Puck — February 19, 1879 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes food adulteration and unsafe food practices in late 19th/early 20th-century America. The cartoons attack: 1. **Alum in bread**: The top panel mocks bakers adding alum (a chemical) to flour, which created health dangers including "dispepsia" and "insanity" according to period health concerns. 2. **Religious exploitation**: "How our poor Catholic friends have to feed on Fridays and during Lent" suggests sellers profited by marketing questionable products to Catholics observing dietary restrictions. 3. **Milk adulteration**: The bottom panel references concerns about contaminated or diluted milk, with the dark joke "kill her for prime beef." The page title "WHAT WE EAT" frames these as exposés of everyday food dangers. This reflects genuine Progressive Era concerns about food safety before federal regulation.