The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

This was the nickname assigned to the first set of volunteers who willingly ingested potentially hazardous food adulterants in the name of science and in hopes of protecting the American people. The Poison Squad came to refer to all young men in subsequent iterations of the study. It was originated by George Rothwell Brown, a particularly plucky reporter, and became a term of endearment and badge of courage in referring to the anonymous participants who sacrificed their health in service of food safety research.

The Poison Trust referred to James Wilson, his appointees at the bureau, and others with whom they cooperated to keep Dr. Wiley from acquiring too much influence. “Trust” was an inversion of the concept of “antitrust,” which were laws to break up large monopolies and regulate economic power. Similarly, the “Trust” of Wilson and his cohorts represented big business interests rather than the public good.