BUKEAU OF CHEMISTRY. 425 



product contains 35 per cent or more of alcohol-soluble material. 

 A number of shipments of asafetida have been found to comply with 

 the United States Pharmacopoeial standard for alcohol-soluble 

 material. 



The question of bitters has been given considerable attention. 

 It is found that a number of these products are named after certain 

 drugs, or statements are made on the labels wliich represent the 

 articles to contain a substantial C[uantity of a given ingredient or 

 ingredients, while the analyses often reveal at most only a trace 

 of the specific drug referred to by name or by representations. 

 Cinchona and quinin preparations are typical of this class of products. 

 A number of consignments have been offered for entry under the 

 name of magnesia or terms including the word "magnesia," which 

 w^ere found upon examination to contain only a small amoimt of 

 this body, the product depending for its activity on organic acids 

 (principally tartaric) and the sodium bicarbonate present. 



The number of shipments of Chinese opium and morphin pills 

 referred to in last year's report have materially decreased, but those 

 shipments offered for entry are regularly detained as bemg in violation 

 of section 11 of the food and drugs act in that they may be dangerous 

 to the health of the people of the United States. 



A number of importations of products containing opium, mor- 

 phin, and codein have been detained as being in violation of sec- 

 tion 1 1 . The basis for such action was that the goods were prepared 

 in the form of a confection, flavored in such a way as to be attractive 

 to the taste, and recommended and presumably used as household 

 remedies for colds, coughs, etc., but as a matter of fact some are sold 

 as ordinary confections. The danger of such preparations is at 

 once apparent. Certain dangerous habit-forming drugs have been 

 eliminated from some commodities of this type during the past year. 



Washington Food Inspection Laboratory. 



The Washington food inspection laboratory is charged with the 

 analysis of the original samples sent to it for examination and with 

 receiving the reports and arranging for or making check analysis of 

 samples examined in the branch laboratories of all classes of foods not 

 otherwise provided for in one of the specialized laboratories of the 

 bureau. The total number of samples examined during the year was 

 3,164, of which 945 were check samples of imported foods taken at 

 the various port laboratories. In addition to these there were 152 

 imported food samples taken in connection with the nonlaboratory 

 port inspection in the Washington district, and of the total 2,067 

 were samples of food of domestic origin. These figures include the 

 imported and interstate samples referred to the sugar, microchemical, 

 and bacteriological laboratories for examination, many of which were 

 examined in several of these laboratories and are there reported. 

 The preparation of cases arising from these examinations forms a 

 large part of the work of this laboratory, 2,142 having been prepared 

 during the year. In addition to these, the food technology laboratory, 

 although devoting its time chiefly to constructive investigation, 

 examined 108 initial and check samples and prepared 185 cases on 



