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ADULTERATION — ADVERTISEMENT and other similar names. Professor Wiley, in his evidence met with) were traced to the employment in a number of on the subject, said that “ Messrs Armour and Co. state breweries of some starch-glucose that had been manuthat they use from 59 to 75 per cent, of lard in their factured by the aid of very impure, arsenical, sulphuric mixtures, Fairbank from 50 to 75 per cent. The former acid by a Lancashire firm. Numerous deaths were due to firm use 75,000 barrels of cotton-seed oil, and make 60 the drinking of such arsenicated beer. It was also soon million pounds refined lard. 75,000 barrels weigh 28 discovered that much of the malt used by brewers conmillion pounds : hence the average proportion would be tained appreciable traces of arsenic, and in hops small 46 per cent, of cotton-seed oil in the mixture; but as from traces were found. Malt and hops probably derive 10 to 15 per cent, of beef-stearine are necessary to stiffen their arsenic from the fact that both are prepared by the mixture, the proportion of lard would be only about an antiquated process, the drying of both being effected 42 per cent.” by the gases and fumes which are given off by coke Oils.—Since the article in the ninth edition of this or anthracite fires, these fumes passing through the work appeared, enormous progress has been made malt and hop, which absorb therefrom any arsenic that in the chemical knowledge of fats and oils, and com- may be associated with the pyrites occurring in all coal. plicated mixtures of various oils can now be satisfactorily Sulphur, often arsenical, is also sprinkled upon the fires analysed. Perhaps the most important step was taken by to lighten the colour of malt or hop. All the worst Allen and von Huebl, who showed that different fats and cases, however, of arsenic in beer were due to arsenical oils were capable of combining with different percentages glucose, prepared by one firm. The use of glucose is of bromine or iodine, the “ iodine-absorption ” number perfectly legal, the brewer having the statutory right being characteristic for each class of oils—the olive-oil to brew from whatever material he may deem proper, group showing about 80-90 per cent.; the cotton-oil group as long as he pays due revenue to the State—the revenue about 105-110; linseed-oil, 160-170. This number, to- being levied upon the basis of the specific gravity of the gether with a determination of the saponification-value wort, every liquor under the Customs and Inland Revenue (the amount of caustic alkali needed for complete saponi- Act, 1885, being defined as beer, “which is made or sold fication), the thermal rise with strong sulphuric acid as a description of beer, or as a substitute for beer, which (Maumene), or bromine (Hehner and Mitchell), the re- on analysis of a sample thereof shall be found to contain fraction of light and the specific gravity, enable the more than 2 per cent, of proof spirit.” The fact that analyst to form in most cases a close idea as to the nature arsenic was liable to occur in glucose and in beer was of any sample under examination. The adulteration of known as long ago as 1878, but no quantities in any way oils has in consequence become far less. Cotton-seed oil resembling those met with in the recent cases had preand, latterly, the oil expressed from the maize-germ (maize viously been observed. Since the use of glucose has oil), are tfie most common fatty adulterants, but much become general in brewing, other industrial users of use is also made in this direction of paraffin oils and resin sugar, principally the manufacturers of sweetmeats, jams, oil. So-called olive oil frequently consists of a mixture and syrups, have also largely employed glucose, mainly of olive oil, cotton-seed oil, earthnut (arachis) oil, and for the cheapening of their products. No doubt the sesame-seed oil, one or the other of these being sometimes strict supervision which will henceforth be exercised over altogether substituted for genuine olive oil. Odourless the purity of glucose will render an occurrence such as paraffin hydrocarbons also enter into these adulterated that of beer-poisoning by arsenic unlikely in the future; articles. but a strong desire has been aroused to draw a distincPepper. — Some years ago ground olive-kernels were tion by Act of Parliament between beer made from malt largely sold for admixture with pepper, under the name of and hops and such as may be prepared from substitutes. “ poivrette.” They were easily recognizable on microscopic (o. H.*) examination and the fraud did not live long. The older forms of adulteration (rice and other farinaceous meals) Advertisement, or advertising, as the process also still occur. of purchasing publicity is now more commonly called, is of Ginger.—The more or less exhausted ginger resulting very recent origin if it be regarded as a serious adjunct in the manufacture of ginger beer used until lately to be to other phases of commercial activity. In some rudire-dried, ground, and mixed with fresh ginger—a great mentary form the seller’s appeal to the buyer must, howproportion of commercial ground ginger consisting of so- ever, have accompanied the earliest development of trade. called “spent” ginger. If exhausted by water the pro- Under conditions of primitive barter, communities were so portion of the water-soluble constituents of ginger—if by small that every producer was in immediate personal conalcohol, those of the alcohol-soluble ones—were reduced by tact with every consumer. As the primeval man’s wolfish the treatment, thus affording to the analyst guidance in antipathy to the stranger of another pack gradually coming to a judgment. Similar fraud exists in the case diminished, and as intercourse spread the infection of of aromatic substances from which valuable oils can be larger desires, the trapper could no longer satisfy his extracted, the exhausted ground stuff being sold in ad- more complicated wants by the mere exchange of his mixture with the genuine. pelts for his lowland neighbour’s corn and oil. A began Beer.—In 1899 an obscure illness broke out in Dublin to accept from B the commodity which he could in turn resembling the tropical disease “beri-beri.” Early in deliver to C, while C in exchange for B’s product gave to August 1900 a rapid increase in the number of “ peripheral A what D had produced and bartered to C. The mere neuritis cases, closely resembling the Dublin beri-beri statement of such a transaction sufficiently presents its cases, was observed in Lancashire. It soon became clear clumsiness, and the use of primitive forms of coin soon that there was some connexion between the drinking of beer simplified the original process of bare barter. It is and the obscure disease; and Dr. Reynolds, Physician to reasonable to suppose that as soon as the introduction of the Royal Manchester Infirmary, on investigation found currency marked the abandonment of direct relations arsenic in the suspected beer. This discovery caused an between purchaser and consumer an informal system of immense amount of attention to be given to beer. Traces advertisement in turn rose to meet the need of publicity. of arsenic were found in samples from many parts of the At first the offer of the producer must have been brought country; but the greatest amounts of arsenic (up to 1 to the trader’s attention, and the trader’s offer to the grain per gallon, calculated as arsenious acid, has been notice of the consumer, by casual personal contact, supple-
