The Washington times., 1931-04-14
TON|CS CARRY.
SAMEWALLOP
ASLIQUOR
Prohibition Bureau Receives
Many Complaints, But Few
Come From Washington

WdIy GUIIIpIdlIIlS, Dul TeW
Come From Washington
Spring tonics of the type that
elevates eyebrows among sophisti-
Gated students of prohibition are
"best sellers" in Washington just
now.
They are all within the law, but
that doesn't subtract the least bit
from their "kick," alcoholically
speaking. Officially, they are
something else.
Here is a partial list:
AngOstura bitters, appetite-re-
storer, As per cent alcohol.
Guasti tonic, good for that
"tired feeling" % per cent al
cOhoI.
Todd's tonic, a favOrite with
many, 20 per cent alcoholic con-
tent.
Bay Rum Strong
Virgin Islands bay rum, label
ed and sold in a large beverage
bottle, with no suggestion Of .
toilet preparation in its make
up, 43 per cent alcohol.
Virginia Dare tonic, with
sherry wine" emblaZOned on its
label, % per cent alcohol.
MOuquin's orange bitterS, 50
per cent alcohol.
Renault wine tonic, 20 per
cent alcohol.
Beef, iron, and wine, Is per
cent alcohol.
Here is a list of tonics which an
increasing number of citizens who
have no traffic with bootleggerS
find a highly efficacious substi-
tute for the stuff the bootleggerS
deal in. According to druggists
and others who deal in them, there
is no doubt on that score.
To the naive prOhibitiOniSt they
are 80. H." because they have
been classified as health reStOrerS.
To the medical fraternity and the
Bureau of Industrial Alcohol
which has jurisdiction over all
such iSSueS-they are Well-eStab-
liShed pharmacOpOeial prepara-
tiOnS. But to the caSe-hardened
imbiber of alcoholic beverages they
are, as we have intimated, some.
thing entirely different.
Beer and light wines are taboo
in these times, but the drugstore
"pick up" is winning popular IA
vor.
Drug Store Pick Up
All of the tonics shown are pre-.
pared under formulas approved by
the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol.
About the persons who drink them
as straight liquor" DR.. w. B.
Linder, head of the technical di-
vision of the bureau, says:
people who drink these
preparations as beverages are
abnormal, and abnormal people
have been known to drink radia-
tor anti-freeZe and liquid COS
meticS. We don't try to deal
with them. We can't attempt
to correct such a misuse"
Despite this, there are a grow
ing number of abnormal people"
who are not concerned about the
therapeutic value of these tonics.
but are concerned about their
''kick," in the frank, alcoholic
sense of the word.
Must Contain Drugs
The regulations of the Bureau
Of Industrial Alcohol require that
for every fluid ounce of alcohol
placed in a tonic" there must
be at least two doses of some
agent of therapeutic value, such
as quinine, caScara, etc. Prosecu-
ton follows when this require
ment is not observed.
The alcoholic content of most
of the tonics now being sold
around Washington is between
% per cent and 80 per cent, with
a few other preparations, known
to be used by some for beverage
purposes, ranging as high as As
and so per cent. They are all
within the law"
Formulas Prescribed
DR.. D. R. Rhees, assistant chief
of the Bureau of Industrial Alco-
hol, says:
The medication of these
preparations tells the whole
story. We are testing and
anaIyZing all the time, and con.
sequent changes of formulas
are made. Whenever we find
that a manufacturer is not fol-
lowing the formula prescribed
for him, we prosecute"
So far as the bureau is con-
cerned, a medicine isn't drink,
and no popular habit can make