The Press.
London, England, 1854-05-27 00:00:00

491

passed through the post constituted a " publication"
in the eye of the law. Counsel for the defendant
argued that, although her handwriting was proved in
the letters, it was never shown that she was cogni-
sant of their being posted, i.e., " published" in the
legal sense of the term. He submitted, also, that
the title " Swindler's Villa" was no libel, seeing that,
if anything, it was the residence, and not the tenant,
that was so stigmatised. The magistrate, however,
overruled these objections, and Bliss James was
called on to find sureties for her reappearance at the
court next week.

ADULTERATION OF FOOD.
A CONFERENCE, attended by medical and other gentlemen,
was recently held in Birmingham, to consider the best
means of preventing the adulteration of artleles of
food and drugs, Mr. Scholefield, M.P., was in the chair.
Mr. J. Postgate, Lecturer on Anatomy at Sydenham Col-
lege, Birmingham, presented a statement to the following
effect :—" Bread is made of flour which, in addition to
bean meal, contains alum in variable but injurious quantity.
It is white, dry, and readily crumbles, produces acidity and
flatulency, and often leads to permanent dyspepsia and ill
health. Being minus the proper quantity of gluten which
gives the heart to bread, it ill sustains the strength of the
working man. Further, the effect of alum is to make an
unsaleable, unsound wheat saleable, and apparently sound,
by absorbing the moisture, and it is always added in much
larger quantities directly after harvest. Some dishonest
traders, aware perhaps of the constipating effecti of alum,
very considerately introduce a little julep. Alum in bread
is easily detected by macerating it iu water, and-adding to
the solution ammonia. I sin informed that American
flour in a wet bad state has been, when dried, baked, and
hardened, broken with hammers, and ground up with
wheat, to be sold at market prices. I can prove by wit-
nesses that horaebean-meal is regularly mixed with wheat
flour, in the proportion of one sack of the former to 15 of
the batter. Coffee.-1 have purchased specimens at several
shops, paid the beat prices, and found ou examination
chicory in the proportion of one-half to one-third, besides
roasted corn. Vinegar, entering largely into those articles
of daily consumption, mustard and pickles, containing an
excess of sulphuric acid, must exercise a prejudicial effect
on the system. Much of the malt vinegar I have met
with is little better than oil of vitriol diluted with water,
coloured with burnt sugar, and a small quantity of the
real article added to give it the proper odour. A solution
of chloride of barium soon detects the acid. Even in
Stilton cheese, for which I paid the best price, calcareous
nodules of carbonate of lime have been detected. Cream
of tartar is an article of common consumption in the sum-
mer months, under the agreeable form of lemonade, ginger-
beer, and other cooling beverages. 1 have examined re-
cently a sample which contained three parts of alumin four,
and the druggist was obliged to mix it with a better article
to make it saleable. The price paid per cwt. was 51.; alum
is only 10s. per cwt.; consequently the person alluded to has
been defrauded to the extent of Si.?. lid. This cream of
tartar, or rather tartar cream, will, I dare say, be shortly
sold and consumed in Birmingham under the characteristic
cognomen of pop 1 With what effects? Spirits of sweet
nitre and spirits of sal volatile are both sold much diluted
with water—the former often contains aquafortis, and
thus a mild and useful medicine is rendered irritating
and injurious ; the latter in one case lately produced
indirectly serious consequences. A lady in the habit
of taking adulterated spirits of sal volatile in large quanti-
ties to ensure the desired stimulating effect accidentally
procured from another druggist a fresh supply of the fluid,
and, after attempting to take her usual dose, the result was
inflammation and ulceration of the throat. Within a mile
of the centre of this midland seat of intelligence, in a hack
street with a very aristocratic name, resides, or did reside,
a milkman, celebrated for the thickness and richness of his
cream. He was thought to have rare cows. His name was
up, and he drove a roaring trade. His cream consisted of
very finely-prepared chalk and a modicum of cow cream,
to which a rich butter tint was given by turmeric. The
real cream he churned. Water furnishes a risadynieass
of adulterating milk, as every resident in Lige total's
can testify, and this is no small matter, as it directly
diminishes the quantity of nutriment given to children
and invalids—to say nothing of the difficulty of procuripg
from this milk good cream. As for drugs, it bee been for
years a source of complaint and annoyance to the medical
profession that no means were adopted to ascertain—
first, their strength and purity when imported • and
second, to prevent their adulteration by wholesale dealers
and retailers afterwards. From the variable strength of
drugs and the adulterations of them, the most uncertain
effects are produced • indeed, the personal experience of
every individual who has had the same prescription made
up by different druggists will verify this assertion. By
this fearful practice not only are the medical man's inten-
tions frustrated, suffering and pain protracted, but even
death results in some cases by the extraction of the active
principles naturally contained in drugs." Mr. Postgate
stated, that if asked what commodities are unadulteratkd
he could but reply—only raw materials, fish, flesh, vege-
tables. He said he had information from a miller that
alum to a large extent is regularly ground up with wheat.
or mixed with flour, and beans also when the price of
wheat is high : this person stated that his health had been
greatly injured by the alum-dust given off in grinding.
After much discussion the conference came to a resolution
to petition Parliament to appoint examiners at the ports,
and enable the magistrates and town councils to appoint
public analysers in towns, and to provide by law that Gig
be imposed, a 4 that the County Court adjudicate between
the manufacturer or wholesale dealer and the retail trades-
man in case of adulterated articles being suppliud, Xiiith
court to have power to allow the retail tradesman com-
pensation for his loss, and to indict $ fine nut ssfsek
ng 501.

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