The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-09-14
Drug I'M Food Authorizations.

Drug and Food A~duIferaffons.
The New Jersey Dairy Commission one
year ago began a scientific inspection of
food articles and drugs sold in this State,
and some very valuable results have been
attained. Prof. Shippen Wallace. who has
his laboratory in Philadelphia, is the Off
eial chemist Of the Commission, and his
notebook contains some interesting disclo-
sures of what the people of our State have
been taking into their stomachs. In rum
ming rapidly over some of his work lately
Prof. Wallace said 81 nave found very
often that the cream of tartar sold at the
grocery stores is what is known as substi-
tute cream of tartar, and is generally a
phosphate. The druggists, as a general
thing, sell a pure article. Among drugs a
large number have been found below the
standard. For instance, the standard of
the pharmacopGia for laudanum is 6grains
of opium to the ounce, or a minimum of
5.44 grains to the ounce, and | have found
that some of the laudanum sold in drug
stores run as low as i grains to the
ounce. As a rule, all samples that have
inspected run under 5 grains. Tincture of
nux vomica, as a general thing, does not
agree with the standard, being generally
too strong or too weak. Seidlitz powders
are generally uniform; once in a while they
are under weight, that is all. Opium |
have generally found up to the strength
given in the pharmacopGia. Of paregoric
/ have found a few samples which were not
paregoric at all. Sweet spirits of nitre and
HoHman's anodyne are often not up to the
standard, but this may be caused by a de-
terioration Of the articles themselves, and
not be intentional. Hoffman's anodyne is
ill.,. --arIoI l. -. 70 49, ~ A. Al-oz1
oil. A great many druggists make 1t sim
ply by mixing alcohol and ether, leaving
out the ethereal oil on account of its ex-
pense."
GLOW about articles of food?''
"Well. olive oil is often found TO be but
half olive oil, and the other half cotton
seed oil. Ground spices are, as a rule,
adulterated with harmless articles, such as
ground beans, peas and other articles.
Such authorizations are moro detrimental
to the pocket that to the stomach, being
harmless in their nature. Ground coffee |
have seldom found to be pure, being gen.
orally adulterated with chicory. Baking
powders are found of all kinds from pure
cream of tartar through phosphate to
alum powders. 1t is difficult to say what
constitutes an adulteration in baking pow
ders, there are so many kinds of powders
and so many ingredients used. 1t is sup
posed by people at large that all baking
powders are composed of cream of tartar,
while the fact is that a great many of
them have no cream of tartar in them at
all. Canned peas are frequently found to
owe their green color to copper, but | have
never found this present in large enough
quantities to be injurious. B~icarbonate of
soda is generally sold pure, it being so
oI,oo1 tho thnra &c NJ ohiaOt in aI,1tapat
ing it. | might say in regard to ground
coffee sent to me for analysis that half of
the samples were so impure that | return
ed them with the note that there was some
unknown substance adulterated with good
coffee. | have never found much adulter-
alton in tea.
'In regard to milk, it is a note worthy
fact that since the law went into effect the
COWS have been giving a much better quail
ity of milk than they ever did before. 1t
is very seldom that milk is now found in
Southern New Jersey which is below the
standard, whereas it was very common a
few years ago. The law provides that all
milk sold in the State must contain IL per
cent. of milk solids. This standard is
greatly in favor of the milkman, and is
low rather than high. have found milk
that gave unmistakable evidence of having
been watered, and yet upon analysis it was
found to contain 13 per cent. of solids.
1--WE have been as successful with butter
as with milk, and have about succeeded in
driving oleomargarine and other bogus but
tiers out of the State. The penalty for deal
ing in these materials is very severe, being
500 fine, and very little of the stuff is
sold, and that so quietly that we are not
able to find it,"
Speaking of the laws which New Jersey
has provided in regard to food and drug
adultcration Prof. Wallace said: 1.-THE
New Jersey system of inspection has
grown out of the Milk law passed in 1882.
The Bogus Butter law was passed three
years ago, but it is only with the last year
that any particular attempt was made to
investigate drugs and food generally. The
penalty for food and drug adulteration is
$50 fine for each ~offense. AS yet 10 prose
have been instituted, as in cases
where articles are found to be below the
standard we first give the dealers notice,
and if upon inspection later the goods are
still found deficient the parties are prose-
cuted. All the State laws on the subject
have been tested and their constitutionalty
affirmed"
At present Prof. Wallace is engaged in
the analysis of liquors-whisky, brandy
and gin-and he expects to attain some in
teresting results soon.