Historical Note
The Pure Food and Drug Act was signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt on June 30, 1906. As the act was making its way through Congress, it was simply known as “the Wiley Act,” named after Dr. Harvey Wiley, the chief chemist at the Department of Agriculture most responsible for calling attention to the problems of adulterated food.
Dr. Wiley launched the hygienic table trials in 1902. The group of daring young men was soon branded “the Poison Squad” by newspapers covering the story. The men were required to be physically fit, of high moral character, and known for sobriety and reliability. They also had to sign a waiver of liability for any health consequences they incurred during the experiment. Surprisingly, Dr. Wiley never had difficulty recruiting subjects. As news of the study was printed in national newspapers, people from all over the country sent letters offering to volunteer.
There was high turnover among members of the Poison Squad, who rarely served more than a few months. The volunteers suffered from various ailments, including headaches, nausea, and clouded thinking. Over the years, Dr. Wiley gleaned insight into the effectiveness or toxicity of various preservatives, many of which were either considered safe for use or outlawed. Although early canned and processed foods were often tainted with shocking chemicals and fillers, the work of the Poison Squad helped determine nontoxic dosages that made the food supply safer in the coming years.
The Poison Squad was officially disbanded in 1907 when Dr. Wiley was appointed to be the first head of the US Food and Drug Administration. In 1912 he became head of the testing labs at Good Housekeeping, the women’s magazine already becoming famous for their Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, which conducted scientific tests on food and drugs for safety and efficacy. He died on June 30, 1930, the twenty-fourth anniversary of the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The inaugural members of the Poison Squad. Dr. Wiley is the older man in the back row.
Questions for Discussion
Throughout the novel, Marianne mourns that she doesn’t have the sort of family she wants. She repeatedly refers to “the way things ought to be.” Is she wrong to think this way? Is there value in striving to achieve “the way things ought to be”? At what point does it become destructive?
Do you predict the Magruders and the Delacroixs will ever get along? Luke suggests that he plans to always look forward and never back in handling their conflicts. Is this possible? In bad situations, might it be the only solution?
In real life, the Poison Squad was flooded by men wanting to volunteer for service. Why do you think that was? Can you think of other dangerous or unpleasant tasks in contemporary life in which people are excited to participate?
Luke interprets the commandment to honor thy father and mother to mean that Marianne’s parents are owed respect rather than blind obedience. How do you interpret that commandment? Did Marianne break this commandment when she continued to meet Luke even though her father had forbidden it?
While working with Marianne in the darkroom, Luke observed that the problem with amusement is that once it is over, the sense of satisfaction evaporates, and that it was in doing hard things that he found the most sustenance. What does he mean by this?
Why do you think Luke was so sensitive about his Don Quixote translation?
After a loud fight between Andrew and his son, Marianne reflects: She just wished she came from a normal family where harsh punishments and raging tantrums were not standard fare. Maybe someday she would have such a family, but she was learning that constantly seeking appeasement carried its own set of problems. What did she mean by that?
Luke tells Marianne that he is elated by the chance to test himself on the Poison Squad. He tells her that five days out of the week, he sat at a desk and did paperwork, but his soul craved more. There was a wildness inside that needed a mission to both challenge and frighten him. How common do you think this sentiment is? Do you believe it is more common among men than in women?
Marianne is treated dreadfully by many people in her family, and yet she still loves them and fears being banished. Why is this?
As she was growing up, Aunt Stella’s fate was a great mystery to Marianne that she alternately admired and feared. Are there any legends in your family that hold a similar fascination for you?
Andrew is never seriously punished for the spiteful things he did to his family. How common is this in real life? What is the best way for a Christian to handle such things?
Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in Gilded Age America, featuring clever heroines and richly layered story lines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Awards and have appeared on the CBA bestsellers list. She lives in Orlando, Florida, with her husband, who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books. Learn more about Elizabeth at www.elizabethcamden.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
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Books by Elizabeth Camden
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Historical Note
Questions for Discussion
About the Author
Back Ads
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