AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 4€9 



flour, sand, or other earthy substance, gum, and considerable 

 quantities of woody fibre and cellular tissue. 



That of 17 samples of powdered scammony purchased of 

 various chemists and druggists, analysed, one only was genuine; 

 it affording 79 per cent of resin; that the whole of the remain- 

 ing samples were adulterated, frequently to an enormous extent; 

 the adulterating ingredients constituting from 18 to 65 per cent., 

 that is to say, some of the samples contained little more than one- 

 fourth the proper quantity of scammony, and of course were defi- 

 cient to that extent of the active properties which they should 

 possess; that the adulterating ingredients in these samples con- 

 sisted principally of large quantities of wheat flour, with fre- 

 quently chalk, sand or other earthy substance. 



You all know that scammony is a very important article of the 

 materia medica; it is the gum resin of the convolvulus scammo- 

 nia, chiefly imported from Aleppo and Sm}rna, in packages called 

 drums. It is an excellent drastic purge, and is used sometimes 

 by itself, and sometimes in combination with other purgatives. 

 To adulterate medicines even with harmless substances, destroys 

 the very foundation of the healing art, and renders nugatory the 

 wisest and best directed efforts of the physician. In the second 

 place, adulteration acts prejudicially to the public health, when 

 substances are employed possessing injurious properties. Now, 

 a great variety of such substances are used for the purpose of 

 adulteration. Among others, the following : The three chromates 

 of lead, the three Brunswick greens, which are mixtures of the 

 chromates of lead and indigo, red oxide of lead, or red lead, arse- 

 nite of copper, sulphate of copper, carbonate of copper, carbonate 

 of lead or white lead, bi-sulphuret of mercury or vermillion, 

 acetate of copper, sulphate of iron, gamboge, cayenne in spirits, 

 bronze powders, which are mixtures of copper and zinc, sulphate 

 of lime, &c. This list, it will be observed, contains the names 

 -of some of the most virulent poisons. Sometimes the quantity 

 of these substances used is so considerable, that immediate ill 

 effects are produced. These substances, although taken in but 

 minute quantities, gradually accumulate in the system, until at 

 length serious consequences are produced. In proof of this, 

 several cases of paralysis have recently been traced to the use oi' 

 snuff adulterated with lead. With regard to drugs, I wish to 

 state, til at many drugs imported into our country are examined, 

 and in the event of their being found adulterated, are sent back, 

 and not allowed to be admitted. I believe the system works well 



