14013. Adulteration and misbranding of codeine sulphate tablets, quinine
sulphate tablets, morphine sulphate tablets, strychnine nitrate 
tablets, and atropine sulphate tablets. U. S. v. the William A. 
Webster   Co.     Plea   of   guilty.     Fine,   $30  and   costs.     (F.   &  D.   No.
19244.    I. S. Nos. 4628-v, 6705-v, 6775-v, 6777-v, 19207-v, 19208-v.)
On March 3, 1925, the United States attorney for the Western District of 
Tennessee, acting upon a report by the Secretary of Agriculture, filed in the 
District Court of the United States for said district an information against the 
William A. Webster Co., a corporation, Memphis, Tenn., alleging shipment by 
said company, in violation of the food and drugs ict, in various consignments, 
namely, on or about July 19, 1923, from the State of Tennessee into the State 
of Illinois, of quantities of strychnine nitrate tablets and atropine sulphate 
tablets, respectively, on or about August 7, 1923, from the State of Tennessee 
into the State of Ohio, of a quantity of codeine sulphate tablets, and on or 
about September 15, 1923, and February 7, 1924, from the State of Tennessee 
into the State of Missouri, of quantities of quinine sulphate tablets and mor- 
phine sulphate tablets, respectively, which were adulterated and misbranded. 
The articles were labeled in part, variously: "Tablets Codeine Sulphate, 
1-4 grain " ; " Tablets Quinine Sulphate, 2 Grain " ; " Tablets Morphine Sul- 
phate. 1/S gr." (or "1-2 Grain"); "Tablets Strychnine Nitrate Grain, 
1/40 gr.": " Tablets Atropine Sulphate. 1-100 grain," and were further labeled, 
" The William A. Webster Co.    *    *    *    Memphis, Tenn."
Analysis by the Bureau of Chemistry of this department of samples of 
the articles showed that: The codeine sulphate tablets, labeled " 1/4 grain," 
contained 3/14 grain of codeine sulphate per tablet; the quinine sulphate 
tablets, labeled " 2 Grain," contained 21/4 grains of quinine sulphate per 
tablet:  the morphine sulphate tablets labeled "1/8 gr." contained 3/16 grain
of morphine sulphate per tablet, and those labeled "1/2 Grain " contained 2/5 
grain of morphine sulphate per tablet; the strychnine nitrate tablets/labeled 
"1/40 gr.," contained 1/50 grain of strychnine nitrate per tablet, and the 
atropine sulphate tablets, labeled "1/100 grain," contained 1/125 grain of 
atropine sulphate per tablet.
Adulteration of the articles was alleged in substance in the information 
for the reason that their strength and purity fell below the professed standard 
and quality under which they were sold, in that the labels represented the 
said tablets to contain 1/4 grain of codeine sulphate, 2 grains of quinine sul- 
phate, 1/8 grain of morphine sulphate, 1/2 grain of morphine sulphate, 1/40 
grain of strychnine nitrate or 1/100 grain of atropine sulphate, as the case 
might be, whereas the alleged 1/8 grain morphine sulphate tablets and the 2 
grain quinine sulphate tablets contained more than 1/8 grain of morphine sul- 
phate and more than 2 grains of quinine sulphate and each of the remaining 
tablets contained less of the product than represented on the label thereof.
Misbranding was alleged for the reason that the statements, to wit, " Tab- 
lets Codeine Sulphate, l^t grain," "Tablets Quinine Sulphate, 2 Grain," 
" Tablets Morphine Sulphate, 1/8 gr.," " Tablets Morphine Sulphate, 1-2 Grain," 
" Tablets Strychnine Nitrate, 1/40 gr.," and " Tablets Atropine Sulphate, 1-100 
grain," as the case might be, borne on the labels of the respective products, 
were false and misleading, in that the said statements represented that each 
of said tablets contained the amount of the product declared on the label 
thereof, whereas the alleged 1/8 grain morphine sulphate and 2 grain quinine 
sulphate tablets contained more morphine sulphate and more quinine sul- 
phate, respectively, than declared, and the remaining products contained 
less of the product than declared on the label thereof.
On December 31, 1925, a plea of guilty to the information was entered on 
behalf of the defendant company, and the court imposed a fine of $30 an 
costs.
R. W. DUNXAP, Acting Secretary of Agriculture.