AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 501 



son, in the course of a single day, receives into his system some 

 eight or ten of the articles Avliich I have enumerated. Thus, 

 with potted meats and fish, anchovies, red sauces, or cayenne, 

 taken at breakfast, he would consume more or less bole Armenian, 

 Venetian red, red lead, or even bisulphuret of mercury, or cin- 

 nabar. At dinner, with his curry or cayenne he would run the 

 chances of a second dose of lead or mercury. With pickles, 

 bottled fruits, or vegetable, he would be nearly sure to have 

 copper administered to him; while if he partooli: of bon bons at 

 dessert, there is no knowing what number of poisonous pigments 

 he might consume. Again at his tea, if mixed or green, he 

 would certainly not escape without the administration of at least 

 a portion of Prussian blue, and it might be much worse things. 

 If he is a snuff taker, he would be pretty sure to put up his 

 nostrils, from time to time, small quantities of chromate of lead, 

 chromate of potash, or red lead. And if a very convivial man, 

 he might finish the day with a glass of gin, and take in it a con- 

 siderable c|uantity of white vitriol and cayenne; or if a glass of 

 porter, nux vomica, which is the fruit of a species of strychnia, 

 growing in the East Indies. It produces the alkaloid salts, 

 strychnia, and bruchia, and is a very virulent poison. Lastly, if 

 an invalid, his condition would be still worse; for then, in all 

 probability, he would be deprived of much of the benefit of the 

 skill of his physician, through the dilution and sophistication to 

 which the remedies administered for his relief were subjected. 



This, gentlemen, is no lanciful or exaggerated picture, but one 

 based upon the legitimate conclusions derived from the analyses 

 of different articles as sold to the consumer. I believe that adul- 

 teration is going on very extensively in our country, and remedies 

 should be adopted for the purpose of preventing the practice, and 

 I now propose that the American Institute shall form a commis- 

 sion, composed of three scientific analysts, microscopical and 

 chemical, under Avhose direction purchases of articles shall be 

 made from time to time, analysis of them ii:-?tituted, and peri- 

 odical reports published, illustrated with wood cuts, showing the 

 microscopical appearance and structures of the different articles, 

 both genuine and adulterated, and containing plain directions for 

 the discovery of adulteration. There are in the United States, 

 hundreds of microscopical observers ; many of whom, if furnished 

 with the means which this report would supply, would gladly 

 apply themselves to the detection of adulteration. A gentleman 

 a few days since remarked to me, that if the majority of substan- 



