Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1879. 
Editorial. 
281 
adulterants,  but  because  the  nutritive  or  the  medicinal  value  of  the  articles  are 
thereby  reduced.  Adulterations  and  sophistications  emanate  chiefly  from  two 
causes  5  on  the  one  hand  it  is  the  sordid  desire  of  rapid  pecuniary  gain,  and  on  the 
other  hand,  the  wish  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  consumer  for  cheap  goods.  In 
these  respects  we  believe  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  fare  no  better  and  no 
worse  than  the  inhabitants  of  other  countries;  but  in  the  legal  protection  of  the 
public  against  such  frauds,  there  is  doubtless  room  for  improvement,  if  we  consider 
that  the  only  remedy  of  the  victim  is  at  common  law,  with  its  expensiveness,  delays 
and  uncertain  results,  since  the  conviction  and  punishment  of  the  offender  would 
largely  depend  upon  the  amount  of  damage  done  to  the  purchaser  by  the  adulterated 
article.  That  legal  enactments  are  desirable,  covering  such  offences,  and  providing 
for  their  adequate  punishment,  with  the  view  of  lessening,  if  not  eradicating  the 
evil,  we  believe  few  will  dispute  ;  the  difficulty  is  rather  in  the  drafting  of  a  law 
which  may  be  readily  carried  into  effect,  and  which  should  be  free  from  those  uncer- 
tainties and  other  objections  that  have  been  experienced  in  the  "  Sale  of  Food  and 
Drugs  Act,"  of  1875,  of  Great  Britain.  For  such  purposes  a  law  for  the  United 
States  is  evidently  inadmissible,  and  it  remains  for  the  different  States  to  make  such 
enactments  as  may  be  deemed  proper. 
Such  a  plan — it  is  called  a  "  rough  draft  "  by  its  author — has  been  proposed  by 
Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb,  at  the  recent  meeting  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  has  been  published  in  pamphlet  form  by  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New 
York,  as  No.  xiv  of  the  serial  entitled  "Economic  Monographs.11  The  proposed 
Jaw  defines  the  terms  "  food"  and  "  medicine,"  lays  down  the  standards  by  which 
adulterations  shall  be  judged,  and  then  explains  the  different  kinds  of  offences 
regarded  as  adulterations.  The  proposed  penalties  are  a  fine  not  exceeding  $200 
for  the  first  offence,  and  imprisonment  with  hard  labor  not  exceeding  six  months  for 
subsequent  offences.  The  organization  of  a  State  Board  of  Health  is  contemplated, 
which  is  to  be  composed  of  two  physicians,  one  chemist  and  physicist,  and  one 
lawyer,  to  be  appointed  from  nominations  made  by  the  proper  societies.  This  board 
is  to  select,  by  competitive  examination,  a  Board  of  Inspectors  of  Food  and  Medi- 
cine, consisting  of  not  less  than  one  for  each  half  million  of  inhabitants,  and  also 
a  Board  of  Prosecution,  consisting  of  not  less  than  four  persons,  for  the  State  of 
New  York.  The  inspectors  are  required  to  examine  weekly  not  less  than  ten  arti- 
cles, and  for  a  moderate  charge,  all  complaints  of  suspected  adulterations.  The 
salaries  are  proposed  as  follows  :  President  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  $3,000 
other  members,  $2,000  per  year;  deductions  to  be  made  for  all  inattentions  to  their 
prescribed  duties.  The  members  of  the  boards  of  inspectors  and  of  prosecution  are 
to  receive  an  annual  salary  of  $4,000,  provided  that  they  shall  be  prohibited  from 
entering  into  any  other  business  or  occupation,  and  that  no  other  compensation  of 
any  kind  whatever  shall  be  received  by  them.  All  fines  and  moneys  received  are  to 
be  paid  into  the  State  treasury. 
The  "rough  draft,"  of  which  we  have  given  in  brief  only  the  features  for  its  exe- 
cution, is  well  adapted  for  inviting  the  careful  consideration  of  all  interested  in  the 
suppression  of  adulterations ;  it  certainly  appears  to  be  one  way  by  which  that  desir- 
able end  may  be  reached,  and  with  some  modifications  might  be  adapted  to  other 
