Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, chief chemist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, began a series of experiments in which volunteers known as the 'Poison Squad' consumed common food preservatives like borax, salicylic acid, and formaldehyde. The goal was to test the safety of these chemicals, which were widely used in processed foods without regulation. The experiments attracted national attention and galvanized support for federal food safety laws.

The Poison Squad experiments captured the public imagination and were the subject of sensational journalism and poetry. The image of young men willingly eating poison to protect consumers became a powerful symbol of both scientific progress and corporate malfeasance. This story influenced the muckraking tradition in American literature, providing a dramatic real-life backdrop for Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and inspiring later poets who wrote about public health and government regulation.