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98
pepsin and kola, though no claims were made to the actual
presence of these substances.
Miscellaneous Food Samples.
Three specimens of ground almonds were genuine, as
also were one of black treacle, one of greengage syrup, two
of icing sugar and four of pudding sugar. One of the icing
sugars was coloured pink and had a flavour of raspberries.
Drugs.
Sixty-four drugs in an exceptionally varied assortment
were examined during the year, and, of these, five did not
comply with the requirements of the British Pharmacopoeia
or of the British Pharmaceutical Codex, or were defective
in other respects.
A specimen of aspirin tablets was found to be deficient
in aspirin to the extent of 37 per cent. and to contain 19.5
per cent. of mineral matter having the characters of talc.
An iodine ointment contained only 0.24 per cent. of free
iodine and no potassium iodine, whereas the British
Pharmaceutical Codex requires the presence of 4 per cent.
of each. It contained 4 per cent. of iodine combined with
a fatty base and therefore had the composition of stainless
iodine ointment of the Codex which was deficient in combined
iodine to the extent of 20 per cent. of the amount
that should have been present.
Two other iodine preparations were also defective; a
sample of iodine and blackcurrant pastilles contained no
iodine, and a tincture of iodine was 8 per cent, deficient
in iodine. A warning letter was sent to the vendor of the
latter.
A wintergreen ointment, the label upon which stated
that it contained 2.5 per cent. of methyl salicylate, wae
found to contain 25 per cent. of that ingredient. It thus
did not comply with the maker's own prescription and his
attention was called to the inaccuracy on the label.
Of the genuine samples only two call for comment.
A laxative tablet sold under a proprietary name was found