THE ANALYST. 177 NOTES OF THE MONTH. We must, of course, express ow satisfaction at the passing of the Act amending the Sale of Food and Drugs Act. I t might, no doubt, have been more useful, had it fixed a standard for drugs and milk, as well as spirits; but, such as it is, we accept it RS another effort in the direction of improving the quality of our food and drink. The clause by which inspectors are now enabled to obtain samples from street hawkers, costermongers, a d stall keepers, will be extremely useful, as it will bring within the provisions of the Act a class of people who have hitherto eluded them, although dealing in the adulterated articles, for selling which shopkeepers have been convicted and fined.We trust the local authorities will accordingly instruct their officers as to the existence of this new provision.Milk dealers, too, in their turn, are given the power to have the milk supplied to them examined, and will thus be deprived of the defence so often raised, that they sold the milk in the same state as they received it from the farmer. If they now suspect the milk they are being supplied with to have been watered or tampered with before they receive it, they can get the medical officer of health, or inspector to take a sample at the time the milk is delivered, and, if it has been adulterated, the local authorities can prosecute the farmer in the same way as they do now ordinary tradespeople.Tlie last clause of the Act, which enacts that summonses must be served within 28 days from the date of purchase of perishable articles, such as butter and milk, deserves particular attention from analysts. When local authorities meet periodically, and cases are reported to them before proceedings are taken, the enactment will sometimes be inconvenient, as the samples may not reach the analyst in time for him to report thereon at the next meeting of the authorities, and the following meeting two or three weeks afterwards may be after the expiration of the 28 days.This difficulty must probably be avoided, by instructions being issued to the officers to apply for summonses, if necessary, immediately on receipt of the snalyses.178 THE ANALYST. The clause referring to tlie ‘‘ prejudice question,” after the-recent decision of the Court of Queen’s Bench, is not required so far as England is concerned; but in Scotland, where the Sale of Food Act has been a dead letter ever since the decision of the Justiciary Court, the new clause will, we hope, again set the Act in motion.But an additional provision, which relates to the whole Kingdom, is that which renders it unnecessary to prove that an article is defective in nature, uitd substance, mid quality, before a conviction can be obtained-if it is deficient in one of these respects only, that is sufficient. With regard to the b b spirits” clause, we shudder to find that a flaw has already been discovered in it by an ingenious Yorkshireman.In a letter to a Sheffield paper, the writer states that, although the new Act provides that it shall be a good defence to prove that brandy, say, has not been reduced more than 25 u.y.; yet it does not provide that, if reduced beyond that limit, such brandy is to be considered adulterated ! The Annual Report of the Local Government Board on the work of Public Analysts contains so much matter of interest to our readers .that we have thought it better to reprint it in extenso, rather than give an abstract of it.The Report bears out our own figures, which we were enabled to publish several months ago, a8 regards the decrease in adulteration, the percentage for 1878 being 17.18, as against more than 50 per cent, a quarter of a century ago. So far the operation of the Acts against adulteration have done an enormous amount of good, which we trust will be permanent. It is, however, extremely amusing to notice the various comments of the trade journals on the report.The Grocer, for instance, believes the appointment of Public Analysts has caused no amall amount of trouble to the Local Government Board, and that analysts are, indeed, generally troublesome but rarely useful, No doubt Public Analysts are troublesoma : if not to Government officials, at any rate to that still numerous but happily diminishing clam of tradesmen who want to make haste to be rich, e.g., by selling as coffee, at 1s.6d. a lb., a mixture containing 60 per cent. of chicory, worth half thatlmoiiey; or as cocoa, ‘1 arrowroot flavoured with sugar and cocoa,” and who do not like their laudable object to be frustrated by means of the Public Analyst, The Grocey waxes jubilant over the fact that the Local Government Board have, as it says, at last adopted an argument of its own in reference to 6 6 butterine.” The Board see no reason against tlie use of this article, provided if is invariably sold under a, distinctive name, and not fraudulently substituted for the genuine product of the churn.Who ever heard of any objection being raised to the sale of dripping as dripping? This is much used by poor people instead of butter, But as to bntterine, what are the facts ? It is an article made to resemble butter as much as possible, and it has been dubbed with a name which seems to have been invented to aid in the deception, Not content, however, with selling such a preparation for what it really is, nineteen out of twenty shopkeepers who sell it have their windows decorated with bills as large as life, Prime butter Is, (or less) a pound,” Just Bo-we also agree with this.THE ANALYST, I79 and customers who buy this are deceived, for no mention is made of its being other than butter, unless, indeed, the inside of the wrapper is stamped “ Mixture.’’ It is only when an inspector buys some, and then not till he says mhat he wants it for, that the shopkeeper says, “ I don’t sell this to you as butter.” No, not to the inspector ; but to scores of other customers it has been sold as ‘‘ cheap butter,” and nothing else, The Grocer further points ont that the adulteration of coffee has increased, and that mixtures of chicory and coffee are ‘6 extensively sold ” as coffee, and it particularly directs the attention of grocers to the fact that some preparations of mustard are often sold without the purchaser being informed that they are COmpOUndS, and it also notices that some cocoa samples (labelled mixtures) contained only from 10 to 15 per cent.of cocoa. But the Grocer, nevertheless, considers that, on the whole, the Local Government Report is (‘ fairly satisfactory,” and winds up by remarking that it ‘ I should be borne in mind that when the analysts report that they have discovered adulteration, it is now commonly proved-if the case comes into court-that they have made a mistake.The analysts appear to be always making mistakes in this way, and therefore their certificates do not necessarily inspire confidence.” This is too much.We were under the impression that we had seen in the Grocer, within the past few months, some scores of cases in which it had been proved-in court too-that it was the tradesmen who had made the mistakes,” and been punished accordingly. No doubt we have been labouring under a strange misapprehension. Although the Local Government Board consider that adulteration is diminishing, and that its character is less noxious than formerly, and although newspapers in all parts of the country do even now occasionally-not to say frequently-contain reports which the tradesmen implicated might not care to rely on in support of their characters for honesty : notwithstanding all this, the inference we draw, that the Sale of Food Act is a very beneficial one, is of course erroneous.The Adulteration Acts were all un- necessary; Public Analysts-that “ rarely useful” body-were unnecessary ; tradesmen generally, and grocers in particular, could conduct their business properly+ they were pushed to it-and so, quite of their own accord, mind, and quite uninfluenced by any bothering Acts of Parliament, or “ troublesome” analysts, tradesmen are now so honourable, that, as the Local Government Board gay, it is actually possible for persons who take reasonable precautions to obtain only genuine articles of consumption.” E’aucy that ! It is true thRt the Board add, that to do this requires tlie “ help of the Act,” but t h t of coumc is merely the Board’s playful exaggeration.The Board fear that where sinnll fines are inflicted, tradesmen find it profitable to p y the fiiies and continue adulteration. A case reported on another page is a good illustration : 2s.G d . fine for 70 per cent. of chicory, and this when pnre coffee” was asked for. If these small fines were universal, we think it would better protect the public from imposition, if the shopkeeper vcre coinpelled to expend the amount in having a large bill printed containing a notice of his conviction, which should be exhibited in his window for three months.180 THE ANALYST.RECENT CHEMICAL PATENTS. The following specifications have been published during the past,month, and can be obtained from the Great Seal Office, Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane, London. 1878. No. 4544 4949 4982 5139 5281 5291 5306 5307 1879. 33 49 65 83 152 173 178 179 277 326 Name of Patentee.C. A. Fawsitt.. . . . . . . C. W. Siemens . . . . . . E. J. Atkinson . . . . . . W. B. Brain . . . . . . . . A. M. Thompson and H. D. Earl , . F. Versman and J. yon Quaglio . . T. A. Edison . . . . . . . . J. B. Freeman . . . . . . R. V. Tuson . . . . . . . . J. C. Mewburn . . . . . . A. M. Clark . . . . . . . . W. Ladd . . . . . . . . J.Imray . . . . . . A. de Meritens . . . . . . W. R. Lake . . . . . . . . s. cohne . . . . . . . . E. L. Paraire. . . . . . . . 8. & M. Baeriein . . . . . . Title of Patent. Obtaining Ammonia . . . . . . . . Electrio Lamps . . . . . . . . . . Calcining Gypsum, Lime, &c. . . . . . . Electric Lighting.. . . . . . . . . Electric Lamps . . . . . . . . . . Purifying Coal Gas . .. . . . . . Developing Magnetism and Electric Currents, Apparatus for Illuminating by Electricity Carbons for Electric Lighting . . . . . . Price. .. 4d. .. 6d. .. 6d. .. 6d. .. 4d. .. 6d. .. 2d. .. 2a. and Disinfectants . . . . . . . . . . . . 2d. Manufacture of Phosphorous . . . . . . . . 6d. Electric Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Ditto . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Carburetting Gas or Air .. . . . . . . . . 2d. Manufacture of Sulphate of Alumina . . . . . . 4d. Obtaining Light by Electricty . . . . . . . . 2d. Enriching Phosphates of Lime . . . . . . . . 6d. Electrical Light Apparat; , , , . . , , . 2d. Electric Lighting . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Mr. Frederick County of Armagh. Dr. Cameron, Monaghan. Hodges, F.I.C., Belfast, has been elected Publio Analyst for t h e Dublin, has been elected Public Analyst for the County of BREAD ADULTERATION IN THE EIGHTEENTH CmToRx-In a number of the Newcastle Courant, in the year 1759, we read :-‘6 I n order to prevent the injurious practice of bakers from adulterating their bread, by noxious and unwholesome mixtures, it was enacted in the 31st year of his present Majesty that persons convicted of adulterating their bread, or having in their poseession any mixture or ingredients with an intention to adulterate the purity of meal, flour, or bread, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding $10, nor less than $2, and by the same statute it is directed that the magistrate before whom any such conviction shall be had, may cause the offender’s name and place of abode to be published in some newspapers, which shall be printed ar published in or near the country, city, or place where the offence shall be committed.Last Wednesday, Thomas Smithers, baker, East Smithfield, was convicted before John Fielding, Esq., in a penalty of $ 5 , for having in his possession a quantity of alum undissolved, and a quantity of alum dissolved, with an intention to mix and adulterate the purity of meal, flour, or bread.* * * * If this inquiry be conducted with spirit upon the presentplan of discovery, it is to be hoped that it will be the means of saving the lives of iiumberleas poor infants, whose parents arc not in a condition to make their children’s pap of anything else but common bread.”--MiZler, We regret to announce the death, at an early age, of Mr. James Whitla, Public Analyst for the County of Monaghan, and a Member of the Society of Public Analysts. BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED. The Chemist niid Druggist ; The Brewers’ GuiLrdian ; The British Medical Journal ; The Medical Press ; The Phariiiaceutical Journal ; The Sanitary Record ; The Miller ; Journal of Applied Science ; The Bostoii Journal of Chemistry ; The Provisioner ; The American Dairyman; The Practitioner ; Aniericnn New Remedies ; Proceedings of the American Chemical Society ; Le Praticien ; The Inventors’ Record ; New Tork Public Health ; Philadelphia Printers’ Circular ; Notes on Lubricants, by W. MacIvor.