292 ADULTERATION OF FOOD, DRUGS, ETC. 
duction of this or any other substance into the system day 
after day might not be hurtful. He had examined unfer- 
mented bread, but had not detected anything injurious in it. 
The substance most likely to occur was arsenic, from the 
hydrochloric acid. Some of the gelatine sold to the public 
was unfit for human food, and had created a prejudice against 
the name, but the best kinds were as good as Russian isinglass, 
although the substitution of gelatine for isinglass, when the 
latter is asked for, would not be justifiable. Dr. Taylor gave 
a decided opinion as to the injurious effects of many quack 
medicines. He confirmed many of the statements of other 
witnesses with regard to coffee and some other articles of food, 
but thought there had been some exaggeration in the evidence 
published. He made a few suggestions of a practical nature, 
and thought the publicity given to the subject had already 
given a check to the practices. The desire to sell cheap 
articles in accordance with the demand, had been one of the 
principal incentives to adulteration. 
Mr. James Aless , a wholesale grocer, considered the evidence 
of previous witnesses, respecting the adulteration of tea and 
coffee, had been much exaggerated. The mixture of chicory 
with coffee was preferred by the public, and sold without 
disguise as a mixture. 
Feb. 29- — Dr. Lewis described the state of the law in 
France for the prevention of frauds and adulteration, by 
means of a board of scientific men, to whom reference could 
be made in cases of suspicion. 
Professor Quechet confirmed some of the statements of other 
witnesses. He had once found brains in milk, but the usual 
adulteration was water. 
Dr. Thomson had found the constituents of alum in seventy- 
eight samples of bread, but not in the form of alum. He 
thought it important to draw attention to this distinction, 
and did not consider the use of a small quantity of alum in- 
jurious, as it was decomposed in the process of baking ; and 
the statement that crystals of alum had been found in bread, 
was fallacious. The addition of alum in any considerable 
quantity might be injurious, but he believed almost all the 
bread sold in London by bakers contained more or less alum. 
He had examined samples of beer, but had not usually found 
any adulteration. Coarse sugar was sometimes used, and he 
had once detected orange-peel, but had not found strychnia, 
cocculus indicus, or quassia. He suggested the propriety of 
extending the laws relating to the adulteration of bread and 
beer to other articles of food, and thought the appointment of 
a public prosecutor desirable. 
