THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
May, 1882 . 
r.iQ4]=g 
ftotcs attb Abstracts. 
Adulteration of Drugs in England.— The Society of 
Public Analysts report that the percentage of adulteration of 
drugs examined in 1880 was 16 per cent., against 28 per cent, 
in 1879. In most cases the pharmacists were not the delin- 
quents. Many of the instances were of paregoric destitute of 
opium, sold by small shopkeepers who were not pharmacists, 
and therefore prohibited by the British Pharmacy Act from 
dealing in an article containing poison. A curious distinction — 
the shopkeeper may sell paregoric without opium, while the 
pharmacist must sell paregoric with opium. 
The Testing of Oil of Bitter Almonds.— This substance 
is frequently adulterated with artificial oil of bitter almonds 
(essence of mirbane or nitro-benzol). This adulteration is best 
detected by the reaction by which it yields aniline under the 
influence of nascent hydrogen, which the genuine oil does 
not. The test is applied in the following manner To an 
alcoholic solution of the oil some fragments of granulated zinc 
are added, and then about half its volume of strong hydro- 
chloric acid, after which the solution is gently warmed. An 
energetic reaction ensues, which should be allowed to proceed 
for about five minutes. The liquid which now contains, if 
nitro-benzol was present, chloride of aniline is poured off from 
any undissolved zinc and treated with an excess of strong 
solution of caust'c potash until the precipitate at first formed 
is redissolved. The aniline thus set free is extracted from the 
liquid by agitation with ether, the ethereal layer is removed, 
placed in a test-tube with an equal bulk of water, and a few 
drops of a cold solution of bleaching powder added, when a 
splendid mauve colouration will be produced, the intensity of 
which depends upon the amount of nitro-benzol originally 
present in the sample under examination. Boyveau gives the 
following as the characters of the genuine oil. The specific 
gravity varies from 1*043 to 1-060, while some specimens of 
spurious oils had a specific gravity of 1*019 to 1*030. The 
genuine oil, if mixed with an equal volume of sulphuric acid, 
turns red, but remains limpid and clear. The spurious oil, on 
the other hand, turns dark red in colour, and then becomes 
brown, at the same time becoming dull and thick, and finally 
congealing to a brownish mass . — Sanitary Engineer of New 
York. 
8. Use a lamp with a good, large burner, the best oil , and 
try to obtain as white light as possible. A student's lamp is 
worth all it costs to the poorest student. 
9. Hold the head erect ; and at such a distance from the 
lamp that it will not be heated by it. When the head and 
eyes are hot, bathe with pure cold water. Do not bend over 
your work. 
10. Whenever the eyes pain on using , or are fatigued, or the 
images are blurred , stop using them. Look up and away from 
the work frequently, and in bad cases study only by daylight, 
or not at all for a week or more. 
11. Do not confine the eyes too closely to the work. Hold 
the book at least twelve inches from the eyes ; this will 
prevent growing nearsightedness. 
12. Avoid books poorly printed, with small type, and on 
poor paper. 
13. Do not use the eyes for reading when riding on the 
cars, in a carriage, or when walking, &c. 
14. Never read when lying down. 
16. Do not read during convalescence from any debilitating 
diseases. 
16. Keep all patented eye-washes out of the eyes, and 
avoid all quack eye-doctors. The eye is too precious an 
organ to be trifled with. 
17. Keep all soap out of the eyes ; be especially careful of 
children in this respect. 
18. When the eyes are inflamed sleep much and thus restore 
them. 
19. In all cases of weak-sight, near-sight, and far-sighted, 
squinting, or cross-eye, have the eyes carefully examined by a 
competent oculist, and follow his advice implicitly. When 
glasses are prescribed, procure and wear them. 
20. Avoid coloured glasses and goggles , unless prescribed by 
a physician competent to judge of your condition. 
21. Have all diseases of the eye treated early and skillfully, 
and remember that the well eye sympathises with the diseased 
one, and you may lose both unless early attention is given to 
the matter. Diseases of the eyes in which a large amount of 
matter forms are dangerous, and patients so affected should be 
careful to get no matter from the diseased eye into the well 
one, and they should have a separate basin and towels for 
washing purposes. — Accident and Emergencies. 
JUST PUBLISHED. 
IMPURE WATER. 
The following valuable suggestions made by Dr. Lowe, of 
Lynn, Norfolk, deserves the attention of travellers and 
pharmacists. We quote from the Pharmaceutical Journal , 
p. 438 : — “ He points out the great danger of contracting 
typhoid fever by total abstainers and travellers, from drinking 
impure water. His experience has led him, when travelling, 
always to carry a small case containing a kettle and spirit 
lamp, and invariably to boil water before drinking it ; also to 
apply Nessler’s test to it. He suggests that if 10 or 15 drops 
of that reagent were enclosed in a thin glass capsule and 
hermetically sealed, the fluid would keep for a length of time, 
and a dozen or so packed in a box would form a valuable 
addition to a travellers’ outfit. One of the capsules, broken 
in a wineglass, and a spoonful or so of the suspected water 
added, would show at once if it were of a dangerous nature, 
and might thus be the means of saving life.” 
RULES FOR THE CARE OF THE EYES. 
1. Always have an abundance of good steady light for any 
work which you may have on hand. Do not work in a poor 
light. 
2. Avoid a glaring light. It is as bad as too little light. 
3. Let the light come from the side, behind, or above, but 
not from the front. 
4. Never read or use the eyes closely during twilight. Put 
up your booh when the sun goes down. Do not sew black 
goods at night. Do not work with the microscope at nights. 
6. Never use a flickering light when reading or writing. 
6. Avoid suddenly passing from the shade into a bright and 
glaring light. 
7. When using artificial light, it is always beneficial to wear 
a shade over the eyes, which will cut off all direct light from 
them ; the desk or table should be covered with a light blue 
paper or cloth. 
Price— One Shilling ; by post, sixpence extra. 
Hlhe fiharmaq) & f akcms JUts ; 
WITH THE 
REGULATIONS OF THE PHARMACY BOARD, 
AND THE 
SALE AND CUSTODY OF POISONS. 
Copies can be obtained at the Office of the Pharmaceutical 
gociety, No. 4 Mutual Provident Buildings, Collins Street 
West. 
MAJOR EXAMINATION. 
I N accordance with the provisions of clause 40 of the 
Regulations to the Pharmacy Act, an EXAMINA- 
TION in PRACTICAL PHARMACY before the Board 
will be held at this office on MONDAY, the 12th 
JUNE, 1882, at Eleven o’clock a.m. Candidates 
must give to the Registrar notice of their intention to 
present themselves for examination, together with their 
indentures of apprenticeship, the certificates required by 
Section 18, Sub-section 4, of the “ Pharmacy Act 1876,” 
and the fee of three guineas, ten days prior to the day. 
Harry Shillinglaw, 
Melbourne, Secretary and Registrar. 
12th April, 1882. 
