Daily national Democrat., 1860-05-04
DIR. Cox ON AduIternted LIQUORS

In another place we publish an extract
from report of this able chemist, in 1855.
1t will be seen by the following that he has
been relating his experience in the TESTING of
liquors for the last five years, through the
medium of public lectures. DR. Cox has done
great service as an official Inspector Of Ii
quors in Hamilton county, Ohio, and has
rendered it very difficult to sell ANYTHING
but the pure article in that section of the
country. Indeed, his lectures are having a
decided effect in the principal cities of the
East, In driving from the market adulterated
spirits by calling vigilant public scrutiny
into the evil. We quote from the Alta. which
says:
We perceive by a report in the New York
oourhal OF Commerce, that DR. Cox Chemi-
cal Inspector of Liquors in Hamilton county.
Onlo' mas been lecturing in New York on
the adnlteration of liquors. and accompany
ing his remarks by illustrations The Doetor
stated that he had been analvzinp uoro..
Tor hve years, and during that time had an
alyzed 2,279 samples, alcoholic and mali. and
had found only $50 that were really nure
Two hundred and fifty were mixed iionors
All the remainder were adulterated with
prussic acid, sulphuric acid. pepper. stramo.
mum, stryehnine DC In PHILADELPHIA. the
doctor had analyzed samples from twenty or
thrty stores. In one article of lager beer
the chemical test gave him sulphuric acid
alum, salt and sulphate of iron. lie could
not detect single grain of malt in it.. He
ana not hnd single sample of pure brandy
in Philadelphia. While reading his le,ture
on brandy in Philadelphia, liquor dealer in
the audience stepped forward and produced
specimen of brandy, and offered the Doctor
large sum of money if he could detect the
| slightest trace of adulteraton in it. He had
$4,000 OF the same brandy in bond and
knew that 1t was pure. The Doctor subse-
quently analyzed it, and found not s,nple
drop OF pure brandy nothing but whiskev
lusll oil nitric acid, ether perper. and other
ingredients. In Cincinnati he had been called
upon by gentleman who had obtained some
New York pure brandy" from drug store
for his wife, who was in delicate health and
had given her spoonful of it, thereby max
ing her very unwell The Doctor examined
two casks of the brandy at the drug store. bv
request of this gentleman, ana found sulpbu-
rie acid and prussc acid The latter ngre-
dient was obtained from cherry laurel or bit
ter almonds From three to five ounces of
sulphuric acid or oil of vitro are put into u
barrel of whiskey to convert it into brandy
Su!phuric acid he detected by the use of lit
mus paper, and prussic acid by IA solution of
potash He directed the druggist not to sell
any more of that New York brandy The
Doctor then proceeded in presence OF the au-
dlence, to analyze sample Of old otard'
brandy He poured some OF it into tum-
bier and dipped in piece of litmus paper,
the color of which was changed from blue
to a red, showing the presence of sulphuric
acid. The Doctor then tested for prussic
acid, and demonstrated its presence in
the brandy 10y turning the liquor to IA blue
color The Doctor tested some port wine.
and found large proportion of sulphuric
acid in it-applyng chloride of barium as
test. He also found no alcohol in the port,
whereas there should hive been from nine
teen to twenty-six hundredths of alcohol He
had found in still Catawba' only four per
cent, of alcohol and considerable copper. The
Doctor alluded to cases within his knowl-
edge, where the use of drugged liquor had
caused DEATH and concluded his lecture,
which had been given in rather rambling
style, owing to the i'll health of the speaker.
and frequent Interruptions by inquirers
among the audience