New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-02

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By ARIBUR HUI H.ssiLL d. D., London 1857 II.
BsilueIei New iois-
T1 sutLor Of this work Is already favorably known
to the public by the sene. Of papers published in The
Lancer in London for four years commencing in Jan
uary 1851 upon the frauds practiced iu the
adneration Of articles of diet and medicne and also
A. the author Of simar and larger treatise than that
Of the present year, eu,tled Food and Ht Adulera-
tons the object of which TO expose the facts and
the injurious effects Of the system 80 universally
adopted. 1t contained the Reports carefully revised
Of the Analytical Sanitary Commission Of The Lancet,
and the analysis Of articles Of food and of drugs
amounting TO 063 Of the former and 324 of the latter
The series of papers in The Lancet were intended to
break up the system, not only by exposing the prac-
tees but also the Of traders guilty of them
The names Of upward Of 1000 merchant. and trades
men have been thus made known to the public, with
the exact qualities of the articles purchased of them
a. proved by analysis The labors Of Dr. lIassa soon
attracted the attention Of the British Parliament and
a Select Committee was appointed by the House Of
Commons TO investigate the subject For two sessions
this Committee prosecuted its inquiries largely adding
by the examination Of witnesses exposures Of the
frauds already made known by Dr. HassaD. The effect
Of all this is stated to have reduced the extent of these
practices to probably onetwenteth of what it pre-
viOusy was.
The object Of the present work. explained in its
title is the exposure Of the means OF detecting these
frauds. 1t is probably generally understood that or
pspic substances that H. those Of vegetable animal
derivation cannot be distinguished from each other by
chemical analysis, mineral substances can be. They
are composed of few elements, carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen and oxygen; but these combine together in
complicated forms among themselves, producing sub
stances of very different properties, when the
element. in the aggregate continue the More
over some subtle essence, that chemical skill cannot
detect, often gives peculiar characters to organic sub
stances But Nature does not leave herself without
witnesse. in the organic any than in the mineral
world; and if these are not brought ont by chemical
researches they must be by other But what these
could be has been little suspected, that as lately as
the year 1885, when repeated circumstances were adj
dressed to the British Government to prohibit the
adueraton Of coffee with chccOry, the Chancellor OF
the Exchequer urged in the House of Commons non
Interference with the matter, the ground that
neither by chemistry, by any other means, could
the adulteration be detected And his plea sustained
by the report of three of the most distinguished chem
lists of the day. successful. But DIR. liassal finds
by the application Of powerful microscopes, that the
identity of organic substances can be detected, aud
that even when these are ground up and mixed
together as different kinds Of -four for example, each
kind can be recognized with absolute certainty by the
peculiar structure Of the fine PARTICLES. The principle
was known before, and was applied IN fossil botany,
especially to the determination Of genera and species
of plants. Even when converted into stone, the DELI
cate organization still remains and what is more Won
derfu than Ia when fossil organic substances like
anthracite are consumed, the ashes reveal to the
microscope the peculiar forms Of the family OF plants
which produced the coal Thus faithfully and ndelibly
does Nature record and preserve the evidences OF her
operations in the remotest geological epOchs by the
Investigations Of DIR. Hassall, the microscope has
become most convenient and efficient aid to organic
analysis and while greatly adding to Its precision,
wonderfully simpifes and reduces the cost and labor
of the process. Illustrating the completeness and
accuracy of hi. Investigations, find throughout the
book numerous diagrams representing the appearance
under the microscope OF the various substances sub
mitted to his examination Wesee the genuine ground
coffee and the genuine chccory root, and the mixture
of these and roasted wheat beans and potatoes plainly
exposed in samples that had been purchased with such
high sounding names delicious FAMILY Coffee,
really one-fourth coffee and three-fourths checoTy
" CcGte as IN France" principally chiccoryi Fine
Cezlon Co6te,' very little coffee, a great deal OF
Jratcd Jamaica very little coffee; principally chic
cory "FiRe Jard Cq66e much chccory and some
roasted potato; very little coffee. And so through the
various articles Of diet tea, cocoa, sugar, milk,
-four ard bread butter, arrowrco condimenS pickles,
confectionery bottled fruits, liquors and drugs In many
of them the results of chemical well microscopic
examinations are given each serving to aid the other,
and together leaving little be desired in the thor
ouchness and exaCtncss of the researches.
We propose TO notice some of the details of these
Investigations, and then submit to orr own public
whether it is not probable they. also similarly in
posed upon. and whether similar measures of relief
Should not be adopted. To continue with the article
coffee. Thry-our samples of this were examined by
| DR.. Hassal of which thIty-one were aduterated-
| all of the thrty-one with chocory-twelve with
roasted wheat in addition of hem contained bean
| ard one potato -four In many instances the coffee
was present in very small quantities; in some il
amounted to onefith, one-,hird and But coffee
is also aduterated with other substances. In 1871
there were offered for sale at about two cents pound
| by a Scotch house, eighty tons Of ccGad, SUI
| stance imported expressly for the aduteration o.
coffee and described as the highly nutritious seed OF
Turkish plant 1t proved on examination 10 consist Of
the roasted seeds Of legumuous plant, probably
a eutil and was no doubt prepared from an imp
ton If one hundred tons OF lupine seed which arrived
| little before at Glasgow from Egypt The sans
finn, it appears, was offered about the same time 1--WE
hundred tons Of foreign al about cent per ID
for the same purpose doubt of adu;eratins coffee
Oak bark tan and exhausted tan are also used and
the baked hyers of horses and cattle. Horse liver ap
pears to be preferred for coffee TO OK liver, and bring
higher price, In London there are men, whose bust
ness II is to bake and grind these articles II IL stated
.hn tLcse anmn mi Ntures make the coee go further