The Press.
London, England, 1856-08-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

In dealing with these various adulterations, it is neces-
sary to distinguish between the pecuniary fraud practised
on the public and the injury to public health. lf, as re-
gards the adulteration of articles with substances of a
cheaper and innocuous character, the public derive the
full benefit of this cheapness in a lower price, it would be
difficult, if not unwise, for the Legislature to interfere,
unless it could do so by requiring that every such article
be sold as a mixture, as distinguished from the article in
its pure state. This the law already requires as to the
article of coffee, and also as to the article of bread, which,
unless made of wheat flour alone, must be distinctly
marked with the letter "M." But whenever an article
is so adulterated as to involve pecuniary fraud or injury
to health, it appears to your committee to be the duty of
the Legislature to provide some efficient remedy. The
great difficulty of legislating on this subject lies in putting
an end to the liberty of fraud without affecting the free-
dom of commerce.

With respect to preventive measures, the committee
are of opinion that the municipal or other local or dis-
trict authorities should appoint officers, who, on com-
plaint made, or in cases of reasonable suspicion, shall
procure portions of any article supposed to be adul-
terated, with a view to their examination or analysis
by some duly qualified person appointed for that
purpose. On the report of such persons, if it confirm
the suspicion of adulteration, a summons shall be
issued, and the case be investigated before the jus-
tices, who shall have power to inflict summary punish
ment, by fine or imprisonment, in every case where
pecuniary fraud or danger to health shall have been
proved. The justices should also be empowered to
publish the names of offenders. A right of appeal
to lie to the Court of Quarter Sessions.

Authority should be given to local boards of health,
or other governing bodies, t 9 forbid the use, for
colouring confectionery, of all mineral matter, and all
poisonous vegetable matter. Scientific analysers
should be appointed under the authority of the
General Board of Health, to whom the local authori •
ties might refer for analysis in cases of suspicion of
adulteration.

The General Board of Health should from time to
time issue such information as to the nature of the
adulterations of articles of food, &c., injurious to
health, as mayjbe obtained in the progress of scientific
research on this subject, and as would serve to guide
the local authorities in their endeavours to detect
these frauds.

The committee then enter upon the question of
chemists' and druggists' licences, and consider that
it may be properly deferred till it be seen how far
the efforts of the Pharmaceutical Society and a more
general system of inspection may prove successful.
With regard to patent medicines and the sale of
poisons, there can be no doubt that the public health
is endangered by the use of several of those com-
pounds, and the stamp duty, by giving them a seem-
ing Government sanction, has an injurious influence
in encouraging their sale ; while the present unre-
stricted sale of poisons is a matter of pressing im-
portance, and deserves the early attention of the
Legislature. The evil arising from the existence of
three distinct and, in some important instances,
widely differing pharmacopoeias for the three king-
doms, is also dwelt upon by the committee as de-
manding consideration, and is referred to ,as fol-
lows:

The evil arising from the existence of three distinct and,
in some important instances, widely differing pharmaco-
pceiss for the three kingdoms, is one too evident to need
enforcement. The result is, that many of the prescrip•
lions of one country are not only inefficacious, but often
absolutely dangerous, if made up in either of the others.
One of the witnesses states that an Edinburgh prescription
containing a solution of morphia, made np in London,
would involve the patient taking twice the qnantity in-
tended. On the other hand, a patient taking prussic acid
under an Edinburgh prescription, made np in London,
would be taking only half the quantity intended ; the Edin-
burgh prussio acid being twice the strength of the prussic
acid of the London pharmacopmia. This is an evil which
can be remedied only by the combined efforts of the medi-
cal authorities of England, Ireland, and Scotland, to whom
the subject should, without delay, be referred.