AMERICAN  PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION. 
511 
suspected  Piperine  with  a  per-salt  of  iron.  The  blue  reaction  is  instantly 
produced,  caused  by  formation  of  ferro-cyanide  of  iron. 
This  reaction  taking  place  while  combining  a  recipe  in  which  the  Piperine 
and  a  salt  of  iron  was  ordered,  led  to  the  detection  of  the  fraud,  otherwise 
unsuspected. 
Flowers  or  Oxide  of  Zinc.  All  specimens  examined,  except  some  German 
proved  to  be  merely  the  carbonate. 
Specimen  No.  17.  Oil  of  Bergamot.  A  lot  of  oil  of  bergamot,  purchased, 
at  the  market  rates,  and  to  all  appearance  a  very  fine  article,  proved  to  con- 
tain 30  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  by  the  usual  test  of  the  graduated  tube  and 
treatment  wilh  water. 
Specimen  No.  18.  Oil  of  Wormwood.  As  regards  smell  and  taste,  this 
oil  is  unexceptionable.  Its  specific  gravity  is  so  low  as  to  excite  suspicion, 
and  it  proves  to  be  adulterated  with  ether  upon  a  careful  examination. 
This  fraud  can  be  easily  detected  by  the  low  boiling  point  and  specific 
gravity. 
One  of  the  members  of  your  Committee,  who  is  acquainted  with  a  gentle- 
man formerly  in  the  drug  grinding  business  in  New  York,  has  been  kindly 
furnished  by  him  with  some  formulas  by  which  u  pure  and  genuine  drugs  " 
were  prepared  when  he  was  employed  at  the  mill  referred  to : 
Powdered  Cape  Aloes — Cape  aloes  dried,  100  lbs.  ;  ship  biscuit,  100  lbs.  ; 
curcuma  q.  s.  to  color. 
Common  Ginger — African  ginger,  200  lbs. ;  capsicum  hulls,  25  lbs.; 
biscuit,  100  lbs.  ;  curcuma  q.  s.  to  color. 
Ipecac,  powdered — Ipecac,  100  lbs. ;  ship  biscuit,  25  to  40  lbs. 
Opium  powdered — Turkey' opium,  50  lbs.;  Egyptian  opium,  25  lbs.; 
biscuit.  40  lbs. 
Gamboge  powdered — Gamboge,  100  lbs.;  tartrate  of  lime,  25  lbs. 
Socotrine  Aloes  are  pure  bonaire,  without  adulteration. 
Cream  of  Tartar  is  adulterated  with  from  10  to  65  per  cent,  of  lerra  alba, 
or  tartrate  of  lime,  with  about.  3  per  cent,  tartaric  acid. 
Tartaric  Acid  powdered — Tartaric  acid,  1000  lbs. ;  alum,  from  10  to  35  per 
cent. 
Scammony  Aleppo,  powdered — Virgin  Scammony,  30  lbs. ;  cocoa  beans, 
80  lbs.  ;  biscuit,  30  lbs.  ;  lampblack,  q.  s.  (sufficient  quantity)  to  color. 
Bird  Pepper,  powdered— Chilies,  1000  lbs.;  rice,  800  to  1200  lbs.; 
curcuma  and  Venetian  red  to  color. 
Powdered  Fenugreek — Fenugreek  seeds,  1000  lbs.;  biscuit,  1000  lbs.; 
curcuma  q.  s.  to  color. 
East  India  Rhubarb,  Powdered — East  India  rhubarb,  100  lbs.;  English 
do.,  60  lbs. 
English  Rhubarb,  Powdered — English  rhubarb,  100  lbs.  ;  biscuit,  30  lbs.  ; 
curcuma  to  color. 
Turkey  Rhubarb,  powdered— East  India  rhubarb,  Turkey  rhubarb,  equal 
parts. 
The  tartrate  of  lime  referred  to  is  more  properly  sulphate  of  lime  with  a 
small  portion  of  tartrate.  The  ship  biscuit  is  the  hard  and  often  worm-eaten 
cakes  brought  in  by  ships  after  a  long  voyage. 
Your  Committee  have  noticed,  in  making  a  number  of  examinations  of 
articles  furnished  by  manufacturers,  as  acetic,  nitric,  muriatic  acids,  aqua 
ammonia,  oxide  of  zinc,  sub-carbonate  of  iron,  and  others,  that  but  little 
attention  is  paid  to  the  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  as  every  phar- 
maceutist can  ascertain  with  but  little  trouble. 
We  think  it  important,  and  would  suggest  to  this  Association  the  propriety 
of  calling  special  attention  to  this  point;  that  while  we  have  a  standard,  our 
