author
Harvey Washington Wiley
1844–1930
A tireless campaigner for safer food and honest labeling, this American chemist helped turn consumer protection into federal law. His work laid the groundwork for modern food and drug regulation in the United States.
4 Audiobooks
Principles and practice of agricultural analysis. Volume 2 (of 3), Fertilizers
by Harvey Washington Wiley
Foods and Their Adulteration Origin, Manufacture, and Composition of Food Products; Description of Common Adulterations, Food Standards, and National Food Laws and Regulations
by Harvey Washington Wiley
Principles and practice of agricultural analysis. Volume 1 (of 3), Soils
by Harvey Washington Wiley
Principles and practice of agricultural analysis. Volume 3 (of 3), Agricultural products
by Harvey Washington Wiley
About the author
Born in Indiana in 1844, Harvey Washington Wiley studied at Hanover College, Indiana Medical College, and Harvard before building a career in chemistry and public health. He taught at Purdue University and later became chief chemist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Chemistry, where he pushed for stronger oversight of food adulteration and dangerous additives.
Wiley is best remembered for his role in winning passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, a landmark law that changed how the United States regulated food and medicine. He also became widely known for the famous "Poison Squad" experiments, in which volunteers ate foods containing common preservatives so their effects could be studied.
After leaving government service, he continued advocating for consumers through the Good Housekeeping Institute laboratories. He died in 1930, but his reputation as a leading force behind modern food and drug protection has endured ever since.