The Deadly Dangers of 19th-Century Ice Cream

Few things evoke a sense of simple, carefree joy like ice cream. It's a treat synonymous with summer days, celebrations, and comfort. But before the age of pasteurization, industrial refrigeration, and food safety regulations, indulging in this frozen dessert was a dangerous gamble. In the 19th century, as ice cream surged in popularity, it also became an unsuspecting vehicle for disease and poison, turning a sweet treat into a public health menace.

A Recipe for Disease

The core of the problem lay in the very ingredients used to make 19th-century ice cream. The primary component, milk, was almost always raw and unpasteurized. Without the heat treatment process developed by Louis Pasteur to kill harmful microorganisms, milk was a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. City dairies were often unsanitary, and milk could be contaminated with pathogens responsible for typhoid, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and even cholera. An outbreak of typhoid fever in 1894 was traced directly back to a popular brand of ice cream. The ice used for freezing wasn't much safer. It was commonly harvested from rivers and ponds that were often contaminated with sewage and industrial runoff, introducing another layer of bacterial risk to the final product.

Colorful Killers and Deceptive Fillers

Beyond bacterial threats, the unregulated food industry of the era meant that what you saw was not what you got. To attract customers with vibrant colors, unscrupulous vendors turned to a palette of toxic chemicals. A bright green pistachio flavor might owe its hue to arsenic, while a sunny yellow lemon could be colored with lead chromate. These additives were known poisons, but without oversight, they were used to make the product more visually appealing. Furthermore, to cut costs, producers would bulk up their ice cream with fillers like gelatin, cornstarch, or even plaster of Paris. This practice of food adulteration was rampant, deceiving consumers and often introducing harmful, non-edible substances into their dessert.

The Peril of the 'Penny Lick'

The danger wasn't just in the ice cream itself, but also in how it was served. Street vendors, known as “hokey-pokey men,” sold scoops in small, reusable glass cups called “penny licks.” Customers would pay a penny, lick the glass clean, and return it to the vendor, who would give it a cursory rinse—if that—before refilling it for the next person. This created a perfect transmission vector for contagious diseases. As one commenter on the history of the subject noted:

I wonder how much of the problem was vendors reusing glassware without washing it thoroughly. The “penny lick” was a notorious vector for tuberculosis.

The romanticized notion of a simpler time with purer food often clashes with the harsh realities of the past. The widespread contamination and adulteration of ice cream serve as a stark reminder of the progress made in public health. It challenges the modern misconception that food was inherently better before the advent of regulation and scientific understanding.

...And yet we're supposed to believe that food was "purer" and "more wholesome" before modern food production.

The Dawn of Food Safety

The tide began to turn with advancements in science and public outcry for regulation. The growing acceptance of germ theory highlighted the invisible dangers lurking in food, leading to the gradual adoption of pasteurization. Public awareness campaigns, spearheaded by figures like Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, exposed the shocking state of the American food supply. This pressure culminated in the passage of the landmark Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which banned adulterated and mislabeled foods and drugs, forcing manufacturers to be more transparent and hygienic. Around the same time, a simple innovation provided a sanitary solution to the “penny lick” problem: the edible ice cream cone. First popularized at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the cone eliminated the need for shared, unwashed glassware, making the treat safer for everyone. Thanks to these scientific and legislative efforts, ice cream was transformed from a potentially lethal liability into the safe, delightful dessert we enjoy today.

Sources

• JSTOR Daily
• History.com
• Smithsonian Magazine
• Science Museum Group