January 14,187L] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
563 
prescribed by the Act, oil condition that a certain 
proportion of shellac or other resin was dissolved in 
it, so as to make the preparation which is technically 
termed “polish,” from its being employed to com¬ 
plete the polishing of the goods. There cannot be a 
doubt that tliis measure has been very beneficial 
in its operation. 
Besides the direct encouragement which it has 
given to scientific research and to manufacturing in¬ 
dustry, it has materially lessened the demoralizing 
practice of illicit distillation which was carried on 
(in London at least) principally for the supply of 
persons who use spirits as a solvent for gum resins, 
or in the manufacture of ethers or spirits of nitre. 
In 1861, sufficient experience having been gained 
to warrant the conclusion that there was no danger 
of the preparation being converted into a beverage, 
some of the restrictions on its sale and use were re¬ 
moved. In July of that year an Act was passed 
which enabled any one (other than persons dealing 
in excisable liquors) to obtain a licence for retailing 
methylated spirit in quantities not exceeding one 
gallon at a time, and removing, in respect to the 
small quantities sold under such licence, the re¬ 
strictions which confined its use to the various pro¬ 
cesses connected with the arts and manufactures. 
It may now be purchased in small quantities for 
domestic use, and is largely consumed in a great 
variety of appliances to luxury and comfort, from 
the spirit lamp on the breakfast table to the singeing 
apparatus in the stable. The duty on the retail 
licence which was first fixed at <£2. 2s., was in 1807 
(by the 30 & 31 Viet. c. 90) reduced to 10s. 
Methylated spirit has found an extensive applica¬ 
tion in the preparation of the brilliant new dyes 
which were introduced about ten years ago. The 
French had long been in the habit of using alcohol 
in dyeing, but the high duty on spirit in this country 
formerly acted as a complete prohibition of their use 
for this purpose, and enabled the French to maintain 
an undoubted superiority. 
In 1863 the high price of turpentine, caused by the 
war in America, led to an attempt to use rum as a 
substitute for it in paint. As it was represented 
that the metliylation of rum for that purpose would 
be a great boon to the West Indian colonies, by 
affording an outlet to inferior produce, which was 
scarcely saleable as beverage, the authority of Par¬ 
liament was obtained for allowing the mixture of rum 
in bonded warehouses with wood naphtha. The ex¬ 
pectation of its utility as a substitute was not real¬ 
ized. The same Act legalized the exportation of 
methylated spirit. 
Up to the year 1866 the consumption of methy¬ 
lated spirit had, by an almost regular progression, 
continued to increase, rising from 218,103 gallons in 
1856 to 1,070,897 gallons in 1865. The fraudulent 
practice of making a compound of methylated spirit, 
wlhcli under the pretence of being used as a medi¬ 
cine, was in reality sold as a stimulant in the place 
of ordinary spirits, although not extensively prevail¬ 
ing, had, in 186(5, become an increasing practice, and 
from every point of view, it appeared most desirable 
that it should be suppressed. It was also intimately 
connected with the application of methylated spirit 
to purposes for which it was never intended, though 
not expressly prohibited, namely, the preparation of 
tinctures and of medicines for internal use, an appli¬ 
cation of that spirit which the Pharmaceutical 
Society considered highly objectionable. 
It was therefore necessary to resort to legislation, 
and to prohibit entirely the use of methylated spirit 
in any preparation which could be used internally as 
a medicine. Sulphuric ether and chloroform, on ac¬ 
count of their being used extensively in arts and ma¬ 
nufactures, were excepted from the prohibition above 
specified. Methylated spirit may also still be em¬ 
ployed as a solvent or agent in the production of 
medicines, provided no spirit or derivative thereof 
shall remain after the completion of the process. In 
addition to this prohibition, it has been found advis¬ 
able to impose a legal restraint upon any alteration 
in the character of the compound known as “ finish,” 
except by the introduction of more resin or colouring 
matter. 
The object is to prevent “ finish,” which may be 
procured in unlimited quantity by the general public 
without certificate or a compliance with any forms, 
being applied to other than its legitimate purposes, 
that of a polish for furniture. 
Attempts have at times been made to purify and 
render drinkable the methylated spirit, but appa¬ 
rently without success. The presence of the re¬ 
quired portion of gum-resin in finish was considered 
to be a sufficient safeguard to the revenue, but there 
is no doubt that large quantities of finish were turned 
to improper account, either by covering the nauseous 
flavour with aromatics or by distillation with acids, 
which effected a conversion into potable ethers. 
As an additional security to the revenue therefore, 
as well as to ensure the using of the finish for none 
but the approved purposes in the arts, a provision in 
the law was made to the preceding effect. Tliis 
legislation has checked consumption to a consider¬ 
able extent, by confining it to legitimate purposes. 
In the year ending March 1866, 1,070,897 gallons 
were used; 1867, 1,031,214; 1868, 854,844; 1869, 
885,957. Tliis decline probably represents the ex¬ 
tent to which this spirit was applied either to frau¬ 
dulent purposes, or to those such as the preparation 
of medicines for internal use to which its application 
was undesirable. 
The increase in the last year may be fairly con¬ 
sidered as representing the natural growth of a legi¬ 
timate consumption. The number of licences granted 
to makers in 1869 was only 6 in England, 2 in Scot¬ 
land, and 1 in Ireland. The retailers who had 
licences, however, numbered 991 in England, 148 in 
Scotland, and 41 in Ireland. 
Cjjajtta for j&fttiitttts. 
CHEMICAL NOTES TO THE PHARMACOPOEIA. 
BY WILLIAM A. TILDEN, B.SC. LOND. 
DEMONSTRATOR OF PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY TO THE 
PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 
Cadmii Iodidum.— [§ It may be formed by direct 
combination of iodine and cadmium in the presence 
of water.] Cadmium is a metal which accompanies 
zinc in its ores, and resembles it in many respects, 
very closely, but is more volatile. It is also distin¬ 
guished by giving a yellow sulphide when sulphu¬ 
retted hydrogen is passed into any of its acid solu¬ 
tions, and this yellow precipitate is not soluble in 
sulphide of ammonium. The latter character sepa¬ 
rates it from the sulphide of arsenic, which is of a 
similar colour. [§ Iodide of cadmium, in addition 
to the preceding reactions, gives a white gelatinous 
