258 THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 



The Adulteration of Vinegar. Vinegar occupies a promin- 

 ent place among the many articles that require an official standard to 

 bring them thoroughly under the provisions of the Food and Drug 

 Adulteration Act. The subject has been ably dealt with both from the 

 chemical and the public health point of view, in the recent annual report 

 issued by Dr. Edmunds, medical officer of health for St. James's, 

 Westminster. The bottom limit for the strength of commercial vine- 

 gar has been fixed by the Society of Public Analysts at 3 per cent, of 

 acetic anhydrid, of 3.53 per cent, of real acetic acid. Experience -has 

 shown that it is useless to attempt a prosecution unless the vinegar has 

 been watered down below 3 per cent. Dr. Edmunds obtained con- 

 victions in four cases where the vinegar was shown to contain sulphuric 

 acid. His contention as regards the making of vinegar with gypsum 

 is sound — namely, that sulphate of lime used in that manner is "a for- 

 eii>n ino-redient," and — unless shown to be necessary for the manu- 

 facture or preservation of the vinegar — its introduction is an adultera- 

 tion. Besides gypsum there are other materials whence sulphuric 

 acid is derived in the vinegar, such as sulphur applied in the casks and 

 vats, and coloring caramel made from sugar steeped in sulphuric acid 

 and ammonia. Dr. Edmunds may be congratulated on having done 

 some good solid work in establishing a legal precedent with regard to 

 the presence of free sulphuric acid in vinegar. There is an immense 

 field open for energetic administration of the Adulteration Acts, and 

 it is to be hoped that his example will be widely followed. 



Therapeutic Value of Salivation. Von Leube (Berlin. Klin. 

 IVoch.) was encouraged to employ salivation therapeutically through 

 the following case. A patient with cirrhosis of the liver and marked 

 ascites became, without any known reason, suddenly salivated, and lost 

 more than 5 pints of saliva in 24 hours. The ascites then sul)sided 

 rapidly. Since most drugs which increase the flow of saliva either do 

 1101 do so snfficientlv to produce a therapeutic result, or, like pilocarpin. 

 act on the skin as well, Von Leube made his patients chew India-rubber 

 tablets. Of 5 cases of pleurisy so treated the effusion was absorbed 

 in 4, and of 2 cases of ascites in one. Increasing the flow of saliva 

 (ptyalysis) should always be tried, when other means fail to cause ab- 

 sorption of an effusion, as a useful aid to diaphoresis and diuresis. 



Use of Ointments. Jonathan Hutchinson F. R. S. {Archives 

 of Surgery) says:— The customary use of an ointment at liedtime is 

 not sufficient. ' In many cases it should be applied three times a day 



