348 
Spwious  Cabebs. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1       July,  1885. 
KgM  11208  requii-ed  to  oxidize 
1  gram  tannin. 
!  acid 
ent. 
zable 
other 
tannin 
2rence.) 
weight, 
being 
rt  tan- 
able  in 
ater  at 
Before 
pitation. 
After 
precipi- 
tation. 
Differ- 
ence. 
Tannic 
Per  c( 
Oxidi: 
IT)  a  Iter 
than 
(by  diff( 
Moistu] 
Relative 
lightest 
10. 
One  pa 
nin  sol 
parts  Wi 
60°  F. 
0*733 
0-05S6 
0-6744 
88  -8 
6-2 
5-0 
12 
1 
2, 
0-679 
0 -0192 
0-6598 
86-9 
5-1 
8-0 
10 
1 
3. 
0-4737 
0 -0601 
0-4136 
54-4 
40-6 
5-0 
25 
1 
4. 
0  -5015 
0-0694 
0-4321 
56-9 
36-1 
7-0 
28 
1-5 
5. 
0-6173 
0  -0108 
0-6065 
79-9 
14-1 
6-0 
.10 
2 
6. 
0-6172 
0 -0308 
0  -5864 
77  -2 
15  -8 
7-0 
12 
1 
7. 
0  -6913 
0  -0663 
0  -6250 
82  -3 
14-3 
3-0 
24 
3 
8. 
0-5091 
0  0555 
0-4536 
59  -7 
37-3 
3-0 
41 
1 
9. 
0-5756 
0  -0385 
0  -5371 
70-7 
25-3 
4-0 
30 
1-5 
— Pharm.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  p.  850,  April  18,  1885. 
SPURIOUS  CUBEBS. 
By  Edward  D.  Gkavill. 
Some  weeks  ago,  when  the  false  ciibebs  mentioned  by  Mr.  Holmes 
in  the  Journal  of  May  9th  were  offered  on  the  London  market,  a 
sample  of  the  same  was  handed  to  me  by  Mr.  Stacey,  with  a  request 
that  I  sliould  examine  it  and  report  to  him  the  result.  Mr.  Stacey,  at 
tlie  time,  expressed  no  doubt  that  the  sample  was  a  clever  substitute 
for  the  true  drug,  and  the  result  of  a  comparative  microscopical  and 
chemical  examination  was  to  confirm  his  opinion.  Since  that  time  I 
have  had  brought  under  my  notice  a  powder,  which,  from  the  expla- 
nation given  by  Mr.  Holmes,  is  similar  to  that  examined  by  him.  It 
was  said  to  have  produ(;ed  sickness,  and  diarrhoea,  together  with  con- 
siderable prostration  and  internal  irritation,  an  effect  differing  entirely 
from  that  of  the  true  powder,  which  the  patient  had  before  and  after- 
wards taken.  Having  fresh  in  my  memory  the  false  berry  above 
referred  to,  my  impression  was  that  some  of  these  might  liave  found 
their  way  into  the  genuine  a  tide,  an  idea  which  was  partly  substan- 
tiated by  the  distinctly  mace-like  odor  of  tiie  powder. 
No  difficulty  was  experienced  in  distinguishing  between  the  true  and 
false  powder,  when  unmixed,  by  their  microscopical  characters ;  but, 
in  this  case,  I  had  evidently  to  deal  with  a  mixture  in  which  those 
characters  were  altogether  unreliable. 
My  experience  with  the  chemical  tests,  applied,  in  my  case,  to  a 
