SKU: 93835850820

The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

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The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth CenturyA New York Times Notable Book The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad. From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Deborah Blum, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change By the end of nineteenth century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. "Milk" might contain formaldehyde, most often

A New York Times Notable Book

The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad.

From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Blum, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change

By the end of nineteenth century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. "Milk" might contain formaldehyde, most often used to embalm corpses. Decaying meat was preserved with both salicylic acid, a pharmaceutical chemical, and borax, a compound first identified as a cleaning product. This was not by accident; food manufacturers had rushed to embrace the rise of industrial chemistry, and were knowingly selling harmful products. Unchecked by government regulation, basic safety, or even labelling requirements, they put profit before the health of their customers. By some estimates, in New York City alone, thousands of children were killed by "embalmed milk" every year. Citizens--activists, journalists, scientists, and women's groups--began agitating for change. But even as protective measures were enacted in Europe, American corporations blocked even modest regulations. Then, in 1883, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, a chemistry professor from Purdue University, was named chief chemist of the agriculture department, and the agency began methodically investigating food and drink fraud, even conducting shocking human tests on groups of young men who came to be known as, "The Poison Squad."

Over the next thirty years, a titanic struggle took place, with the courageous and fascinating Dr. Wiley campaigning indefatigably for food safety and consumer protection. Together with a gallant cast, including the muckraking reporter Upton Sinclair, whose fiction revealed the horrific truth about the Chicago stockyards; Fannie Farmer, then the most famous cookbook author in the country; and Henry J. Heinz, one of the few food producers who actively advocated for pure food, Dr. Wiley changed history. When the landmark 1906 Food and Drug Act was finally passed, it was known across the land, as "Dr. Wiley's Law."

Blum brings to life this timeless and hugely satisfying "David and Goliath" tale with righteous verve and style, driving home the moral imperative of confronting corporate greed and government corruption with a bracing clarity, which speaks resoundingly to the enormous social and political challenges we face today.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 09/24/2019
ISBN: 9780143111122
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 0.80d
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SKU: 93835850820

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Ray Ray
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent choice
I will skeptical when buying these because I have a pitbull bulldog that likes to chew holes in every toy. This is her favorite she choose on the ball, but she doesn’t actually ruin it because she can’t. It holds up one of the squeakers broke, but that’s expected I guess my wife actually ordered more. I’m not sure if it was from the same seller or not but those ones they don’t favor as much for some reason I seen the same different colors. My dog even sleeps with it sometimes. The picture shows for sleeping with it. I’m definitely happy. I got these. They are tough. I like the fact that they have those little recessed holes so they can grab a hold of it and not get it all slimy like the other balls we have.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2026
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Tyrek
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Durable and a must have for aggressive chewers
Color: Blue+Red
These are without a doubt the best toys that I have ever purchased for my dog. He's an aggressive chewer and quickly destroys almost every toy I buy. This one hasn't been destroyed yet and the squeaker is still working at about 5 months.
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Kassy
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
GSD Winner
Color: Blue+Red
10/10 recommend for big dogs with a tough chew. Our GSD absolutely loves these squeaky balls. They have perfect texture for his teeth and for our grip. They are the size of a baseball and are so durable and fun. Yes the squeaky is LOUD but he loves them so much that it's cute
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Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2026
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phan_graph
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 4
Great buy
Color: Blue+Red
My dogs kill every toy. They arrived very agressive chewers. These have lasted way longer than most balls have. Great value
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Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2026
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megs2168
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
If your dog loves tennis balls, you NEED these
Color: Azure+Orange, Color: Azure+Orange
Raising any puppy is tough. Raising a German Shepherd puppy has often left me questioning my life choices. So I was ecstatic the day that my 60-lb puppy decided that he loves tennis balls and occupied himself for 2 hours without needing constant intervention. Naturally, my immediate response was to make sure we had a constant supply of large tennis balls for dogs available. Now my puppy loves mischief, but he’s not an aggressive chewer. And I was irritated to discover that every brand and size of tennis ball broke within an hour max of play. By simply playing fetch and batting the ball around with his paws, every single tennis ball split into 2 halves. We needed something better! These squeaky balls are exactly that! They come in a 2-pack. I gave my pup the 1st one a week ago and it’s still going strong! We play fetch in the backyard, he brings it into the doggy pool with him, it rolls around in the dirt and can be rinsed off easily. It’s by far his favorite toy, and he takes it everywhere with him. Finally a squeaky ball that can keep up with my dog! These are the perfect size, texture, bounce, squeak, everything. These are the ONLY squeaky balls I will buy from now on. Five stars for sure!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2026

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