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134.
ate by long exposure to the air, probably because it had
been kept in a wooden drawer instead of a bottle.
The samples of Black Draught which were adulterated
proved to be deficient in Aromatic spirit of
Ammonia. Tt must be stnted, however, that the British
Pharmaceutical Codex states that Black Draught keeps
better with a smaller proportion of the Aromatic spirit of
Ammonia than is ordained by the British Pharmacopoeia.
Up to the present the (General Medical Council has not
altered the official formula.
Syrup of Senna, of which a number have been
examined, has been found to vary considerably in composition
although the recipe laid down by the Pharmacopoeia
has been properly carried out.
The samples of Liniment of Turpentine which were
adulterated may have been made so owing to faulty
manufacture but the same results might have been
brought about by careless dispensing, i.e. by failing to
shake up the liquid so that the more, valuable volatileoils
had risen to the top and the first portions poured
from the bottle would naturally be richer in those oils
than the lower layers.
Two samples of Liniment of Camphor were deficient
in Camphor. Only very slight loss of Camphor occurs
on storage.
The following table shows the number of "Official"
and "Unofficial" samples taken during 1930, together
with the number found to be adulterated or below the
standard.
On page 136 are given the corresponding figures
for the last five years.