ON  COD  LIVER  OIL* 
3 
to  be  sent  Into  the  market.    This  constitutes  the  best  quality  of 
Cod  Liver  Oil.    The  color  of  this  variety  is  a  pale  yellow,  having 
a  specific  gravity  of  920°,  has  a  slight  fishy  taste,  though  not 
very  disagreeable  to  most  persons;  and  of  all  the  varieties  is  least 
liable  to  sicken  the  stomach.    In  some  parts  where  the  fisherman 
is  too  poor  to  purchase  the  water  bath,  the  fresh  livers  are  put 
into  a  common  iron  pot,  used  for  domestic  purposes  ;  moderate 
heat  is  then  applied.    As  soon  as  the  livers  are  somewhat  broken 
down  and  softened,  they  are  taken  from  the  pot  and  introduced 
into  a  coarse  canvas  bag,  and  by  pressure  the  greater  part  of  the 
oil  is  forced  out.    This  variety  is  not  of  quite  as  fine  quality  as 
that  made  with  the  steam  bath  ;  the  color  is  rather  darker,  has  a 
slight  empyreumatic  taste,  and  is  apt  to  leave  a  peculiar  burning 
sensation  in  the  fauces,  when  swallowed,  which  is  perceptible  some 
time  after.    Another  variety,  of  an  inferior  quality,  is  made  in 
larger  vessels,  which  remain  at  sea  for  weeks  together,  without 
going  to  the  shore.    The  method  of  obtaining  this  variety  is  as 
follows  :    As  fast  as  the  fish  are  caught  and  dressed,  the  livers 
are  thrown  into  barrels  placed  on  deck,  the  tops  of  which  remain 
uncovered.  The  livers  are  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  sun's  rays; 
decomposition  soon  ensues,  and  the  oily  matter  separates.  That 
part  which  first  rises  to  the  top  is  skimmed  off  and  put  into  a 
separate  cask.    The  color  of  this  variety  is  yellow  approaching 
to  a  brown.    The  taste  is  decidedly  fishy ;  is  much  more  disa- 
greeable than  the  shore  oil ;  and  is  more  liable  to  produce  sick- 
ness of  stomach.    This  variety  is  commonly  known  as  Straits  oil. 
The  commonest  variety  of  all  is  made  from  the  remnants  of  the 
casks,  from  which" the  Straits  oil  has  been  drawn.  In  this  variety 
complete  putrefaction  has  taken  place.  It  is  of  a  very  dark  color, 
has  an  extremely  offensive  smell,  and  is  more  disagreeable  than 
the  other  varieties.    This  is  known  as  Banks  oil. 
The  chemical  composition  of  Cod  Liver  Oil  is  extremely  com- 
plex, containing  in  a  hundred  parts  about  sixty  per  cent,  of  a 
compound  composed  of  a  peculiar  brown  substance-— Gaduine — 
in  combination  with  oleic  acid.  From  the  great  pertinacity  with 
which  this  substance  adheres  to  the  oleic  acid  it  is  with  great  dif- 
ficulty separated.  It  is  a  peculiar  dark  brown  substance,  hard  and 
brittle  when  dry  ;  is  insoluble  in  water  though  partly  so  in  ether 
and  alcohol    Sulphuric  acid  readily  dissolves  it — producing  a 
