552 
Pure  Drugs  and  the  Public  Health.  { 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
December,  1914. 
26  drugs  and  preparations  reported  on  during  19 12,  the  number 
that  were  rejected  or  found  to  be  illegal,  and  the  number  of  reporters 
on  each  individual  article. 
Table  Showing  Reported  Results  of  Analysis  of  Samples  of  26  Official 
Articles — A  Compilation  of  Data  Included  in  Hygienic  Laboratory 
Bulletin  No.  93. 
Alcohol  
Ammonia,  aromatic  spirit  of . . . . 
Ammonia,  water  
Asaf  cetida  
Belladonna,  tincture  of  
Camphor,  spirit  of  
Camphor,  liniment  of  
Ferric  chloride,  tincture  of  
Ferrous  iodide,  sirup  of  
Ginger,  tincture  of  
Iodine,  tincture  of  
Lard  
Lemon  extract  
Lime  water  
Linseed  oil  
Olive  oil  
Opium,  camphorated  tincture  of, 
Opium,  tincture  of  
Peppermint,  spirit  of  
Solution  of  hydrogen  dioxide.  .  . . 
Solution  of  potassium  arsenite . . . 
Sulphur  
Sweet  spirit  of  nitre  
Turpentine,  oil  of  
Vanilla  
Witch  hazel  
Total. 
Number  of 
reporters 
7 
5 
4 
10 
3 
19 
8 
7 
8 
9 
18 
8 
10 
10 
12 
13 
5 
11 
14 
13 
7 
6 
22 
8 
12 
5 
Number  of  samples 
Examined  Rejected 
98 
116 
19 
256 
14 
802 
597 
680 
549 
74 
984 
265 
252 
635 
367 
912 
9i 
252 
270 
1,026 
570 
70 
609 
639 
286 
9i 
10,524 
47 
78 
11 
200 
6 
423 
99 
219 
88 
30 
474 
53 
100 
98 
138 
69 
30 
125 
139 
90 
128 
35 
336 
132 
116 
24 
3,288 
Per  cent, 
of  samples 
rejected 
47-9 
67.2 
57-8 
78.1 
42.8 
52.7 
16.5 
32.2 
16.0 
40-5 
48.1 
20.0 
39-6 
154 
37.6 
7-5 
32.9 
49.6 
51-4 
8.7 
22.4 
50.0 
55-i 
20.6 
40.5 
26.3 
31-2 
As  an  object  lesson  this  table  is  well  worth  studying  from  various 
points  of  view.  Not  the  least  important  in  this  connection  is  the 
suggestion  that,  despite  the  apparently  large  number  of  samples 
examined,  the  present-day  method  of  enforcing  food  and  drugs  laws 
is  hopelessly  inadequate  so  far  as  offering  to  control,  even  in  a  mod- 
erate degree,  the  nature  and  purity  of  drug  products  as  they  reach 
the  consumer. 
The  limitations  imposed  by  the  present  method  of  enforcing  the 
drug  feature  of  food  and  drugs  laws  is  well  illustrated  by  a  table 
recently  published  by  L.  P.  Brown,  food  and  drug  commissioner  of 
