THE ANALYST. 199 PROEECUTIONS UNDElt THE SALE O F FOOD AND DRUGS’ ACT. AT MARLBOROUGH STREET.- Louis Barron Compton Street Soho importer of foreign provisions was summoned before Mr. Knox charged with selling French preserved peas which were adulterated with copper and consequently injurious to health. There were three other dealers summoned but it was arranged that one should be decisive of the rest. Mr. Jenkins on the part of th Board of Works, prosecuted ; Mr. Edward Lewis defended. I t will be rccollected €hat similar summonses were heard a t this Court about three weeks ago and were dismissed on technical objections taken by Mr. Lewis. It was then arranged as differences between analytical results were shown to exist that a portion of the peas should be sent to Somerset House to be examined by the Government Analyst.Frederick Taylor an officer of the Board of TQorks proved purchasing a tin of French peas a t the defendant’s shop. H e told the defendant they would be analjzed and a portion was left with him. Mr. Charles Piesse of 303 Strand analyst said he examined a portion of the peas and produced some of the copper. H e had no doubt that copper was present in the peas. H e found the result of his analysis was to discover 0.56 of a grain in a specified portion of the pcas. The quantity takcn for a continuance would in his opinion prove injurious to health cross-examined by Mr. Lewis witness said he was aware that Dr. Pereiera held that if six grains of copper were repeatedly given it would not be injurious to health ; but he did not concur in that view, as the opinion was given before the mode of analysis was as perfect as at present.The Government certificate of analysis was produced. It stated the quantity of copper a t 0.31 part of a grain. The analysis of Mr. Piesse showed 0.56 part of a grain. Dr. Evans District of London Officer of Health, thought that the quantity of copper found in the peas if taken repeatedly would be injurious to health. Cross-examined he said he could not say that a single dose would be injurious nor could he say how long i t would take to affect a person injuriously. Could not show any authority for the assertion that copper would destroy life. Mr. Lewis for the defence said what he had to establish was that by no possibility could the quantity of copper statcd taking evcn the analysis of Mr.Piesse prove injurious to health and he was prepared to quote the authority of eminent foreign and English chemists to show that a certain quantity of copper so far from being hurtful was a tonic anti-spasmodic and actually beneficial to health. Dr. Pavy F.R.S. of 35 Grosvenor Street author of a work on food and lecturer a t Guy’s Hospital, said he was of opinion that 0.31 of a grain of copper would not be injurious to health. I f a tin of peas were consumed at once he was of opinion that no injury to health would result. Copper was found in the human body-in the kidney the spleen and the blood T t was one of the natural constituents of the body. Drs. Odling and Dupre found a 20,000 part of a grain in sheep’s liver. Copper was found in many cereals and even i n the feathers of a particular bird.Nearly all kinds of food if cooked in copper vessels would be found impregnated with copper. The quantity of 0.31 grain of copper might be consumed daily by an adult without injury. I f any injury were occasioncd it would arise more from the peas than the copper. On the one hand if he gave an adverse decision an important trade would be seriously affected ; on the other if the theory that the peas were injurious to health was correct the public would be poisoned. It had been shown on the skilful cross-examination for tbe defence how widely medical men differed in opinion. Taking into consideration Mr. Knox said the question mas one of great public interest 200 THE ANALYST. ~ the importance of the case he would adjourn Lis decision in order that he inight fully consider the evidence, and he hoped that one result of the adjournment would he to iuduce qualified persons to discuss the question in medical circles and give him the benefit of their deliberations.The Times. ADULTERATION AT WIESBADEN.-A miller was recently (Dec. 2314 1876) brought before the Wiesbaden Police Court and charged with having admixed with his flour grouiid heavy spar for the purpose of fraudulently increasing the weight of the flour. He mas sentenced to three months’ im-prisonment and $50 fine with costs. At the Sheriff’s Court at Kilmarnock on the 12th January 18’17 Alexander Mills was charged with having sold a quantity of sweet milk which was adulterated with 16 per cent. of skim milk. A Sanitary Inspector deposed that he purchased 2d.of sweet milk which he told him he purchased in order to have it analysed by the public analyst. On the same day he took a sample of the milk to Dr. Wallace of Glasgow the Public Analyst he received the certificate produced showing that the milk contained 16 per cent. of skim milk. He had not previously received any specific complaints in reference to the milk, but met him a t his own door as he Fas coming from supplying his customers and bought 2d. of milk he oeered the defendant a sample but he refused to have it he asked for new milk there would be about twice as much left. The defendant was then examined and stated that his customers were supplied with partly morning milk and partly night’s milk he never adulterated his milk in any way, he protested against its being a fair sample on account of its beiug at the bottom of the can.He had previously refused to sell such milk as unfit for sale and lost money by doing so; it took him from an 14 to 2 hours to serve his customers and according t o his experience cream came to the top in less than that time so that it was gradually skimmed off he had served customers only five minutes previously but had had no complaints from them, The counsel for the defence contended that there was no evidence of the abstraction of the cream. The deficiency was quite sufficiently accounted for by the fact that the cream had ‘a tendency t o come to the top of the cans in which the sweet milk was carried. I n further support of his argument he quoted an opinion of Dr.Macadam and Mr. Wanlslyn in which they stated that a large percentage of cream would be inevitably abstracted in the way indicated. Sheriff Anderson in giving his decision, pointed out that the only question was had it been proved to the satisfaction of the Court that the milk was adnlterated as that was a Court of Law and not one for an inquiry into scientific subjects and as the statute in the interests of the public had pointed out a certain way in which articles of food should be shown t o be genuine or otherwise he was bound to take the report of the Analyst as conclusive evidence of the fact of the articles submitted to him being genuiue or otherwise. He had nothing to do with the opinion of Dr. Macadam or any other person all he had t o do was to be guided by the Analysts’ report and he therefore found the case proved.Under the circumstances he fined the defendant 5 8 THE ANALYST. 20 1 WE have received from Messrs Cetti & Co. of Brooke Street Holborn a specimen of a new piece of apparatus invented by Dr. E. J. Mills of the Andersonian University for the purpose of estimating the relative proportions of Colour in different samples of liquids. I t appears to be extremely well adapted for nesslerising and for taking the colours of sugar syrups and will certainly enable such estimations to be made with increased accuracy. From the illustration it will be seen that it con-sists of two graduated tubes drawn out below and corked with perforated corks. Through these corks are passed two glass rods carrying a t their upper ends two flat discs of opal glass like pistons whfch fit loosely into the tubes so as to allow the liquid to pass the pistons.To use the apparatus the tubes are filled with the solutions to be compared and the piston of the tube containing the standard solution is set at zero, and the piston of the other tube is then moved up or down until on looking down the tubes from the top on to the opal discs the two Rolutions appear The position of the piston is then read off and indicates the identical in colour. relative amount; of colour in the liquids THE ANALYST. O T T O 55 UPPER MARYLEBONIE flTREET PQETLAND PLACE, LONDON W., BALANCE MAKER, (Xany Years with L. OERTLING.) THE NEW IMPROVED SHORT-BEA EQ ANALYTICAL BALANCES. A S-PECLALITY. A descr$tion explaining the princiyle of these Balances post free on appplicatiole. All Balances axe adjusted by Mr WOLTERS himself under absolute guarantee