EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
721 
occurrence, and as soon as detected were put a stop to. He had heard 
Dr. Thomson’s evidence that the same adulterations were still going on as 
he had spoken to in his evidence in 1830, but Dr. Thomson was very much 
deceived on the subject. 
“ Mr. Redwood then proceeded to enumerate the cases of adulteration 
which had been brought under the notice of the Pharmaceutical Society 
during the last fourteen years. Among the cases were those of morphia, 
isinglass, borax, and lard. The latter substance was adulterated with flour, 
as imported from America. He believed the English lard not to be 
adulterated, but had not extensively examined it. The character of drugs 
had greatly improved lately. The druggists were better educated, and 
were able to make a more judicious selection of drugs'for use. Drugs were 
not formerly produced in so pure a state as they are now. Scammony was 
an instance ; ten years ago it was impossible to obtain a pure specimen as 
imported, but now, owing to druggists rejecting the adulterated article, it 
would be occasionally met with entirely free from any admixture, but yet at 
such prices that it was impossible to sell it in many places. Opium 
never found its way into this country pure. It was well known to be a 
heterogeneous substance. Dr. Thomson had stated the best opium was the 
Indian opium, but this sort had no sale in consequence of its inferior quality. 
His (Mr. Redwood’s) opinion entirely differed from Dr. Thomson’s on this 
point. The adulteration of opium was a conventional one. It was known not 
to be a simple substance, and was accepted by the public and medical men 
as such. It might be called an adulterated substance, but the adulteration 
was sanctioned by all parties. He should consider the colouring-matter of 
sugar-plums and other confectionery as a conventional adulteration, and also 
the colouring of anchovies. Pickles might come under the same denomina- 
tion. A noxious adulteration might be a conventional one, that is, the public 
taste might be wrong. 
“ Mr. Redwood then enumerated various substances to prove that the 
public were not disposed at first to sanction any change in the appearance 
of an article, even though it might be purer. These were all what might 
be termed conventional adulterations. Calamine was referred to by Dr. 
Thomson. This substance was very little used now, and ought to be 
classed among such substances as ‘ the moss growing on a dead man’s 
skull,’ which was formerly to be found in the Pharmacopoeia. The public 
were accustomed to judge of calamine by the brightness of its colour, but 
the pure substance was the reverse. He might also mention that there 
was no true bole Armenian in this country, and had not been for centuries. 
It was a mixture of chalk, pipeclay, and oxide of iron to give it a colour. 
Oxide of zinc was directed by the College of Physicians in 1824 to be 
prepared by "a process which yielded a perfectly white powder. That 
powder, however, was not pure oxide of zinc, and in 1836 the College 
altered the process for one which yielded a pure oxide ; but this is not quite 
white. The druggists and some medical men, having been accustomed to 
the white (impure) oxide of zinc, frequently reject the purer article, because 
it is not white. Milk of sulphur was ordered by the College of Physicians 
in 1721 to be made by a process which yielded an impure product, contain- 
ing a large quantity of sulphate of lime. This process was afterwards 
altered ; but the purer product differs in colour and other properties from 
the impure, and it has been found difficult to induce the public to take 
the pure.” 
Mr. Thomas Herring , wholesale chemist and druggist^ said — 
4 * He had been in business for the last forty years. He would show the 
Committee what was going on at the present day. At a sale during the last 
