226   ADULTERATION  OF  SAFFRON  WITH  STAMENS  OF  CROCUS. 
been  more  especially  noticed  are,  the  petals  of  soap  wort  (Sapo- 
naria  officinalis,)  the  flowers  of  arnica  [Arnica  montana,)  and  the 
flowers  of  a  species  of  Pulicaria.  Fibres  of  smoked  beef,  it  is 
said,  have  also  been  employed  for  adulterating  saffron,  and  other 
foreign  substances  have  been  likewise  occasionally  detected  in 
different  specimens  of  this  drug.  Saffron,  again,  from  which  the 
color  has  been  extracted  has  been  used  to  adulterate  genuine 
saffron.  The  intermixture  with,  or  substitution  of,  the  florets  or 
petals  of  other  plants  with  the  genuine  drug  may  be  readily  de- 
tected in  many  ways,  but  the  plan  commonly  adopted  is  by  ex- 
amining the  suspected  portion,  after  maceration  in  boiling  water, 
with  a  magnifying  glass.  A  much  simpler  and  better  plan  is  to 
macerate  some  of  the  suspected  saffron  for  a  few  minutes  in  boil- 
ing water,  and  then  to  take  out  a  few  separate  pieces  of  the  in- 
fused mass,  and  diffuse  them  by  means  of  a  stirring-rod  in  a  glass 
of  cold  water;  the  vessel  being  then  held  up  to  the  light,  the  short 
upper  end  of  the  style  with  its  three  attached  linear  stigmas,  with 
their  expanded  somewhat  wedge-shaped  notched  extremities 
(Fig.  4,  p.  225,)  and  the  more  or  less  separated  loose  stigmas, 
which  together  constitute  true  saffron,  may  be  at  once  distin- 
guished from  the  tubular  or  flattened  florets  or  petals  of  other 
plants,  if  these  latter  have  been  used  as  adulterants  of,  or  sub- 
stitutions for,  genuine  saffron. 
The  subject  of  the  adulterations  of  saffron  has  recently  been 
brought  especially  under  my  notice,  in  consequence  of  a  speci- 
men of  saffron  supposed  to  be  adulterated  having  been  forwarded 
to  this  Society  for  examination  from  a  wholesale  house  in  the 
City.  From  inquiries  made  afterwards,  I  found  that  a  sample 
of  this  saffron  was  offered  for  sale  by  two  Spaniards,  who  came 
furnished  with  a  recommendation  from  a  gentleman  well  known 
to  the  members  of  the  firm ;  and  it  was  stated  that  a  quantity  of 
it  could  be  furnished  if  required.  Upon  examination,  the  saffron 
was  refused  by  the  firm,  as  it  did  not  answer  to  their  tests  of 
true  saffron,  and  a  sample  was  afterwards  forwarded  to  this  So- 
ciety for  further  investigation.* 
*  I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  to  any  chemist,  who,  when  he  has  reason  to 
suspect  the  adulteration  of  any  drug,  but  cannot  satisfy  himself  upon  the 
adulterant,  if  he  will  forward  a  specimen  to  me  for  further  examination. 
In  this  way,  old  adulterations  may  be  again  exposed,  and  new  ones  de- 
tected and  brought  before  the  public. 
