Opinion: Harvey Washington Wiley campaigned for food and drug safety in the early 20th century. Digital mental health needs its own Wiley moment
Prior to the early 20th century, America had no regulation of medications or food additives. Formaldehyde was used to preserve meat, morphine was included in infant “soothing syrups,” and marketing, not science, drove the promotion of tonics and medications.
The 1906 Food and Drug Act was the first in a series of consumer protection laws focused on setting standards for safe and effective medications and food additives. This act, which ultimately led to establishing the Food and Drug Administration, was also known as Wiley’s Law, in tribute to Harvey Washington Wiley, a chemist who advocated for regulations that would protect the public.
