The FDA

The first federal regulation of the Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906. A gentleman by the name of Henry Wiley Washington was called upon for the passing of this act because of his expertise in his field. Mr. Washington was the chief chemist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and founded the famous "poison squad" which tested the safety of preservatives by eating them. The Food and Drug Act prohibited interstate commerce in misbranded drinks, foods and drugs. Attempts to make changes to the law were unsuccessful until 1937 when a tragedy occurred.

In 1937 the Food and Drug Act was met with their first real incident. A drug by the name of Sulfanilamide had been in production in both powder and tablet forms, but a chemist by the name of Harold Cole Watkins developed a liquid form of the drug which improved the taste for children. The medium Mr. Watkins used in the production of Sulfanilamide was diethylene glycol, otherwise known as antifreeze which is a deadly poison if ingested. At this time, the Food and Drug Act did not require any pharmacological studies to prove that the drug was safe and 240 gallons were sold on the open market.

The American Medical Association began receiving complaints ranging from flu like symptoms to convulsions after taking this product. Unfortunately, most of the patients were children suffering from strep throat. Once the complaints began, the FDA quickly gathered 239 agents to find the remaining bottles of Sulfanilamide. Once complete, 234 gallons and 1 pint were recovered, however that was not before the loss of 107 patients.

It is for reasons such as these that we go to the extreme measures to receive FDA approval for any new or improved product that is introduced to the marketplace today. There are a lot of people relying on the FDA to ensure our health, safety and security.