518 
ON  ADULTERATED  POWDERED  ASSAFETIDA. 
How  are  we  to  account  these  results  ?  can  we  suppose  that 
one  portion  of  the  calomel  parted  with  its  chlorine  to  another 
portion,  converting  it  into  bi-chloride,  and  leaving  metallic  mer- 
cury, thus  giving  formation  to  bin-iodide  of  mercury  ?  This  re- 
action would,  of  course,  leave  an  excess  of  iodide  of  potassium 
in  the  solution  of  which  the  bin-iodide  of  mercury  would  be  formed 
That  the  changes  which  occurred  left  a  large  portion  of  iodide 
of  potassium  uncombined,  is  evident  from  the  amount  of  bin- 
iodide  of  mercury  obtained  by  adding  corrosive  sublimate  to  the 
washings  ;  and  this,  notwithstanding  a  slight  excess  of  calomel, 
was  used.  I  was  unable  to  determine  accurately  the  amount 
of  proto-iodide  of  mercury,  as  it  was  so  contaminated  with  the 
metal. 
Philadelphia,  Oct.  7th,  1856. 
ON  ADULTERATED  POWDERED  ASSAFETIDA. 
By  Joseph  F.  Heathcote. 
This  sample  was  supplied  by  a  drug  house  doing  an  extensive 
business  in  powdered  drugs  in  this  city,  and  the  cause  of  the 
examination  was  from  the  smallness  of  bulk  and  great  weight, 
neither  of  which  occur  in  the  genuine  article. 
It  was  proposed  to  examine  and  determine,  if  possible,  how 
the  adulteration  was  committed,  accordingly  2  drachms,  or  120 
grs.  were  digested  without  any  other  substance  (which  was  easi- 
ly shaken  up  and  divided  by  its  composition)  in  95  per  cent, 
alcohol,  several  exhaustions  took  place  during  6  or  8  days,  finally 
boiling  alcohol  was  used  ;  all  the  tincture  was  carefully  evaporated 
to  the  consistence  of  ext.  jalapoe,  the  soluble  matter  was  then 
weighed,  and  out  of  2  drachms  only  14  to  15  per  cent,  was  left 
in  the  evaporating  dish. 
The  substance  remaining  in  the  filter  was  again  washed  and 
dried,  and  there  was  found  over  100  grains  of  a  greyish  sub- 
stance, rather  heavy  and  gritty,  but  polishing  copper  or  silver 
with  great  ease.  It  showed  no  effervescence  with  sulphuric  acid, 
and  was  not  altered  by  the  blowpipe. 
It  is  a  question  with  many  practical  and  successful  physicians 
whether  such  articles  as  assafetida  should  be  submitted  to  the 
