chief Chemist Harvey Wiley and his "poison squad," with public support from the American Medical Association and the influential General Federation of Women's Clubs, pushed for federal regulation of food and drugs. The Jungle, published in early 1906, and other muckraking publications outraged the U.S. public with vivid descriptions of conditions in meatpacking houses and patent medicine practices.
As a result, the public increased its pressure on Congress and President Theodore Roosevelt for federal action. The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act forbade interstate and foreign trade in adulterated food and drugs, prohibited misleading labels, and required identification of narcotic contents in drugs. The act was amended in 1912 to prohibit manufacturers' false claims about "cures" for cancer, consumption, and epilepsy. However, enforcement of the food and drug laws was difficult.
Department of Agriculture Chief Chemist Harvey Wiley and his "poison squad," with public support from the American Medical Association and the influential General Federation of Women's Clubs, pushed for federal regulation of food and drugs. The Jungle, published in early 1906, and other muckraking publications outraged the U.S. public with vivid descriptions of conditions in meatpacking houses and patent medicine practices.
As a result, the public increased its pressure on Congress and President Theodore Roosevelt for federal action. The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act forbade interstate and foreign trade in adulterated food and drugs, prohibited misleading labels, and required identification of narcotic contents in drugs. The act was amended in 1912 to prohibit manufacturers' false claims about "cures" for cancer, consumption, and epilepsy. However, enforcement of the food and drug laws was difficult.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Food and Drug Administration.
National Archives Identifier: 6788419
Full Citation: Photograph 88-GP-119; Medical Preparations; General Photographic File, 1885 - 1944; Records of the Food and Drug Administration, Record Group 88; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/medical-preparations, December 4, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.