Am.  .Tour.Pharin.  | 
June,  1881.  f 
Adulterated  Ijjecacitanh  c. 
303 
off  from  the  outer  surface  of  tlie  almond  and  boiled  in  solution  of 
caustic  soda  they  will  make  beautiful  objects  for  examination  with 
polarized  light  under  the  microsco])e.  Almond  meal  is  probably  not 
of  very  common  use  for  mixing  with  ipecac. 
A  prominent  drug- 
gist in  one  of  our  west- 
ern cities  told  me  he 
had  found  quite  a  large 
per  cent,  of  the  pow- 
dered ipecac,  that  was 
sent  to  him  from  the 
east,  to  be  mixed  with 
powdered  licorice. 
The  only  way  to  be- 
come acquainted  with 
the  appearance  of  lico- 
rice under  the  micro- 
scope is  to  prepare  and 
examine  some  of  the 
root  in  the  same  way 
we  prepared  and  exa- 
mined ipecac  root,  and 
then  to  study  some  of 
the  powdered  licorice.  This  would  hardly  be  necessary  for  the  identi- 
fication of  licorice  when  it  can  so  easily  be  detected  by  its  taste  and  odor. 
By  far  the  most  common  substance  used  is  potato  starch.  Of  all 
the  specimens  of  powdered  ipecac  which  I  have  examined  every  one 
had  more  or  less  potato  starch  mixed  with  it.  Only  two  had  corn 
meal.  Potato  starch  grains  are  so  very  characteristic  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  any  one  to  mistake  them  under  the  microscope  for  the 
starch  grains  of  ipecac.  They  are.  large,  oval,  or  irregularly  ovate  grains. 
Each  one  possesses  a  nucleus  or  spot  around  which  are  seen  numerous 
rings.  Frequently  these  are  as  large  as  of  an  inch  in  length.  A 
very  simple  way  for  obtaining  some  of  these  starch  grains  for  study  is 
to  cut  into  a  potato,  and  the  fine  white  powder  adhering  to  the  knife 
will  be  the  starch,  or  if  a  thin  slice  of  the  potato  be  shaved  off  and 
])laced  in  a  little  water  in  a  watch  crystal  the  fine  white  sediment 
found  at  the  bottom  will  be  the  starch.  The  annexed  cut  illustrates 
some  powdered  ipecac  adulterated  with  potato  starch. — The  Microscope^ 
April,  1881. 
Powdered  ii^ecae.    <:f,  starch  grains  of  ipecac. 
6,  w^oody  fibre,    c,  crystals.    Adulterated  with 
d,  potato  starch. 
