FEDERAL LAWS. 13 



Compered, as is your committee, of a majority of men who have made the 

 study and practice of medicine the chief purpose of their lives, they feel no 

 hesitation in admitting that the facts they are about to submit were but par- 

 tially known to them individually until a very recent period. They have had 

 before them specimens of the adulterations of which they speak, and ask a 

 generous confidence in their statements. 



In consequence of the stringent laws now in force in most parts of Europe 

 regulating the trade in drugs and the dispensing of medicine, none but genuine 

 articles and those of acknowledged strength and purity are allowed to be used 

 or purchased. All inferior and deteriorated drugs in a crude state, as well as 

 adulterated medicinal and chemical preparations, must therefore, as a matter 

 of necessity, find a market elsewhere ; and that market, unfortunately for the 

 people of this country, has long been and still is found in these United States. 



For a long series of years this base traffic has been constantly increasing until 

 it has become frightfully enormous. It would be presumed from the immense 

 quantities and the great variety of inferior drugs that pass our custom-houses, 

 and particularly the custom-house at New York, in the course of a single year 

 that this country had become the grand mart and receptacle of all the refuse 

 merchandise of that description, not only from the European warehouses, but 

 from the whole eastern world. 



On reference had, not long since, to the custom-house books in New York, it 

 was found that 7,000 pounds of rhubarb root had been passed within ninety 

 days, not one pound of which was fit, or even safe, for medicinal purposes. 

 Much of it had become greatly deteriorated by age, was worm eaten, and 

 decayed, while other portions, notwithstanding they showed a somewhat fair 

 appearance externally the color, etc., having been brightened by artificial 

 means for the purpose of deception gave internal unmistakable evidence of 

 the virtue of the root having been extracted by previous decoction for the pur- 

 pose of making what is sold as the " extract of rhubarb," and thereby render- 

 ing it of no further value for medicinal use. This article was invoiced at from 

 2M. sterling (5 cents) to 7d. (14 cents) per pound. The price of good rhubarb 

 at the place of production has been, for several years past, about as follows : 

 The East India, from 35 to 45 cents per pound, according to circumstances ; the 

 Turkey or Russian, from $1.25 to $2.50 per pound, exhibiting a very wide differ- 

 ence in price, as will be perceived, between the good and refuse article. 



Another of our more important articles of medicine, particularly in the newly 

 settled portions of our country, comes to us in large quantities entirely unfit for 

 medicinal purposes, but, like the worthless rhubarb root, is eagerly bought up 

 at auction sales by unprincipled drug dealers and sent to the drug mills, where 

 it is ground and powdered, the color, smell, and natural taste imitated, and 

 afterwards sold to country dealers and others as a good article. The result of 

 this is that it is finally dispensed to the sick at the sacrifice, doubtless, of many 

 valuable lives every year. We mean the Peruvian bark. 



Several varieties of this bark are used in medicines, viz, the " yellow," the 

 " pale," the " red," etc. ; but neither variety can scarcely ever be obtained at the 

 place of production, of good quality and in good condition, at n less rate than 

 from 30 to 40 cents per pound ; and the quality generally used for the manu- 

 facture of sulphate of quinine (or the salts of Peruvian bark) has not for years 

 been obtained from those parts of South America where it is produced at a less 

 price than from $00 to $80 per quintal of 100 pounds. The worthless article, 

 particularly referred to above, comes principally from Europe, and seems to be 

 made up of the different varieties already named, as well as to be in a greatly 

 deteriorated condition from age, or from having had its medicinal virtues 

 extracted for the purpose of making the extract of Peruvian bark, a valuable 

 medicine. 



From appearances it consists mainly of refuse material collected together in 

 foreign warehouses for exportation. It is invoiced at from 2 to 7 cents per 

 pound. Thousands of pounds of this trash have passed through the New York 

 custom-house at the above price during the past year, and may justly be con- 

 sidered very dear even at those rates. 



Columbo and gentian roots and many more of the important crude drugs 

 come to us in a similar worthless condition. 



Opium, an article of priceless worth in the treatment of disease, is now sent 

 to this country in a greatly and dangerously adulterated state, and as a proof 

 that the fraud carried on in the preparation of this valuable drug is now made 

 not only a regular but an extensive business, we are assured, on most reliable 

 authority, tliat it is shipped directly from Smyrna, tne most important place 



