248  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  {Am'Ma^fo5.arm" 
of  the  home-grown  product  and  of  the  commercial  article  in  connec- 
tion therewith  (see  page  209). 
During  the  discussion  that  followed  Mr.  Lemberger  said  that  one 
of  the  favorite  ways  of  adulterating  saffron  is  to  add  some  product 
to  it  which  has  been  colored  to  resemble  it.  He  said,  however,  that 
the  adulterant,  which  is  frequently  colored  byjthe  use  of  aniline 
dyes,  can  usually  be  detected  by  placing  a  sample  in  the  mouth,  a 
very  different  color  being  imparted  to  the  saliva  than  when  true 
saffron  is  similarly  tested.  It  was  also  noted  that  in  France  saffron 
which  has  been  leached  by  the  dyers  of  silk  is  added  to  the  better 
grades.  In  answer  to  a  question  by  Dr.  Weidemann,  Mr.  Lem- 
berger said  that  among  the  Pennsylvania  Germans  saffron  is  not 
only  a  common  household  remedy,  but  is  also  used  as  a  flavoring 
and  coloring  material  in  cooking. 
At  this  point  Professor  Kraemer  exhibited  a  sample  of  cake  which 
had  been  colored  with  saffron,  and  which  was  of  a  beautiful  golden- 
yellow  color.  The  sample  was  presented  to  him  by  Millicent  L. 
Renshaw,  P.D. 
Mr.  Wilbert  alluded  to  a  nursery  rhyme  which  is  still  taught  the 
children  in  the  German  families  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and  in  which 
saffron  is  mentioned  as  an  essential  ingredient  of  good  cake.  He 
also  referred  to  some  experiments  made  by  the  late  Charles  A. 
Heinitsh,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  in  the  gathering  of  saffron,  whereby  he 
found  that  300  stigmas  weighed  15  grains,  and  that  it  took  50,000 
flowers  to  produce  1  pound  of  the  drug.  At  that  time  Mr.  Heinitsh 
estimated  that  about  40  pounds  of  the  drug  were  produced  in  the 
two  counties  of  Lancaster  and  Lebanon,  Pa.,  annually. 
Professor  Lowe  spoke  of  the  work  done  by  the  late  Professor 
Maisch  in  the  detection  of  the  adulterants  of  saffron,  and  said  that 
among  these  was  meat  fibre,  several  factories  in  Germany  having  at 
one  time  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  this  adulterant. 
Mr.  Boring  said  that  some  years  ago  he  had  purchased  a  pound 
of  saffron  which  was  infested  with  animal  life,  and  this  he  supposed 
to  have  been  due  to  the  presence  of  meat  fibre. 
Mr.  Lemberger  said  that  he  had  never  seen  but  one  sample  of 
the  drug  which  was  adulterated  with  meat,  and  that  owing  to  the 
exposition  of  this  fraud,  he  thought  it  was  probably  not  practised 
afterward. 
Professor  Kraemer  alluded  to  some  experiments  which  he  had 
