550 ADULTERATION OF FOOD, DRUGS, ETC. 
easy ; he had examined nearly every vegetable substance 
under the microscope, and in every instance had detected 
adulterations where they existed, even when the substances 
had been reduced to powder. Referring to the adulteration 
of bread and flour, witness quoted the opinion of Baron 
Liebig as to the injurious effects of alum on the phosphates 
contained in wheat ; if white bread were required it could be 
produced by the use of lime-water in small quantity, which 
would not be injurious. Dr. Hassall produced to the Com- 
mittee specimens of coloured confectionary, purchased within 
the last few days, also samples of tea, containing large 
quantities of lie-tea. In addition to his former evidence on 
the adulteration of drugs, he mentioned liquorice, which was 
adulterated in various ways. Out of twenty-one samples of 
common extract of liquorice, every one was found adulterated 
with starch or flour, sugar, gum, &c. ; the genuine extract 
dissolved without leaving any residue, but the impure left 
from 18 to 20 per cent. Refined liquorice was adulterated to 
a still greater extent ; out of twenty-eight samples of powdered 
liquorice eleven were adulterated, but as this article was used 
chiefly for rolling round pills, the adulteration was not injurious 
to health. He referred to the adulteration of turmeric, 
powdered rhubarb, squills, colocynth, and aromatic confection, 
and produced samples of the drugs. The effect of the adul- 
teration was to neutralize the efforts of physiologists to 
determine the effect of certain quantities of various drugs 
upon the human frame. He believed that adulteration took 
place sometimes before importation, sometimes by drug- 
grinders, and, he was afraid, sometimes also by the wholesale 
and retail chemists; and it would, of course, be necessary to 
provide for each of these cases. In answer to a question 
from the chairman, as to the possibility of any one person 
carrying on twenty or thirty examinations a week of various 
articles. Dr. Hassall replied that one great advantage in the 
employment of the microscope, was the greater comparative 
rapidity with which results could be obtained. The number 
of examinations that could be made in a given time would 
necessarily depend, in a great measure, on the skill of the 
examiner and the nature of the article. But he was speaking 
within bounds in saying there was scarcely an article of con- 
sumption upon which he would not undertake to give satis- 
factory reports, to the extent of 100 samples a week. When 
chemical analyses had to be made, it would require a much 
longer time to prepare a report. Upon the question of adul- 
teration, Dr. Hassall explained that selling one article in 
place of another did not constitute adulteration. This was 
