Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1877. 
An  Explanation, 
241 
plication  for  one  or  two  unopened  powders  was  not  responded  to,  and 
the  quantity  received  being  quite  minute,  it  was  barely  sufficient  for  a 
few  qualitative  experiments  which  were  made  by  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Harri- 
son, of  Petersburg,  Va.,  who  reported  his  results  as  follows  : 
u  The  powder  was  partly  soluble  in  water.  The  solution,  like  the 
powder,  had  a  purely  sweet  taste,  and  on  the  application  of  Trommer's 
test  a  brick-red  precipitate  of  cuprous  oxide  was  obtained,  showing  the 
presence  of  sugar.  The  undissolved  white  powder  dissolved  readily  on 
the  addition  of  dilute  acid  with  slight  effervescence,  indicating  a  carbon- 
ate. Of  bases,  magnesium  alone  was  found.  A  second  portion  of  the 
original  powder  was  ignited,  and  the  white  residue  dissolved  by  a  drop 
of  hydrochloric  acid  ;  the  solution  was  not  affected  by  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  or  sulph-hydrate  of  ammonium  j  carbonate  of  ammonium 
produced  a  white  precipitate,  which  was  completely  soluble  in  chloride 
of  ammonium,  and  again  precipitated  by  phosphate  of  ammonium. 
The  liquid  filtered  from  this  precipitate,  evaporated  and  ignited,  left  no 
residue.  The  powder,  therefore,  consists  of  sugar  as  the  main  ingre- 
dient, with  a  little  magnesium  carbonate." 
It  will  be  seen  from  these  few  experiments  that  a  brisk  sale  of  these 
powders  would  benefit  that  celebrated  doctor's  pocket,  at  least  to  the 
same  extent  as  a  good  dose  of  magnesia  would  assist  in  restoring  a 
toper  after  a  debauch,  particularly  when  combined  with  "  hot  coffee  or 
tea."  Although  that  doctor  is  not  quite  correct  in  asserting  the  pow- 
ders to  be  "  vegetable  in  their  nature,"  yet  we  believe  him  when  he 
warrants  them  "  never  to  sicken  the  patient,"  and  to  be  "  entirely 
harmless." 
AN  EXPLANATION. 
Philadelphia,  April  12,  1877. 
Editor  American  'Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
My  attention  has  been  called  to  an  unlooked-for  interpretation  of  a 
sentence  in  my  paper,  headed  "Adulterations,"  which  was  published  in 
the  March  number  of  the  "Journal."  On  page  130,  after  alluding  to  a 
firm  of  this  city,  I  continue  thus  :  "  It  is  but  a  repetition  of  that  of 
many  others,"  and  this  has  been  construed  to  refer  likewise  to  "  this 
city,"  an  interpretation  which  I  confess  might  be  given  to  the  sentence, 
but  which  was  not  in  the  least  intended.  I  can  hardly  believe  that 
any  of  your  readers  should  have  accepted  the  erroneous  construction 
16 
