The Express.
London, England, 1856-10-16 00:00:00

GENERAL APOTHECARIES COMPANY.

The recent exposures of the extensive and dele-
terious adulterations In medicinal preparations has led to
the formation of a eompaay, which has been established for
the pupae of supplying to the public pure drugs. The
mopes, has a laboratory in Be ratrs-street, Oxford-street,
and yesterday a number of gentlemen assembled for the
purpose of inspecting ft, and hearing a statement of the
principles on which the company has been founded. and the
objects which It Is proposed to accomplith. Mr. John
James Ridge, M.D., one of the directors, conducted the
visitors through the laboratory, and eaplaused the retain
procams, many of which are mat irgenlovc, end
edema is brought to bear so as meat economically
sad effectually to produce the desired resslta. The
stethrengine and hydraulic pressor@ are brought into
requisition, by means of which drugs are ground and
pounded, and the juices thereof extracted and prepared for
the um of the dispenser. Most of the preparations, Mr. Ridge
stated, were made on the premises, but some are procured
from manufacturers; these, however, being all tested ty •
practical chemist, lien Von Sicherer, a pupil of Liebig'e,
who performed sums experiments, one of which It may be
interesting to swim It was with respect to the colour test
at the protean of strychnine. It may be fa the recollection
ef our readers that at Palmer's trial the evidence was that
the meal colour teat failed torrina the presence of strych-
nine, sad that this was the strong point of the defence. It was,
however, Is evidence that Palmer bad admisistered to
Beek a quality of terterised antimony. sad Here
Von ditherer 'bowed that the presence of tar-
ado acid in any form neutralised the action of
hi-chromate of potash, by which the violet colour would, In
the absence of tartaric acid, be produced. An iakling of
this is given in Duessa's novel of Monte Cbristo, and it Is
sot improbable that Palmer, from these., woe induced to
saturate hi victim with tarearised antimony with a view of
rendering the proof of the admisisterieg of strychnine mom
diScalt, if not impossible. After the inspection of the labo-
More. the visitors dined, an operation without which it
would seem that, literally "peaking, nothing can "go
down" in this country. Mr. Ridge presided, and after the
usual loyal tents,
The Cumartax said the company had beau established
to meet the sagest &mad of the public for pure drop
aad Amiss* and medicate prepared by the aid of the
preen* Meowed state of science. If they had given
the press 10,0001. to have advocated a company of this
kind, the object would sot have been better accomplished
thou It had bees without any payment whatever, by its *e-
nmities of the estimates adulterations of drugs and me-
dicinal prepantioess. The Lama, be believed, was the first
to call attention to the universal adulteration of drugs, but
the rem generally had takes the subject up, and the move-
meet bad resulted is a mass of information proving the
prevalence of a system of prom imposition and fraud, fraught
with much evil to the public. A committee of the House of
Cautious, too, had issued • report on the suec. tie was
told that the ahlteration of drugs in London wat
er nothing
to the adulteration which took place in the provinces;
where 60 per cent. was applied in London 76 or 90 per cent.
was not am In the country At Wolverhampton a
dealer had advertised to supply any powdered drag at Ws.
a cwt., while they all knew that some drugs could sot be
supplied et Ilk a lb. He sent some to America, and it was.
found not le eentain any of the article which It profaned to
be. Ho was set prepared to say that the druggist' gene-
rally, either is Leaden or the cosatry, willingly or
hoowingly adulterated their drugs. He did not
believe that they did, bat they from *pomace
sold dump which did not contain what they were
repaneneed to mutate, and the public suffered in mime-
Medial men, not having leisure to examine what
leFmissed, were themselves deceived, sad were obliged
'bilge el Mese by their operation rather than by their
comrades, sad dam the art of healing was made rather a
matter of dmease.than, we it should be, a matter of atathe-
...::bc 7 ended . The prehasies was much indebted to the
Apotheosis/ ; bet their prices were high, and
they emetily 1 pie seat. of the practitioners. This
mespaey to prepare and sell medicines without
sidalterettea as sakethatiew, to follow the orders of this
pesseestfose, to keep the profession essifiat
igsfrda in all
isemenies Was at home sod abioad /*speedos the
cute el dimes% and to pat new life sad vigour fate the
seams elimmilisine.

Dr.Zang= sal several other medical van sbo ad-
dresseditonate( as esemang ; and the proodeetlege,
ed. whale wen of a
Idghly amain, ass tensinat