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almost worthless as a medicine ; but, nevertheless, it is bought up 

 by our speculators, who have it neatly put up in small bottles, &c, 

 and sell it as a good article. The same with iodide or hydryodate 

 of potass, which is frequently found adulterated with nit. potass 

 {saltpetre), sal. acetosellae, &c. Bromide of potassium is labelled 

 and sold as genuine hydriodate. 



" Many of the foreign medicinal extracts are prepared and sold in 

 reference to price rather than strength and purity. The foreign 

 manufacturers prepare any quality called for. Compound extract 

 colocyntk (as the label imports) comes to us in a manner well calcu- 

 lated to deceive, but, on examination, is found to contain not one 

 particle of colocynth. This spurious article is invoiced at about one- 

 third the price of the genuine article. Extract of Peruvian bark, 

 sarsaparilla, rhubarb, hyoscyamus, jalap, &c. &c, of a like inferior 

 description, are constantly being imported to a greater or less extent. 



"Very little, if any, of the pure Russian castor finds its way to 

 this country. An imitation compound of dried blood, gum ammo- 

 niac, and a little real castor, put up in artificial bags, is the article 

 generally met with. 



"But one invoice of real myrrhhas been imported into New York 

 during the past eighteen months, while very large quantities of the 

 artificial have been imported direct from Canton, where the manu- 

 facture is carried on to a great extent. This impure article is in- 

 voiced at less than one-fifth the price of the genuine, and is not 

 possessed of any medicinal quality. 



"Very little pure and prime gum myrrh is imported; most of it is 

 adulterated by the admixture of other and inferior gums. 



"Most of the gum ammoniac now imported is more or less adul- 

 terated with common resin and earthy substances. It sells for less 

 than one-third the price of the guttm ammoniaca, or pure gum. — 

 The latter is now seldom met with. 



" Gfum assafoetida is most extensively adulterated with inferior 

 mucilaginous gums, chalk, clay, &c. An invoice of some four thou- 

 sand pounds of this article passed the custom-house at New York 

 not many months since, and not one pound of which was proper to 

 be used fcr medicinal purposes without previous purification. 



" Peruvian bark comes greatly mixed, and no small portion of it 

 of a very inferior and worthless quality. We know of even twenty- 

 five distinct species of this bark, and, as may be supposed, they 

 differ greatly in strength and price. Considerable quantities are 

 shipped to this country after having had the active portion extracted 

 for the purpose of manufacturing extracts of baric. The best article 



