Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1846

ARTHUR HILL HASSALL (1817-1894) Food and its adulterations. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans 1855 xlviii, 659 [1] 60 [2] 16 pp., illus. 22.1 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 1844

Hassall studied medicine as his uncle's apprentice in Dublin and later returned to England where he received a diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons in 1839 and an M.D. from the University of London in 1851. An individual of many scientific interests, he earlier published the first English text on microscopic anatomy--Microscopic anatomy of the human body (London, 1846-1849). Poor health forced him to abandon his general practice and he turned to analytical chemistry. His communication to the Botanical Society concerning the adulteration of coffee soon brought him to the attention of the Analytical Sanitary Commission of Lancet and later the post of chief analyst of the commission. The work of this commission, established by Lancet, eventually resulted in legislation to curb the rampant adulteration of foodstuffs then prevalent in England. Hassall's reports, presented here in one volume, were initially published in weekly issues of Lancet from 1851 to 1854. Representing an immense amount of analytical work, he reported on nearly 2500 samples of foods, beverages, and tobacco products, providing detailed analyses and illustrations of his findings as well as identification of the sample's vendor or manufacturer. The accuracy and skill of his work was such that only one legal action was threatened but that was later dropped.

Gift of John Martin, M.D.