Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1889. 
Manufacture  of  Peel  Essences. 
515 
It  may  be  useful  to  state  here  what  Mr.  Rizzuto  considers  to  be  the 
common  adulterant  of  bergamot.  First,  there  is  the  adulteration  of 
the  true  expressed  essence  with  the  distilled  oil.  It  is  practically 
impossible  to  detect  this  admixture,  as  the  distilled  oil  only  reveals 
itself  in  the  course  of  time  by  its  terebinthinate  odor.  The  second 
class  of  adulterants  comprises  rectified  petroleum,  turpentine,  and  olive 
oil,  and  which  are  easily  detected  by  shaking  one  volume  of  the  essence 
with  four  volumes  of  alcohol  (S.  V.  R.  6,  water  1),  and  after  an  hour 
the  adulterant,  if  any  is  present,  sinks  to  the  bottom.  This  method  is 
not  applicable,  however,  to  lemon  and  the  other  essences,  the  purity  of 
which  may  be  judged  roughly  by  mixing  a  few  drops  with  a  morsel 
of  sugar,  and  judging  the  odor  and  taste  in  comparison  with  a  stand- 
ard sample.  One  of  the  most  lamentable  features  of  this  industry  is 
that  adulteration  is  not  only  openly  practiced,  but  is  considered  to  be 
indispensable.  At  first  sight  the  reason  for  this  does  not  seem  to  be 
clear,  but  when  we  keep  in  mind  the  very  large  number  of  people 
engaged  in  it,  and  the  consequent  competition,  it  is  not  so  surprising. 
The  truth  is,  indeed,  that  manufacturers  have  to  "meet"  the  market. 
Mr.  Rizzuto  was  careful  to  explain  to  us  that  his  connection  with  the 
distilled  oils  goes  only  so  far  as  their  sale  in  the  state  that  they  are 
produced  in  by  distillation.  Yet  the  demand  for  "  fabricated "  essen- 
ces he  believes  to  be  enormous.  This  is  directly  traceable  to  con- 
sumers, especially  aerated-water  makers  who  sell  lemonade  at  10c?.  oi- 
ls, per  dozen.  Cheap  essence  of  lemon  appears  to  be  necessary  for 
that;  yet  it  would  be  better  to  pay  10s.  or  12s.  per  lb.  for  a  pure 
lemon  than  4s.  or  5s.  for  an  article  heavily  loaded  with  turpentine  or 
petroleum.  A  little  of  the  pure  essence  gives  a  good  flavor,  whereas 
more  of  a  sophisticated  essence  destroys  the  lemon  and  imparts  a  for- 
eign flavor.  And  what  is  true  of  beverages  ought  to  be  doubly  so,  if 
that  were  possible,  in  regard  to  perfumes,  for  after  all  the  nose  is  the 
best  analyst,  the  most  delicate  sense  which  we  have,  and  anything 
indefinite  or  foreign  in  the  components  of  a  perfume  is  apt  to  throw 
the  whole  compound  out  of  gear,  and  to  destroy  what  might  otherwise 
be  a  delicious  and  refreshing  odor. — The  Chemist  and  Druggist,  Aug. 
24,  p.  269. 
Uses  of  antifebrin.— Salhi  (Corresp.  f.  Schweiz.  Aerzte)  found  antifebrin 
to  act  as  a  useful  palliative  in  cases  of  sore  throat  and  diphtheria;  also  in 
angina  accompanied  by  high  fever,  the  dose  being  0'25  gm.  three  times  daily. 
