A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries | Page 3

are sophisticated,
to the great abuse of City and Country. These abuses daily increase
since the Censors, discouraged by the multitude of Empirics swarming
in every Corner, have omitted their wonted searches, being to their loss
of time, and expences out of their own Purses for the publick good only.
Now since the Chymical Oyls, by reason of their great prices are most
of them adulterated, and very few of them right good, and that nothing
hath been published on this matter, and to leave the buyers of them
unexcusable, I shall here add briefly, yet sufficiently the ways to
discover these Cheats. First for sweet-scented Chymical Oyls, viz.
those of Cloves, Cinnamon and Sassaphras. Only drop a little of them

into fair water, and that part which is true good will sink under the
water, but the adulterated part will swim on the top of it. Some others
draw deep tinctures from the said Spices with Spirit of Wine highly
rectified, and sell them for the Oyls; but these mix with the water
throughout, neither swimming, nor sinking. Others more craftily digest
with the said tinctures some of the true Oyls, which compound being
put into water, will for a time render it white. Another way of
sophisticating is with Oyl of Turpentine mixed in great quantity with
that which is adulterated; You may easily discover the Oyl of
Turpentine, by setting it on fire, for it yields abundance of ill-scented
smoak, with very little savour of the Herb, Flour, or Seed, &c. and soon
takes fire. To correct the ill smell of the Turpentine, they digest it with,
and distil it off with Spirit of Wine. Those sophisticated with
Turpentine, fired in a Silver Spoon colour it, and quickly diffuse
themselves upon a Knife, or Paper. The best way to try by firing, is to
put a drop or two of these Oyls on the end of a broad pointed Knife,
which being first heated, and then thrust into a lighted Candle,
presently take fire, and break out into a flame with much dark smoak;
but if you will try them in a Spoon, heat it first over a Candle, and then
blow the flame of lighted paper, or of a Wax Candle on them. To try
the scent, blow out the flame of the good Oyls, and your smell will
soon discover the ill scent of the Turpentine from that of the good Oyl.
But on the contrary, all Oyls drawn from Plants by distillation hardly
flame, and the flame soon goes out, and the smoak gives a full flavour
of the Plant it self, whereas those sophisticated as before, differ from
the true in both. The same Oyls are also sophisticated with cheap ones
drawn from decayed Oringes, and Limons; Your smell on firing will
soon discover these mixtures. A third way of sophisticating Chymical
Oyls is, by mixing with them such Oyls as are made by expression,
which are easily discovered by rubbing them on white paper, which
being held and dryed at the fire, the Chymical part soon flyes away, and
leaves the paper transparent, looking no otherwise then oyled paper; but
pure Chymical Oyls totally fly away, leaving the paper white as 'twas
before, and not transparent, and in this way Oyl of sweet Almonds and
Spike have a great share. As for Oyls drawn by Retort, they all of them
smell so strong of the fire, that neither smell nor tast can well discover
any fraud in them. Now for the fixed Salts, most of them are made of

the Ashes of Tobacco-stalks, &c. More might be said for the discovery
of the Cheats of other Chymical preparations, which shall be reserved
to another opportunity, and had Physicians just encouragement, they
would spend both their time and moneys on the like discoveries for the
publick Utility.
Fifthly, Add to the former (though perhaps 'tis an error of ignorance
only) that if such Simples are prescribed they know not, they fetch
from the Herb-women what they give them, true or false; for many of
these Women give to very many Plants false names; Now if the
Apothecary be so careful to consult an Herbal, which few have, and
fewer know how to make use of, yet they too frequently mistake the
thing by reason of several names given to the same thing, or of one
name to several things, and many of them consult the common
Dictionaries only, which are most erroneous in the names of natural
things; insomuch that in my first practice (being curious of these
particulars) I have found two or three mistakes in one prescription, a
Catalogue of which mistakes, and names ill given, I had collected, but
the late fire consumed it, though many of them my memory hath
reserved.