AUTHOR’S NOTE

The Poison Squads were more than several dozen young men brave enough to “eat the fare.” Wiley’s Hygienic Tables are only part of an intriguing story with a cast of passionate, determined, and sometimes flawed characters.

I begin each book project uncertain where my research will take me. The story of the Poison Eaters turned out to be bigger than I expected. As I learned, so is the story of the Food and Drug Administration.

Today, the FDA’s actions affect much of our lives: Every meal we eat at home or in a restaurant. Every trip to the doctor, dentist, or hospital. The care we give our pets. The creams we put on our skin, and the shampoo we use to wash our hair.

Most of us don’t think twice about the safety of each bite of food or dose of medicine. For that, we can thank the FDA, which started from a few diligent chemists in a basement laboratory.

Harvey Wiley, the Father of the FDA, is central to this story. I kicked off my research by reading Wiley’s own words in his autobiography, scientific publications, congressional testimonies, and Good Housekeeping articles. Exploring his papers at the Library of Congress, I discovered diaries and private letters that broadened my view of him. To find out what others said about Wiley (both positive and negative), I located letters and autobiographies by his family, friends, and professional associates. Newspaper editorials, magazine articles, and politicians’ speeches provided additional insight into Wiley and his pure-food quest.

To understand what food and drugs were like in the 1800s and early 1900s, I read the Bureau of Chemistry reports, scientific and medical journals, the muckrakers’ work, newspaper accounts of the pure-food movement, and advertising from the period. Books and articles by historians filled in details about food manufacturing, proprietary medicines, and the 1906 bill’s twenty-five-year journey through Congress. Information from the FDA History Office was particularly helpful.

Following the story into the present, I relied on current FDA publications, chemistry and food science experts, and recent books and articles about the safety of food and medicine.

Photographs brought the scenes and actors to life for me, and I have shared many of the images with readers.

Every day, I see and hear advertising claims as outrageous as those of the quack medicine companies one hundred years ago: A foolproof way to have clear, radiant skin. The revolutionary method to freeze off body fat at home, for only $100. Countless products promise to improve your appearance, boost your strength, and soothe aches and pains. Just like a century ago, people buy them.

While government oversight has increased, it doesn’t completely protect us from fraud and danger. Should we expect that? How many restrictions should there be on what we buy and sell? Do the officials who impose restrictions always make the correct decision? Should we have more freedom to choose the products we use, even if it means making mistakes?

These questions are as controversial today as they were in Harvey Wiley’s time. The debate continues.

—G.J.