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"," " ": : ±,±,±,±,±), !º!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ſºšº:№ſ ſº; * *· * *ſ*(.*¿¿. - -• != );* ×~¿№ šī ae· ،*…*…!!!|- ſae،-|- ſº: ::::::::::::::::،a * · * * , ,3 ::::::!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~ ·,,,,,,,*!*…!∞∞ №!∞ √° √æ√ • •* - ºº ^= ****s*. ******* • ** * · * ( ) **>)*)(.*'), º. *:)** * 。 §), §§ STAFFORD ALLEN. *NET TV = 08 OB O - - - º - |- - - - - - - º - - - -- - - - - A Chapter in the History of Drug-Grinding, hemistry ...ºf wry R C. ~) / * * * Q. ' (º, ö ſ\ º, , fºr -4 *} A 2n, Oil-Distilling, and Oil–Pressing, Apropos of the Foundation and Progress of (sº a ſºld ) Stafford Allen & Sons' Business. **śāºšº ". N the first decades of this century sophistication of drugs was the rule and not the exception. It is a matter of history that the Society of Apothecaries came into existence and obtained their powers of inspecting Apothecaries' shops within the radius of London City, because the impurity of medicines had become a public scandal. Yet abuses did not cease with the establishment of the Society, and few articles were more commonly sophisticated than powdered drugs. One of the most terse references to the matter in those days, when Drug Journals did not exist and Adulteration of Drugs Acts were unknown, is contained in “A Treatise on Adulterations of Food and Culinary Poisons,” written by Frederick Accum, F.L.S., &c., and published in London in 1820. Writing of the adulteration of drugs and medicines therein he remarks:— “Every chemist knows that there are mills constantly at work in this metropolis, which furnish (Peruvian) bark powder at a much cheaper rate than the substance The price of the best genuine bark, upon an average, is not lower than twelve shillings the pound; but immense quantities of powder bark are supplied to the apothecaries at three or four shillings a pound. . . . It is also notorious that there can be procured for in its natural state. are manufacturers of spurious rhubarb powder, ipecac- uanha powder . . . and other medicines of great potency.” In a footnote it is mentioned that several varieties of ipecacuanha are imported, and the following most significant remarks are made :- “The white sort, which has no wrinkles, and no per- ceptible bitterness in taste, and which, though taken in a large dose, has scarcely any effect at all, after being pulverised by fraudulent druggists, and mixed with a portion of emetic tartar, is sold at a low price for the powder of genuine ipecacuanha.” There is abundance of corroboration to these strong alle- gations; and not long ago a prominent London wholesale druggist published a paper in which he showed from manuscript trading-books that it was the common practice at the end of last century and the beginning of this one to Sophisticate all kinds of drugs. The Dawn of Better Things. T was in these circumstances that several historic phar- macies were founded in London, and amongst them the one in Plough Court, of which William Allen, F.R.S. the first President of the Pharmaceutical Society, was the head. These pharmacists were particularly desirous of having pure drugs, and owing to the difficulty of getting pure powdered drugs, even when they supplied the genuine raw materials, they were in the habit of grindit g with pestle and mortar as the requirements arose. But this was a laborious task to many, and William Allen feeling it to be so, had many a chat about the matter with his nephew, Stafford Allen, a miller at Amersham. This was in the twenties, and the conversations ripened in 1830 into a definite scheme for establishing in London a mill where drugs could be ground for the trade under conditions which guaranteed non-sophistication of the materials supplied. At that time, and indeed for years after, as will be shown later, the custom of the trade was to allow a fixed percentage for loss in grinding drugs, and although the actual loss might be double or treble the accepted percentage, the grinder was compelled to return 108 lbs. of powder for every 1 cwt. of raw drug he obtained, and no objection was taken to his adding anything he liked to make up the 108 lbs. This custom was what William Allen particularly grieved about. The 4 lbs. loss was so deeply rooted in the grinding trade that nothing, except a fresh start along a new a. * g {} 3s: 2. º _ºf line, could disestablish the custom ; and William Allen's perspicuity and concern for purity made him turn for help to the miller of Amersham. Stafford Allen's qualifications for the venture were his knowledge of grinding and an abhorrence of fraud equal to his uncle's. William Allen could not join him in the venture. Already his hands were full of business, public service, and philanthropy; and as Stafford Allen's technical skill had to be supplemented by knowledge of the materials which he was to deal with, he communicated with his friend Charles May, a druggist in the little town of Ampthill, near Bedford. The proposal led to an interview in London, and ultimately to the formation of the firm which is to-day known to the Anglo-Saxon race as Stafford Allen & Sons. May & Allen. SMALL memorandum still treasured by the firm A sets forth that in August, 1830, a message was sent from Bedford to Charles May at Ampthill, in the following terms:— (6. %22r. 22-, 2-, 4 22.7%.< c4%–44– 22, a 4--…. & 4 ºf ~/~~ a-2 3 & 2 vecz, zzcº &z.c2 .2%. , cé, &..…? ©, c- 6.222224, 22% (a co- /* zº-º- 42. ~~~~ (2-2 2/ 2 a. ~2%-2 A *.*.*…* ~444 º'ez..... …, & 2. &ºzoo cº—- - (2&7 2-z--~ &2-4 & 22, 22% º 26 #2.24 *2. Zezzzzz & e Charles May had the new venture in his mind, for then and after he used the back of the memorandum for figuring up the “cost (estimated) of establishing a drug-mill,” as suggested by his friend Stafford Allen. values sterling the equipment of the proposed establishment. There are given in They hastened slowly in those days, but they built wisely. Charles May had his good pharmacy at Ampthill, besides a flourishing business in the cultivation of medicinal plants, and these could not be abandoned, nor were they, for the latter still remains an integral part of the business, under the firm name, George Allen & Co., Ampthill. An agreement between Charles May and Stafford Allen was eventually made, and Stafford Allen left his quiet country home at Amersham to enter the whirl of London life and business. Under his direction a suitable building was erected at No. 7 Cowper Street, City Road, E.C. (then known as North Street), and in May, 1833, business was commenced under the name of May & Allen. The two friends had uphill work for two years, but some of the leading wholesale druggists of London were supporting them, and the sterling character of the men and the high quality of the products of their drug-mills became known and appreciated, and their business extended. Reform of Grinding Allowances. E leave the history of the firm for a moment to note W the influence which the new principle of drug- grinding bad upon the trade. In a paper on “Drug- grinding ” read to the Pharmaceutical Society on October 11, 1848, by Professor Theophilus Redwood, and published in the Pharmaceutical Journal, we find the following passage :— “Much has often been said on the subject of the adulteration of drugs, and especially of those drugs That drugs are That the practice of adulteration has prevailed to an extent which are in the form of powder. sometimes adulterated is a notorious fact. greatly prejudicial to the advancement of the science of medicine, and discreditable to the medical legisla- tion of the country, admits not of a doubt. But a great and progressive improvement has certainly taken place for many years past, and there is, at the present time, an evident desire among wholesale and retail druggists to discourage and suppress the sale of bad and adulte- rated drugs. Statements with reference to the wholesale substitution of fabricated powders relate to bygone days. There is reason to believe, however, that absolute identity between the powders used in medicine and the drugs they represent is not maintained to the greatest possible extent, even in the present day.” Professor Redwood then proceeded to describe the practices which were then in vogue amongst drug-grinders, especially addressing himself to the 4 lbs. per cwt, loss already referred to. He described in general terms the loss of weight in drying drugs, and the loss through unpulverisable material commonly called “gruffs,” and supplemented his observations. by figures supplied by: George Allen, who by that time was associated with his brother Stafford Allen in the drug- grinding business. These figures showed the actual average losses in the grinding of various kinds of drugs, the figures being obtained from observation of the treatment of large quantities spread over a period of Some months. A few Of the more striking may be quoted in order to show how prejudicial was the 4-per-cent. System (as it was called) to the purity of drugs. The figures are the average losses, but to them are added the highest losses per cwt. in parentheses:— Aloes, Socotrine ... lost 9 lbs. 4 oz. (12 lbs.) ... per CWt. Canella Alba. , 9 lbs. (12.lbs.) • * * * 33 Cardamoms , 5 lbs. 12 oz (91bs, 8 oz.) , Cinchonalbark, Yellow, 61bs. 2 oz. (11 lbs. 8 oz.) , 5 lbs. 12 oz. (13 lbs.)... 9 lbs. 4 oz. (16 lbs.) ... Dragon's Blood ... Gentian Root 9 3 33 92 $ 5 Ipecacuanha ,, 5 lbs. 3 oz. (7 lbs.) ... , Myrrh ... , 8 lbs. 6 oz. (16 lbs.) ... , Opium ... ... , 14 lbs. 14 oz. (181bs.)... , Rhubarb, Indian... , 6 lbs. (7 lbs.) ... 3 * Squill ,, 12 lbs. 8 oz. (15 lbs.)... , Valerian Root ,, 81bs. 8 oz. (16 lbs, 8 oz.) , These figures probably show better than anything would upon what slender grounds the trade custom in the matter of powders was based, and it may especially be noted that the practice was considered to be a perfectly fair and honest one by many who regarded it merely as a system of The fact that the “4 per cent. loss '' was an entirely arbitrary thing, not based upon any fact nor “standardisation”! related to any circumstance, did not appear to “come home” to the advocates of the system. Professor Redwood's denunciation, coupled with George Allen's pertinent figures, The trade awoke to the absurdity of the practice; they saw how illogical it was to take, say, 1 cwt. of opium, dry and powder it, and, finding that only caused a sensation. 94 lbs. of opium in powder remained, add 14 lbs. of some- thing or anything which was not opium, in order to satisfy a tradition. The trade had also come to know that some amongst them had adopted William Allen's principle for years, and it is interesting to note that the business books of May & Allen show that in 1833 Allen, Hanburys & Barry (now Allen & Hanburys, Limited), John Bell & Co., Hearon, Bright & Co. (now Hearon, Squire & Francis), Horner & Fawkes (now Horner & Sons), Hodgkinson, Brandram & Stead (now Hodgkinsons, Clarke & Ward), James Curtis (now Wright, Layman & Umney), Baiss Brothers & Co., Barrons & Harvey (now Barron, Harveys & Co.), and Bewley & Evans (Dublin) (now Hamilton, Long & Co., Limited) paid May & Allen the following rates for grinding : — Cream of Tartar tº tº e 8|– per cwt. Glycyrrh. Decort. ... tº e e 6d. per lb. Gum Acaciae ... tº e e tº º te 6d. , Hellebor. Alb.... 4d. , Rhei Ang. 6d. , These facts indicate two things—first, that the leading houses of the day (as these undoubtedly were) endorsed William Allen's principle of purity; and second, that there was little grumbling then about grinding-rates. How pleased grinders nowadays would be if they received the prices that their forefathers did I The Firm’s History Resumed. HARLES MAY'S direct interest in the drug-business was not to be long maintained, and it actually ex- tended only to the first decade of the business, for in 1843 he joined the well-known engineering firm of Ransomes, Ipswich, the head of which at that time was the father-in- law of Stafford Allen. Mr. May had retained the Ampthill business in his own hands all these years, but on leaving London for Ipswich he disposed of it as well as his interest in May & Allen, George Allen, a younger brother of Stafford Allen, coming into the concern, which was now carried on as S. & G. Allen. business, were thus brought directly into contact with Galenical Pharmacy for the first time. George Allen brought much energy to bear upon the business, and his brother was The new firm, having acquired the Ampthill glad to leave to a younger man the management of the concern as well as its development along lines which seemed Accordingly George Allen added to the Grinding Department all the apparatus requisite for the Mr. May had brought oil-distilling with him from Ampthill, and had carried on this work on more than a tentative scale, but to invite pursuit. expression of almond and other fixed oils. George Allen greatly extended the department, increasing the number and size of stills. So the business progressed under the careful management Stafford Allen, like all London druggists of that day, lived on the premises during the earlier portion of his married life, and there the present senior partner, Edward Ransome Allen, was born. of the partners. It was under such con- ditions that most of the leading wholesale drug-businesses in London were established, the proximity of the master's dwelling-house to the warehouse securing careful and con- stant supervision of detail. By 1854 Stafford and George Allen found their premises in Cowper Street too small for their needs. Adjoining the mills was the old Stone Yard, where some of the men engaged in the mills-lived in neat-cottages. There, too, a horse-dealer had his “Emporium,” and all these were swept away to make room for extension, especially of the distilling These important alterations had not long been carried out when George Allen desired relief from the strain of supervising two concerns so widely section of the business. situated (in those days, for distance has shrunk greatly since 1857) as Ampthill, in Bedfordshire, and London. He was looking to Edward Ransome Allen, his brother's second son, for assistance; and preparatory to joining the firm E. R. Allen had obtained practical acquaintance with the drug trade by serving his indentures as an apprentice This instruction he supplemented by a course of chemical study under Dr. A W. von Hofmann, in the College of Chemistry, Oxford Street. George Allen had now left London to take Sole charge of the pharmaceutical factory at Ampthill, and, with a firm of druggists in a large country town. |- - under the name George Allen & Co., he greatly developed the business in medicinal extracts, juices, liquors, &c., while his nephew, E. R. Allen, in 1861 took charge of the Cowper Street Works until 1863, when his brother, William Clarkson Allen, joined him in the conduct of the business. The junior partners are Edward WATLock ALLEN, who was admitted into partnership in 1892, after some years of working with the firm; he is the eldest son of E. R. Allen, and is well known to most of the wholesale trade; and MALcol M. W. ALLEN, the eldest son of W. C. Allen, who was introduced in 1896, after a course of instruction in the there were no such tests, and when sophistication was the rule of the day. The writer, whose remarks regarding adulterated powders have already been quoted, says in the same book:- “A great many of the essential oils obtained from the more expensive spices are frequently so much adul- terated that it is not easy to meet with such as are at all fit for use; nor are these adulterations easily dis- coverable.” abuses" can be detected by insolubility of such oils in Accum proceeds to show how “the grosser 7 Cowper Street, Finsbury. Chemical Section of the Finsbury Technical College, followed by several years of practical work in the internal manage- ment of the business. Essential Oil Sophistication and Reform. T the present time, when modern chemistry has A enabled analysts to tell in the majority of cases whether an essential oil is pure or not, it is difficult to realise the condition of the essential-oil trade when alcohol; and goes on to say that “as all volatile oils agree in their general properties of solubility in spirit of wine, and volatility in the test of boiling water, &c., it is plain that they may be variously mixed with each other, or the dearer sophisticated with the cheaper, without any possibility of discovering the abuse." The integrity of the principal has always been the most important factor in pharmacy. It was particularly so in the early thirties, and in the Essential Oil trade it obtains to this day, while to the large majority of buyers it is the chief point of reliance for practical security. The drug trade sixty years ago found it as difficult to get pure essential oils, even when they supplied the raw materials, as it was to get pure powders, and that fact was not lost sight of by May & Allen when they were starting in business. Charles May brought to bear upon essential-oil distilling his experience at Ampthill in the distillation of essential oils of lavender, peppermint, chamomile and other English herbs. In the Cowper Street premises, this department has from the first been an important one, and in association with it the pressing of almond, croton, and other oils from the seeds has been done for the trade. An interesting point in essential-oil history is the fact that the firm were the first in England to distil oil of sandalwood | on a large scale. Although this oil was not introduced into the British Pharmacopoeia until 1885, and was only used medicinally in this country on a suggestion made by Dr. Thos. B. Henderson, of Glasgow, in 1865, May & Allen began to distil it in 1833, and their successors have continuously been engaged in this branch up to the present time; indeed, they are the only family remaining in London who have continuously distilled sandalwood oil for 65 years. It is not too much to claim for them that they have the credit of having established the reputation of English Sandalwood Oil, because at one time all the best-known brands of the oil were distilled by Stafford Allen & Sons for the “makers.” It is also interesting to note that the production of sandalwood oil has required periodical enlargement of Stafford Allen & Sons' distilling-apparatus, so greatly has the use of the oil increased. From the for egoing, it is apparent that the appreciation of the trade is a sufficient endorsement to the “integrity of the principal” so far as Allens' essential oils are concerned, but modern science has also demonstrated the purity of these products. Thus the Jury of Experts at the World's Fair held at Chicago in 1893 made a close examination of the firm’s exhibit of essential oils—which exhibit maintained the reputation which had been acquired by years of consistent working—and gave the exhibitors the diploma and medal, with the striking remark that they were awarded-- ** For Essential and Expressed Oils of Exceptional Purity and Strength " From the report on this Exhibition which appeared in The Chemist and Druggist, August 26, 1893, the following passage descriptive of the exhibit is quoted:— “Amongst their Essential Oils are the somewhat rare distillates from cardamoms, celery, and pepper, all of which are water-white oils The same characteristic obtains in the case of oils of cloves and pimento, which is quite natural, but indicates remarkable care in dis- tillation. These oils are shown in from 10 to 20 oz. bottles, while larger quantities of Sandalwood, cubeb, bitter-almond and peach oils are shown. Four 2-oz. phials of the valuable orris oil, which is solid at the prevailing shade temperature of 70° to 80°, attract attention, and expressed almond and croton oils complete the selection, although with these are some of the Commoner essential oils which we have not named. The Exhibit is as good a one of the kind as we have seen.” This report is quoted in order to show what kind of oils the Jury of Experts had to consider when they decided to give the firm a medal and diploma. In 1887 the late Mr. R. H. Davies, F.I.C., F.C.S., Chemist to the Society of Apothecaries, made a lengthy investigation on “the iodine- absorption equivalents of essential oils,” in the course of which it became evident that indisputably genuine oils were necessary before standards could be fixed, and ulti- mately he selected the oils of Stafford Allen & Sons as the standard of excellence and purity in English Essential O.ls. Developments. BUSINESS started as an adjunct to the wholesale A trade, and which has continued through sixty-five years to work for wholesalers, must of necessity be subject to great mutability. For example, a firm beginning business may be content to buy such powders as they require ; then they select their own raw material and have it ground; and finally they may find it suit their purpose better to lay down their own grinding machinery. The same applies in another direction to Essential Oils. Stafford Allen & Sons have had to meet such changes as they have arisen. One of the most critical happened a dozen years ago during the “Olive Stone Period” in pepper-grinding. Some of the pepper merchants made the discovery that a mixture of ground olive stones largely increased the profits on the sale of their ground spice, and, further, that a much more attractive form of white pepper could be obtained by the decortication of black pepper corns, in place of grinding the imported white pepper. This effected a considerable change in the trade, and as S. A. & Sons were | not disposed to allow their pepper machinery to stand idle, they added the necessary decorticating plant and commenced selling an absolutely genuine article of their own grinding, for which they soon acquired a large connection. An adjoining property in Cowper Street, with a fine water supply, was acquired, and there a spice-preparing and grinding factory was established. Without going into the details of the new machinery, &c., which was installed in 1888, it may be said—perhaps, too literally—that the firm left no stone unturned in order to maintain their reputation for purity and their lead in this particular branch of business. 10 George Allen & Co., Ampthill. parcel of the Cowper Street concern. independently, and Stafford Allen & Sons were really and truly the London agency for G E O R G E A L L E N & C O., MEDICINAL HERB BROWERS & DISTILLERS, Manufacturers of Vegetable Extracts and Pharmaceutical Preparations AMPTHILL, BED FORDSHIRE, HE business at Ampthill was all this time, and until George Allen's death in 1893, not actually part and It was managed -- by the introduction of fresh machinery; vacuum and other pans and presses were erected, and the area of cultivation of the medicinal plants was considerably increased. The lavender cultivation (which, during the later years of George Allen's life, was somewhat neglected) was extended, and now during the summer many acres of the fragrant flowers are to be seen, which perfume the air with their exquisite flavour and delight the eye with the delicate pale-purple beauty of the field. this description give some idea of the nature of these The illustrations which accompany gardens of England. During the past five years the Ampthill business has been pushed ahead, the local management having devolved upon Joseph Allen (also a nephew of the late George Allen), who Field of Lavender, Ampthill. When George Allen died, leaving all his property to his two nephews, the Ampthill business once more came under the control of the London firm, but it was thought advisable to keep the concerns distinct in name, especially as they deal in so widely different classes of goods. The firm's name in this case sufficiently indicates the nature of the business. They grow or collect all those medicinal British plants which are required for the preparation of green and other extracts, juices, liquors, confections, and elaterium. The new owners of the business made improvements upon it directly. The processes of manufacture were modernised had had more than 40 years' experience of the growth and culture of medicinal herbs, &c., and the following extract from The Chemist and Drugyist, July 11, 1896, shows the position at this time:– “Messrs. Geo. Allen & Co., of Ampthill, Beds, have submitted to us samples of this year's pressing of vegetable juices and green extracts, which suffice to show that the quality of these important medicinal agents is well maintained this year. We are par- ticularly struck with the aroma and flavour of the succi scoparii, conii, hyoscyami, and digitalis, and it is noticeable that these are all pale juices (conium ex- ceptionally so), thus indicating, we presume, that excessive pressure has not been applied, and that they have not been heated. The green extracts—Conii, Bellad., Hyos. Bienn, and Digitalis—are also excellent, as far as can be judged by appearance, aroma, and taste, for time has not permitted us to assay the samples. Of syr. rhoeados of this year's make is also of excellent colour and flavour. The elegance of the whole of these pre- parations is a sufficient justification of the stricture of the British Pharmacopoeia that they must be prepared from plants grown in Britain, for we have never seen Some Personal Reminiscences. EREWITH are given portraits of the founders ºf H both houses, and of their successors up to the present day. firms have almost from the beginning done business with In 1869 Stafford Allen visited the United States, and, besides meeting with a number of business connections which had hitherto been only known to him by correspondence, was associated with a number of It may not be inappropriate to recall that the the American drug trade. well-known friends and philanthropists, whose names are household words in all matters relating to emancipation and Part of Plantation– Belladonna. any ‘made in Germany ' equal to them in quality. This is the proper time to arrange for the year's stock of such preparations as the foregoing, and large buyers should get samples from the firm or their London agents, Messrs. Stafford Allen & Sons, 7 Cowper Street, E.C., before placing their orders. We have also received samples of this year's dried leaves of belladonna, digitalis, hemlock, henbane, and stramonium, and flor. rosae ang, all of which exhibit full care in harvesting and drying.” Fluid Extracts are also a speciality of the house. º º º * * º º: º jºº º - |-- - elevation of the coloured race in the American continent. From the time of his return from America, and still more after his visit to Egypt and Palestine in 1871, Stafford Allen withdrew from the active conduct of the business, leaving the entire control and management in the hands of his two sons, under whose care the business extended until, in 1887, Stafford Allen retired, and lived peacefully until the end came in 1829, when nearly all who had started in the race with him had gone to rest, and few remained of those who had been engaged in the service of the firm. In the course of the firm's existence, and the employment of so many men, there must needs be some of whom special mention may suitably be made, as illustrating the adage, “Masters make men.” Of these, George Giddins, the first office-boy and clerk employed in 1833, remained in the service of the firm for sixty-three years, having worked by diligence and praise- George Giddins. worthy attention to the interests of the firm from the original position to that of general manager. This station he filled for upwards of forty years with unswerving faithfulness and loyalty; and, still living, has retired in a peaceful old age on a well-deserved pension from the firm, by whom he is regarded as an honoured friend. It is seldom to be recorded that an employé has been in the service of one firm at the birth of the whole of the partners, and has seen the grandchildren of his first employer become partners in the house before his release from the cares of office. - Joseph Atkinson, also, the second lad employed in 1833, rose to be foreman of the works by his diligence and know- ledge, and for forty-five years, until his death, filled the position in a manner which was an example to all who worked under him. Two, also, of the older Ampthill generation of men are still in the service of the firm—Thomas Peppitt, the head distiller, who came up from Ampthill as a lad in 1849, and Joseph Cooper, head pressman, whose faithful service has greatly endeared him to the members of the firm. Beside these there are some fifteen others whose service exceeds twenty years, and a goodly crop of steady young ones are qualifying for “long service” decoration. The success of the firm has largely resulted from the confidence felt on the part of the wholesale trade, with whom they have had so close and confidential relations for more than sixty years. It is almost unnecessary to emphasise the fact that absolute integrity and personal supervision are the controlling influ- ences in the conduct of the business; and it is and has been the earnest desire of all the members of the firm so to uphold the character of the house that the reputation they enjoy shall be worthily maintained for all time. That is the spirit in which the younger generation of the firm has been trained. Those of them who have as sons of the present principals come into the firm only look back upon the record of their forefathers, and are content to let the future speak of themselves, English Aconite (Aconitum Napelſus). A Crop of Henbane. 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