BUBEAU OF CHEMISTRY. 461 



During the early part of the fiscal year a number of importations 

 of so-called " sjmthetic balsam Peru " were offered for entry, invoiced 

 under some such names as " balsam Peru " or " synthetic balsam 

 Peru." Examination showed that they were artificial mixtures, pure 

 and simple. Such goods are intended to be employed instead of 

 natural balsam Peru recopiized in the United States Pharmacoprcia, 

 Analysis of this product showed that it did not comply with the 

 pharmacopoeial standards for the official product, and, from analj'^t- 

 ical data and other information available, it is evident that the article 

 in question is purely an imitation of the genuine product. 



Importations from oriental countries offered for entry under the 

 guise of medicinal preparations were found to contain opium or mor- 

 phin. These products are put up in various forms, such as small red 

 pills coated with cinnabar, contained in bottles or wrapped in paper 

 and inclosed in paraffin or in wax globules. Others are in the form of 

 tablets. Such goods have been invoiced under various names, as 

 " tonic pills," " stimulant pills," " tea cake," etc. The products are 

 recommended, in the English or in the Chinese language, or both, 

 for those who have been addicted to the opium or morphin habit, and 

 also for coughs, colds, consumption, etc. Such products are obviously 

 used to supply drug addicts and to promote drug enslavement. In 

 some instances the statement is made in the Chinese language that 

 the goods do not contain morphin. and that they are beneficial for 

 " women and children, male and female." Other importations of 

 products have been offered for entry containing habit-forming drugs, 

 as opium, morphin, cocain, codein, chloroform, and ether, recom- 

 mended for certain children's diseases, coughs, colds, etc. ; for exam- 

 ple, the products " pastiglie dower," containing opium, and " pastils 

 of codein," containing morphin and codein. These goods are in the 

 form of a confection, sweet and attractively flavored. In the hands 

 of mothers, children, and those who are not familiar with the proper- 

 ties of such constituents, the great danger of their indiscriminate use 

 is apparent. 



Interesting facts have developed regarding the importation of cer- 

 tain linseed, licorice, and chlorodyne cough lozenges. This prepara- 

 tion is in the form of a lozenge, is not unpleasant to the taste, and 

 contains, among other ingredients, chloroform and ether. "^A^ien a con- 

 signment was detained it was represented to be sold onW as a medic- 

 inal agent for coughs, colds, etc.; but an investigation showed conclu- 

 sively that in certain localities the product was sold indiscriminately 

 and extensively to school children and others as a confection, without 

 any warning whatever regarding its dangerous character. All such 

 products as the above are detained and prohibited entry under section 

 11 of the law, as being dangerous to the health of the people of the 

 United States. 



EXAMINATION OF FOODS AND DRUGS AT THE BRANCH LABORATORIES. 



Heretofore the inspection of imported food and drugs has been 

 largely confined to the ports at which inspection laboratories were 

 established. Invoices of all shipments of foods to all ports in the 

 United States were recei^ ed at the Bureau of Chemistry, and from 

 time to time shipments to nonlaboratory ports were sampled and ex- 



