1 84  Drugs  and  Food  Products.  { AQ1ATp°rl?1r;1^rm 
quality,  being  frequently  adulterated  with  sassafras  bark.  Bella- 
donna is  often  of  bad  quality,  having  become  deteriorated.  Hyoscya- 
mus  has  been  found  to  contain  8  per  cent,  of  impurities,  such  as  bay 
leaves,  straw,  feathers,  oak,  stone,  branches  from  unknown  plants, 
etc.  Aconite  is  often  moldy,  partially  or  entirely  exhausted  and 
redried.  Sarsaparilla  is  adulterated  with  clay,  foreign  roots  and 
dirt.  The  following  admixtures  were  actually  found  in  some  samples  : 
Nut  galls,  mastic  stems,  bay,  belladonna  and  digitalis  leaves,  paper, 
bark,  straw,  ipecac  and  may-apple.  Copaiba  has  been  found  to  con- 
tain 6  to  8  per  cent,  of  fat  oil.  There  is  also  a  factitious  copaiba 
composed  of  linseed  oil,  castor  oil,  turpentine  and  sufficient  copaiba 
to  give  odor.  Opium  has  been  found  to  contain  20  per  cent,  of 
foreign  matter,  chiefly  lead.  Clay,  wax,  cherry  gum,  extract  of 
licorice  and  fused  colophony  have  been  detected  in  the  gum,  while 
occasionally  the  entire  gum  is  composed  of  clay  and  cow's  dung« 
The  powdered  drug  is  frequently  adulterated  to  the  extent  of  50 
per  cent.,  starch  being  the  usual  adulterant.  Ginger  is  adulterated 
with  lime.  Hydrastis  with  beet-root,  serpentaria,  cypripedium,  san- 
guinaria,  may-apple.  Powdered  rhubarb  with  turmeric.  Powdered 
capsicum  with  red  lead,  vermilion,  venitian  red,  brick-dust,  ground 
rice,  turmeric,  mustard  husks,  cornstarch,  wheat  and  horseradish. 
Mustard  with  cornstarch,  potato  starch,  turmeric  and  capsicum. 
Asafetida,  with  stone,  sand,  and  other  foreign  substances.  Gum 
arable,  with  marble-dust,  sand,  dextrin.  Castor-oil,  withwhale  oil, 
lard  oil  and  croton  oil.  Olive  oil,  with  paraffin  oils,  cottonseed  oil, 
oil  of  benne,  nut  oil.  Sulphur,  with  gypsum  (50  per  cent.),  sulphate 
of  calcium.  Tartaric  acid,  with  sulphate  of  sodium  and  alum. 
Ammeniiwi  carbonate  has  been  found  to  be  made  from  ammonia, 
glue  and  bicarbonate  of  soda.  Subnitrate  of  bismuth  often  contains 
phosphate  of  calcium  ;  calcium  carbonate,  burnt  bones  ;  iron  by  hydro- 
gen, charcoal ;  bichloride  of  mercury,  common  salt ;  bitartrate  of  pot- 
ash, calcium  carbonate,  farinaceous  matter,  calcium  sulphate,  corn- 
starch ;  potassium  iodide,  bromide  of  potash. 
It  may  be  remarked  that  by  purchasing  the  drugs  from  reliable 
firms,  the  above-mentioned  adulterations  are  not  likely  to  be  found. 
This  is  no  doubt  true,  but  unfortunately,  druggists  are  often  tempted 
by  the  low  prices  at  which  drugs  are  offered  by  some  unscrupulous 
wholesalers.  That  this  is  frequently  the  case  we  gather  irom  the 
fact  that  samples  purchased  from  various  druggists  at  random  do 
