19380. Adulteration and Misbranding of mercury protoiodide tablets, 
Quinine sulphate tablets, and salol tablets. U. S. v. Physicians' 
Chemical & Drugs Co. Plea of not guilty. Judgment of guilty. 
Fine, S200 and costs. (F. & D. No. 22556. I. S. Nos. 15089-x, 15092-x, 
15093-x,  15094-x.)
Examination of samples of drug tablets from the shipment herein described 
showed that the articles varied appreciably from the declared standard, since 
the quinine sulphate tablets contained less than the declared amount of quinine 
sulphate, and the mercury protoiodide tablets and the salol tablets contained 
more mercury protoiodide and salol, respectively, than labeled.
On April 17, 1928, the United States attorney for the Northern District of 
Illinois, acting upon a report by the Secretary of Agriculture, filed in the 
District Court of the United States for the district aforesaid an information 
against the Physicians' Chemical & Drug Co., a corporation, Chicago, Ill., 
alleging shipment by said company, in violation of the food and drugs act, on or 
about December 14, 1926, from the State of Illinois into the State of Louisiana, 
of quantities of drugs consisting of 1 lot of mercury protoiodide tablets, 2 lots 
of quinine sulphate tablets, and 1 lot of salol tablets, which said drugs were 
adulterated and misbranded. The articles were labeled in part, variously: 
"Mercury Protoiodide Gr. %;" "Quinine Sulphate Gr. 1 [or " Gr. 2"];" 
" Salol Grs. 2% * * * The Physicians' Chemical and Drug Company, Chi- 
cago, Illinois."
It was alleged in the information that the articles were adulterated in that 
their strength and purity fell below the professed standard and quality under 
which they were sold, as follows: Each of the said mercury protoiodide tablets 
was represented to contain *4 grain of mercury protoiodide, whereas each one 
contained more than so represented, namely, not less than 0.281, i. e., approxi- 
mately two-sevenths of a grain of mercury protoiodide. Each of the quinine 
sulphate tablets in one of the lots was represented to contain 1 grain of qui- 
nine sulphate, where each one contained less than so represented, namely, not 
more than 0.747 grain, i. e., % grain of quinine sulphate. Bach of the quinine 
sulphate tablets in the other lot was represented to contain 2 grains of quinine 
sulphate, whereas each one contained less than so represented, namely, not 
more than 1.728, i. e., 1% grains of quinine sulphate. Each of the salol tablets 
was represented to contain 2% grains of salol, whereas each of said tablets 
contained more than so represented, to wit, not less than 5.077 grains of salol.
Misbranding was alleged for the reason that the statements, to wit, " Mer- 
cury Protoiodide Gr. % * * * Tablets," " Quinine Sulphate Gr. 1," " Quin- 
ine Sulphate Gr. 2," and " Salol Grs. 2y2 * * * Tablets," borne on the 
labels of the respective products, were false and misleading in that the said 
statements represented that the articles contained the amount of the said drugs 
declared on the labels, whereas they did not, the said mercury protoiodide tab- 
lets and the salol tablets contained more of the said drugs than declared on
the labels, and the quinine sulphate tablets contained less quinine sulphate 
than so declared.
On January 27, 1932, a plea of not guilty to the information having been 
entered on behalf of the defendant company, the facts were submitted to the 
court who made a finding of guilty and imposed a fine of $200 and costs.
ARTHUR M. HYDE, Secretary of Agriculture.