510 
PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE 
The  solution  of  cream  of  tartar,  tested  with  tincture  of  galls,  takes  a 
black  color  if  iron  is  present;  with  ammonia,  a  blue  color  if  copper  be  present ; 
with  iodide  potassium,  a  yellow,  if  lead  is  present. 
The  presence  of  arsenic  in  cream  of  tartar,  according  to  Dr.  Bley,  comes 
from  the  arsenical  sulphur  used  in  the  "  mutage,"  or  process  for  arresting 
fermentation  in  the  11  must "  of  grapes,  which  consists  of  burning  sulphur  in 
the  casks,  thereby  liberating  sulphurous  acid.  The  arsenic  may  be  detected 
by  Marsh's  apparatus. 
Specimen  No.  8  is  Acid  Sulphate  of  Soda. — This  is  the  residue  from  nitric 
acid  manufacturing.  The  nitrate  of  soda  or  Chili  saltpetre  is  decomposed 
by  sulphuric  acid,  and  this  article  remains.  It  is  largely  used  to  adulterate 
cream  of  tartar  and  this 
Specimen  No.  9,  is  one  which  contains  this  adulteration.  This  acid 
sulphate  may  be  considered  one  of  the  injurious  adulterations. 
There  is  one  drawback  to  its  use,  however,  as  a  substitute  for  cream  of 
tartar,  and  that  is  its  deliquescence,  or  property  of  taking  moisture  from  the 
atmosphere.  It  was  once  attempted  to  substitute  it  for  cream  of  tartar  in  a 
u  Yeast  Powder,"  but  after  having  been  put  up,  the  article  was  obliged  to  be 
withdrawn  from  the  market  because  it  destroyed  the  cans.  Query? — Will 
the  human  stomach  bear  it  better  than  a  tin  can? 
Specimen  No.  10  is  the  "great  adulterator."  This  article,  known  by 
the  above  name,  is  selenite  or  sulphate  of  lime.  It  is  imported  into  New 
York,  and  there  powdered  for  use. 
Specimen  No.  11  is  the  " great  adulterator"  in  its  natural  state,  before 
being  powdered. 
Specimen  No.  12  is  cream  of  tartar,  which  is  adulterated  with  the  "great 
adulterator;  "  as  this  substance  is  almost  insoluble,  any  one  can  judge  of 
the  benefit  to  health  that  might  arise  from  a  long  continued  use  of  the 
article  in  the  daily  food. 
The  specimen  of  cream  of  tartar  under  examination  contains  25  per  cent, 
of  the  "great  adulterator." 
Specimen  No.  13  is  a  fatty  residue  from  oil  of  lemon.  This  was  obtained 
from  a  sample  of  oil  of  lemon  of  suspected  purity,  the  last  winter,  and 
amounted  to  22  per  cent,  of  the  whole  weight  of  oil.  In  cold  weather  it  has 
a  butyraceous  consistence,  but  as  it  now  appears  is  more  fluid. 
It  is  somewhat  unusual  to  find  an  article  of  oil  lemon  adulterated  in  this 
way;  and  your  Committee  would  call  the  attention  of  pharmaceutists  to 
this  fact  as  being  evidence  of  a  new  practice  in  the  way  of  fraud  in  this 
article. 
Specimen  No.  14  is  capsicum  with  adulteration  of  common  salt.  This 
can  be  detected  by  exhausting  the  pepper  with  water,  evaporating  to  dryness 
and  testing  the  residue  by  nitrate  of  silver  for  chlorine  ;  the  soda  imparts  its 
characteristic  color  of  yellow  to  flame  of  burning  alcohol. 
Corrosive  sublimate  sent  from  Kentucky  was  proved  to  be  adulterated 
with  chloride  of  sodium  (common  salt)  by  the  usual  tests.  The  sample  was 
too  small  to  estimate  the  amount  of  impurity  present,  and  we  cannot  show 
a  specimen  of  it  because  it  was  all  consumed  in  examination. 
Specimen  No.  15.  Lunar  Caustic.  This  was  sent  from  Kentucky  also, 
having  been  purchased  in  New  York  at  a  cost  of  Si  20  per  oz  as  a  pure 
article.  A  great  imposition  was  practised  either  by  the  seller  or  the  man- 
ufacturer. Upon  a  careful  examination  it  yielded  only  14  per  cent,  of 
chloride  of  silver,  equivalent  to  about  10  per  cent,  of  metallic  silver.  Had 
it  been  pure  nitrate,  il  should  have  yielded  64  per  cent,  of  metallic  silver. 
Specimen  No.  16  Piperine.  Adulterated  with  ye!lowT  prussiate  of 
potassa.    This  fraud  can  be  easily  detected  by  testing  a  solution  of  the 
