506 
PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE 
pectable  dealers.  The  acid  was  very  white,  and  was  intended  to  prepare 
the  purgative  lemonade. 
Tartaric  acid,  with  cream  of  tartar,  acid  sulphate  of  potassa  and  with 
lime. 
Aloes,  with  colophony,  ochre,  extract  of  licorice,  gum  arabic,and  calcined 
bones. 
Starch,  with  carbonate  and  sulphate  of  lime  or  alabaster;  the  more  com- 
mon fraud  is,  however,  to  saturate  it  with  moisture. 
Arrow  root,  with  potato  starch,  and  rice  flour. 
Assafcetida,  with  gum  resins  of  poorer  quality,  with  sand,  and  other  hard 
substances. 
Balsam  Copaiva,  with  the  resinous  extract  by  decoction  of  the  bark  and 
branches  of  copaiba  trees,  turpentine,  colophony,  and  fat  oils. 
Balsam  Peru,  with  colophony,  turpentine,  benzoin  resin,  alcohol,  and  fixed 
oils. 
Balsam  Tolu,  with  turpentine,  colophony,  and  other  resins. 
Chloroform,  with  chlorhydric  ether,  hypochlorous  acid,  hydro- carbonated 
oils,  compounds  of  methyle  and  aldehyde,  and  fixed  substances. 
Beeswax,  with  resin,  burgundy  pitch,  earthy  matter,  flowers  of  sulphur, 
starch  and  amylaceous  substances,  tallow,  stearic  acid,  yellow  ochre,  cal- 
cined bones  and  sawdust. 
Tart.  Emetic,  with  cream  tartar,  oxide  of  antimony,  tartrate  of  iron,  chlor: 
calcium  and  potassium,  and  sometimes  is  contaminated  with  salts  of  copper 
and  tin. 
Essential  oils,  with  alcohol  and  fixed  oils. 
Iodide  Potassium  with  chloride  potassium  and  sodium,  and  calcium,  car- 
bonate of  potassa  and  bromide  of  potassium.  The  latter  salt  being  some- 
times in  so  large  a  proportion,  owing  to  its  lesser  price,  as  to  replace,  almost 
entirely,  the  iodide. 
Manna,  with  glucose,  or  starch  sugar  and  starch.  The  large  flake  manna 
is  sometimes  made  from  a  mixture,  consisting  of  a  little  manna,  flour,  honey 
and  a  purgative  powder;  these  are  boiled  together  to  a  syrupy  consistence, 
and  then  moulded  in  form  of  "  flakes  ;  "  common  "  sorts  manna''  has  been 
converted  into  ;'  flake"  by  being  boiled  in  water,  clarified  with  charcoal,  and 
moulded  into  proper  form. 
It  is  possible  to  extend  this  list,  but  your  committee  feel  that  enough  has 
been  already  brought  forward  to  establish  the  fact,  were  proof  necessary, 
that  very  many  articles  depended  upon  as  medicines  to  restore  health,  may 
be,  because  adulterated,  highly  pernicious  and  even  fatal  in  their  effects. 
Your  committee  propose  to  offer,  in  concluding  this  report,  already  per- 
haps extended  beyond  its  limits,  a  few  specimens  of  adulterations  and  sub- 
stitutions which  have  come  to  their  knowledge  the  past  year,  and  to  give 
the  simpler  tests  by  which  they  may  be  detected. 
First  we  ask  your  attention  to  the 
SUBSTITUTIONS. 
Specimen  No.  1  is  Western  Alcohol.  A  barrel  of  this  was  sold  for  "At- 
vvood's  Alcohol."  A  very  simple  examination  proves  it  to  be  loaded  with 
grain  oils,  and  thus  exposes  the  fraud  at  once.  The  simplest  way  to  detect 
the  grain  oils  is  to  treat  the  suspected  sample  with  an  equal  volume  of  con- 
centrated sulphuric  acid  ;  if  grain  oils  are  present,  the  mixture  becomes 
darker  colored,  owing  to  their  carbonization.  Also  they  may  be  detected  by 
solution  of  nitrate  of  silver ;  expose  the  alcohol,  to  which  this  solution  has 
been  added,  to  the  action  of  sunlight,  or  diffuse  daylight — if  grain  oils  are 
present,  a  black  precipitate  subsides  after  some  little  time.  This  change 
does  not  occur  if  the  alcohol  is  pure. 
