The evening times., 1896-07-22
.FUSE[ OIL IS PROHIBITED.
Probable Legislation to Pre-
scribe Its Limit in Liquors.
HEALTH OFFICES ACTION
Report Made by District Chemist of
Recent AnaIyses-Quality of Drinks
Ms Dispensed over Bars-Condition
of Samples-Water as Adulterant.
Dr. Woodward's Comment.

1t is understood that the health office
viii have ready for presentation at the
next session OF Congress ii special hill 10
prohibit food adulteration in the District
and that enc Of its provisions will be
aimed at liquors rendered impure by the
presence of AN overabundance of fusel oil.
Such an inference is drawn from the
comment by DR.. Woodward upon the an
alyses of spiritus frumenu recently made
officially by the District chemist.
Thirteen hundred TASKS of liquor some
of the rye and corn variety, others the
fruit of the juniper tree were purchased
during the fail and early winter months
of last year, by direction of the excise
board, TO serve as samples for official
analysis, and as a means OF determining
the extent, If any, TO which drinks dis
pcDsed over the bars and otherwise, in
Washington, are subjected TO adultera-
ton.
These samples were turned over to Chem
ist Hird, of the health office laboratory, for
investigation, and, as heretofore stated in
The Times, though not from the official re-
port, the result was not discreditable to the
trade, except in the matter of uncleanli-
having been discovered.
From the report made TO DR.. Woodward
by Prof. Hird. and afterward submitted to
the Commissioners, which has just been
obtained, it is learned that out of the eighty
samples taken at random from the lot for
examination four showed an excess of
tann!c acid, one an excess of tannic acid
and linseed oil, one was mixed with lin
seed oil, three possessed solids mo silly
siycerine, one had corander flavor and
two showed excess of turpentine.
PROF. HIRD'S VIEW.
In his observations Prof. Hird states that
in addition to the analyses as submitted,
which showed percentages, varying greatly,
of fusel oil, alcohol and solid residue, all of
the samples We're carefully examined for
adulterants, with the result that none OF
serious nature Were found.
Nor can l see,' lie adds, .'any reason
why expensive adultants, such as strych-
nine, strontium or nitroglycerine should
be added, since a liquor can easily be
obtained in the process OF manufacture from
tie latter portion OF the dstillants which
contains all the injurious ingredients nee
esSary to produce the desired effect, and
at the same time can be placed on the
market at comparatively low figure.
There appears to be a popular idea
that most saloon liquor is poisonous, and
that most of the evil effects OF iDtemper-
ance ne caused directly by tie introduc-
tion of some foreign poisonous substance
The conclusions TO which this inyestiga-
ton has led, however, are that hard liquors
tanning too much water, sugar and fusel
OIL and that substances more injurious than
alcohol and fusel oil are Very rarely found
Probably tile most common, as well as
the cheapest, substances used for the adul-
teration OF liquor, is water, and this, as
seen from the analysis, plays an important
part in tie adulteration OF the samples ex-
aminei'