700 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 1, 1813. 
opportunity of studying live plants as they would in Clerk - 
enwell Green, and yet they were asked questions in botany, 
which in my humble opinion were far too difficult. I think 
the examiners cannot be too particular in this respect, as 
perhaps they are not aware that the questions asked are most 
freely sought after by others who are now compelled to go 
through the same ordeal. 
William Yates Bkevitt. 
Wolverhampton, 'February 2Uh, 1873. 
Milk Analysis. 
Sir,—The milk question seems to have excited more than 
an average amount of interest, and induced a variety of cor¬ 
respondence. There are a few remarks I should like to make 
before the subject is closed, as sources of error or misappre¬ 
hension have been introduced by some of your corre¬ 
spondents. 
Mr. Slade, page 580, has noticed a yellow colour in milk, 
and attributed it to annatto; and Mr. Bottle, page 640, sug¬ 
gests yellow from eggs. I have seen this yellow colouration 
a few times—once in boiled milk thickened by the addition of 
some farinaceous substance as the milk gave the blue re¬ 
action with iodine; the colouring matter in this instance was 
probably the turmeric of some culinary powder and the adul¬ 
teration performed in the kitchen. 
The colouring matters of anatto, turmeric, or eggs, may 
he extracted from milk by precipitating the casein and fat in 
the manner I have before indicated (page 501), Most of the 
colouring matter remains in the alcoholic solution ; evaporate 
the alcohol from this solution of lactose, etc., and shake with 
ether. The colouring matter is then abstracted by the ether, 
and may be obtained by its evaporation; turmeric and 
anatto give a solid, and eggs an oleaginous residue. Either 
of these are harmless, and unimportant, except as adul¬ 
terants. Eggs, however, would be rather expensive a matter 
for the vendor’s consideration; but I have seen another yel¬ 
low colouring matter in milk connected with disease. Wo 
must carefully guard against confounding this indication of 
disease with either of the above-named harmless adulterants. 
The sample of milk I now refer to was slightly coagulated 
and became more so when boiled, indicating albumen, and 
with the microscope I detected pus, and some curious mis¬ 
shapen globules, some of these latter having the character 
of ferments and produced strings of ovoid cells. This sam¬ 
ple was obtained from a cow having an inflammatory com¬ 
plaint affecting the nostrils and udder, and the colour, etc., 
was owing to disease. 
Since the analysis was made I have been gratified by the 
confirmatory evidence afforded by a paper of Dr. Husson 
“ On the Analysis of Cows’ Milk taken from Animals while 
attacked by Typhus” (Compt. Bench, Dec. 1871) in which he 
notices “ the yellowish rose hue ” and the partial substitution 
of albumen for casein in febrile disorders—partial coagula¬ 
tion and a yellow colour must not, therefore, be considered as 
a proof eggs and milk; a careful microscopical examination 
is then absolutely necessary'. 
I recommended Yogel’s lactoscope for two reasons. 1st. It 
gave with unskimmed milk the useful information of a pre¬ 
liminary analysis; and, 2nd, it could be used without in¬ 
curring loss of the milk; with skimmed milk it is not quite 
so trustworthy and must be used with an altered scale. 
Farina, eggs, dextrine, etc., must not be calculated as “milk 
residue,” or that item will be worthless ; other and more 
conclusive data of adulterations are necessary, as this calcu¬ 
lation makes poor milk and diluted milk synonymous terms. 
It is also materially affected tjy the soda often added to milk | 
as a preservative. The estimation of milk sugar by the cop¬ 
per test (I prefer Eehling’s formula) cannot be calculated as 
glucose, it is somewhat less than glucose in reducing power, 
(about seven-tenths, Watts, Diet. vol. iii,). I have easily 
avoided this difficulty by titrating my copper solution with 
milk sugar instead of glucose. The calculation may be 
confirmed if necessary in analysis by dividing the milk-whey 
into two equal parts: iu A, estimating the sugar by the cop¬ 
per test, and in B, by the separation process of Mr. Ekin, (page 
482). I have, however, perfect confidence in the accuracy of 
the first method. 
An abstract of Mr. Wanklyn’s paper on the “Analysis of 
Milk by the Ammonia Process ” will be found in the Pharm. 
Journ., August 12th, 1871, page 123. Of course Mr. Bottle’s 
eggs must be coagulated and removed from the milk before 
the albuminoid ammonia can be correctly estimated as casein 
—or some other plan of analysis than Wanklyn’s must be 
adopted. 
Geo. Beownen. 
Laboratory, 143, New Fond Street, 
February 24 tli 1873. 
Tinct. Quinine. 
Sir,—Every one has noticed the. considerable deposit that 
occurs in making the tinet. of quinine, B.P. Having lately 
had a considerable quantity of the preparation required for 
immediate use, I tried the experiment of gently heating it in 
flasks over a water bath; it soon became quite clear, but on 
cooling deposited an abundant crop of crystals, which arranged 
themselves with remarkable symmetry like feathery stars. 
I was at first disposed to consider these crystals as due to 
a contamination; but on examination under the microscope 
found the stellar rays were composed of true acicular crys¬ 
tals. 
Herewith I beg to forward for your inspection a bottle 
containing some of this curious deposit. 
The inference that may be drawn from this circumstance 
is, either that there is a larger proportion of quinine employed 
than is necessary, or that the menstruum of proof spirit is not 
sufficiently strong to effect the solution of the drug. Were 
it not contrary to instructions, the practical pharmacist would 
most likely add a little acid to the tincture, thus rendering 
available the full quantity of quinine, and preventing un¬ 
necessary waste of a costly article. 
Your kindly directing attention to the subject will be es¬ 
teemed a favour by 
Richmond . R. Goodwin Mumbkay. 
Cost op Dispensing-. 
Sir,—Let me suggest to your correspondent ‘ One of the 
Hornets,’ in reference to those people who go round to all 
the chemists asking the price of dispensing a prescription, 
that many pharmaceutists refuse altogether to quote a price 
before dispensing, and that others take the opportunity of 
referring to the dispensing counter and there just marking 
the prescription. I have known this plan answer on more 
than one occasion, and strongly recommend all chemists to 
adopt it. If there is no recognized trade mark, Bell’s “ you 
and them ” may be used, as it is known everywhere. 
W. J. Chukciiill. 
Birmingham. 
W. Fox. —We think the opinions you express are very 
mistaken ones, and that the suggestions you make could not 
be carried out with advantage. 
“ A Chemical Student .” —So far as we are able to decipher 
the name, we are unacquainted with the substance referred 
to. 
“ Bell .”—The examiners are not restricted to any particu¬ 
lar book. 
“ Unbeliever” writes to recommend “A Chemist” to read 
Dr. Zerffi’s ‘ Spiritualism and Animal Magnetism,’ pub¬ 
lished at Is. 6d., by Hardwick, in which book lie is of 
opinion that the pretensions of the spiritualists are disposed 
of most satisfactorily. 
The Preliminary Examination.—An Apprentice writes in 
reference to this subject, that on the occasion of his own 
examination, the local secretary brought the examination 
papers into the room already opened, and after staying a few 
minutes, left the room, and with the exception of looking 
in now and then, he left the candidates to themselves. 
Apprentice adds, that after the examination the secretary 
put the papers open into his desk, so that they were neither 
opened nor sealed up in the candidates’ presence. 
J. Roberts. —See a description of Anatto in the last volume 
of this Journal, p. 574. 
J. Rawlinson. —The method proposed by Professor Attfield 
(Pharm. Journ. [2], vol. iv. p. 338) for obtaining a solution 
of quinine in cod-liver oil was to produce an oleate of 
quinine by digesting the alkaloid, well-dried, with thrice 
its weight of oleic acid at 212° E. for an hour or two. The 
oleate of quinine, which has the consistence of a soft resin, is 
perfectly stable, and may be diluted whenever necessary, and 
to any required extent. 
Communications, Lettees, etc., have been received from 
Mr. J. T. Holmes, Mr. T. Collier, Mr. J. G. Evans, Mr. Eox,. 
Mr. Brownen, Mr. J. Hughes (Sydney, N. S. W.), Miv 
Eogerson, Mr. A. J. Pidd, “An Older Druggist,” “Alpha.” 
