THE MICROSCOPE. 



the bark of the ipecac, and loaded with oil drops. They are entirely 

 free from starch grains. Minute spiral vessels are frequently 

 scattered through these cells. The outer seed coat or the dark 

 brown scurfy part of the almond is made up of large oblong cells, 

 with peculiar pits or dots covering the cell-wall. They are about 

 -g^ of an inch broad and nearly twice as long. By the way, if some 

 of these cells are scraped off from the outer surface of the almond 

 and boiled in a solution of caustic soda they will make beautiful 

 objects for examination with polarized light under the microscope. 

 Almond meal is probably not of very common use for mixing with 

 ipecac. 



FIG. 4. Powdered Ipecac, a, starch {^Trains of ipecac, b, woody fibre, c, crystals. 

 Adulterated with d, potato starch, x 375. 



A prominent druggist in one of our western cities told me he 

 had found quite a large per cent, of the powdered ipecac, that was 

 sent to him from the east, to be mixed with powdered licorice. 

 The only way to become acquainted with the appearance of licorice 

 under the microscope is to prepare and examine some of the root in 

 the same way we prepared and examined ipecac root, and then to 

 study some of the powdered licorice. This would hardly be 

 necessary for the identification of licorice when it can so easily be 

 detected by its taste and odor. 



By far the most common substance used is potato starch. Of 

 all the specimens of powdered ipecac which I have examined, every 



