20 
Adulteration  of  Drugs. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1     January,  1902. 
quently  purifying  the  beeswax  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  the  tallow 
is  saponified  with  the  production  of  stearic  acid  and  glycerin,  the 
stearic  acid  finding  its  way  into  the  beeswax,  while  the  glycerin 
remains  in  the  liquid  portion.  Beeswax  is  also  occasionally  found 
adulterated  with  paraffin  and  added  coloring  matter. 
Japan  Wax  is  an  Asiatic  product,  and  several  years  ago  a  large 
importation  was  made.  On  arrival  of  the  consignment  it  was  found 
that  the  goods  were  liberally  adulterated  with  corn-starch.  It  was 
not  evident  where  the  Chinaman  was  enabled  to  secure  his  corn- 
starch, and,  upon  investigation,  all  evidence  pointed  to  the  fact  that 
the  wax  had  been  manipulated  in  this  country.  The  added  starch 
amounted  to  20  per  cent.  After  the  exposure  of  this  fraud  very 
few  cases  of  similarly  adulterated  material  came  to  hand,  and  it  is 
quite  probable  that  this  fraudulent  material  had  been  entirely  with- 
drawn from  the  market.  The  starch  was  readily  discovered  with 
the  microscope.  A  ready  method  for  detecting  the  presence  of 
starch  is  by  applying  a  few  drops  of  tincture  of  iodine  directly  to 
the  wax  by  means  of  a  pipette,  and  if  starch  is  present  the  starch, 
iodine  reaction  will  manifest  itself  immediately. 
Aconite  Root  Adulterated  with  Tormentilla. — It  would  seem  on  first 
thought  that  such  a  clumsy  adulteration  as  the  above  would  be  too 
apparent  for  any  one  to  practice.  This  point  we  will  not  gainsay, 
but  an  inspection  of  the  samples  will  convince  any  one  that  a  hasty 
examination  would  not  reveal  this  adulterant,  inasmuch  as  many  of 
the  tormentilla  roots  grow  in  form  similar  to  aconite  root. 
Capsicum  vs.  Paprika. — The  U.  S.  and  the  British  Pharmacopoeias 
recognize  C.  fastigiatum,  Blume,  while  the  German  Pharmacopoeia 
recognizes  C.  annuum,  L.  The  latter  is  generally  considered  the 
source  of  paprika.  The  U.  S.  Bulletin,  No.  13,  on  "  Spices  and  Con- 
diments," classes  paprika  as  cayenne.  It  is,  therefore,  not  surpris- 
ing that  many  of  us  are  of  the  opinion  that  these  two  articles  are 
one  and  the  same ;  but  a  comparison  of  samples  will  show  that 
there  is  a  vast  difference.  The  color  of  paprika  varies  from  scarlet 
to  yellow.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  a  number  of  species  of 
capsicum  and  a  host  of  varieties,  all  varying  more  or  less  in  degree 
of  pungency.  The  degree  of  pungency  and  certain  particular  flavors 
are  said  not  to  be  due  only  to  the  species  but  also  to  the  method 
of  cultivation  and  locality.  About  a  year  ago  the  writer's  attention 
was  called  to  what  was  considered  to  be  red  pepper.    An  investiga- 
