98 
REMARKS ON COD LIVER OIL. 
The same is true of the cod liver oil production of the New 
England Coast : — the hake, the haddock, and the pollack, (Gadus 
pollachius) all contribute more or less to the commercial oil, espe- 
cially to the light colored variety, and are sometimes wholly substi- 
tuted for it. This is partially the result of the habits of the fish. The 
codfish, associated in shoals more or less numerous, move about from 
one feeding ground to another along the coast, as humor or the abun- 
dance of their food may incite them. They are sometimes preceded 
by, and sometimes followed by shoals of the hake, haddock, or pol- 
lack, these fish seeking similar food, (marine worms) and frequent- 
ing the same submarine formations. The fishermen may therefore 
commence their labors in the morning among the true cod, and before 
evening sets in find themselves pulling in some one, or all the va- 
rieties mentioned, as the case may be. Now these fish appear to be 
all sold under the general title of codfish, but dealers in the article 
know the difference, and commercially the true codfish commands 
a better price. Less care is extended to the livers, which, unless 
especially cared for, are thrown indiscriminately into the recepta- 
cles as they are taken from the fish. 
De Jongh, whilst admitting the mixed character of the cod liver 
oil used in Germany, offers no opinion as to the relative therapeu- 
tical merits of the pure liver oils of the dorse, coal fish, and pol- 
lack ; nor has he shown that these oils differ in chemical constitu- 
tion from the true cod oil, his three analyses relating only to the 
commercial varieties founded on color. 
To the kindness of Mr. 0. S. Hubbell of this city, who has 
visited the district where the oil is made, and himself engaged in 
its preparation, I am indebted for much of the information con- 
tained in this paper, and for specimens of the pure liver oils of 
each of the four varieties of fish mentioned; the results of some 
few experiments with them will be given in another part of this 
paper. 
Not forgetting that these oils contribute more or less to much of 
the commercial cod liver oil, although not acknowledged, we will 
examine a little closer into the origin and commercial history of 
the latter. 
The terms bank oil, straits oil, and shore oil, are familiar to the 
large dealers in cod liver oil. 
The bank oil, so called from its manufacture from fish caught on 
