June 24,1871.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1033 
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SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1S71. 
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 Biiem- 
hldge, Secretary , 17, Bloomsbury Square , 1F.C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London, W. Envelopes indorsed “ Bharm. JournB 
METHYLATED FINISH. 
"We have frequently called attention to the diffi¬ 
culties experienced by chemists and others keeping 
methylated finish for sale, in obtaining legal finish 
from the makers, and not methylated spirit contain¬ 
ing a small proportion of gum, and which legally is 
nothing but methylated spirit. The fact may not be 
known to many in the trade, but it is nevertheless 
a fact, that nearly all the so-called finish now sold 
contains in solution not more than one-tenth the re¬ 
quired amount of gum resin. In proof of this we 
may state that of ten samples of finish recently ex¬ 
amined, one only contained the proper proportion of 
gum, viz. three ounces hi the gallon. The conse¬ 
quence is, that those persons who have no licence 
for the sale of methylated spirit, but who sell this 
spurious finish, are liable to a penalty of T'50. 
Why the makers of finish are so chary of adding 
the full proportion of gum, it is not difficult to ex¬ 
plain. In the first place gum, though very cheap, 
adds to the price of methylated spirit, and its pre¬ 
sence also prevents the dilution with water of spirit 
below a certain strength, and in the second place, as 
finish can be kept on any premises and sold in any 
quantity without being accompanied by certificate, 
the maker is not subject to the restrictions upon him 
as in the case of methylated spirit. It is well known 
to the makers that the so-called finish would be 
liable to seizure if kept by them in any place except 
in rooms allowed for storing methylated spirits. 
They therefore are careful to keep the finish and 
methylated spirit together, and thus the excise au¬ 
thorities are compelled to recognize all as methylated 
spirit so long as it is on the trader’s premises. As 
soon, however, as such finish comes into the posses¬ 
sion of a person not licensed to keep methylated 
spirit, he is liable to a penalty for keeping methy¬ 
lated spirit without licence, and thus it is we con¬ 
stantly hear of chemists and others being prosecuted, 
whilst the makers, who are the actual offenders, 
escape punishment. 
Even in a good cause there is always a certain 
amount of obloquy attaching to a man prosecuted in 
a police-court, and in cases like those now under 
review, the annoyance of so appearing is increased 
by the fact that though legally guilty, the defendant 
is morally innocent. Only recently a case of this 
kind was heard at Bow Street,* but Messrs. Taylor 
and Culver, the defendants, were bold enough to go 
into court, in order to be able to take proceedings 
against the person who supplied them with this ille¬ 
gal finish. The magistrate, while compelled to convict, 
could not refrain from expressing his opinion that 
the defendants had been imposed upon. Now while 
one man may be found to have sufficient courage to 
go into court, there are scores, especially in country 
towns, where publicity of this kind is ruinous, who 
would pay any moderate sum rather than defend such 
a case, and this is a main reason why the manufacture 
of finish is carried on in such a loose manner. 
To propose a remedy for this state of tilings which 
would be completely effectual, would be difficult in¬ 
deed, but we venture to suggest that the excise au¬ 
thorities might, at certain fixed periods, have ex¬ 
aminations made of the finish made by all the dif¬ 
ferent manufacturers, and also more frequently cause 
the so-called finish to be examined after it has left 
the premises of the maker. By these two simple 
precautions the Board of Inland Revenue would be¬ 
come acquainted with those who did not comply with 
the law, and also be able to detect the maker sending 
out this spurious finish without certificates. This 
increased vigilance would, we are sure, do much to 
put a stop to the present practice, by causing manu¬ 
facturers to exercise more care in complying with 
the excise regulations. The expense incurred in 
such supervision would be merely nominal, as there 
are less than a dozen makers of methylated spirit in 
the United Kingdom, and although there is no record 
in the official reports of the number of finish makers, 
we are strongly of opinion that the number does not 
exceed twenty. 
Whilst suggesting increased vigilance on the part 
of the Excise, it is only fair to say that every needful 
precaution should be taken by the purchasers of 
finish, that they get the proper article supplied to 
them. The finish they buy should therefore bo 
tested, and a simple mode of examination is based 
on the fact that gum resin is insoluble in water, 
although soluble in spirit. Thus, if to a small 
quantity of finish in a test-tube there be added about 
three times its bulk of water, it will be found that if 
the finish be properly made, the mixture becomes 
milky, and a curdy precipitate falls ; but if the mix¬ 
ture remains transparent, or only slightly turbid, it 
does not contain the proper proportion of gum. 
In cases like the present, great advantages would 
be obtained if those interested would combine to 
suppress such an illegal trade as that we have en¬ 
deavoured to expose ; and if the pharmaceutical che¬ 
mists of the United Kingdom would take the trouble 
to turn their chemical knowledge to account for the 
protection of their own interests, prosecutions like 
* See p. 1040. 
