THE ANALYST. 151 CORREXP ONDENCE. [The Editors are not responsible for the opinions of their Correspondents,] To TEE EDITOR OB ‘( THE ANALYSZ.” GENTLEXEN,-A circular, dated 3rd June, 1884, which deals with the working of The Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1878, has been sent by the Local Government Board to the Sanitary Authorities through- out the country. It contains an extract from a oircular of that Board, dated 30th September, 1875, in which the following paragraph appears :-“ Another important amendment will be observed in section 14, which requires the purchaeer tofiotlfy to the seller, after the purchase has been completed, his inten- tion to submit the article pumhased for analysis, and to offer to divide it into three parts, each to be marked and sealed or fastened up.If such offer is accepted, he is to deliver one of such parts to the seller and one to the analyst, and to retain the third himself for production in case of proceedings. If the offer is refused, the purchaser is to divide the article into two parts, retaining one for himself, and delivering or sending the other to the analyst.” But section 15 of the above-named Act reads thus:--“ If the seller or his agent do not acoept the ofper of the purchaser to divide the artiols purchased in his presence, the analyst receiving the article for analysis shall divide the same into two parts, and shall seal or fasten up one of those parts and shall cause it to be delivered, either upon receipt of the sample or when he supplie8 his certificate to the purchaser, who shall retsin the same for production in case proceedings shall afterwarda be taken in the matter.f’ Prosecutions under this Aot haverepeatedly broken down for no other reason than that every detail of proceedingalaid down on it hasxiot been literally complied with.It would, therefore, appear desirable that an oBcial memorandum, emmating from the department of Government charged with the supervisiop of the administration of the Aot, should be in acoord with its pxovisions in every detail, otherwise the ofaoials of any authority may be led into error, and, as not unfrequently happens, a flagrant adulterator ga unpunished through a technical flaw on the part of the prosecution. I am, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, Grantham, 21st June. ALFRED ASHBY. ANALYSTS’ REPORT& A FEVER-PROPA~ATING Dmw.-At Greenock, the Medical Officer reported, regarding a recent out- break of enterio fever among west-end families that, on inquiry, it was found that these families received sup lies of milk from the same dairy. The d&y was visited, and, while the apartment in which the mi$ was kept was clean and tidy, it was ascertained that the place where the inilk vessels were washed was in close proximity to a large d u g stead andpiggeries and stables-all so constructed and arranged as to keep the adjacent area, wbich was unpaved, saturated with excrementitious matters. A certificate prohibiting the sale or delivery of milk from the remises was granted, but tbegroQgietor at oncesecured more suitable premises, and was therefore allow3 to carry on the business as before. Since the change was effected no fresh cases had been reported.