224 
and the latter is, therefore, regarded as affording only corroborative 
evidence. The saponification is not of much value as a differential 
test, with the exception that dog fish oil has a very low value, corre- 
sponding with its high proportion of unsaponifiable matter, while 
porpoise blubber oil has a very high value, indicating the presence 
of volatile fatty acids. They assert that it is at the present time 
impossible to differentiate between cod, ling, coal fish, hake, whiting, 
haddock, and skate liver oils while the detection of small propor- 
tions of seal or whale oil or even of dog fish or shark liver oil is very 
difficult, though probably less than 5 per cent of porpoise oil could be 
detected. — J. Soc. Chem. Ind., Lond., 1905, v. 24, p. 741. 
Wetterstroem, Theo. D., is quoted as having examined 6 samples of 
Norwegian and 4 samples of Newfoundland cod liver oil, for both 
of which he gives the constants foun(f. He also reports on 12 addi- 
tional samples, one of which contained seal oil. — Proc. Am. Pharm. 
Ass., 1905, v. 53, p. 187. 
Kebler, Lyman F., is quoted as asserting that “ Seldom does 
American cod liver oil of known purity comply with all U. S. P. 
requirements.” — Proc. Am. Pharm. Ass,, 1905, v. 53, p. 187. 
Burdo, D. L., examined 27 samples, the majority of which came 
up to the U. S. P. standard ; 3 contained vegetable oils ; 4 seal oil or 
other fish oils ; 2 were strongly acid, and all but one were of standard 
specific gravity. — Proc. Massachusetts Pharm. Ass., 1905, p. 105. 
Philip Roder reports that 5 samples of cod liver oil were exam- 
ined and of these but one was even suspicious, because of its not 
giving a positive reaction with Kremel’s test. As this, sample was 
otherwise satisfactory its authenticity was not seriously questioned. — - 
Pharm. Post, Wien, 1905, v. 38, p. 390. 
Wiebelitz believes that the specific gravity for cod liver oil as 
defined in the Ph. Germ., IV, is too limited. He has ihet with 
good quality of oil that has a specific gravity of 0.9245, and believes 
that 0.932 is not too high. — Pharm. Ztg., Berlin, 1905, v. 50, p. 779. 
An abstract from Pharm. Post gives the following figures as limits 
for good medicinal cod liver oil. Specific gravity, 0.920 to 0.931 ; 
acid value up to 3 in good oils and up to 10 in crude oils ; saponifica- 
tion number, 17.0 to 19.5 per cent of potassium hydrate. — Drug 
Topics, 1905, v. 20, p. 309. 
Moreau and Bietrix (L’Union Pharm., 1905, p. 385) assert that the 
frequently made statement that a cod liver oil which becomes cloudy 
at 0° C. or slightly below is adulterated is erroneous. They discuss 
the methods for obtaining and refining cod liver oils and point out 
that the behavior of these oils at low temperatures is entirely de- 
pendent on whether or not the ml is a natural oil or one that has been 
separated by having been exposed to low temperatures. — Apoth. Ztg., 
Berlin, 1905, v, 20, p, 834, 
