234 
Crude  and  Powdered  Drugs. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(      May,  1909. 
had  separated  from  it,  by  stirring  in  water,  more  than  40  per  cent, 
of  stones,  ingeniously  selected  because  of  their  similar  color,  and 
carefully  sifted  so  as  to  be  of  the  same  size  as  the  fragments  of 
dandelion. 
The  rejection  of  a  lot  of  belladonna  root  brought  forth  not  only 
a  violent  protest,  but  one  not  free  from  insulting  allusions.  The 
importer,  however,  was  later  quite  dismayed  to  be  shown  that  there 
was  not  a  fragment  of  belladonna  in  the  shipment,  it  being  all 
poke  root. 
Another  demanded  to  know  on  what  grounds  his  matico  had  been 
rejected,  and  on  accepting  an  invitation  to  call  and  compare  it  with 
a  genuine  sample,  declared  himself  perfectly  satisfied  that  the 
decision  was  just. 
An  importer  took  the  writer  up  to  an  open  bag  of  bark  and 
pointing  down  to  it  said :  "  There  you  are !  Is  not  that  genuine 
simaruba?"  "Which?"  was  the  reply,  as  both  hands  were  thrust 
into  the  bag  and  two  totally  different  articles  were  drawn  out. 
"  Oh,  of  course,"  said  he,  "  we  only  look  into  the  bag ;  we  can't 
be  expected  to  go  through  it  and  examine  it  as  you  do." 
A  very  large  and  important  dealer  nearly  fainted  on  being  told 
that  his  ground  belladonna  root  was  50  per  cent,  olive  pits,  but  soon 
learned,  from  his  own  investigations,  that  the  miller  to  whom  he 
sent  his  fine  drugs  to  be  ground  was  systematically  abstracting  a 
portion  and  substituting  adulterants. 
Doubtless  the  most  important  part  of  the  year's  results  is  the 
demonstration  that  much  of  the  adulteration  of  drugs  is  intentional 
and  studied,  and  is  a  business  proposition  purely.  The  importance 
of  this  demonstration  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  The  plea  of 
non-intent  has  been  in  the  past  the  strongest  defense  offered.  It 
should  not  have  been  regarded  as  a  good  one,  even  if  justified,  for 
responsibility  is  fixed,  with  or  without  good  intent.  In  fact,  however, 
this  plea  has  been  as  effective  as  it  was  strenuous.  Upon  the  presen- 
tation of  conclusive  evidence  that  a  lot  of  drug  was  grossly  impure, 
everybody  would  sit  up  and  take  notice,  prepared  to  soundly  con- 
demn the  offender ;  but  up  gets  an  apologist,  and  says,  half  plead- 
ingly, "  I  hope  that  the  speaker  does  not  mean  to  imply  that  there 
has  been  any  intentional  adulteration.  It  is  certainly  true  that  drugs 
are  not  always  what  they  should  be.  Conditions  of  collection  and 
commerce  are  such  that  this  could  not  be  expected,  and  I  am  very 
sure  that  the  gentlemen  concerned  could  never  be  suspected  of  so 
