THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 233 



In this case it will become necessary to remove the added dye, which 

 can easily be done by warming the sample with hydrochloric acid. The 

 original color will again become entirely or partly apparent or it will be 

 possible anyhow to ascertain the fact that the fibers had been redyed. 

 When treated thus the dark blue, black, brown, etc., goods will assume 

 all colors, proving that shoddy had been used in their composition. 



The Quantitative Determination of Shoddy. 



The quantitative determination of shoddy can only be accomplished by 

 exact counting and eventual microscopic measurements. 



All fibers of the separate yarn threads which have been recognized as 

 shoddy are simply counted and their average is added to the other 

 threads. On the whole figures are obtained which are smaller than the 

 true ones, for many shoddy threads cannot be distinguished from genuine 

 sheep's-wool threads. 



The large number of fibers of the material prevents and hinders a more 

 exact quantitative determination. As is easily calculated a medium thick 

 sample, 2 to 3 cm. long, will contain 30,000 to 50,000 separate threads. 

 Smaller samples with less threads offer no guarantee that they contain an 

 average mixture of the fibers to be examined. 



But there are two methods which lead to somewhat definite results. 

 Either separate the sample into its yarn threads and these again into their 

 separate fibers, of which a larger number (about 1,000) are examined and 

 made note of, or brush the shortest fibers out of the cloth and examine 



these. 



The first without doubt seems the more judicious method and it can be 

 associated with all statements made concerning the examination of 



fabrics. 



Cloth shearings which are often fulled in the felt surface of cloths, and 

 are found in poor quality mungo, are generally but few millimeters in 

 length (up to i cm.), sharp at ends, either cut straight or on the slant, are 

 often flattened at the cut surface, due to the pressure of the shears. They 

 frequently show many colors in the same sample. 



Goat Hairs. 



From goats {Capra hirciis) four different kinds of commercial hairs are 

 obtained : ordinary goat's hair, hair from the goat's beard, the so-called 

 angora wool (mohair), and thibet wool. " 



Ordinary goat's hair (Fig. 9 b) is white, yellowish to brown, and black, 

 generally 4-10 cm. long. It consists almost entirely of grannen hairs, 

 wTiich, being pulled, will usually show the bulb of the hairs ; this is gen- 

 erally narrowed like a root or is clavate. The average hair shows the fol- 

 lowing structure : At the base it is about 80 to 90 /j. thick, the root is 



