November so, 1872-3 THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
427 
®(jt pjanMccufital Journal. 
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30 , 1872 . 
Communications for this Journal, and boohs for review,etc., 
<should be addressed to the Editor, 17, Bloomsbury Square. 
Instructions from Members and Associates respecting the 
transmission of the Journal should be sent to Elias Brem- 
ridge, Secretary, 17, Bloomsbury Square, JF.C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, Mew Burlington 
Street, London , W. Envelopes indorsed u Pharm. Journ.” 
THE ADULTERATION ACT. 
So far as it is possible to judge from what lias been 
made known as to the steps hitherto taken with a 
view of carrying this Act into operation, it would 
•seem merely to have given rise to a multitude of 
doubts, difficulties and questions, without offering any 
prospect of being serviceable to the public. In the 
report to the City of London Commissioners of 
Sewers, published at page 424, it will be seen that 
Dr. Letheby, the Medical Officer of Health for the 
City, and Mr. Baylis, the solicitor to the Commis¬ 
sioners, raise a very important question as to the 
meaning of the words “ such admixture,” in the 
third Section of the Act, and they express their 
•opinion that the meaning it conveys is open to con¬ 
siderable doubt, illustrating their view of the case 
*>y reference to the articles, tea, coffee, cocoa, mus¬ 
tard and milk. Some of these articles, notoriously, 
always contain admixtures, and it might become 
matter of opinion whether or not they were added 
with the intent of fraudulently increasing the weight 
or bulk of the article sold. The provisions of the 
Act do not appear to offer any assistance in settling 
this question, nor do they indicate the limits within 
which such well-known cases of admixture are per¬ 
missible. 
Again, it is suggested in the report that if it be 
sufficient for a dealer, in selling such articles, to de¬ 
clare they are mixtures, the fraud of adulteration 
might evidently be practised to any extent and with 
perfect impunity. These are, indeed, most startling 
obstacles to the working of the Act, and it would 
appear they alone offer more than usual opportunity 
for the proverbial coach-and-four being driven 
through this Act. 
But the difficulties of the case are far from being 
-exhausted; there is still the important question as 
to who shallJbe the analysts. Medical Officers of 
Health have, in some instances, with questionable 
eagerness, put forward the opinion that they should 
seek and accept the appointments of food analysts; 
.and a proposal has been made to establish two la¬ 
boratories in London where all the analyses re¬ 
quired for the metropolis should be conducted. It is 
satisfactory, however, to find that the medical press 
has in nowise favoured either proposition ; 'and the 
Lancet has, with commendable courage, declared 
that “ Medical officers of health are not, as a rule, 
properly competent to perform the chemical and ana- 
lytieal work required without special assistance.” 
We may also add that even under these circum¬ 
stances, it would be impossible for them to perform 
the duties appertaining to the office of analysts under 
the Act; for supposing analyses were made by com¬ 
petent chemical assistants, the lack of competent 
chemical knowlege would render the official analysts 
unfit to appear in court and undergo examination in 
cases of prosecution. 
Doubtless there are exceptional instances of me¬ 
dical men being fully competent to carry out all 
the duties of analyst under the Adulteration Act, 
and in such instances we readily acknowledge no 
one could more advantageously occupy the office ; 
but we protest altogether against the notion of mak¬ 
ing medical officers of health analysts under the 
Act without regard to such considerations. More¬ 
over, there are besides the point of competence, very 
many other reasons which render the tenure of such 
an office by medical men undesirable ; and as regards 
some of these, we cannot do better than quote the 
words of a medical man, Mr. It. S. Power, of Dart¬ 
moor, who writes to the Medical Times and Gazette 
as follows:— 
“ If analysis is to constitute part of the duties of 
our future health officers,—and without analysis I do 
not see how they could venture to recommend measures 
which would frequently entail considerable expense,—it 
appears to me that the combined duties of medical officer 
of health and general practitioner arc incompatible. 
The number of hours that the most energetic man can 
work is limited, and already the profession is overworked 
without any additional duties. Analytical processes 
involve a large expenditure of time, perhaps more than 
may he generally supposed ; and if it be so with the pro¬ 
fessed chemist in a well-ordered laboratory, how much 
more with an amateur (for the majority of general prac¬ 
titioners must be amateurs in chemical manipulations)! 
As an example—suppose water is the suspected source 
of disease,—a scientific man would scarcely venture an 
opinion on its quality without at least applying the 
simple permanganate test. Yet see what this involves 
to approximate accuracy! There is the preparation of a 
test solution (for the permanganate will not keep at a 
constant strength, and must be frequently re-made), and 
the testing of this by another standard solution to as¬ 
certain its accuracy before use. Then, suppose the test 
ready, the suspected water must he raised to a certain 
temperature (testing cold water is most tedious), not by 
boiling in the tea-kettle, but with the aid of a'spirit- 
lamp in a clean glass vessel—a process that occupies a 
good deal of time, as a small quantity of water will not 
be expedient to operate on. The dropping in of the 
permanganate follows, and is necessarily tedious; when, 
perhaps in the midst of the most anxious part, a peal of 
the bell—Mrs. Smith is in labour, and must he attended 
at once! No more analysis that day ; and worse, the 
whole must be recommenced with a new sample. 
“ But our conscientious Health Officer may not be 
content with this general analysis should he have time to 
perform it. Comparatively innocent matter may de¬ 
colorize the permanganate; and, before condemning the 
water-supply of a house, street or town, he naturally is 
anxious to know what is this oxidizable matter which he 
has detected. It may be nitrites ; (ammonia, indicative 
of poisonous water, or it may he of vegetable origin, com- 
