824 
Correspondence. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  1918. 
the  adulteration  of  sweet  marjoram  by  means  of  leaves  of  Coriaria 
myrtifolia;  that's  why  I  take  pleasure  in  sending  you  a  short  article 
I  published  in  March,  191 1,  on  sweet  marjoram  and  its  adulterations. 
Sweet  marjoram,  which  is  sold  in  large  quantities  in  some  re- 
gions of  southern  France,  is  very  often  adulterated  there.  Most  of 
the  samples  submitted  to  me  were  presented  in  the  form  of  a  powder, 
more  or  less  fine,  a  condition  that  very  much  favors  the  adulteration 
of  vegetable  products. 
The  sample  to  which  my  article  refers  contained  but  a  very 
slight  quantity  of  Coriaria  and  presented  but  inadequate  character- 
istics from  which  to  conclude  as  to  the  positive  presence  of  this  leaf  : 
the  arrangement  of  the  stomata  and  the  presence  of  ridges  on  the 
epidermis  of  the  neighboring  cells  do  not  suffice  to  decide  upon  it ; 
for  I  have  come  upon  many  such  leaves  which  presented  the  very 
same  characteristics :  Though  I  have  had  occasion  to  study  particu- 
larly the  "  Redoul "  as  a  frequent  agent  of  adulterating  sumachs, 
which  I  have  described  under  the  characteristics  in  my  memoran- 
dum on  the  adulteration  of  sumachs,  I  confess  that  I  have  been 
unable  to  guarantee  the  fact  that  my  leaf  found  in  the  sweet  mar- 
joram was  actually  that  of  the  Coriaria  myrtifolia. 
It  is  extremely  frequent  in  appearance  in  sumach  powders ;  it 
is  also  quite  common  in  senna,  and  we  are  even  surprised  to  find  it 
there  again  frequently,  since  for  over  fifty  years  this  fraud  has  been 
laid  bare  in  all  works  on  adulteration. 
Now,  to  another  subject!  With  what  pleasure  and  enthusiasm 
we  see  arriving  in  France  your  magnificent  and  heroic  soldiers, 
coming  to  bring  help  and  relief  to  outworn  France  and  at  the  same 
time  to  wrest  the  world  from  the  Hun  tyranny !  Those  who  like 
myself  have  seen  on  two  occasions  the  horrors  of  the  German  inva- 
sion and  have  for  a  period  of  fifty  years  been  subjected  to  the  hu- 
miliations and  the  consequences  of  defeat,  will  especially  appreciate 
the  grandeur  of  sacrifice  that  America  has  imposed  upon  herself, 
and  we  shall  never  forget  it,  nor  will  the  younger  generations,  whose 
existence  would  have  been  made  intolerable  had  there  not  been  vic- 
tory gained  at  last.  The  assassins  of  the  "  Lusitania  "  are  not  hu- 
man beings — they  are  ferocious  beasts  enraged  to  the  utmost  degree, 
whom  we  ought  to  make  disappear  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Accept,  very  esteemed  Colleague,  the  assurance  of  my  high 
esteem. 
(Signed)    Eug.  Collin. 
