204 
ON DRUG GRINDING. 
that I am required to adulterate. With but two exceptions, I do 
not grind for the grocers ; they can get their spices ground cheaper 
than I can grind them. Some of the " spice grinders," for in- 
stance, will grind a single bag of pepper for nearly what it costs 
me to send for and return it, and, I believe, make well out at that ; 
perhaps some of them would even pay for the privilege of grind- 
ing it, if it were not for appearances. They understand all about 
" powder of post," and the good natured public are made to 
swallow a great many things they little dream of. Let us accom- 
pany one of our worthy epicurean citizens to his dinner and see 
what he dines on. He has a good beef steak before him, and puts 
in his plate a yellow substance composed of mustard, turmeric, 
meal and cayenne pepper. He likes cayenne, and sprinkles over 
his steak ground dye woods, cake meal, pepper, Venilian red, 
Spanish brown and the like. Perhaps he takes a fancy also to 
black pepper; here no one can tell what he gets — anything is 
good enough to make black pepper, the sweepings of the mill, 
old damaged rice full of insects, cake meal, (that is flaxseed after 
the oil is expressed from it,) mustard brand, &c. &c. Then comes 
the dessert — pies, custards, &c, flavored with cloves, cinnamon, 
allspice, mace, nutmegs, with all their accompaniments, too " nu- 
merous to mention ;" and finishes his dinner with some beautifully 
colored strawberry ice cream, in which he sends after the rest a 
very pretty extract or solution of bugs, (cochineal.) a nauseous 
little insect, and our worthy friend arises from his table with the 
comfortable feeling of having made a very good dinner. It must, 
at least, be admitted, he has had a very considerable variety. 
Mustard brand is a favorite article among spice manufacturers 
for adulterating black pepper. It is all very well if it is con- 
sumed before a certain time, but let it stand a few months, and 
then few persons will have the courage to put their noses in the 
pepper box. It contains a great quantity of oil, which soon be- 
comes rancid ; and as offensive as old rancid mustard is, when it 
is incorporated with pepper it is ten times worse. 
In regard to the qualities of drugs that pass through my hands, 
there was undoubtedly a very great change — I might, perhaps, 
say, revolution — on the institution of the College of Pharmacy of 
this city. I remember it well. I was in full operation at the time, 
and had good opportunities of seeing the effect produced ; and 
