INFERIOR DRUGS AND METHODS OF DECEPTION. 9 



few years ago, while exhibiting a Dimple each of pure and weighted 

 cochineal, a recent graduate of one of our well-known colleges, after 

 looking them over thoroughly, selected the adulterated article as the 

 genuine product. When informed of his error, somewhat chagrined 

 at his mistake, he said, "It is the on\y kind I have ever seen and of 

 course I thought it was the pure article." From this and similar 

 experiences it would seem that some of our educational institutions 

 are not exercising as much care as they might in the selection of their 

 material for instruction purposes. 



The artificial coloring of preparations is the most widespread of 

 conventional adulterations. These pages will probably not come 

 under the eyes of a single reader who is unable to enumerate a score 

 of such products. To suggest a multitude of these goods it is only 

 necessary to enumerate elixirs, tinctures, sirups, essences, pills, and 

 tablets. As long as the harmless vegetable colors were used little 

 cause for anxiety existed, but of late the danger line has been passed 

 by the extensive use of aniline dyes. The finding of harmful coloring 

 agents in food products is a matter of common repute, and medicines 

 are not exempt. It would probably not be desirable to interdict the 

 use of harmless coloring agents, but their use should be discouraged. 

 In cases where it is clearly evident that fraud is concealed by coloring 

 agents, as in the preparation of vanilla extract from the chemical 

 vanillin, dissolved in a suitable menstruum and colored with caramel, 

 a suitable punishment should be provided. 



It is quite possible that an attractively colored preparation is more 

 palatable than one that is not colored, but the nature of the coloring 

 agent should, in such case, be plainly set forth on the label, unless it is 

 part of a formula contained in some recognized authority like the 

 Pharmacopoeia or the National Formulary. 



BLEACHED GINGER. 



The bleaching of ginger by covering the fingers with some white sub- 

 stance, like calcium carbonate, is frequently done to cater to the fancy 

 of certain customers. It also seems to be incidental to certain proc- 

 esses of curing. In some cases, however, the prime motive is to 

 conceal inferiority. The amount of coating added usually does not 

 exceed 5 per cent, but the increase in price is about 15 per cent. In 

 bleaching ginger considerable care must be exercised in the selection 

 of the fingers, or the shrinkage due to loss of moisture will be equal 

 to the amount of weighting material added. At all events the pur- 

 chaser of bleached ginger pays more money and gets less ginger than 

 if he purchased the unbleached variety. 



