AlAi2S,Sfm'}    The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.  403 
practised.    In  many  cases  the  microscope  is  the  only  satisfactory- 
means  for  determining  the  purity  and  nature  of  adulterant. 
A  few  illustrations  may  be  given  : 
(a)  Pepper  is  adulterated  with  mustard  hulls,  wheat  flour,  etc. 
(b)  Bermuda  Arrowroot  with  other  arrowroots  and  starches. 
(c)  Tea  with  the  leaves  of  Salix  alba,  Sambucus  nigra,  etc. 
(7)  In  Determining  Unknown  Drugs. — It  often  occurs  that  a 
pharmacist  receives  for  identification  samples  of  drugs  that  are  un- 
known to  him.  It  may  be  that  they  are  common  indeed  and  in- 
digenous to  this  country.  The  microscopic  examination  at  once 
gives  one  a  start.  The  compound  microscope  is,  indeed,  playing  a 
very  important  part  to-day  throughout  systematic  botany.  Certain 
groups  or  families  or  genera  are  found  to  possess  a  certain  charac- 
teristic inner  morphology,  and  this  is  the  key  to  the  solution.  It 
may  be  that  the  arrangement  of  the  elements  of  the  fibro-vascular 
bundle  is  peculiar,  or  that  the  shape  of  the  element  (root,  stem, 
etc.)  is  characteristic,  or  the  identification  may  be  based  on  the 
nature  of  secretion  cells,  or  form  and  nature  of  hairs,  etc.  In  leaves 
the  habitat  may  sometimes  be  determined  by  reason  of  the  structure. 
(8)  In  Biological  and  Sanitary  Analysis. — The  advancing  phar- 
macist is  taking  upon  himself  the  study  of  these  branches,  which 
are  more  or  less  directly  related  to  medicine,  and  for  which  there  is 
evidently  a  growing  demand.  He  is  making  the  biological  as  well 
as  chemical  analysis  of  water  and  reporting  on  the  condition  of 
sputum,  urine,  etc.,  of  the  patients  of  the  physician.  In  all  this 
kind  of  work  the  microscope  is  necessary. 
(9)  For  Other  Practical  Purposes. — Recently  some  one  wished  to 
examine  the  number  of  meshes  in  some  sieves.  The  compound 
microscope  was  recommended  for  the  purpose,  the  principle  of  the 
method  followed  being  the  same  as  that  used  in  measuring  the 
lengths  of  cells,  etc. 
The  microscope  may  be  used  in  detecting  forgery,  in  determining 
the  writing  on  soiled  labels  ;  also  in  ascertaining  the  kind  of  writing 
paper,  labels,  etc.,  that  are  purchased,  etc. 
THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  USE  OF  THE  MICROSCOPE. 
From  what  has  preceded  it  is  seen  that  the  microscope  has  a 
very  important  bearing  on  the  practical  work  of  the  pharmacist. 
It  would  not  be  proper  in  an  essay  of  this  kind  to  fail  to  record  the 
