Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-09-12
PARISIAN FRAUDS.
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION OF AoUL- ITERATION OF FOOD AND DRINK.
The Municipal Chemical Laboratory. and the ProInptnsss of It's AnAiyses- How an omcial Certificate Ls
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Paris Cor. San Francisco Chronicle.

Paris Cor. San Francisco Chronicle.
 NJ Leon Say once remarked that there was in France a monde des frsudeurs. by which think he meant 10 express the idea that there Is over here e lot Of peo- pie who avowedly live by fraud and arc none the less recognized by their fellow citizens on that account just as there are circles which society recognizes and honors under the names of monde diplo- matique. monde srtistique. etc But there is also a monde de fraudeurs which lives and grows fat by the adulterstion of things that We eat and drink. and who thus not only rob but poison their fellow citiLens Aduherstions of this sort were prscticed in France from the earlies. times, and in one of his books Pliny vehemently condemns the wine merchants of Marseilles for their practice of usin 2 aloes to strengthen the weak stuff they shipped to the Roman market
 Since Pliny's day things kept on grow ing worse and worse until finally they reached such a pass that it became neces- sary 10 provide means for the protection of the public who were being poisoned. so to speak. on a wholesale scale by all that they ate and drank After several unsuc- cessful attempts municipal chemical labrstory was established. and operations were begun In 1881. Since then it has done a world of good for every one has the right 10 take to it sample of any slimentary substance that he may pur- chase and have it analysed
 There are two kinds of analyses-one a qualitative. absolutely gratuitous: the other. a -quantitative. for which there is a fixed fee of S2 In the first case the laboratory restricts its report 10 the quality of the substance; that is. to stat ing whether it Is good or bad and whether 1t is or Is not injurious 10 the health In the second case this report is accompanied with a statement of the various elements out of which the substance analysed is composed and the proportionate quanti- ties of each.
 The mOdus operandi for procuring one or the other of these official certificates is the same All one has to do Is to take the sample to be analysed to the nearest com misslonaire of police. who. after taking down the name and address of the person from whom the article wss purchased and price paid for it. gives a numbered receipt. and the applicant is told 10 call in . fort night for the report If the analysis is to be merely qualitive. the receipt is printed on white paper: if you have paid your 10 AAo1~o ACA o you kck a pink receipt The next morning the prison van carries all the samples re- ceived at each police station. along with the rogues arrested over night, to the cen tal station. and the former are turned over to NJ. Girsrd and his assistant chem ists. who occupy 6 large room st the back end of one of the courts of the prefecture.
 Few people in Paris have any idea of the immense amount of work accomplished in this laboratory. which is mounted In complete manner Thirty chemists are kept hard at work all day: twenty fires are glowing from morning 10 night under innumerabie retorts and strange shaped vessels of all sizes Every sample rafeiyed Is examined that same day. and besides these the laboratory has To analyEe a great many other things sent in by the prefecture of police, the octroi, lhe prisons. the hospitals, the military au- ,hOrities and the suburban municipalities
 A sample comes into the hands of the expert unaccOmpanied by any other indi- | cation than a white or pink label, on | which is the same number bo<ne by the | receipt held by the depositor The | ,hemist not only does not know where it | anne from. but is ignorant as 10 its | iature. His analysis completed. he egisters the result in book. The head 'f the laboratory then makes out the re- 'ort of the analysis. which Is sent 10 the ommissaire of police for delivery 10 the epositOr. and st the foot of this report is rinted the following note; Any person sing the above for the purpose of injur- ig the reputation of any one will be uilty of the misdemeanor of defama- on
 This is the end of the matter If the ample examined is all right, but if any iulteraiion or fraud of any kind has cen discovered in 1t the head of the boratory sends two inspectors 10 the ian from whom the article was Dur. lSsed by the deposiIOr There are forty 'e Of these inspectors. and they are all 'aduates Of medical or pharmaceutical 'Hege. or are students in their third ar. who have passed prior to their 3D. ointment special examination in chem ny. They are all commissioned as com issaires de police. and have authority 10 u In the assistance of the police in max g such searches as they may deem nee. SaTy.
 They rarely have occasion to resort to treme measures. for shOpkeepers know tter than To make their case worse by eleSs resistance. and allow them 10 ~ " SNS'ASN VI AAC are | ' arch of. that Is. the samples of all the ticles which seem to them suspicious. oking. Each sample is divided into two N ual parts. these are sealed up and signed
 both the commissioners in the presence
 The shopkeeper. who then adds his mature. This done they proceed 10 a mmary test of the suspected articles 4 } result of which is recorded. and every. ing that the proprietor of the shop sees to say Tn explanation is also taken VII in writing One of the two samples IS obtained is now carefully analyzed A the laboratory and the other is sent th the report of this snslysis to the cor tiOnal police court
 Here the duties of the laboratory come Er an end, it's head has 10 power to insti- q criminal proceedings against the dis nest shopkeeper. his role consists of in CT ating 10 the court that misdemeanor |. m his opinion. been committed and furnishing the evidence on which the nion is based Unless the shOpkeeper
 made an syowal. the court now or s another analysis by it's own experts he samples seized and the case fol. IS the ordinary routine; If finally con led. ihe accused is punished by an i'm 'onment of from three months to two rs and inc which cannot eIceed 600 lcs. and copy of the sentence is ted up on the door of his shop. TT
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