National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-30
BOARD OF HEALTH.

Impure Cod Liver 0il-Vital Statistics.
Tie Board Of Health met at their rooms last
evening; DR.. O. q. Cox, president, in the chair.
DIR. Bliss, registrar, submitted a statement Of
the mortality for the week ending January %,
which shows-total deaths 81: males, white, 10;
female IL; male, colored, 9; female I. Minors
male, white. Is; female IL; male, colored, s; fe-
male 10. Of this number IS were less than one
year old. The principal causes OF death were
diphtheria g. whOOping cough 1, typhO-malarial
fever ?, Phthisls pulmnalls L, commissions 4, and
Marriages I2-white 5, eolOred !; births-white,
male, q, female 80; cOlOred, male, IL female 10;
Dr. b. F. Craig, chemist to the Board of Health,
submitted report through Health Officer Keene,
in which he states: Il have carefully examined
the sample Of cod iverOl sent by you to the labor
atOry bearing the label Of the aPothecary. The
oil is Of light brown color, with an offensive 0dOr,
like that Of the oil used for dressing leather.
There is some raneidity in the smell, and by
treatment with alcohol decided trace Of acid can
be extracted, but not enough to make 1t very
practicable to measure the amount, so that the
Tapcidity may be described as slight have en-
deavored by treatment with proper solvents to
extract from 1t some foreign substance which
suited from its use, but can separate nothing
which does not properly belong to the oil itself.
THE examination Of the oil for hillary matter
shows faint trace of hillary. 1t Is therefore,
composed, in some part at least, OF the oil from
fsh-liveTs 1t is not, however, oil of suitable
quality for medicinal uses, having evidently been
lieve all Of the darker cOd-liver oils have been,
and would not be easily tolerated by many stom-
achs. There IL reason TO believe that most OF the
eOdliver oils used in this country have been
mixed with oils OF less digestible quality. l
have examined, as believe most of the varieties
Of oils sold in this city, and have only found two
which have answered satisfactorily 70 chemical
tests-one Of them high-priced oil, In bottles,
and the other q cheaper one, sold by the gallon.
THE adulteratiOn Of cod-liver oil has, in fact,
become so extensive that druggists can hardly
know whether they are selling pure oil or not,
and even the selling Of the dark-eoloTea oils for
medicinal use may be defended on the grounds
that they have been thought by some medical
men TO contain greater quantity Of supposed
active principle and preferred on that ground to
the hgh-colOred and less-Otfensive article that
some law or regulation seems to be required be-
fore an spOthecary can be held responsible for
anything that he may sell under the name Of
cod liver oil. With regard TO the symptoms said
TO have been produced by the particular oil under
consideration, I would suggest that close ex-
animation be made OF the testimony In the mat
ter, with the view OF ascertaining whether they
really exceeded what might be produced by an
article Of fOod Of highly indigestible and irri-
tating character" The report was ordered to be
filed.
The frame shanty and premises in rear of No.
24IO K street northwest, the property OF Peter
O'Day; the frame buildings and premises, Nos.
DOL 2O3, EOS, I'll and 2l3 New Jersey avenue north
west, and the frame building and premises on the
northwest JrHer Of First and Q streets north
west, havL been declared nuisances, and the
health Officer ordered TO abate them.
The board then adjourned.