34-0 
Importation  of  Drugs. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
|       July,  1909. 
Another  problem  which  sometimes  arises  in  connection  with 
imported  drugs  is  the  true  declaration  relative  to  the  manufacturer 
or  the  place  of  production.  There  have  been  cases  of  this  character ; 
for  example,  a  product  may  be  entered  through  the  port  of  New 
York,  and  it  is  subsequently  found  that  such  article  is  an  imitation 
of  the  genuine  or  for  some  reason  there  is  a  misrepresentation 
relative  to  the  place  of  manufacture.  It  has  been  the  practice  to 
institute  an  investigation  and  ascertain  if  possible  the  true  situation, 
and  in  most  cases  this  has  been  successfully  accomplished  through 
the  assistance  of  the  foreign  consul  and  agents  in  arriving  at  just 
and  satisfactory  conclusions.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that  this 
problem  is  sometimes  attended  with  difficulties.  There  have  been 
many  complaints  and  contentions  in  regard  to  various  brands  of  one 
well-known  remedy  imported  from  Holland.  Although  there  is  on 
file  a  large  mass  of  information  from  various  sources,  the  evidence 
is  not  yet  sufficient  to  indicate  who  is  rightfully  entitled  to  the  name. 
It  is,  however,  encouraging  to  note  that  in  so  far  as  is  known  the 
numerous  false  claims  formerly  made  for  the  medicinal  virtue  of 
the  preparation,  whether  genuine  or  not,  have  been  changed  by  the 
various  manufacturers  and  dealers. 
Some  interesting  features  have  developed  in  connection  with 
the  use  of  the  term  "  for  technical  use  "  or  some  similar  phrase,  in 
a  number  of  cases  of  certain  products  as  cassia  oil,  balsam  Peru, 
gum  benzoin,  etc.  It  appears  that  these  are  employed  more  or  less 
in  the  manufacture  of  certain  products,  as  perfumes  and  soaps. 
These  goods  have  been  imported  in  a  large  number  of  cases  under 
names  recognized  in  the  U.  S.  P.  and  when  such  products  are  found 
not  to  comply  with  the  requirements  of  this  authority  the  importers 
in  most  cases  request  permission  to  relabel  "  for  technical  use  only," 
and  are  perfectly  willing  to  make  affidavit  to  the  effect  that  they 
themselves  will  not  use  the  product  for  other  than  technical  pur- 
poses, but  they  apparently  are  not  willing  to  make  themselves 
responsible  for  the  disposition  of  the  goods  after  leaving  their 
hands.  Consignments  labelled  "  for  technical  purposes  only  "  have 
been  released  in  the  past  and  such  goods  were  found  subsequently  in 
the  regular  pharmaceutical  trade.  The  embarrassing  position  in 
which  such  practice  is  liable  to  place  certain  dealers  can  readily  be 
seen.  For  example,  if  oil  of  cassia,  containing  rosin  and  heavy  metals, 
is  permitted  entry  into  the  United  States,  labelled  "  Oil  of  Cassia, 
U.S. P.  "  or  "  Oil  of  Cassia  "  with  no  qualification,  an  innocent 
