1.—14

26

[j. M. MASON.

Hood's Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla. Supplied by C. I. Hood and Co. (Limited), 34 Snow Hill, London, E.C. Made in America by C. I. Hood Co., Lowell, Mass., U.S.A. Price, Is. ljd. per bottle, containing 2J fluid ounces. The following paragraph appears on the covering of the bottle: — "A trial bottle will convince the most sceptical of the real merit of Hood's Sarsaparilla, and will enable everybody to test its wonderful power in restoring and invigorating the whole system, in renovating and enriching the blood, in giving an appetite and a tone to the stomach, in eradicating and curing Scrofula, Scrofulous Humours, Scald Head, Syphilitic Affections, Cancerous Humours, Ringworms, Salt-rheum, Boils, Pimples and Humours on the Face, Catarrh, Headache, Dizziness, Faintness at the Stomach, Constipation, Pains in the Back, Female Weakness, General Debility, Costiveness, Biliousness, and all diseases arising from an impure state or low condition of the blood. Hood's Sarsaparilla is designed to act upon the blood, and through that upon all the organs and tissues of the body. It has a specific action also upon the secretions and excretions, and assists nature to expel from the system all humours, impure particles, and effete matter through the lungs, the liver, the kidneys, and the skin. It effectually aids weak, impaired, and. debilitated organs, invigorates the nervous system, tones and strengthens the digestive organs, m &nd imparts new life and energy to all the functions of the body. The peculiar point of this medicine is that it strengthens and builds up the system while it eradicates disuase." In a pamphlet enclosed with the bottle it is stated, — " It is carefully prepared from Sarsaparilla, Dandelion, Mandrake, Dock, Pipsissewa, Juniper Berries, and other valuable vegetable remedies, in such a peculiar manner as tc retain the full curative value of each ingredient used." The dose is given as — "Adult, I to 2 teaspoonfiilw; usual dose, 1 teaspoonful three times a day; children, less, # according to age." Analysis showed it to contain, in 100 parts by measure, potassium-iodide, 1"7 parts (7| gr. in 1 fluid oz.), and sugars (partly inverted) 9"1 parts; the total solids amounted to 128 parts, thus leaving 2'o parts of vegetable extract per 100 fluid parts. Liquor sarsae compositus concentratus of the B.P. contains about 21 parts of solids in 100 fluid parts, so that it may be concludad that the amounts of extracts of " Sarsaparilla, Dandelion, Mandrake, Dock, Pipsissewa, Juniper Berries, and other valuable vegetable remedies " in this mixture are not large. The liquid has a somewhat aromatic odour and taste, in which oil of juniper could not be detected, nor was it recognisable on distillation ; none of the other ingredients mentioned is capable of being identified in such a mixture. No alkaloid was present, and careful search for other likely ingredients gave only negative results. The mixture contained 196 per cent, by volume of alcohol. Hughes's Blood Pills. • Maker: Jacob Hughes, Penarth, Cardiff. Price, Is. ljd. per box, containing thirty pills. These are described on the label as " B'or all Blood, Skin, and Nerve Diseases." In a circular enclosed with the box there is a dissertation on the functions and composition of the blood, from which the following extracts are taken: — " The Blood being , therefore the Life of the living Body, it stands to reason that if it is poisoned, you poison the whole system, and eventually destroy the life of the man. When the blood is chilled, or distempered through breathing impure air, unhealthy food, &c, it at once gets disturbed, and breeds disease in some form or other. This is the cause of Blast,. Scurvy, Piles, Boils, King's Evil, Swollen Glands, Inflammation of the Eyes and Lids, Piiins in the Sides, Back, and Kidneys, Cough, Bronchitis, Pleurisy, Rheumatism, Wounds in the Legs and Different Parts of the Body, all Scorbutic Affections, Cancer, Pimples on the Face, Neck, &c, and all Skin Eruptions, Chilliness, Headache, Indigestion, Fullness after Meals, Dyspepsia, Vomiting, Loss of Appetite, Consumption, Toothache, Neuralgia, Fits, St. Vitus's Dance, all Liver Complaints, Costiveness, Yellow Jaundice, Depression of Spirits, Stitches in the Sides, Fevers, Epidemics, Plagues, Gout, Nerve Diseases, Lumbago, Eyrsipelas, all kinds of Inflammation, and most Chest Diseases. " The noted Pills, ' Hughes's Blood Pills,' act directly upon the Blood and Juices of all parts of the system, which they Strengthen and Purify. By so doing the Liver, Kidneys, Heart, Lungs, Stomach, Bowels, Brain, and Nerves are renewed and toned to such a degree that their functions are perfectly performed, securing to the man healthy days." Very lengthy directions are given for taking the pills for a variety of complaints, from which it appears that the usual dose is one or two pills at night, or one three times a day. The pills had a thin loose coating of French chalk; after removing this the average weight was 2 gr.. Analysis showed the presence of no inorganic salts, except the usual small quantities of phosphate, sulphate, &c, found in the ash of most drugs. The pill contained a trace of oil of cloves and consisted of powdered drugs to the extent of about half its weight; ginger and cinchona were identified in this portion; a trace of alkaloid was extracted, showing the properties of the alkaloids of cinchona. A portion of the