BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 573 



While iinrlei'takings of this character are important, they require 

 the exercise of patience and caution and the exclusive time of 

 several inspectors; in fact, more than can at present be spared from 

 the recular routine ins]iection work, which involves the attendance as 

 witnesses at trials. It is believed, however, that it will be practicable 

 to give more attention in the future to this line of work, particularly 

 if whatever increase there may be to the present small inspection 

 force approaches the number adequate to supervise the tariff in food 

 and drug profhicts with tliat degree of thoroughness necessary for 

 the ellicient enforcement of the law. 



INSPECTION LABORATORIES. 



Washington Drug Inspection Laboratory. 



During the past year the Washington drug inspection laboratory 

 has examined 801) samples, as follows: One hundred and sixty-five 

 check analyses of imported drugs, 40 import products coining di- 

 rectly under this laboratory, and 604 samples of domestic products. 

 Of the last class, 132 (22 per cent) were found to be either adul- 

 terated or misbranded, or both. Two hundred and nine cases of 

 interstate drugs adjudged to be adulterated or misbranded were 

 prepared in this laboratory and reported to the chief of the bureau 

 for transmission to the Board of Food and Drug Inspection. Im- 

 port drug cases, representing detained shipments not reported di- 

 rectly to the collectors of customs upon precedents, were referred to 

 this laboratory. Two hundred and eight import drug cases were 

 pi-eparcd for the board, of which 190 were found to be in violation 

 of the law and 12 were released without prejudice. 



DOMESTIC DRUGS. 



The scope of the work during the past year has been more exten- 

 sive than in previous years. Much time has been devoted to phar- 

 maceutical preparations, as tablets and ]5ills having a declared stand- 

 ard and intentled principally for physicians' prescriptions. INIany 

 of these preparations contained one or more such active constituents 

 as opium, morphin, codein, cocain, mix vomica, strychnin, hydrastin, 

 atropin, aconotin, caffein, nitroglycerin, and inorganic medicinal 

 agents. An investigation of these medicinal mixtures has in a num- 

 ber of instances revealed wide variation in the quantity of active 

 medicinal agents represented to be present and that actually found. 



A study has been made in detail of the conditions under which 

 these products are nuinufactuied and the dillicuUies presented in the 

 production of this class of pharmaceuticals. 



The examination of a number of samples of crude drugs, fluid ex- 

 tracts, and tinctures shows that the quality of tlic.se ])roducts are 

 su])erior to those of previous years. This is no doulH due largely to 

 more efficient and rigid inspection at the ports of entry than here- 

 tofore. 



An investigation of bitters of the Fernet type has been continued 

 and a number have been found to be of domestic origin, some con- 

 taining methyl alcohol labeled in a manner to imitate imported 

 products. 



