The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-20 00:00:00

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[PRICE 4D. STAMPED SD.

character, made known by the seller, or used for "the pre-
servation of the article, cannot be lorle'dden without
danger to the needful freedom of cornmerce, and ought
not to be interpreted as coming within the provisions of
a penal law. Nor should those provi rions apply wherever
the seller can afford satisfactory proof that he has himself
been deceived, and was not consciou a of the adulteration
practised ; unless he have evinced a culpable ignorance of
the trade which he professes to follow.
Subject to these qualifications, the law should be clear
and positive in forbidding adulteration, and in punishing
those who practise it.
Hitherto the progress of ,legislation has not kept pace
with the ingenuity of fraud, asbich has not scrupled to
avail itself of every improvement in chemistry or the arts
which could subserve its purpose.
Although, however, the means of adulteration have
greatly increased, so also, fortunately, have the facilities
for detection, especially by the improved use of the micro-
scope, which has been employed by Dr. Hassall and others
with signal success.
At first, no doubt, some difficulty would be experienced
in finding persons qualified to conduct the required chemi-
cal and microscopical examinations; but the want will
soon give rise to the needful supply. This want has been
already felt by the Board of Inland Revenue, which has
been compelled, for the purposes of the analyses requisite in
cases of adulterated articles of Excise, to educate persons
for this special duty. In addition to about 4,000 officers,
scattered over the country, whose experience enables them
to detect many adulterations, and to discover cases of streng
suspicion, the board employs about 60 to 70 analytical
chemists, whose numbers are recruited by students educistei
for this purpose at University College, to the number of 14
in every year. Mr. Phillips, the chief officer of the chemi-
cal department of the Board of Inland Revenue, states that
the practice is for the officers, if theistiipect a trader of
adulteration, or on information given to them, to go and
procure samples. Many ale competent to examine sam-
ples on the spot. If they have any doubt of their own
judgment they send them to the laboratory to be further
examined. And he adds, as showing the result of the
system adopted by the board, that adulteration has been
totally stopped in some articles, and much diminished in
others, from the very fact that traders know they are
liable to inspection by the Excise officers.
It has been suggested that the prevention of adultera-
tions in food might be accomplished by 'an extension of
the system of the Board of Inland Revenue; but your
committee are of opinion that no machinery for this pur-
pose will work satisfactorily unless the agents employe4
derive their authority from corporate or other local go-
verning bodies.
It will be desirable, therefore, to empower municipal or
other local or district authorities to appoint an officer, or
officers, who, on complaint made, or in cases of reasonable
suspicion, shall procure portions of any article supposed
to be adulterated, with a view to their examination or
analysis by soma 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 justices, who shall have
power to inflict summary punishment, by fine or impri-
sonment, 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. The
advantages of publicity have been urged by many wit-
nesses, and especially by Dr. Hassall and Mr. Wakley,
wbo attribute a recent great diminution in the amount of
adulteration to the publication of names and other parti-
culars in the reports of the Lancet Commission. It is
essential that a right of appeal should lie to the court of
quarter sessions.
With regard to coloured confectionery, your committee
recommend that authority should be given to local boards
of health, or other governing bodies, to forbid the use for
colouring of all mineral matter and all poisonous vegetable
matter.
But although your committee desire to leave the execu-
tion of the law against adulteration in the hands of the
local authorities, they are of opinion that very valuable
assistance would be afforded to such bodies in ascertaining
the fact of adulteration if one or more scientific analysers
were to be appointed under the authority of the General
Board of Health, to whom the local authorities might,
whenever they thought fit, refer any articles seized under
suspicion of adulteration for analysis, and who would thus
enable the persons charged with the administration of the
law to obtain at once, and without cost, a fully competent
opinion in all difficult cases.
These analysers should also undertake to examine any
articles sent to them by private individuals, on payment
of the expenses of such examination.
Your committee would also suggest that the General
I Board of Health should from time to time issue such in-
formation as to the nature of the adulterations of articles
of food, &0., injurious to health, as may be obtained in
the progress of scientific research on this subject, as would
serve to guide the local authorities in their endeavours to
detect these fi-auds.
• With reference to drugs, your committee are of opinion
that no inspection at the outposts would guarantee to the
consumer the purity of commodities passing through the
hands of intermediate parties; and the exclusion of lin,
pure drugs would operate injuriously, by interfering with
the supply obtained by scientific processes, calculated to
extract valuable matter even from products seemingly
almost worthless.
It has been suggested that chemists and druggists should
be allowed to exercise their calling only under licence.
At present, to use the words of one of the witnesses, Mr.
Jacob Bell, a man may be a shoemaker today and a che-
mist and dispenser of drugs to-morrow, though he cannot
assume the name of "pharmaceutical chemist." The
question of licence; however, may perhaps be properly de-
ferred till it be seen how far the efforts of the Pharmaceu-
tical Society and a more general system of inspection may
prove successful. The existing powers of inspection in
England are confined to the College of Physicians and the
Apothecaries' Company. The powers of the latter are
very limited, extending only to apothecaries' shops, and
in no way to these of chemists and druggists. The Col-
lege of Physicians has authority to inspect both one and
the other; but this authority is confined to the limits of
the City of London, where inspection takes place three
times a-year. The inspection, however, seems to bo too •
cursory to be of any great utility.
It has been shown that much good has arisen from the
establishment of the Pharmaceutical Society, the members
of which being specially educated in the knowledge of drugs,
are better able than heretofore to make proper selections
and to detect adulterations. Several witnesses, too, have
borne testimony to the great adventage which would ensue
if poor•law guardians and managers of hospitals and other
similar institutions would, instead of accepting, as they
too often do, the lowest tender for drugs, and indeed for
as tides of food also, cause them to be properly inspected,
and if needful analysed before admitting them into use

Though not coming strictly within the scope of the in-
quiry entrusted to them, your committee cannot forbear
calling attention to the evidence concerning patent medi_
tines, the sale of poisons, and the state of the phaimace-
pasias of the three kingdoms.
With regard to patent medicines there can bo no doubt
that the public health is endangered by the use of several of
these compounds; and your committee are of opinion that
the stamp duty, by giving them a seeming Government
sanction, has an injurious influence in encouraging their
sale and consumption, and should bo abandoned whenever
this can bo done with a due regard to the wants of the
public revenue.

The unrestricted sale of poisons is a matter of pressing
importance, and deserves the early attention of the legisla-
ture. At the present moment the most violent poisons may
be universally sold, without any restriction except such as
is afforded by the sense of moral responsibility on the part
of the dealer. It is needless to point out the serious conse-
quences which frequently ensue from this unrestrained
freedom. To take a familiar instance it is stated in evidence
that the essential oil of bitter almonds, and whit is called
" almond Savour," of very various strength, and contain-
ing highly-dangerous elements, are openly and commonly
sold for culinary purposes, and, in. the hands of servants
wholly ignorant of thdr properties, used in quantities often
dangerous and sometimes fatal. It is well worthy of con-
sideration whether the sale of poisons should not be for-
bidden, nulesti under the authority of a medical prescrip-
tion, or under such conditions as to witnesses, and formal
entries of the names and addresses of purchasers, as may
secure the needful amount of caution.

The evil arising from the existence of three distinct and
in some importantinstances widely differing pharmacopoeias
for the three kingdoms, is one tpo evident to need enforce-
ment. The result is, that many of the prezcriPtions of
one country are not only inefficacious, but often absolutely
dangerous, if made up in either of the others. Ono of
the 'witnesses states that an'Elinburgh prescription con-
taining a solution of morphia, made up in London, would
involve the patient's taking twice the quantity intended.
On the other hand, a patient taking prussic acid under
an Edinburgh proscription, made up in London, would
be ,taking only half the quantity intended ; the Edin-
burgh prussic acid being twice the strength of the
prussic acid of the London Pharmacopoeia. This is an evil
which can be remedied only by the combined efforts of toe
medical authorities of England, Ireland, and Scotland, to
whom the subject should, without delay, be referred.

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