92 
Editorial. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharjc 
1     Feb.  1, 1871. 
(EMtonal  SiJepartmcuU 
Spurious  Quinine. — The  following  paper  was  received  too  late  for  insertion 
among  the  original  matter,  and  its  importance  induces  us  to  give  it  place  in  the 
editorial  columns  rather  than  delay  its  publication : 
"SULPHATE  OF  QUININE." 
An  old  Fraud  in  a  dangerous  Disguise. 
By  Charles  Bullock. 
Within  the  past  few  days  there  has  been  offered  in  this  market  a  lot  of  sul- 
phate of  quinine  (?)  said  to  be  five  thousand  ounces  in  quantity,  purporting  to  be 
of  the  manufacture  of  Pelletier,  Delondre  et  Levaillant,  Paris.  The  bottles 
containing  the  drug  bear  the  label,  and  the  cork  the  seal,  of  that  well-known 
firm. 
An  examination  of  the  so-called  sulphate  of  quinine  (?)  (which  was  offered  at 
the  market  value,  or  thereabout,  of  quinine)  shows  that  it  contains  scarcely  a 
trace  of  quinine,  but  consists  entirely  of  muriate  of  cinchonia  mixed  with  small 
amounts  of  the  other  associated  alkaloids  of  the  bark. 
The  first  impression  was,  that  old  bottles,  from  which  the  genuine  labels  had 
not  been  removed,  had  been  used  to  perpetrate  the  fraud.  A  more  careful  ex- 
amination, and  comparison  with  a  package  known  to  be  genuine,  leads  to  the 
belief  that  the  whole  transaction — bottle,  label,  seal,  and  circular  accompany- 
ing each  bottle — is  a  counterfeit.  This  counterfeit,  we  are  informed,  is  in  the 
hands  of  parties  in  New  York. 
Language  too  strong  can  scarcely  be  used  to  condemn  the  baseness  of  such 
a  transaction.  It  is  bad  enough  to  appropriate  a  well-known  trade-mark,  to 
obtain  a  market  on  the  reputation  of  another;  but  to  counterfeit  label,  circular, 
seal  and  trade  mark,  to  cover  a  medicinal  article  of  different  character  and 
much  less  value,  with  intent  to  deceive,  indicates  a  quality  of  heart  needing  but 
a  little  more  schooling  to  make  a  first-class  rascal. 
In  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  we  have  a  law  punishing  the  vendor  of  meats 
in  a  condition  unsuited  for  consumption  ;  but  we  believe  there  is  no  statute  law 
in  this  State  to  reach  the  man  who,  for  the  sake  of  greed,  willfully  deceives  his 
fellow  when  struggling  against  the  inroads  of  disease,  by  off'ering  to  him  cin. 
chonine  under  the  counterfeit  garb  and  at  the  cost  of  quinine,  while  the  drug 
bears  about  the  same  relation  to  quinine  in  medicinal  as  it  does  in  commercial 
value. 
It  is  hoped  that  our  New  York  brethren  are  better  protected  by  laws  bearing^ 
on  the  subject;  and  if  they  can  discover  the  perpetrator  of  this  fraud,  and  ob- 
tain for  him  a  diploma  insuring  to  him  ten  years'  sojourn  at  Sing  Sing,  the 
general  judgment  of  the  profession  will  be — "served  him  right." 
It  is  somewhat  amusing  to  notice  in  the  circular  accompanying  the  spurious 
quinine,  that  the  method  of  detecting  adulterations,  is  copied  from  the  original. 
