172 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 26, 1871. 
wholesale firm in London upon unentered premises, 
the firm was prosecuted and a conviction obtained. 
The difference in price between methylated spirit 
and pure spirit of wine is so great that it need occa¬ 
sion no surprise if a few instances are now and then 
discovered of the illegal substitution of the former 
for the latter. During the past year eight samples 
of medicines for internal use were foimd to have 
been prepared from methylated spirit. They com¬ 
prised sweet spirits of nitre, paregoric, and the tinc¬ 
tures of catechu, rhubarb, and cardamoms. 
Three samples sold as “Finish” have been found 
to consist of methylated spirit only. One of the 
samples was deeply coloured with aniline red dye, 
and had been illegally supplied in that state to a 
firm of colour-makers who wished to use methylated 
spirit for the purpose of trade without being subject 
to the usual regulations. 
The number of samples of wood spirit examined 
for methylating purposes has been 326—the largest 
number hitherto received in any one year. Two of 
the samples were found to contain an admixture of 
ethylic alcohol to the extent of 10 and 45 per cent, 
respectively. Both were from the same methylated 
spirit-maker, against whom proceedings were taken, 
and the full penalties of the law recovered. 
During the year 635 samples of lime- and lemon- 
juice, and 100 samples of spirits for fortifying the 
same, have been examined. Eighty of the former, 
and seven of the latter were recommended for rejec¬ 
tion. For the first three months of the year, viz., 
from April 1st to June 30tli, inclusive, samples of 
lime- and lemon-juice and spirits from the Port of 
London only were examined in this department, but 
from July 1st samples have, in addition, been re¬ 
ceived from the whole of the outports in the United 
Kingdom. Since the month of December last, by 
order of the Board of Trade, it has been optional on 
the part of the merchant whether he would have his 
spirits examined by the customs at the port where 
bonded, or at this laboratory. 
In addition to the foregoing, upwards of eleven 
hundred samples of miscellaneous substances have 
been examined, including sugar, soap, pyroligneous 
acid, various wines, beers, and liqueurs, perfumed 
spirits, gin, Bay rum, sweet spirits of nitre, ether, 
beet syrup, etc. 
We continue to receive satisfactory accounts of 
the cultivation of the cinchonas from nearly all parts 
of the world where they have been introduced. The 
East Indian cultivation is, perhaps, the most impor¬ 
tant ; the plantations in Sikkim Himalaya, on the 
Neilglierry Hills, the Khasia Mountains, and also 
in Ceylon, are now established facts, and have be¬ 
gun to yield bark, which has found its way into the 
English market; that produced in the hill districts of 
India realizing a price equal to the produce of South 
America. Dr. Hooker in his annual report says 
that a ton of prepared bark has been sent to London 
from Ceylon, the produce of seeds sent to Dr. 
Thwaites from Kew in 1861. The late Dr. Thomas 
Anderson, to whom much credit is due for the suc¬ 
cessful introduction and cultivation of the plant in 
Sikkim, told us shortly before liis death that ere 
long the produce of the Sikkim plantations would be 
so large that the bark might be disposed of at the 
rate of 3 cl. per lb. 
In Jamaica foity acres of land were planted with 
cinchonas in 1868; about 40,000 plants occupying 
tliis extent of ground, all of wliich are healthy, their 
average height being from two to three feet. At the 
present time about 90 acres are under cinchona cul¬ 
tivation; and at the end of the present year it is 
expected that there will be 220 acres so occupied 
with about 200,000 plants. From St. Helena we 
also learn that the plants are not only thriving, and 
thus proving that they are perfectly satisfied with 
the soil and climate of then’ new island home, but 
that the plantations are being extended, and that 
everything connected with the cinchonas is progress¬ 
ing most satisfactorily. 
We learn from some recently-published statistics 
of the University of Edinburgh Botanical Class, that 
in the session of 1871 the number of pupils was 306. 
Of these, 241 (including 5 ladies) were medical stu¬ 
dents, 12 pharmaceutical students and 53 general 
students. 
Mr. J. B. Owen, of Louisville, Kentucky, reports 
in the American Journal of Pharmacy, that he has 
examined four specimens of subnitrate of bismuth 
taken from the American market. He found a trace 
of arsenic in one of the samples, and silver as a 
chloride was present in three, in one instance to the 
extent of ’37 per cent. 
A nostrum extensively advertised in Philadelphia 
and its vicinity as an infallible remedy for epilepsy, 
upon examination appeared to consist of about fif¬ 
teen grains of bromide of potassium, disguised by 
the addition of about five grains of powdered gen¬ 
tian root. 
The appointments under the Act for regulating 
pharmacy hi the city of New York* have been made 
by the Mayor. The gentlemen appointed are Mr. 
William Graham, superintendent of one of the 
stores of Messrs. Hegeman and Co., Mr. Frohwein, 
a graduate and one of the officers of the New York 
College of Pharmacy, Dr. Doremds, formerly pro¬ 
fessor of chemistry hi the same college, and Dr. 
O’Leary. 
* See Vol. I. p. 890. 
