> The director of the Bureau of Chemistry (and thus the first head of the FDA), Harvey Wiley, felt very strongly about the dangers of chemical additives being p

> The director of the Bureau of Chemistry (and thus the first head of the FDA), Harvey Wiley, felt very strongly about the dangers of chemical additives being put into our foods and in 1905, began a series of tests where he gave young healthy government volunteers (e.g., those most resistant to chronic poisoning) higher doses of the additives commonly being used in foods and was able to demonstrate the recipients gradually became ill. Almost a century ago, the 1929 book by the first FDA leader, https://archive.org/details/historyofacrimeagainstthefoodlawharveywashingtonwiley1929 https://archive.org/details/historyofacrimeagainstthefoodlaw... The story of the fight which has been waged for the protection of the public against adulterated and unfit foodstuffs is not a pleasant one. Politics has often played a larger part than a consideration of the welfare of the public. While some adulterations have only a commercial and not a public health interest, none the less the people should be protected against them.