Lauer K
Department of Neurology, Academic Teaching Hospital, Darmstadt, Germany.
J Clin Epidemiol. 1991;44(3):261-4. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(91)90037-a.
In order to settle the question of when saltpetre (nitrate) came in use as an additive to human food, a number of historic cookery books from Germany and Austria were reviewed. Obviously, the change from vegetable dyes to saltpetre for the coloring or color preservation, respectively, of meat occurred between 1600 and 1750, probably near 1700. The addition of sugar which favours the reduction of nitrate to the active agent nitrite became common practice during the 19th century. Thus some historic parallels to the appearance of colorectal cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis in the medical literature became apparent.
为了确定硝石（硝酸盐）何时开始用作人类食物的添加剂，查阅了一些来自德国和奥地利的历史烹饪书籍。显然，在肉类染色或保鲜方面，从使用植物染料转变为使用硝石分别发生在1600年至1750年之间，可能接近1700年。在19世纪，添加有助于将硝酸盐还原为活性剂亚硝酸盐的糖成为了常见做法。因此，医学文献中结直肠癌、多发性硬化症和类风湿性关节炎出现的一些历史相似之处变得明显起来。
