SACCHARINE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2423, 21 January 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

SACCHARINE.

I heard the other day (wrroto a London correspondent) the origin of the discovery of Mu.'oh'iriue. tho new sweetening powder oxt.rioted from gas tar. The discoverer was 11 German professor of science ; and the discovery was purely incidental. He was experimentalising in his laboratory, when his wife interrupted his protracted labors by blowing out the lights and marching off to bed. Anyway, the surprise was .so effectual that, he hid not time to wa-h his hands before ho ate a biscuit as his supper which to his great surprise was a sweet one. Tho professor had a grave objection to sweet biscuits, and found fault with liis better half upon that excuse. She asserted that they were unsweetened, and to prove it, went to the box, tasting what was produced before handing 1 it to her husband, who, to her surprise, declared that it was a sweet one too. She bit a piece off, and had to confess that tho biscuit which a moment before was unsweeteded had now changed to the taste. This little play went on for some time, so the tale goes : the wife first tasting the uninviting biscuit, which, as soon as it had touched the husband's conjuring hand, became sweet. At last it struck tho feminine mind to put her lips to the professor's hand, which was found to bo covered with a fine powder of miraculously sweetening powder. The discovery w-is followed bv an adjournment to thelaboratory, where tho professor perfected saccharins.