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LIBRARY  OF  THE 

Ontario  college 

OF 

PHARMACY 


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THE 

AMERICAN 


OURNAL  OF  Pharmacy. 


PUBLISHED    HY    AUTHORITY    OF   THE 


PHILADELPHIA  COLLEGE  OF  PHARMACY. 


EDITED    BY 


HENRY  TRIMBLE. 


PUBLISHING  COMMITTEE   FOR    1897. 

HKNRV   N.   RITTKXHOUvSK,  WALLACE  PRoCTKR. 

SAMUEL  P.  SADTLER.  JOSEPH  \V.  ENGLAND, 

AND  THE  EDITOR. 


VOLUME  69. 


PHn.ADIvLPHIA 
1897. 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

ONTARIO  COLLEGE 

OF 

PHARMACY 


EUCALYPTUS  ROSTRATA,  SCHLECHT.     MURRAY  RED  GUM. 
A,  flower   buds ;    B,  fruits ;    C,  part   of  leaf,  magnified    to   show   venation. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


JANUARY,  iSgj. 


THE  MURRAY  RED  GUM  (EUCALYPTUS   ROSTRATA, 

SCHLECHT)  AND  ITS  KINO. 

By  J.  H.  Maiden, 

Government  Botanist  of  New  South  Wales  and  Director  of  the  Botanic 

Gardens  at  Sydney. 

Aboriginal  Names. — By  the  aboriginals  of  the  lower  Murrum- 
bidgee  it  used  to  go  by  the  name  of  •'  Biall,"  while  to  those  of  the 
western  interior  it  was  known  as  ••  Yarrah,"  a  name  which  it  shared 
with  some  other  trees.  The  specific  name,  rostrata  (beaked),  is  in 
allusion  to  the  way  in  which  the  operculum  is  drawn  out  to  a  point 
like  a  beak  or  snout,  as  shown  in  the  figure. 

Other  Vernacular  Names. — Iksides  being  known  as  •*  Red  Gum," 
it  is  the  "  Flooded  Gum  "  of  the  interior  of  Western  and  South 
Australia.  In  western  New  South  Wales  it  is  called"  Creek  Gum," 
as  it  is  always  found  near  watercourses.  There  are  several  trees 
which  grow  under  the  name  of  "  Red  Gum  "  in  these  colonics.  One 
of  them  is  the  smooth-barked  apple,  Angophora  lanceolata,  which,  in 
New  South  Wales,  is  often  called  red  gum,  but  most  of  the  trees 
known  by  that  name  are  Eucalypts.  The  red  gum  of  Western 
Australia  is  Eucalyptus  calophylla,  while  in  the  neighborhood  of 
St.  Vincent's  Gulf,  South  Australia,  Eucalyptus  odorata  goes  by  that 
name.  In  New  South  Wales  two  other  valuable  timbers  also  go 
under  the  name  of  red  gum,  viz.:  Eucalyptus  tcrcticornis,  a  tree 
bearing  close  affinity  to  rostrata,  but  it  is  essentially  a  forest  timber, 
in  contradistinction  to  rostrata,  which  is  a  river  timber.  Then  the 
leather-jacket  or  gray  gum,  E.  punctata,  is  also  known  as  red  gum 
occasionally;  but  the  red  gum  par  excellence  of  these  colonics  is 
Eucalyptus  rostrata,  and  by  way  of  distinction  I  have  denoted  it — on 
account  of  its  most  celebrated  1<  cality — Murray  Red  Gum. 


2  Murray  Red  Giiin  and  Its  Kino.        {^"^-JZll^^m^' 

Meaning  of  the  Term  Gum  as  Applied  to  Eucalyptus  Trees. — We 
have  a  very  large  number  of  species  of  the  protean  genus 
Eucalyptus,  and  they  differ  very  much  amongst  themselves  in 
(amongst  other  things)  their  barks.  Some  of  them  have  rugged, 
dense,  hard  barks,  and  are  known  as  *•  iron  barks."  Others  have 
very  fibrous  barks,  which  strip  off  in  long  pieces,  and  even  sheets, 
used  for  roofing  in  the  country ;  these  are  called  ''  stringy  barks." 
Others  have  woolly,  matted  barks,  and  are  known  as  "  box."  All 
these,  and  many  others,  belong  to  the  rough-barked  Eucalypts, 
But  others  have  smooth  barks,  smooth  as  a  planed  board,  and  go 
by  the  name  of  ''  gums  "  or  ''  gum  trees."  Now  the  rough-barked 
species  produce  gum  (kino)  as  abundantly,  and  often  more  so, 
than  the  smooth-barked  ones,  but  the  stain  of  the  gum  is  more 
apparent  on  the  latter,  and  that  is  why,  I  believe,  the  term 
*'  gum  "  has  come  to  be  exclusively  applied,  in  common  parlance,  to 
the  smooth-barked  forms. 

Having  distinguished  these  two  great  classes,  the  "  gums "  are 
still  further  discriminated  by  means  of  various  adjectives,  some  re- 
ferring to  color,  e.  g.,  ''  white,"  referring  to  the  color  of  the  bark ; 
''blue,"  referring  to  the  tint  of  the  bark  or  the  glaucous  appearance 
of  the  leaves ;  "  red,"  referring  to  the  color  of  the  wood,  and  so  on. 
And,  inasmuch  as  we  have  several  red  gums,  I  have  proposed  to 
permanently  define  E.  rostrata  as  ••  Murray  red  gum,"  for  the  reason 
already  indicated.  "  Red  gum  "  being  thus  the  name  of  the  tree, 
"red-gum  kino"  becomes  the  name  of  its  product,  in  spite  of  its 
apparent  tautology.  It  should  strictly  be  written  "  red-gum  kino" 
— not  "  red  gum-kino." 

Hozv  Red-Gum  Kino  Is  Collected. — The  manner  in  which  the  kino 
is  procured  is  as  follows :  The  men  employed  in  getting  it  look  for 
the  trees  from  which  the  substance  is  or  has  recently  been  exuding, 
and  cut  into  the  tree  until  they  get  beyond  the  gum-vein  ;  they  then 
insert  a  piece  of  tin  (trough-shaped)  into  the  cut  or  hole,  and  let  the 
kino  run  into  a  bucket  or  kerosene  tin.^ 

^  Kerosene  tins  are  rectangular  in  shape,  and  hold  about  2  gallons  ;  in  them 
the  kerosene  (called  paraffin  oil  in  England)  is  imported  from  the  United 
States,  and  the  kerosene,  in  these  original  packages,  finds  its  way  into  the 
remotest  parts  of  the  colonies.  When  the  top  is  cut  off  and  a  wire  handle  fixed 
across,  we  have  a  rough-and-ready  pail,  which  is  used  in  Australia  for  many 
purposes  of  collection  and  storage,  such  as  the  case  we  have  under  considera- 
tion now. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharni 


jiiSary.i'Sf.'"'}        Aft^rraj  Red  Gum  and  Its  Kino.  3 

When  the  kino  exudes  it  is  of  the  consistency  of  molasses,  and 
has  a  sourish  odor.  In  a  few  days  it  dries  into  a  sohd  mass,  which 
subsequently  becomes  quite  friable.  It  is  owing  to  this  property 
(shared  by  other  kinos  of  my  "  turbid  group  ")  that  it  cannot  be 
collected  in  an  indurated  condition  by  simple  picking  from  the  bark 
of  the  trees,  as  can  kinos  belonging  to  my  "  ruby"  and  "  gummy 
groups,"  which  do  not  become  friable  with  age. 

As  much  as  4  gallons  have  been  procured  from  one  tree,  but  this 
is  exceptional.  On  an  average,  not  more  than  I  quart  per  tree  is 
obtained,  and  from  the  majority  of  trees  no  appreciable  quantity  of 
kino  is  obtained  by  tapping.     Many  are  all  but  free  from  it. 

The  usual  price  paid  on  the  Murray  River  at  the  present  time, 
for  liquid  kino  (before  induration)  is  /d.  per  pound,  and  a  large 
quantity  could  be  forthcoming  at  that  price,  if  a  steady  demand 
were  to  set  in  for  it.  A  good  workingman  can  procure  between 
10  and  12  pounds  per  day  of  the  liquid  kino.  It  loses  but  little 
weight  in  drying. 

The  kino  of  the  red  gum  is  perhaps  the  best  known  of  all  Euca- 
lyptus kinos.  The  following  notes  of  it  were  published  by  me  in 
the  Frocccdinjrs  of  the  Linnean  Society  of  Nezv  South  Wales  for  Sep- 
tember, 1891  : 

It  is  a  useful  astrmgent,  and  it  seems  to  be  increasing  in  favor 
with  medical  men  in  England,  America  and  Australia. 

The  official  kino  (Pterocarpus)  contains,  I  believe,  no  substance 
which  is  not  contained  in  this  and  some  allied  kinos,  for  which  they 
appear  to  be  a  perfect  substitute.  See  Pharm.  Jour.  [3]  20,  221, 
321. 

The  kino  of  E.  rostrata  will  be  found  mentioned  in  all  modern 
works  on  Materia  Medica.  In  Martindale  and  Westcott's  Extra 
PharmacopcEia,  for  instance,  we  have  the  following  : 

"  E.  rostrata  and  E.  corymbosa,  and  probably  other  species 
imported  from  Australia.  It  is  semi-translucent  and  garnet-colored, 
not  so  dark  as,  but  resembling,  kino  in  appearance,  soluble  in  water, 
tough,  difficult  to  powder  [not  correct  as  applied  to  these  two  kinos. 
— J.  H.  M.]  ;  it  adheres  to  the  teeth  when  chewed,  is  intensely  astrin- 
gent to  the  mucous  membrane,  useful  in  diarrhoea,  relaxed  throats, 
and  given  with  success  to  check  the  purging  of  mercurial  pills." 

But  the  following  statements  pertaining  to  the  percentage  of  tannic 
acid  and  the  .solubility  are  somewhat  misleading,  since  I  have  shown 


4  Murray  Red  Gum  and  Its  Kino.        {^  januaryfmr' 

the  enormous  variation  in  the  properties  of  kinos  caused  by- 
age : 

"Of  100  parts,  90  are  dissolved  in  cold  water,  the  solution  being 
clear ;  27  parts  of  isinglass  precipitate  all  the  astringent  matter." — 
Squire's  Companion  to  the  B.  P. 

Dr.  Wiesner  says  of  a  sample : 

'*  Easily  soluble  in  water  and  alcohol ;  solution  neutral,  free  from 
gum  resin.  Broken  masses  of  zircon-red,  sometimes  light  brown, 
mixed  with  bits  of  bark." 

Following  are  experiments  on  *'  Red  Gum  "  kino  purchased  in 
Sydney,  November  22,  1888,  of  Victorian  origin:  In  lumps  up  to 
the  size  of  peas,  though  angular.  Prevailing  color,  purplish-brown  ; 
is  readily  powdered  between  the  fingers,  forming  an  ochrey-brown 
powder.  The  mass  of  kino  has  not  the  brilliant  appearance  of  the 
kinos  of  the  ruby  group,  owing  to  this  friability. 

In  cold  water  it  dissolves  fairly  readily,  and  almost  entirely  to  a 
reddish-brown  liquid. 

Its  composition  (determined  November,  1888)  is: 

Catechin  and  tannic  acid 84*3 

Ligneous  matter,  etc "3 

Moisture 15*2 

Ash -2 

lOO'OO 

Tannic  acid  determination  (Lbwenthal),  4622  per  cent. 

A  specimen  of  kino  from  the  "■  Creek  Gum,"  Tarella,  Wilcannia, 
August  23,  1887  (diameter,  1-2  feet;  height,  30-40  feet),  gave  the 
following  results :  it  is  only  obtainable  in  rather  small  quantities 
and  in  rather  small  pieces ;  pale,  as  kinos  go,  very  bright-looking, 
and  of  a  ruby  color ;  powders  fairly  readily,  forming  a  powder  of  a 
light-brown  tint.  It  dissolves  almost  immediately  to  a  pale  brown- 
ish or  almost  orange  solution,  leaving  a  sediment  of  a  whitish- 
salmon  color  with  a  few  dark-colored  particles,  like  those  of  E. 
goniocalyx,  only  cleaner-looking. 

Its  composition,  determined  October,  1888,  is: 

Catechin  and  tannic  acid 827 

Ligneous  matter,  etc '6 

Moisture 15-8 

Ash      -9 


Tannic  acid  determination  (Lbwenthal),  47746  per  cent. 


ICO' GO 


^  jinua^irlT™}         Murray  Red  Gum  and  Its  Kino.  5 

Since  the  above  observations  were  made,  H.  G.  Smith  and  the 
writer^  have  been  re  examinin^r  Eucalyptus  kinos.  These  researches 
have  been  continued  by  Mr.  H.  G.  Smith.-  From  these  papers  it  will 
be  seen  that  certain  kinos  of  the  "Turbid"  group  contain  new 
orf;anic  bodies,  Eudesmin  or  Aromadendrin,  or  a  mixture  of  both. 
All  the  kinos  of  this  group  (of  which  E.  rostrata  is  a  member)  are 
at  the  present  time  being  examined  with  the  view  to  ascertain 
whether  they  contain  these  new  substances,  and  in  what  quantities. 
In  the  first  broad  grouping  of  these  kinos,  Catechin  was  (from  im- 
perfect investigation)  stated  to  be  present. 

Why  Eucalyptus  Rostrata  Kitio  is  Usually  Chosen  for  Medicinal 
Purposes. — Because  this  species  is  very  gregarious,  it  cannot,  in  the 
districts  in  which  it  occurs,  be  mistaken  for  any  other  species,  and 
because  it  is  a  comparatively  free  yielder  of  kino.  All  these  are 
important  practical  considerations,  apart  from  the  properties  of  E. 
rostrata  kino  itself.  The  discrimination  of  the  various  species  of 
Eucalyptus  in  a  forest  is  so  difficult  that  considerable  botanical 
knowledge  would  be  required  in  the  case  of  a  kino  collector  who 
might  be  set  to  the  task  of  collecting  kinos  true  to  name.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  such  men  are  not  available  for  the  work  of  kino 
collecting  in  a  mixed  Eucalyptus  forest. 

Eucalyptus  Rostrata  and  Its  Oil. — In  passing,  the  following  notes 
may  be  useful : 

The  leaves  of  the  red  gum  emit  a  pleasant  odor  when  crushed  in 
the  hand,  but  the  P2ucalyptus  oil  they  contain  is  not  a  regular  article 
of  commerce,  as  it  is  not  yielded  in  payable  quantity.  Mr.  Hosisto 
thus  reports  on  it  in  the  Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  of  Victoria,  Vol.  VI,  1 861-4: 
*•  Plants  grown  on  high  ground  give  an  oil  of  a  dark  amber  color, 
possessing  an  agreeable  aromatic  flavor,  and  having  the  odor  of 
caraways.  The  yield  from  100  pounds  of  the  frcsh-gathcred  leaves 
was  I  ounce  6  drachms.  The  plants  grown  on  low  marshy  soil 
yielded  an  oil  of  a  j)ale-}'ellow  color,  in  appearance  and  smell  simi- 
lar to  that  yielded  by  E.  odorata,  the  quantity  being  9*3  drachms 
to  100  pounds."     Last  year  M.  Mellon,  of  the  Dunolly  Scent  Farm, 


•  A  Contribution  to  the  Chemistry  of  Au&traliau  Myrtaceout  Kinos.  Ptoc. 
Royal  Society  N.  S.  W^.,  20,  30  (1895). 

'On  Aromadendrin  or  Aroniadendric  .\cid  from  the  Turbid  Group  of  Euca- 
lyptus Kinos.      Proc.  Royal  Soc.  JV.  .V.  !i\,  »o,  135  (•896). 


Murray  Red  Gum  and  Its  Kino.        { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
January,  1897. 


Victoria,  obtained   no  less  than  7  ounces  of  oil  per  100  pounds  of 
leaves. 

In  Mueller's  edition  of  Wittstein's  work  we  find  the  following  : 

"  The  essential  oil  is  pale  yellow  to  reddish  amber  in  color  ;  it 
smells  and  tastes  like  that  of  E.  odorata.  Its  specific  gravity  is 
0-918,  and  it  boils  at  137°  to  181°  C." 

The  celebrated  essential  oil  firm  of  Schimmel  &  Co.,  of  Leipzig, 
Germany,  have  also  examined  this  oil  [vide  \\\€\x  Berichtiox  October, 
1 891).  Their  oil  was  prepared  by  M.  E.  Mojon,  of  Algiers,  from 
trees  grown  in  that  country.  They  determined  the  specific  gravity 
of  their  sample  to  be  0-924  at  15°  C,  and  the  optical  activity  +12^ 
58^  in  a  100-millimetre  tube.  The  oil  has  a  powerful  odor  of  valerianic 
aldehyde,  and  is  rich  in  cineol.  E.  rostrata  and  E.  globulus  appear 
to  be  the  only  two  eucalyptus  oils  known  to  contain  valerianic  alde- 
hyde up  to  the  present. 

Quite  recently,  Mr.  W.  Percy  Wilkinson,  of  Melbourne,  has 
made  a  valuable  preliminary  investigation  of  the  Eucalyptus  oils  of 
Victoria  {Proc,  Roy.  Soc,  Victoria,  1893,  P-  I95)-  Amongst  others, 
he  has  examined  three  specimens  of  red  gum  oil,  and  following  are 
his  results : 


Sample. 

Specific 
Gravity. 

Specific 
Rotation. 

Refractive 
Index. 

Specific 

Refractive 

Energy. 

I 

2 

3 

-9120 
-9216 
-9222 

+  87° 
-f  2-2° 

I  -4604 
I  -4600 
I  -4607 

•5072 

•5014 
•5018 

None  of  them  gave  the  phellandrene  reaction. 

Eucalyptus  Rostrata.  Where  Found. — It  is  widely  distributed  in 
Australia,  usually  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  or  on  river-flats  subject  to 
inundation,  or  in  old  water-courses.  It  becomes  dwarfed  in  the  in- 
terior; but  it  attains  its  greatest  development  on  the  banks  of  the 
Murray  River,  where,  on  the  New  South  Wales  side,  there  are  mil- 
lions of  acres  of  land  which  are  periodically  flooded  (hence  the  name, 
"  flooded  gum,"  often  applied  to  this  species),  and  hence  unsuited 
to  agriculture.  On  this  land  are  countless  millions  of  red  gum  trees, 
the  cutting  of  whose  timber  affords  a   large  revenue   to   the   New 


Am.  Jour.  PbartD. 


januar'y.S^8^':'"}        Afurmj'  Rcd  Gum  aud  Its  Kino.  7 

South  Wales  Government.  On  this  flooded  land  the  propaj^ation  of 
the  tree  is  largely  unchecked,  and  so  the  production  of  timber — 
and,  indirectly,  of  kino — is  practically  unlimited. 

The  Murray  River  is  a  river  nearly  2,000  miles  long.  It  forms 
the  greater  part  of  the  boundary  between  the  colonies  of  New  South 
Wales  and  Victoria.  There  is  comparatively  little  red  gum  on  the 
Victorian  side,  but  in  New  South  Wales  territory  it  is  very  abundant. 

Beyond  the  Dividing  Range,  in  New  South  Wales,  the  red  gum 
has  a  very  wide  range,  being  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Cudgegong, 
Castlereagh,  Darling,  etc.  It.  is  also  sparingly  found  in  the  coast 
country,  except  from  the  Victorian  boundary  to  the  Hega  district. 
In  Victoria  it  is  found  on  river-flats  and  open  valleys  in  most  parts 
of  the  colony,  and  in  South  Australia  it  is  likewise  very  extensively 
distributed.     It  is  also  found  in  southwest  Queensland. 

The  way  in  which  the  red  gum  (yarra)  usually  marks  the  course 
of  water  was  early  observed  by  Sir  Thomas  Mitchell :  "  The  yarra 
grew  here  (Lachlan),  as  on  the  Darling,  to  a  gigantic  size,  the 
height  sometimes  exceeding  100  feet.  The  yarra  is  certainly  a 
pleasing  object  in  various  respects;  its  shining  bark  and  lofty  height 
inform  the  traveller  of  a  distant  probability  of  water  or.  at  least,  of 
the  bed  of  a  river  or  lake,  and,  being  visible  over  all  other  trees,  it 
usually  marks  the  course  of  the  rivers  so  well  that,  in  travelling 
along  the  Darling  and  Lachlan,  I  could  trace  with  ease  the  general 
course  of  the  river  without  approaching  its  banks  until  I  wished  to 
encamp."     ("  Three  ExpeditiQns,"*ii,  54.) 

This  useful  tree  has  been  introduced  into  several  countries  (chiefly 
through  the  agency  of  Baron  von  Mueller),  with  varying  success. 
For  particulars  of  most  of  the  results,  see  Mueller's  "Select  Kxtra- 
Tropical  Plants "  (Victorian  Edition).  For  results  in  Assam,  see 
Kew  Report  {ox  1^79,  p.  16;  and  for  results  in  India  see  Kiw  Re- 
ports:  1876,  p.  23;  1879,  p.  16;  1881.  p.  12.  Vilmorin,  of  Paris, 
has  distributed  a  good  deal  of  red  gum  in  ICuropc.  Some  years  ago 
I  received,  from  a  correspondent  at  Oporto,  in  Portugal,  flowers  and 
fruits  raised  from  such  seed,  with  the  report  that  the  SjKxics  docs 
well  in  that  country.  The  red  gum  has  been  planted  by  a  number 
of  people  in  California,  and  is  favorably  rept)rted  upon  by  the  local 
forest  conservator.  For  an  account  of  its  growth  m  that  State, 
reference  may  be  made  to  the  very  interesting  monograph  on 
"  Eucalyptus,"  by  Mr.  Abbot  Kinney,  of  Los  Angeles. 


8  Gelsemium.  {"-^z^i^,^!^' 

GELSEMIUM. 

By  L.  E.  Sayre, 
Member  of  the  Research  Committee  C,  of  the  Committee   of  Revision  of  the 

United  States  Pharmacopoeia. 

RHIZOMES,    ROOTS    AND    STEMS. 

Some  time  ago  my  attention  was  called,  by  members  of  a  class  in 
microscopy,  to  the  varied  structure  of  this  drug.  Fragments  of 
gelsemium  root,  handed  to  the  different  members  of  the  class, 
when  sectioned  and  mounted,  did  not  show  the  same  characteristics. 
This  observation  led  me  to  examine  samples  of  gelsemium  root  from 
different  sources,  and  this  forced  the  conclusion  that  the  gelsemium 
of  the  market  is  composed  not  only  of  the  rhizome  and  root,  but 
also  of  the  stem  in  varying  proportions.  Furthermore,  that  the 
description  of  the  drug,  supposing  it  to  be  composed  of  rhizome  and 
root — as  is  taken  for  granted  by  the  Pharmacopoeia — is  somewhat 
ambiguous  and  misleading.  n  the  present  article  a  more  accurate 
description  of  the  rhizome  and  root,  and  a  method  of  distinguishing 
both  of  these  from  the  stem,  is  suggested. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  stem,  present  to  some  extent  in  the 
commercial  drug,  is  an  adulterant.  Reassuring  myself  on  this 
point,  I  sent  a  package  of  the  commercial  drug  to  Gerald  McCarthy, 
botanist  of  the  North  Carolina  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
asking  him  to  report  upon  the  same.  In  his  response  to  my  letter, 
he  states  :  "  The  specimens  you  submit  represent  the  rhizome  and 
stem  respectively,  the  latter  is  the  specimen  with  the  bast  fibres  in 
the  cortex.  The  stem  was  apparently  used  to  adulterate  the  rhizome 
in  the  original  lot.  So  far  as  I  know,  the  stem  has  no  medicinal 
value." 

It  is  an  interesting  question  whether  the  stem  has  any  medicinal 
virtue.  An  investigation  has  been  commenced,  by  which  it  is  hoped 
that  the  relative  value  of  the  rhizome,  root  and  stem  may  be  deter- 
mined. 

Collectors  in  the  South  have  been  applied  to  for  authentic  speci- 
mens. In  the  meantime  the  article  of  the  market  is  being  examined. 
It  may  be  of  interest  to  state  that  Mr.  McCarthy,  in  his  letter,  re- 
marks :  "  The  parts  of  the  plant  collected  here  for  medicinal  use  are 
roots,  rhizomes,  leaves  and  flowers." 

The  description  given  of  gelsemium  rhizome  and  root,  in  one  para- 
graph, by  the  U.S. P.,  1890,  reads  asjollows  :  "  Cylindrical,  long,  or 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Januarj'.  1897. 


} 


Geise 


mitim. 


cut  in  sections,  mostly  from  5  to  15  millimetres,  and  occasionally  3 
centimetres  thick,  the  roots  much  thinner,  externally  li«^ht  yellowish 
brown,  with  purplish-brown  longitudinal  lines ;  tough  ;  fracture 
splintery;  bark  thin,  with  silky  bast  fibres,  closely  adhering   to  the 


Fig,  I. — Cross- sections  of  Gelseinium  sempervireus.  A,  stem  ;  /?,  rhizome  ; 
C,  root. 

pale  yellowish  porous  wood,  which  has  fine  medullary  rays,  and  in 
the  rhizome  a  thin  pith  ;  odor  aromatic,  heavy;  taste  bitter." 

It  will  be  noted  in  the  above  description  that  the  only  distinction 
made  between  the  root  and  rhizome  is  that  the  latter  lias  a  thin 
pith. 

Professor  Rothrock  (Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  1884,  p.  130)  calls  atten- 
tion to  two  structural  characteristics  of  stems  and  roots,  which,  he 


lO 


Gelseinium. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharua. 
Januarj',  1897. 


says,  are  peculiar  and  of  positive  value.  "  The  first  of  these  char- 
acteristics," he  says,  ''  is  derived  from  the  medullary  rays.  These 
usually  widen  in  a  marked  manner,  going  from  centre  to  circumfer- 
ence, being  sometimes  much  more  than  twice  as  broad  externally  as 
internally.  The  second  characteristic  is  the  tendency  of  the  pith  to 
be  penetrated  by  several  plates  of  large,  thin-walled  cells,  which 
divide  the  pith  more  or  less  perfectly  into  four  portions.  This  lat- 
ter characteristic  is  always  present  and  plainly  enough  marked  to 
serve  as  a  means  of  diagnosis." 

This,  the  author  seems  to  indicate,  is  a  characteristic  of  the  stem 


Otx 


Fig.  2. — Gelsemium,     Powder  of  rhizome.     «,  wood  tissue  ;   b,  cell  from 
medullary  ray  ;  c,  cork  cells  ;  d,  bast  ;  e,  parenchyma  of  cortex. 

and  root.  It  is  possible  he  may  have  meant  by  the  stem  the  under- 
ground stem  or  rhizome,  for  the  stem  is  not  official.  In  either  case, 
whether  the  stem  or  rhizome  is  intended,  the  statement  is- inaccu- 
rate and  misleading,  because  it  does  not  make  distinction  between 
the  stem  (or  rhizome)  and  root.  The  United  States  Dispensatory 
quotes  this  description  of  Professor  Rothrock,  and  does  not  clear  up 
the  ambiguity  and  inaccuracy.  None  of  the  text-books  make  any 
more  definite  and  lucid  description  of  the  root  and  rhizome  of  this 
plant. 

From  the  growing  plant  and  from  the  commercial  drug  numerous 
sections  have  been  made  and  examined  microscopically.     The  ac- 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January,  1897. 


} 


GelseviiuiH. 


I  I 


companying  drawings  may,  perhaps,  more  clearly  and  more  briefly 
describe  these  three  parts  of  the  plant  than  any  written  description 
can  do. 

In  an  examination  of  cross-sections  of  the  stem,  rhizome  and  root 
of  the  gelsemium,  we  find  the  following  microscopical  characters 
and  difference  of  structure.  In  the  stem  (^Fig.  /,  A)  are  found  com- 
paratively large  bundles  of  bast  {b)  near  the  wood,  just  outside  the 
cambium.  In  the  rhizome  (Fig.  /,  ^)  the  bast  is  arranged  near  the 
corky  layer,  and  in  an  interrupted  ring,  rather  than  in  bundles.     In 


Fig.  J.— Gelsemium.     Powder  of  root,     a,  wood  tissue  ;  b,  pareuchynia  of 
cortex  ;  r,  cork  cells  ;  d,  catnbium  cells. 

the  root  {Fig.  /,  C)  the  bast  is  entirely  absent,  but  there  are  several 
layers  of  cork.  The  following  table  shows  the  corresponding  tissues 
in  the  three  plant  parts  : 


stem. 
^,     Epidermis, 
r,     Collenchyma. 
p,    Parenchyma. 
b.    Bast. 
s,    Sieve  tissue. 
ca,  Cambium. 
w,  Wood  tissue, 
r,    Vascular  tubes. 
Pi,  Pith, 
w/,  Medullary. 


Rhizome. 
Epidermis. 
Collenchyma, 
Parenchyma. 
Bast. 

Sieve  tissue. 
Cambium. 
Woo<l  tissue. 
Vascular  tul)es. 
Pith. 
Medullary. 


Root 


Parenchyma. 

Sieve  tissue. 
Cambium. 
Wood  tissue. 
Vascular  tube*. 


Fig.  4  shows  a  cro.ss-section  of  the  pith  in  the  rhizome;  here  the 
division  into  four  parts  is  shown.  It  seems  that,  as  the  rhizome 
advances  in  age,  the  pith  becomes    less  and   less  conspicuous,  until 


12  Gelsemium,  {^^.^ri^sir- 

in  the  larger  stems  and  rhizomes  it  is  almost  absent,  if  not  entirely 
so.     In  this  respect  the  stem  and  rhizome  are  much  alike. 

The  description  I  have  to  suggest  for  gelsemium  is  as  follows : 
Rhizome  cylindrical,  long  or  cut  in  sections,  mostly  5  to  15  millime- 
tres, and  occasionally  3  centimetres  thick ;  externally  light  yellow- 
ish brown,  with  purplish  brown  longitudinal  lines ;  tough  and 
woody;  fracture  splintery;  bark  thin,  with  silky  bast  fibres  near  the 
pale-yellowish  porous  wood,  which  has  fine  medullary  rays,  and  a 
small  pith  which,  under  the  lens,  is  seen  to  be  usually  divided  into 
four  segments. 

The  root  is  2  to  10  millimetres  thick;  externally  lighter  than  the 
rhizome ;  fracture  brittle ;  thick  bark,  closely  adhering  to  the  light 


Fig.  4. — Gelsemium.     Pith  of  rhizome. 

yellowish  wood ;  odor  of  both   rhizome  and   root  aromatic  ;   taste 
bitter. 

POWDERED    GELSEMIUM. 

No.  60  Powder. — That  the  official  drug  is  often  adulterated  with 
portions  of  the  stem  is  very  evident,  but  whether  intentionally  or 
carelessly  I  am  unable  to  say.  To  distinguish  the  adulteration  in 
powdeied  form  has  been  the  subject  of  considerable  work,  but  with 
very  little  attendant  success.  The  root  contains  no  bast,  and  hence 
but  a  glance  will  indicate  whether  the  powder  be  of  the  root  or  not. 
However,  the  rhizome  and  stem  both  contain  the  bast  and  in  almost 
equal  quantities,  so  this  cannot  be  relied  upon  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  two.     It  seems  that   neither   has  any  characteristic  cell 


^jaiiCao'^l^^:"}  Licorice  Root.  13 

structure  that  is  not  found  in  the  other.  The  stem,  when  dried,  is  cov- 
ered with  a  dark  brown,  nearly  black,  layer  of  cork,  while  the  rhizome 
is  of  a  yellowish  color.  If  the  bark  is  in  ordinarily  coarse  powder 
and  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  the  stem,  the  dark,  almost 
black,  particles  are  quite  noticeable ;  but  a  fine  powder,  or  a  small 
amount  of  adulteration  would  likely  fail  to  show  these  characteris- 
tics. The  ordinary  micro-chemical  reagents  produce  the  same  effect 
upon  both  stem  and  rhizome. 

As  before  stated,  the  different  parts — stem,  rhizome  and  roots — 
are  being  analyzed.  When  the  analysis  is  completed  the  results 
will  be  given. 

University  of  Kansas. 


THK  COMMERCIAL  SOURCES  OF  LICORICE   ROOT. 

By  H.  N.  Rittenhouse. 

While  the  commercial  varieties  of  licorice  root  are  well  known 
to  importers  of  the  article,  the  qualities,  values  and  sources  of  sup- 
ply are  no  so  well  known  to  the  pharmacist  as  they  should  be,  if 
any  importance  is  to  be  attached  to  accurately  dispensing  either  the 
root  itself  or  its  preparations. 

Previous  to  the  year  1870  the  principal  source  from  which  the 
United  States  obtained  its  supplies  was  Spain.  Since  then  the  con- 
sumption in  the  United  States  has  increased  so  much  that  the 
Spanish  root  has  been  utterly  inadequate  to  equal  the  demand. 
Other  countries  have  since  then  come  into  the  market,  and  now  fur- 
nish the  greater  part  of  the  market  recjuirements.  These  countries 
are  Southern  Russia,  Asia  Minor  (chiefly  the  province  of  Anatolia) 
and  Syria,  and  about  in  the  order  above-named  as  to  quantity, 
Russia  being  the  largest  exporter  and  Syria  the  smallest.  Licorice 
root  from  any  of  the  above  named  sources,  when  good  and  sound, 
should  be  acceptable  to  the  pharmacist  for  his  uses,  but  it  is  not 
always  good  and  sound  in  a  proper  sense  as  found  in  commerce. 

Spanish  root  is  gathered  so  closely  and  skilfully  sorted  and 
packed  that  much  of  it  consists  of  fine,  immature,  fibrous  roots, 
which,  while  they  may  be  called  licorice  root,  arc  pract«cally 
worthless  as  such  for  the  purposes  for  which  licorice  root  is  used, 
and  besides  are  50  per  cent,  higher  in  price  than  the  other  varie- 
ties; yet  prejudice  and  perhaps  ignorance  on  the  part  of  some  buy- 


14  Licorice  Root.  {^Vmwy^'Js?:"- 

ers  still  demand  Spanish  root  and  Spanish  extract.  The  Spanish 
root  is  sweeter  and  with  less  acridity  than  the  other  varieties,  and 
if  Spanish  root  was  what  it  once  was  in  mature  condition  when 
found  in  the  market,  the  preference  above  noted  might  be  justified; 
but,  as  it  actually  is,  this  prejudice  is  based  on  its  ancient  reputa- 
tion, and  is  now  unwarranted.  The  close  digging  and  limited  and 
practically  exhausted  fields  of  Spain  are  the  causes  of  this. 

Turning  now  to  Russia,  with  its  new  and  almost  unlimited  fields, 
as  yet  but  lightly  worked  (exports  from  Russia  only  began  in  1887), 
we  find  a  mature  root,  rich  in  glycyrrhizin  and  extractive,  much 
better  suited  for  commercial  purposes  because  better  and  cheaper 
than  Spanish  root,  the  sole  objection  to  it  being  in  the  taste,  which, 
in  addition  to  the  usual  sweetness  of  Spanish  root,  has  a  slight 
acridity,  which  is  really  not  objectionable,  but  gives  the  impression 
of  being  "  stronger." 

Anatolian  root  ranks  between  Spanish  and  Russian  in  the  quality 
of  sweetness  (or  absence  of  bitterness).  In  commerce  no  attention  is 
paid  to  the  botanical  varieties  of  licorice  root,  and  from  the  root 
alone  it  is  quite  impossible  to  determine  its  true  botanical  origin, 
the  usual  designations  being  from  the  countries  of  growth,  as  Span- 
ish,  Russian,  Anatolian,  etc. ;  though  all  varieties,  except  Spanish, 
are  often  classified  as  "■  Greek  root,"  it  must  be  remembered,  too, 
that  all  licorice  root  of  commerce  is  wild  root,  none  being  cul- 
tivated. 

The  variety  in  the  market  known  as  ''  selected "  licorice  root, 
and  put  up  in  small  bundles,  was  formerly  selected  from  Spanish 
sources,  but  as  demand  increased  and  supply  diminished,  other  vari- 
eties having  the  requisite  straightness  and  thickness  were  mixed 
with  the  Spanish,  until  now  "  selected  root "  consists  of  root  from 
any  and  all  sources  if  of  the  proper  quality — straight,  sound — and 
of  the  requisite  length  and  thickness. 

Peeled  Russian  root  may  now  be  prepared  in  Russia.  I  know  of 
no  reason  why  it  should  not  be,  but  Syria  formerly  prepared 
"  peeled  "  root  for  shipment  to  Europe,  some  of  which  found  its 
way  into  the  market  as  "  peeled  Russian."  Any  variety  might  be 
peeled  as  well  as  Russian  and  be  just  as  good.  It  would  be  a  satis- 
faction,  however,  to  have  things  called  by  their  correct  names  and 
pay  for  them  accordingly.  Peeled  "Russian  root"  has  always 
commanded  a  good  price,  doubtless  partly  on  account  of  the  cost  of 


^ januaryff^"'}  Secoml Pan-Americau  Medical  Congress.  i  5 

the  labor  of  peeling  and  careful  drying  ;  but  if  so  much  esteemed 
when  peeled,  why  is  it  not  just  as  much  esteemed  unpeeled  as  Span- 
ish or  any  other  variety  unpeeled  ?  Besides  being  much  cheaper 
and  richer  in  glycyrrhizin  and  extractive,  for  all  practical  purposes  it 
is  the  best.  Interest  always  attaches  to  a  knowledge  of  the  true 
sources  and  varieties  of  drugs,  and  is  frequently  a  source  of  profit  as 
well  to  the  pharmacist. 

Batoum  is  the  principal  port  of  export  for  the  Russian  root,  which 
is  gathered  along  the  Trans-Caucasian  Railroad,  running  from  Ba- 
toum on  the  Black  Sea  to  Baku  on  the  Caspian  Sea.  The  port  of  ex- 
port for  Anatolia  is  Smyrna,  while  the  Spanish  root  finds  its  way 
into  commerce  through  the  principal  seaports  of  Spain. 


SECOND  PAN-AMERICAN  MEDICAL  CONGRESS. 

By  Joseph  P.  Remington. 

The  second  Pan-American  Medical  Congress  met  in  the  city  of 
Mexico  during  the  week  beginning  November  16,  1896.  The  first 
Congress  assembled  in  the  city  of  Washington,  in  1893.  The  pur- 
pose of  these  triennial  gatherings  is  mainly  to  foster  the  advance- 
ment of  medical  and  pharmaceutical  science,  and  to  establish  closer 
relations  between  members  of-the  medical  profession  and  correlative 
branches.  The  large  number  of  delegates  in  attendance  upon  the 
first  Congress  surprised  the  friends  of  the  movement,  and,  although 
the  number  in  attendance  upon  the  second  Congress  was  not  as 
large,  it  must  be  gratifying  to  the  International  Executive  Com- 
mittee to  know  that  over  five  hundred  members  testified  to  their 
interest  by  their  presence,  many  of  them  contributing  papers  upon 
some  subject  connected  with  the  work  of  the  Congress.  As  is  cus- 
tomary in  such  bodies,  the  detailed  work  was  referred  to  sections  or 
commissions,  the  latter  having  been  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  on  continuou.sly  important  work  and  reporting  at  the  trien- 
nial meetings  of  the  Congress.  Two  commissions  have  been  organ- 
ized, which  are  of  special  interest  to  pharmacists,  the  Commission  on 
Pan-American  Pharmacopoeia  and  the  Commission  on  South  Ameri- 
can Flora.* 


'  The  Commission  on  Pan-American  PharmacoiKL-ia  is  organizc<l,  with  Prof. 
Jos.  P.  Remington  as  Chairman  ;  that  on  i^oulh  American  Plora,  Prof.  H.  H. 
Rusby,  Chairman. 


1 6  Second  Pan-American  Medical  Congress.  {'^  January fisK™' 

The  sections  embraced  the  following:  General  Medicine, Pathology 
and  Therapeutics,  89  papers  ;  General  Surgery,  45  papers;  Military 
and  Naval  Surgery,  4  papers ;  Obstetrics,  Gynaecology  and  Abdom- 
inal Surgery,  41  papers;  Anatomy  and  Physiology,  7  papers; 
Diseases  of  Children,  16  papers  ;  Ophthalmology,  15  papers  ;  Laryn- 
gology, Rhinology  and  Otology,  3  papers  ;  Dermatology  and  Syph- 
ilography,  3  papers ;  General  Hygiene,  Demography,  Marine 
Hygiene  and  Quarantine,  25  papers;  Diseases  of  the  Mind  and 
Nervous  System  and  Medical  Jurisprudence,  17  papers;  Dentistry, 
6  papers ;  Medical  Pedagogics,  7  papers.  In  addition  to  these,  a 
large  number  of  volunteer  papers  were  presented.  The  sections 
met  in  different  localities,  and  the  discussions  which  took  place 
added  largely  to  the  interest  of  the  reading. 

The  general  sessions  of  the  Congress  were  held  in  the  National 
Theatre  and  Chamber  of  Deputies.  A  marked  feature  of  the  work 
of  the  Congress  was  the  extraordinary  interest  manifested  by  Presi- 
dent Diaz,  of  the  Republic,  the  members  of  his  Cabinet,  and,  in 
fact,  all  of  the  officials  of  the  Government.  Their  attentions  were 
not  only  directed  to  extending  hospitality,  but  public  and  private 
museums  and  collections  were  freely  accessible,  official  statistics 
were  furnished,  and  every  possible  facility  .afforded  for  acquiring  in- 
formation upon  any  subject.  The  surgeons  were  given  every  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  hospitals  and  chemists,  botanists,  mineralogists,  arch- 
aeologists, paleontologists,  geologists  and  students  in  any  of  the  re- 
lated sciences  were  furnished  with  special  guides  to  the  valuable 
collections.  The  public  and  private  social  entertainments  were  on  a 
scale  of  magnificence  rarely  approached.  The  subjects  of  permanent 
interest  to  pharmacists  centre  in  the  permanent  commissions. 
These  will  be  charged  with  the  duty  of  investigating  the  Western 
Continent,  especially  the  unknown  South  American  plants,  and  the 
formulation  of  a  plan  for  a  Pan-American  Pharmacopoeia.  This 
will  not  supersede  the  special  Pharmacopaeias  of  each  country,  but 
will  collect  the  valuable  features  of  each  and  endeavor  to  unify  the 
strength  of  the  powerful  preparations,  so  that  danger  to  life  may  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum. 


The  richest  collection  of  palms  in  the  world  is  said  to  be  in  the  Botanic 
Garden  at  Buitenzorg,  Java.  It  contains  300  species  that  are  determined,  ico- 
probably  new  and  still  undescribed,  and  100  varieties  of  known  species. — 
Garden  and  Forest. 


^jaiSJry?'/^'""'}  Commercial  Ferruginous  Pills.  \j 

COMMERCIAL   FERRUGINOUS    PILLS— BLAUD'S 

FORMULA. 

By  William  B.  Thompson. 

Manufacturers  honestly  vie  with  one  another  in  an  endeavor  to 
produce  this  pill  in  an  exact  condition,  and  in  maintaining  its  compo- 
sition in  a  state  that  shall,  in  all  respects,  fulfil  its  therapeutic  pur- 
pose or  intention.  Every  price  schedule  issued  lists  this  pill,  and 
the  quantities  prescribed,  sold  and  used  exceed,  perhaps,  that  of  any 
other  single  kind  except  quinine. 

Physicians  generally  believe  that  a  constitutional  effect  of  the 
iron  is  more  promptly  assured  by  a  continued  use  of  the  Blaud 
composition  than  by  that  of  any  other  form — not  excepting  liquid — 
and  satisfactory  results  must  assuredly  follow  where  the  use  and 
popularity  continue  to  so  great  an  extent.  Yet,  if  we  start  with 
the  theoretical  principle,  and  also  consider  the  chemical  action 
which  occurs  in  the  formation  of  this  pill  mass,  that  action  being 
instantaneous,  when  an  alkaline  carbonate  is  brought  into  contact 
with  the  ferrous  sulphate,  and  then  reflect  upon  the  sensitive  and 
chemically  unstable  character  of  the  ferrous  salt  formed,  with  its 
inevitable  tendency  towards  a  ferrous  oxide,  and  finally  ferric 
oxide,  we  can  scarcely  understand  in  what  manner  art  assumes 
to  control  or  retard  a  chemical  law,  postponing  an  action  which 
is  ultimately,  if  not  speedil}-,  as  sure  as  that  which  governs 
the  planetary  systems.  Yet  it  is  attempted  ;  pervious  and  impervi- 
ous coatings  are  used,  as  means  to  protect  the  iron-salt  from  the 
oxidizing  influence  of  air  and  moisture.  A  physical  examination, 
and  the  application  of  a  color-test  to  these  various  products  of  the 
manufactories,  reveal  so  many  conditions  and  appearances  as  to 
bewilder  the  judgment  when  claims  to  chemical  accuracy  are  made. 

The  result  of  the  first  contact  of  the  iron  and  the  alkali  in  the 
presence  of  moisture  is  to  produce  a  compound  having  a  brownish 
green  color,  that  of  a  more  positive  green  hue  being  accepted  as 
a  more  true  product  of  this  reaction.  Then  if  this  is  accepted  as 
the  proper  color  indication  of  the  true  state  or  condition  in  which 
this  ferrous  salt  should  be  presented  to  the  human  economy  as  a 
remedy,  what  shall  we  say  in  regard  to  those  variable  conditions  as 
to  color  which  the  numerous  commercial  pills  present  ?  Shall  we 
adopt  all  these  as  affording  the  proper  result  of  a  definite  chemical 


l8  Adulterated  Japan  Wax.  {^TanSary.'isQ^."^- 

reaction  which  the  originator  of  the  Blaud  pill  designed  ?  Or  shall 
we  admit  that  varying  states  of  oxidation  do  not  seriously  militate 
against  the  therapeutical  efficacy  of  this  iron  salt,  especially  when 
it  has  merged  into  the  ferric  state.  In  the  numerous  essays  which 
have  appeared  upon  the  subject  of  Blaud's  pills  are  many  finely 
wrought  theories  in  regard  to  the  action  of  the  normal  fluids  of  the 
stomach,  most  notably  the  supposed  free  hydrochloric  acid,  which 
is  fancifully  conceived  to  be  in  waiting  in  that  wondrous  receptacle, 
ready  to  claim  first  seizure  upon  any  congenial  substance  which 
may  be  ingested — with  a  predilection  for  a  ferrous  salt  of  iron — and 
that  an  insignificant  amount  of  ferric  oxide,  now  and  then,  will  be 
but  a  small  obstacle  to  the  action  of  this  solvent  acid. 

It  would  appear  to  be  more  reasonable  to  cease  indulging  in  any 
more  theories  as  to  the  precise  behavior  of  the  intestinal  processes 
towards  foreign  substances,  particularly  medicines,  or  to  speculate 
upon  a  probably  uniform  action  regulating  animal  chemistry.  But 
rather  see  to  it  that  the  state  of  combination  is  exactly  such  as  will 
meet  the  indications  suggesting  its  use ;  and  that  if  prepared  in 
advance  of  requirement,  how  much  of  chemical  change  or  alteration 
can  occur,  and  yet  demonstrate  it  a  Blaud  pill,  or  what  is  its  precise 
character  as  commonly  found  in  commerce,  and  wherein  does  it 
differ  from  that  of  extemporaneous  preparation  ? 

This  paper  is  presented  here  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting  dis- 
cussion. Whilst  much  has  been  written,  the  assertions  are  chiefly 
on  one  side  only  of  the  question.     Now  let  us  have  the  other  side. 

Philadelphia,  November  30,  1896. 


ADULTERATED   JAPAN   WAX. 
By  Chari^ks  H.  I/AWai.!.. 

The  analytical  chemist,  whose  duty  it  is  to  examine  the  various 
commercial  products  sold  by  a  large  wholesale  house,  encounters 
many  instances  where  samples  are  offered  for  examination  before 
purchasing  which  are  inferior  in  some  respects  to  the  official  stand- 
ard required  for  the  substance,  or  which  contain  some  unmistak- 
able ingredient  foreign  to  their  nature. 

It  frequently  occurs  that  the  description  of  a  substance  is  capable 
of  several  different  interpretations,  or  the  requirements  are  faulty, 


^jan^Tyff^."^-}  Adulterated  J apau  Wax.  19 

so  that  the  manufacturer  or  dealer  is  forced  into  accepting  a  sub- 
stance which  he  beUeves  to  be  inferior,  but  the  impurity  of  which 
he  cannot  conclusively  prove. 

The  watchful  care  necessarily  exercised  in  a  large  establishment, 
where  a  high  standard  is  rigidly  maintained  for  all  goods  purchased, 
is  a  distinct  advantage  to  the  retail  dealer,  and,  indirectly,  to  the 
consumer.  Only  those  who  are  actively  engaged  in  this  class  of 
work,  realize  the  extent  to  which  the  nefarious  practice  of  wilful 
adulteration  is  carried  on. 

Adulterations,  according  to  a  standard  authority  upon  definitions, 
may  be  of  three  kinds: 

( i)  Adulteration  or  admixture  to  suit  the  public  taste  or  desire  in 
some  respect. 

(2)  Unintentional  admixture  of  foreign  substances,  due  to  faulty 
or  careless  methods  of  manufacture. 

(3)  Wilful  adulteration  for  the  sake  of  pecuniary  profit. 
Adulterators  of  the  latter  class  are  especially  to  be  feared,  as 

they  strive  to  imitate  the  genuine  product  in  every  respect  in  order 
to  obtain  the  full  price  for  an  inferior  product. 

When  a  fraud  of  this  kind  is  detected  by  a  prospective  purchaser, 
he  promptly  rejects  the  goods  and  usually  refuses  to  purchase  further 
supplies  from  the  same  source.  The  manufacturer  of  the  fraudulent 
goods  offers  them,  in  turn,  to  various  other  purchasers  of  large 
quantities,  until  he  succeeds  in  finding  one  who  bu\s  without 
examining  the  quality  of  his  purchase  ;  thus,  in  almost  every  case, 
the  goods  eventually  reach  the  consumer,  who  suffers  the  greatest 
loss. 

The  extent  to  which  the  Japan  wax  of  commerce  is  adulterated, 
at  the  present  time,  has  never  before  been  equalled,  in  the  case  of 
a  single  commercial  article,  according  to  the  cxjK'rience  of  the 
writer  or  that  of  the  house  with  which  he  is  connected. 

F*ifty-nine  cases  of  Japan  wax,  containing  from  205  to  225 
pounds  each,  were  examined  ;  twenty-five  of  these  were  found  to 
be  adulterated  with  starchy  material  to  the  extent  of  from  20  to 
25  per  cent.  This  means  that,  in  the  Japan  wax  purchased  by  one 
house,  about  1,200  pounds  of  starch  were  paid  for  at  the  price 
of  Japan  wax,  which  is  about  three  times  as  great. 

Japan  wa.x  is  a  vegetable  product  imported  from  Japan,  where 
it  is  prepared  from  the  berries  of  several  s|>ecies  «)f  AV/z/i.    The  use  of 


20  Adulterated  Japan  Wax.  {^  January  fSS""" 

this  substance  has  largely  increased  during  the  past  few  years,  as 
(owing  to  its  low  price)  it  replaces  beeswax  in  many  industries. 
As  imported,  it  is  usually  in  the  form  of  rectangular  blocks  or 
cakes,  weighing  several  pounds  each  ;  it  possesses  a  yellowish-white 
color  (becoming  darker  after  age  and  exposure)  and  a  somewhat 
rancid  odor.  The  characteristics,  taken  from  recent  authorities,  are 
as  follows:  Specific  gravity,  about  0975  to  0-980;  melting  point, 
about  54°  C;  saponification  number,  about  222. 

The  fraud  was  detected  in  the  latter  part  of  October,  and,  since 
that  time,  besides  the  number  of  cases  enumerated,  several  samples 
have  been  offered  for  purchase,  identical  in  the  character  and  extent 
of  the  adulteration ;  thus  showing  that  the  quantity  in  the  market 
is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  amount  named. 

In  every  case  the  wax  was  purchased  from  agents  or  brokers  in 
this  country,  direct  importations,  up  to  the  present  time,  being  free 
from  admixture.  The  quotation :  "  For  ways  that  are  dark  and  for 
tricks  that  are  vain,"  can  also  be  applied  to  individuals  of  Caucasian 
descent. 

The  appearance  of  the  sophisticated  product  differed  slightly  from 
that  of  the  genuine  wax.  The  specific  gravity  was  slightly  higher, 
and  a  difference  was  noticed  in  this  respect  when  cakes  of  each  were 
compared  ;  the  adulterated  wax  was,  in  most  instances,  free  from  the 
peculiar  network  of  minute  cracks  which  usually  cover  the  surface 
of  a  cake  of  pure  Japan  wax.  Upon  close  examination  of  a  freshly 
fractured  cake,  a  variation  or  gradation  in  its  internal  structure  was 
observed ;  this  was  due  to  the  settling  out  of  the  starch  while  the 
wax  cooled.  The  quickest  and  most  effective  method  found  for  dis- 
tinguishing between  a  pure  and  an  impure  wax  is  as  follows  :  A 
cake  is  fractured  and  the  freshly  exposed  surface  is  scraped  slightly 
with  a  knife ;  upon  the  application  of  several  drops  of  iodine-test 
solution  the  adulterated  article  turns  darker,  becoming  deep  bluish 
black  after  fifteen  minutes'  time.  The  pure  wax  shows  no  alteration 
whatever,  nor  any  coloration,  excepting  that  which  is  produced  by 
the  iodine  solution  alone. 

Samples  for  the  determination  of  the  constants  were  obtained  by 
taking  sections  squarely  across  the  cake,  as  the  presence  of  different 
proportions  of  starch  in  the  upper  and  lower  portions  of  a  cake 
would  produce  varying  results  were  the  samples  taken  otherwise. 
The  averages  of  the  constants  obtained  from  four  samples  are  as 


^janJ^.^sS^.'"}  Petrolatum  vs.  Vaseline.  21 

follows:  specific  gravity,  1-0653;  melting  point,  52^  C;  saponifica- 
tion number,  173-28.  From  pure  samples  examined  at  the  same 
time,  the  following  results  were  obtained:  specific  gravity,  0-980 ; 
melting  point,  54°  C;  saponification  number,  22098.  The  amount 
of  foreign  matter  indicated  by  the  lowering  of  the  saponification 
number  was  found  upon  calculation  to  be  21-24  per  cent.  The 
starch  was  estimated  directly  by  treating  a  weighed  sample  of  the 
wax  in  a  flask  with  chloroform,  which  dissolves  the  wax,  but  does 
not  take  up  the  starch  ;  the  solution  was  filtered,  the  residue  upon 
the  filter  was  washed  well  with  ether,  dried  at  lOO*^  C.  and  weighed  ; 
the  percentage  obtained  by  this  method  of  procedure  was  23-42, 
corresponding  favorably  with  the  amount  indicated  by  calculation 
from  the  saponification  number. 

A  microscopical  examination  was  made  of  the  starch,  which 
showed  a  lack  of  uniformity  existing  in  the  material  used  in  dif- 
ferent cases.  In  one  instance  it  was  unmistakably  identified  as  corn 
starch,  but  in  others  it  was  difficult  to  decide  upon  the  identity  of 
the  starch. 

The  consumers  and  handlers  of  this  article  will  observe  that  they 
are  likely  to  have  offered  to  them  a  product  which  is  dear  at  a  price 
even  considerably  below  the  market  quotation  ;  and,  as  the  sophist- 
ication is  so  easily  detected,  it  becomes  an  important  duty  to  search 
out  and  reject  every  case  of  this  fraudulent  material,  in  order  to 
make  it  impossible  for  the  originators  of  the  compound  to  find  a 
market  for  their  product. 

305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia. 


PETROLATUM    VS.  VASKLINK. 

By  Louis  Emanuel. 

In  the  advertising  pages  of  the  New  York  Medical  Times  the 
manufacturers  of  vaseline  make  the  fallowing  unjust  attack  on 
petrolatum  : 

TO  THK  MEDICAL  PROFESSION  OF  TH8  UNITED  STATES. 
We  consider  it  our  duty  to  in fonn  you  that  when  you  presents  petrolatum 
for  a  patient  (in  accordance  with  the  I'harmacop<i'ia)  and  have  the  prescription 
filled  at  the  nearest  druj^  store,  you  arc  much  more  likely  to  injure  than  to 
benefit  your  patient  and  may  do  him  serious  harm.  The  committee  in  char^c- 
of  the  last  Pharmacopoeia  declined  to  enter  therein  the  word  "Vaseline," 
because  it  was  our  trade-mark,  and  we  would  not  a>{ree  to  »urrcn<!er  it,  and  in 


22  Petrolatum  vs.  Vaseline.  {^  januaJyfissr" 

place  thereof  invented  and  adopted  the  word  "  Petrolatum,"  which  was  intended 
to  represent  a  substance  identical  to  our  vaseline.  This  action  has  encouraged 
the  manufacture  of  worthless  imitations  of  our  product,  which  are  sold  to  the 
druggists,  the  vast  majority  of  whom  neither  tnow  nor  care  anything  about 
their  quality,  and  the  result  is  a  confusion  of  ideas  amongst  physicians  and 
failure  of  benefit  to  the  patient.  Now  it  is  about  time  that  you  should  clearly 
understand  : 

(i)  That  "petrolatum"  is  not  "vaseline,"  and  that  the  formula  given  in 
the  Pharmacopoeia  does  not  and  will  not  make  vaseline. 

(2)  That  petrolatum  has  come  to  mean  a  worthless  and  often  noxious  petro- 
leum product,  varying  in  quality  from  axle-grease  up. 

(3)  That  vaseline  is  not  only  useful  as  a  vehicle  (as  many  physicians  think), 
but  that  it  has  extraordinary  value  as  a  remedy  both  externally  and  internally, 
which  petrolatum  has  not. 

These  reasons  ought  to  be  conclusive,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fairness  which 
should  prompt  honorable  men  to  recognize  those  who  give  time,  brains  and 
money  to  the  benefit  of  the  world,  rather  than  to  those  who  live  by  appropri- 
ating to  themselves  the  creations  of  others. 

It  would  seem  at  first  sight  that  the  patentee  has  some  rights  to 
an  unlimited  monopoly,  which  the  advertisers  claim  in  recompense 
for  the  brains  and  money  which  has  been  largely  devoted  to  the 
benefit  of  mankind.  It  appears,  however,  that  no  mortal  born  of 
woman  has  yet  been  endowed  with  talents  sufficient  to  enable  him 
to  render  mankind  any  service  whatsoever  without  having  himself 
first  profited  by  the  labor  and  brains  of  others.  For  this  reason 
patents  have  only  a  limited  existence.  The  wisdom  of  this  limited 
monopoly  is  clearly  demonstrated  when  we  consider  that  the 
patentee  of  the  process  for  the  purification  of  the  crude  residue  of 
petroleum  distillation  was  not  the  originator  of  the  use  of  animal 
charcoal  as  a  deodorizer  and  decolorizer,  and,  in  fact,  was  not  the  first 
person  to  apply  it  for  this  particular  purpose;  for  Fliickiger's  Fhar- 
maceutische  Chemie  tells  us  that  "in  1847  C.  B.  Mansfield,  Cam- 
bridge, England,  patented  a  process  for  decolorizing  or  deodorizing 
petroleum  sediment  by  means  of  animal  charcoal;  in  1865-66  R. 
A.  Cheseborough,  of  New  York,  U.  S.  A.,  patented  a  process  for 
the  purpose  by  the  use  of  hot  animal  charcoal,  and  in  1872  he 
patented  the  fantastic  name  of  vaseline." 

EVOLUTION    OF   VASELINE. 

Patent  No.  49,502,  dated  August  22,  1865,  to  R.  A.  Chesebor- 
ough, for  the  use  of  bone-black  for  purifying  petroleum  or  coal  oils 
by  filtration. 


""janSao-.^^T"}  PctroUitum  VS.  VascliHc.  23 

Patent  No.  56,179,  dated  July  10,  1S66,  to  same,  for  heating 
bone-black  by  dry  steam  or  otherwise,  previous  to  using  the  same 
for  filtering  hydrocarbon  oils. 

Patent  No.  127,568,  dated  June  4,  1872,  to  same,  for  the  name 
vaseline. 

In  the  latter,  the  claim  made  by  the  patentee  is  as  follows : 

I  have  invented  -a  new  and  useful  product  from  petroleum,  which  I  have 
named  Vaseline,  and  I  do  hereby  declare  that  the  following  is  a  full,  clear  and 
exact  description  thereof,  which  will  enable  those  skilled  in  the  art  to  make 
and  use  the  same. 

The  substance  from  which  vaseline  is  made  is  the  residuum  of  petroleum  le  t 
in  the  still  after  the  greater  part  of  the  petroleum  has  been  distilled  off.  Vas- 
eline is  the  product  of  the  filtration  of  the  said  residuum  through  bone-black, 
and  varies  in  color  as  it  comes  from  the  filter.  First  it  is  pure  white  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  operation,  soon  changing  to  a  light  straw,  and  then  a  deep 
claret  at  the  close  of  the  operation. 

Vaseline  is  a  thick,  oily,  pasty  substance,  is  semi-solid  in  appearance,  unob- 
jectionable in  odor,  becomes  liquid  at  temperature  varying  from  85'  to  110°  V. 
It  will  not  saponify,  does  not  crystallize,  and  does  not  contain  paraffine. 

Vaseline  is  especially  useful  in  currying,  stuffing  and  oiling  all  kinds  of 
leather.  It  is  also  a  good  lubricator,  and  may  be  used  to  great  advantage  on 
all  kinds  of  machinery.  It  is  also  an  excellent  substance  for  glycerine-cream 
for  chapped  hands. 

When  we  compare  the  above  with  the  description  of  petrolatum 
of  the  U.  S.  P.,  we  must  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  pharma- 
copccial  committee  is  grossly  misrepresented,  and  that  pharmacy  is 
unjustly  charged  with  piracy. 

The  Pharmacopoeia  says  of  petrolatum  ; 

A  mixture  of  hydrocarbons,  chiefly  of  the  marsh-gas  series,  otuained  by  dis- 
tilling off  the  lighter  and  more  volatile  portions  from  petroleum,  and  purifying 
the  residue  when  it  has  the  desired  melting  point.  A  fat-like  mass  of  about  the 
consistency  of  an  ointinL*nt,  varying  from  white  to  yellowish,  or  yellow,  more 
or  less  fluorescent  when  yellow,  especially  after  being  melted,  transparent  in 
thin  layers,  completely  amorphous,  and  without  olor  and  taste,  or  gi^nng  off, 
when  heated,  a  faint  odor  of  p>etroleum. 


.\\\  unusually  large  fasciatc<l  stem  of  meadow  thistle  (Cnicus  alliftsimu.s. 
Willd.)  was  sent  to  the  museum  of  Purdue  University  a  short  lime  ago  from 
northern  Indiana.  When  dry.it  measured  12  inches  broad  at  the  top  and  .; 
inches  at  the  base.  The  thickness  of  this  greatly  flattened  stem  was  normal, 
that  is,  less  than  one-fourth  inch.  It  was  covered  evenly  with  normal  Icavea, 
and  bore  a  score  or  more  of  immature  flower  beads  sessile  along  the  upper 
edge.     It  8too<l  3   feet  high.     The    interest  in    it  lies  in  *'  .         /     . 

wedge  form,  as  fasciated  stems  art-  usuallv  irrreularly  <K 
Gazette,  Novcml)er,  1896. 


24  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  { ^TanSaryfS" "' 

MODERN  SURGICAL  DRESSINGS. 
By  F.  B.  Kii^mer. 

The  surgical  dressings  in  use  at  the  present  time  by  such  practi- 
tioners as  keep  pace  with  the  advancement  of  the  surgical  art  are 
the  products  of  the  practical  application  of  scientific  knowledge. 
They  are  the  outcome  of  the  modifications  and  amplification  of  pro- 
cedures that  have  been  brought  about  in  the  evolution  of  surgical 
science. 

Dr.  Wm.  Pepper  states  that  "  medicine  and  surgery  have  made 
more  progress  in  the  last  twenty  years  than  in  the  twenty  centuries 
preceding."  This  statement  may  also  be  applied  to  the  surgical 
dressing. 

In  the  dawn  of  the  present  era  of  surgery,  the  teachings  of  Lister 
demanded  that  the  dressings  to  be  applied  to  a  wound  should  be 
saturated  with  chemicals  capable  of  killing  germs  "  within  the 
wound  or  coming  from  without."  During  this  epoch  antiseptics 
were  empirically  applied.  A  dressing  that  promised  sure  death  to 
the  microbe  was  in  demand.  In  those  days  cloth  was  plastered 
with  masses  of  pitch,  paraffin  fat  and  carbolic  acid.  The  products 
were  unclean — sticky,  irritating  and  non-absorptive — directly  the 
opposite  to  those  in  use  at  the  present  time.  Crude  as  was  this 
beginning,  it  contained  the  ''  living  spark  of  truth  that  illuminated 
the  mysterious  darkness  which  for  centuries  hovered  over  wound 
infection."  It  brought  blessings  that  "  have  soothed  and  removed 
untold  suffering  and  misery — have  saved  millions  of  lives.  For  this 
gift  to  surgery  we  are  indebted  to  Sir  Joseph  Lister." — Gerster. 

During  the  decades  that  have  followed  the  time  of  which  we 
speak,  the  forward  progress  of  the  principles  of  antisepsis  has  been 
continuous. 

The  accurate  scientific  observations  of  bacteriology  has  determined 
the  value  of  antiseptic  substances,  brought  a  knowledge  of  the  na- 
ture of  bacteria,  their  habits,  their  life,  and  shown  their  influence  in 
the  causation  of  wound  infection.  Such  knowledge  has  given  to 
the  surgeon  newer  and  better  weapons  than  those  first  used  in  the 
combat  against  wound  infection.  The  surgical  dressing  has  always 
been  to  the  front  in  the  revolution  and  evolution  of  surgery.  Caus- 
tic applications  were  early  substituted  for  those  which  were  mild, 
yet  more  pDtent.     Many  microbe-killers  were  found  to  be   man- 


^  January^'.'"-}  Modcm  SuTgical  Drcssiugs.  2  5 

killers  ;  others  were  shown  to  be  valueless.  Power  to  absorb  wound 
secretion  and  exclude  infection  was  made  an  essential  requirement 
for  wound-dressing  material. 

Prevention  became  both  the  watchword  and  the  keystone  of  sur- 
gical technique.  What  is  termed  by  Gerster  "  the  conscientious 
practice  of  thorough-going  cleanliness,"  was  found  possible  of  attain- 
ment by  the  use  of  antiseptics — "angels  of  cleanliness."  Chemical 
sterilization  has  been  combined  with  mechanical  cleansing.  Natural 
agents,  as  well  as  those  instituted  by  the  operator,  have  been  called 
to  the  aid  of  the  surgeon.  In  this  transition,  antisepsis  has  not 
been  abandoned,  but  has  developed  into  its  higher  form — asepsis. 
The  antiseptic  dressing  has  not  been  discarded,  but  has  become 
aseptic.  The  terms  antisepsis — asepsis,  are  not  antagonistic  ;  the 
one  is  not  the  antithesis  of  the  other.  •'  Asepsis  is  an  exalted 
degree  of  cleanliness." 

It  is  reached  by  the  surgeon  through  the  aid  of  antiseptics.  The 
antiseptic  agents  employed  to  produce  the  condition  of  asepsis  may 
be  physical — heat,  chemical — carbolic  acid,  etc.,  mechanical — wash- 
ing. These  ma)'  be  supplemented  by  measures  which  exclude  all 
bacteria.  The  aim  sought  is  a  condition  of  freedom  of  septic 
material  or  micro-organisms — asepsis. 

The  Fundamental  Law. — In  the  transition  of  surgical  practice, 
which  we  have  noted,  the  great  guiding  principle  first  recognized  by 
Lister  has  been  strengthened,  viz.:  "  that  the  presence  of  certain 
kinds  of  bacteria  is  an  essential  condition  of  wound  infection." 
From  this  has  been  evolved  the  fundamental  law  that  all  materials 
which  are  to  come  in  contact  with  the  wound  must  be  free  from 
pathogenic  organisms.  To  i)rcpare  a  dressing  which  shall  lulhl  the 
requirements  of  this  law  would,  at  first  glance,  seem  to  be  a  simple 
undertaking.  We  find,  however,  that  the  task  is  not  so  easy  of 
accomplishment  when  we  note  that  over  150  species  of  bacteria  are 
classed  as  pathogenic  (6  pyogenic) ;  in  addition  to  this  we  have 
nearly  3CX)  species  of  organisms  classed  as  non-pathogenic  for  lack 
of  information  as  to  their  disease  producing  power.' 


'  Bucbn^r  has  shown  that  many  of  the  common  saprophytes  classed  as  non- 
patliogenic,  when  injected  under  the  skin,  cause  local  abscess.  I  have  recently 
witnessed  serious  results  follow  nn  <  cntal  inoculation  of  a  clean  wound 

with  mould  spores  supposed  to  he  li 


26  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  {'^'^kl^.y^ml^' 

These  bacteria  are  widely  distributed.  * 

**  There  is  no  well-defined  dividing  line  between  pathogenic  and 
non-pathogenic  bacteria." — Sternberg. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  the  manipulation  of  dressing  material 
to  separate  or  remove  harmless  bacteria  from  those  which  may  be 
virulent.  Therefore,  in  its  practical  application  the  fulfillment  of 
the  law  demands  that  surgical  dressings  shall  be  free  from  all  forms 
of  bacteria. 

All  antiseptic  agents  do  not  possess  the  power  to  destroy  or  kill 
organisms.  Therefore,  dressings  impregnated  with  antiseptics  will 
not,  of  necessity,  meet  the  demand.  Hence,  in  the  preparation 
of  surgical  dressings,  the  law  must  be  construed  to  mean  that,  what- 
ever may  be  the  material  and  whatever  may  be  the  methods  by 
which  it  may  be  prepared,  in  order  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
surgery,  the  fundamental  principle  governing  its  production  must 
provide  that  it  shall  be  free  from  all  micro-organisms. 

The  Infection  of  Dressings. — The  materials  which  enter  into  sur- 
gical dressings,  such  as  absorbent  cotton,  gauze,  wool,  are  those 
which,  in  themselves,  reach  after,  absorb  and  hold  bacterial  life. 
Every  person  and  every  object  with  which  the  dressing  may  come 
in  contact  in  the  course  of  its  preparation,  are  liable  to  transfer  to  it 
infection.     Infection  through  air  is  a  possible  factor. 

Micro-organisms  are  readily  disseminated  through  the  air  by  the 
medium  of  dust.  The  air  of  a  crowded  room  is  always  laden  with 
bacterial  life.  In  hospitals,  the  air  is  infected  through  the  dis- 
charges of  patients.  The  air  of  a  physician's  office  cannot  be  kept 
free  from  infected  dust.  The  dust  on  the  drug-store  counters,  tables 
and  shelves  will  always  furnish  a  luxuriant  bacterial  garden. 

Wherever  people  move  about,  they  must,  of  necessity,  transfer  soil 
and  create  dust.  If  they  move  from  infected  centres,  as  do  the 
inmates  and  attendants  at  hospitals,  the  visitors  to  the  doctor's 
office  or  the  patrons  of  a  drug  store,  they  spread  infected  dust. 

Dressings  may  also  become  infected  through  the  water  used  in 
their  preparation.  The  water  used  upon  the  dressings  should 
always  be  that  which  is  boiling  or  which  has  been  thoroughly  boiled. 

A  greater  source  of  infection  arises  from  contact  with  the  person 
who  handles  the  dressing  in  the  course  of  its  preparation.  Here 
the  clothing  of  the  operator  is  a  possible  germ  carrier  ;  his  body  is 
swarming  with  bacteria  numerous  in  species,  in   uncountable  num- 


^Jan'oT/y.^s^T'}  Modcru   Surgical  Dressings,  27 

bers.  Skin,  hair  and  mucous  membranes,  even  of  persons  who  are 
healthy  and  of  cleanly  habits,  furnish  to  bacteria  a  natural  home  for 
growth  and  multiplication. 

In  catarrhal  conditions,  skin  disease,  or  wherever  there  is  an 
increase  of  secretions,  the  bacteria  of  the  body  increase  both  in  kind 
and  in  number.  These  sources  of  infection  require  more  than  ordi- 
nary attention. 

Sterilization  of  the  entire  surface  of  the  body  is  impossible.  Yet 
we  are  confronted  with  the  fact  that  the  skin  secretions,  perspira- 
tion, dandruff  from  the  hair,  all  mucous  secretions,  are  a  fruitful 
source  of  infectious  particles,  fatal  to  asepsis  if  by  any  chance  they 
should  be  transferred  to  the  dressing.  To  even  touch  an  aseptic 
dressing  with  hands  not  disinfected,  to  touch  with  prepared  hands 
the  eyes,  nose,  mouth  or  clothing,  and  then  touch  a  dressing,  would 
mean  that  infection  would  surely  follow.  Such  a  procedure  would 
be  ap  unpardonable  violation  of  surgical  cleanliness,  a  crime  against 
asepsis.  We  must  further  take  into  account  that  the  objects  within 
the  room  where  dressings  may  be  prepared,  including  the  air,  the 
walls,  furniture,  floors,  the  tables  upon  which  the  dressings  are  laid 
every  piece  of  apparatus,  every  object  of  any  nature  that  may  come 
in  contact  with  the  dressing,  may  be  the  means  of  transference  of 
germ  life.  If  such  objects  happen  to  be  of  the  nature  of  organic 
material  or  those  which  hold  moisture,  the  more  rcadil)-  do  they 
become  carriers  of  infection. 

The  maker  of  surgical  dressings  must  have  in  mind,  therefore, 
the  materials  of  which  the  dressings  are  composed,  that  they  are  in 
their  nature  absorptive  of  infectious  particles,  that  all  objects  con- 
nected with,  all  surrounding  conditions,  are  sources  through  which 
infection  may  be  carried  to  dressings  during  their  handling  and 
manipulation. 

The  Disinfection  of  Dressings. — Whatever  the  term  disinfection 
has  been  made  to  mean  elsewhere,  when  applied  to  surgical  dress- 
ings it  can  only  mean  one  thing — destruction  of  all  micro-organisms 
in  or  upon  the  material.  This  process  presents  many  var>'ing  prob- 
lems. Hacteria  show  widely  varying  powers  of  resistance.  Agents 
which  destroy  growing  forms  will  not  affect  the  vitality  of  their 
spores.  The  conditions  of  life  and  environment  are  all  factors  which 
must  be  taken  into  account  in  the  disinfection  of  dressings.  Thus, 
utensils   and   objects  with   smooth   surfaces  are  readily  di-iinfectcd. 


28  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  { ^Tanuao  .""isor* 

because  any  bacteria  present  will  be  found  upon  their  outer  surface ; 
but  when  bacteria  are  enclosed  in  a  rock-like  mass,  as  they  are  in 
dried  dust  particles,  where  we  find  them  surrounded  by  an  almost 
impenetrable  fortress,  in  dried  pus,  sweat,  in  dried  secretions  or 
flesh  tissue,  these  organisms  are  protected  by  a  varnish-like  coating. 
Bacteria,  within  the  fibre  of  cotton  or  wool,  are  enclosed  within  a 
cellulose  structure.  Therefore,  in  the  disinfection  of  cotton,  wool, 
silk,  sponge  and  catgut,  we  find  that  there  is  presented  a  varying 
problem  with  each  material.  Chemical  reaction  is  also  a  factor  in 
disinfection  that  has  been  long  overlooked.  In  the  disinfection  of 
dressings  the  nature  of  the  materials  and  their  behavior  toward  the 
disinfecting  agent  must  be  taken  into  account.  Thus  cotton  may 
be  disinfected  in  a  solution  of  soda,  but  wool  thus  treated  would  be 
destroyed. 

Wool  may  be  disinfected  in  an  acid  solution,  which,  in  turn, 
would  destroy  cotton.  Catgut  is  affected  by  most  chemicals ;  it  is 
destroyed  by  moisture.  Sponge  tissue  is  affected  by  many  chem- 
icals ;  it  is  destroyed  by  moist  heat.  Oily  substances  are  impene- 
trable by  watery  solutions. 

The  sole  universal  disinfectant  is  fire.  It  destroys  the  infection 
and  the  infected  material.  It  is  applicable  to  the  disinfection  of 
asbestos  dressings,  which  have  recently  been  recommended  for  sur- 
gical purposes.  There  is  no  one  method  or  agent  which,  under  all 
circumstances,  will  meet  all  conditions.  Generally,  more  than  one 
agent  and  several  methods  of  procedure  must  be  used  together  or 
in  succession. 

The  writer  has  made  a  long  series  of  investigations,  having  in 
view  the  possibility  of  disinfecting  dressings  with  agents  that  would 
have  no  reaction  with  the  material  composing  the  dressing,  that 
could  be  readily  removed  from  the  dressing,  or,  when  allowed  to  re- 
main [within  the  dressing  material,  would  have  no  effect  upon 
wound  tissue.  In  these  experiments,  such  agents  as  electricity, 
gases,  vapors,  friction  and  pressure  were  employed. 

The  general  method  pursued  was  to  infect  fibres  with  a  nutrient 
fluid  containing  bacteria,  to  then  subject  the  infected  fibres  to  the 
action  of  the  disinfecting  agent.  The  results  may  be  briefly  sum- 
marized. 

Electricity  was  not  effective  upon  the  organisms,  except  when 
electrolysis  took  place,  as  was  the  case  when  water  or  a  solution 


^'j^nu^f'/Sr-}  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  29 

of   salts  was  the  medium    used    in    the  transmission  of    electrical 
energy. 

Oxygen  gas  when  under  pressure  had  a  germicidal  effect,  espe- 
cially so  when  the  bacteria  were  in  a  moist  state.  Nascent  oxygen 
was  found  to  be  a  powerful  germicide.  Ozone  gave  similar  results, 
as  did  oxygen.  Carbon  dioxide  was  found  to  be  an  inhibitant, 
but  not  a  germicide.  The  gaseous  oxides  of  nitrogen,  except 
NjO  were  found  to  be  powerful  in  their  action  upon  bacteria,  but 
destructive  to  dressing  material  and  productive  of  great  irritation 
upon  inhalation.  Sulphur  dioxide  was  found  to  be  germicidal  in 
the  presence  of  moisture,  but  inapplicable  to  many  classes  of  the 
materials  used  in  surgical  dressings.  Chlorine  gas  is  a  disinfectant, 
especially  in  its  reactions  which  takes  place  in  the  bleaching  pro- 
cess, namely,  union  with  hydrogen,  and  consequent  liberation  of 
oxygen. 

The  bleaching  process,  therefore,  effectually  destroys  germ  life. 
Iodine  and  bromine  are  energetic  agents  in  the  presence  of  mois. 
ture,  but  they  react  destructively  with  materials  used  in  surgical 
dressings.  Formaldehyde  vapors  possess  a  high  power  as  a  germi. 
cide.  The  vapors  are  highly  irritating  and  destructive  to  flesh 
tissue.  They  are,  however,  applicable  in  the  disinfection  of  some 
classes  of  material  used  in  dressings,  and  are  utilized  in  the  pro- 
cesses hereinafter  outlined. 

During  the  mechanical  process  of  carding  cotton  and  other 
fibres,  the  fibres  are  subjected  to  prolonged  friction,  with  conse- 
quent heat  and  electrical  action.  The  results  upon  infected  fibre 
passed  through  the  process  were  interesting,  and  the  process  was 
found  to  be  one  of  sterilization. 

Experiments  numbering  many  hundreds  of  series  were  made  to 
ascertain  the  value  of  pressure  as  a  sterilizing  agent  upon  dress- 
ing materials.  The  results  show  that  infected  fibres  may  be  steril- 
ized by  a  pressure  of  50  to  100  tons  to  the  square  inch.  This  pro- 
cess has  been  utilized  in  the  sterilization  of  certain  forms  of  surgi- 
cal dressings. 

With  the  discovery  of  a  new  species  of  bacteria  tlicre  is  said  to 
be  a  new  chemical  born  for  its  destruction. 

I^ut  in  the  present  day  practice  of  surgery,  only  in  a  few 
instances,  may  we  use  chemical  germicides  for  the  disinfection  of 
dressings  and  allow  the  chemical  to  remain    in    the  finished  pro- 


30  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  { ^ January ffsgT."'- 

duct.  The  active  chemical  disinfectants  are  for  the  most  part 
destructive  to  dressing  fabrics  as  well  as  irritating  to  flesh  tissue. 
Out  of  the  many  disinfectants  lauded  in  days  past  for  the  impregna- 
tion of  surgical  dressings,  but  few  remain.  It  has  been  found 
that  dressings,  even  when  impregnated  with  antiseptics,  may  still 
harbor  germ  life.  In  the  presence  of  dry  iodoform,  dry  corrosive 
sublimate,  boric  acid,  germs  will  retain  their  vitality  for  a  great 
length  of  time. 

Though  seemingly  a  contradiction  of  terms,  it  is,  nevertheless,  a 
truth  born  of  experience  to  state  that  antiseptic  dressings  may  be 
the  means  of  conveying  infection  to  a  wound.  Hence,  the  require- 
ment that  antiseptic  dressings  shall  be  free  from  micro-organisms. 

In  the  list  of  agents  applicable  to  the  disinfection  of  dressing 
materials,  heat  ranks  first  in  germ-destroying  power.  Heated  air  is 
precluded  for  use  with  cotton  and  some  of  the  other  substances  used, 
for  the  reason  that  the  temperature  required  for  efficiency  is  de- 
structive to  the  material.  Heated  air  is  quite  inferior  in  disinfecting 
power  to  boiling  water  and  steam.  Boiling  water  almost  instantly 
destroys  most  forms  of  germ-life  ;  resistant  ^orms  succumb  to  its 
action  in  a  few  minutes. 

Steam,  then,  holds  the  first  place  as  a  practical  agent  for  the  dis- 
infection of  surgical  dressings.  To  be  effective,  it  must  be  saturated 
(unmixed  with  air).  Saturated  or  streaming  steam  circulating  under 
moderate  pressure  reaches  the  efficiency  and  gives  the  results  at- 
tained in  boiling. 

Practical  Application. — Having  passed  in  review  some  of  the  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  the  preparation  of  surgical  dressings,  fitted  to 
fulfil  the  requirements  of  surgery,  we  can  best  gain  an  impression 
as  to  their  practical  application  by  a  brief  review  of  the  methods 
instituted  by  the  author,  which  are  now  in  working  operation  in  the 
laboratories   of  Johnson  &  Johnson,  at  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 

The  buildings  set  apart  for  this  work  were  built  for  this  special 
purpose — made  plain  and  tight  to  exclude  dirt.  They  are  admira- 
bly situated  away  from  busy  and  dusty  streets.  For  miles  on  either 
side  stretches  river  and  meadow-land,  securing  an  almost  dustless 
atmosphere.  In  fitting  up  the  rooms  in  which  the  manipulations 
take  place,  the  ideas  kept  in  view  were  the  exclusion  of  bacteria, 
easiness  of  keeping  clean. 

The  walls  and  ceilings  are  glass-smooth.     The  floors  are  filled  and 


'"'^jkiZl'/.m^-}  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  31 

polished.  There  are  no  closets  or  shelving,  no  cracks  or  crevices  to 
harbor  dust  or  dirt.  The  furniture  consists  of  glass-topped  tables 
with  iron  frame,  allowing  effectual  and  easy  cleansing.  The  princi- 
pal part  of  the  work  is  done  in  the  '•  aseptic  room,"  so  called  be- 
cause all  things  within  it  are  at  all  times  kept  surgically  clean. 
The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  rules  governing  this  room  : 

"  Kverything  outside  of  this  room,  everybody  and  everything  passing 
into  this  room  from  the  outside  are  to  be  regarded  as  infected  until  subjected  to 
special  cleansing  operations. 

"  Everything  required  for  use  in  this  room,  or  being  brought  in,  must  be  ster- 
ilized according  to  the  prescribed  rules. 

"  All  cleaning,  sweeping  and  dusting  must  be  done  at  the  close  of  the  day's 
work.  Tools,  apparatus,  towels,  aprons,  aseptible  clothing,  etc.,  are  to  be  ster- 
ilized in  the  sterilizing  chambers.  The  floor  must  be  well  moistened  before 
sweeping  ;  dusting  must  be  done  with  damp  cloths.  -Xfter  sweeping  and  dust- 
ing, the  covers  upon  the  tables  must  remain  for  at  least  eight  hours. 

"As  often  as  may  be  necessary,  the  entire  wood  and  iron  work  of  the  room 
must  be  washed  with  soap  and  water,  then  with  antiseptic  solutions  ;  the 
room  closed  and  fumigated  with  sulphur  and  steam." 

FJverything,  whatsoever  may  be  its  nature  or  history  outside  of 
this  room,  is  considered  as  infected  (though,  in  fact,  it  may  be  free 
from  germ  life) ;  it  is,  therefore,  disinfected  before  being  taken  into 
the  room.  The  entrance  to  this  room  is  through  an  ante-room, 
which  is  a  disinfecting  station  of  the  highest  type.  Through  this 
quarantine  all  persons  and  things  pass  before  entering  the  aseptic 
room.  The  persons  who  operate  in  this  room  are  under  charge  of 
graduate  surgical  nurses. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  rules  in  force  show  the  methods 
adopted  for  securing  personal  cleanliness  : 

"  Kvery    person    before  entering  the   aseptic  room  must    jmi    on  the  jr*-- 
scribe<l  washable  garments  (flowers,  ornaments,  jewelry,  etc.,  must  !>«  remove 
They  must  thoroughly  wash  and  scrub  their  hands,  forearms  and  face  according 
to  the  prescribed  rules. 

"  //and  Disin/t-ctioH. — (i)  Scrub  hands,  face  and  forearms  in  a  solution  of 
ammonia  and  soap  with  a  disinfected  brush.  By  the  aid  of  a  knife  or  niijl- 
cleaner,  scrape  all  particles  under  the  nails  and  on  the  margins. 

"  (2)  Wash  again  m  ammonia  and  soap  solution,  then  rinse  in  clean  hui  \%.iict 
and  dry  on  a  sterilized  towel." 

After  this  preliminary  washing,  operatives  must  pa.ss  at  once  into 
the  aseptic  room.  Persons  engaged  in  directly  handling  dressings 
must  further  put  on  sterilized  over-drcsscs,  caps,  sleeves,  etc.,  and 
again  wash  their  hands  with  soap  and  ammonia,  rinse  ihcm  in  clean 


32  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  {^"^s'A^y^xm^^ 

water  without  drying,  rinse  in  a  solution  of  oxalic  acid,  finally  in 
soda  and  alcohol  without  drying.  After  this  washing,  only  such 
objects  as  have  been  cleansed  and  sterilized  must  be  handled  unless 
the  hands  are  rewashed.  If  for  any  reason  there  is  cause  to  leave 
the  room,  the  sterilized  garments  must  be  taken  off,  and  then,  before 
re-entering,  both  the  preliminary  and  final  washing  be  again  per- 
formed. Tracing  the  history  of  a  yard  of  gauze  on  its  way  through 
these  rooms,  its  course  would  be  somevv^hat  as  follows  :  It  is  first  ren- 
dered absorbent  and  bleached  (in  an  adjoining  department)  and  arrives 
at  the  ante-room  to  be  made  into  dressings.  The  jars  in  which  it  will 
be  packed,  with  their  tops,  fastenings,  etc.,  are  brought  to  the  same 
point  from  a  bath  in  hot  soda  solution.  If  the  gauze  is  to  be  im- 
pregnated with  antiseptics,  it  is  done  in  this  outer  or  ante-room. 
The  gauze,  the  containers,  labels  and  all  things  pertaining  thereto 
next  pass  into  the  sterilizing  chamber.  This  chamber  forms  a  part 
of  the  dividing  wall  between  the  ante-room  and  the  aseptic  room. 
The  chamber  is  rectangular  in  form,  large  enough  to  hold  a  wagon- 
load  of  goods.  It  is  constructed  with  thick  walls  made  of  metal, 
asbestos  and  other  non-conducting  material.  The  interior  is  lined 
with  steam-pipe  radiators  for  producing  heated  air  within  the  cham- 
ber. Doors  to  the  chamber  open  at  both  ends,  one  into  the  ante- 
room and  the  other  into  the  aseptic  room.  These  doors  are  steam- 
tight  and  held  in  place  by  ratchet  screws. 

The  chambers  are  fitted  with  steam  supply  and  escape  connec- 
tions, gauges  for  pressure  and  vacuum,  safety  valves,  exhaust  valves, 
etc.  Cars  of  iron  with  trays  carry  the  articles  to  be  treated.  Sup- 
ply pipes  controlled  by  valves  admit  live  steam  to  the  interior  of  the 
chamber.  The  actions  involved  in  the  operations  within  the  cham- 
ber are : 

{a)  Preliminary  warming  of  the  materials  to  prevent  condensa- 
tion. 

[U)  Removal  of  air. 

{c)  Circulation  of  saturated  steam  unmixed  with  air  under  press- 
ure through  every  fibre  of  the  material,  subjecting  them  to  the 
highest  possible  action  of  this  agent. 

{d)  Subsequent  exhaustion  of  steam  and  substitution  of  heated 
air. 

After  the  gauze  passes  into  this  chamber,  the  doors  are  closed 
and  it  then  becomes  a  hot-air  chamber.     The  air  is  then  exhausted. 


^"jkirry^S^""-}  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  33 

to  a  vacuum  of  lo  or  12  pounds;  saturated  streaming  steam  is  then 
let  in;  the  temperature  soon  rises  to  possibly  240°  F.,  and  the  press- 
ure gauge  indicates  5  or  10  pounds.  The  steam  pipes  are  now 
closed  ;  the  vacuum  pump  is  again  started  until  the  proper  vacuum 
is  obtained. 

Again  steam  is  turned  on,  and  so  on,  in  turn,  currents  of  satur- 
ated steam  follow  each  other  through  the  vacuum  for  from  one  to 
two  hours.  Every  part  of  the  chamber  is  penetrated,  every  fibre  is 
subjected  to  the  action  of  this  highest  of  bactericides.  The  most 
resistant  form  of  germ  life  must  be  reached  and  destroyed.  From 
the  sterilizing  chamber  the  gauze  passes  directly  into  the  aseptic 
room.  In  this  room,  all  persons,  tables  and  apparatus  having  been 
previously  prepared,  the  dressings  are  cut,  folded  and  packed  in  the 
jars,  the  covers  laid  on  loosely. 

(A  large  portion  of  this  work  is  done  by  apparatus,  to  avoid 
touching  with  the  hands.) 

This  work  is  rapidly  performed,  and  the  filled  jars  returned  to 
the  sterilizing  chambers  for  a  re-sterilization.  This  final  steriliza- 
tion effectually  secures  absolute  safety  against  the  remote  possibility 
of  infection  by  handling.  After  this  final  sterilization  the  jar  seals 
are  locked.  For  dressings  packed  in  jars,  this  process  is  one  of 
hermetic  sealing,  a  partial  vacuum  having  been  formed  within  the 
jars  during  their  heating  and  cooling.  The  finished  dressings  now 
pass  on  to  be  labelled,  put  in  cartoons  and  made  ready  for  shipment. 

These  same  chambers  are  utilized  for  disinfection  with  formalde- 
hyde vapors,  the  process  being :  first  heating  oC  the  chambers,  ex- 
haustion of  the  air,  filling  the  chamber  with  formaldehyde  vapors, 
which  penetrate  every  portion  of  the  material ;  finally,  exhaustion  of 
the  formaldehyde  vapors,  which  are  in  turn  replaced  with  heated  air. 

Sterilization  Tests. — The  effectiveness  of  sterilization  procedures 
can  be  readily  confirmed. 

In  the  writer's  laboratory  the  practice  is  substantially  as  follows  : 
A  portion  of  the  dressing  material  (for  example,  a  piece  of  gauze) 
is  impregnated  with  an  infected  nutrient  fluid.  The  thus  infected 
material  is  then  dried  in  air,  that  the  organisms  may,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, be  placed  in  a  resistant  condition.  As  a  check  cxijcrimcnt,  a 
portion  of  this  infected  and  dried  material  is  placed  in  sterilized 
nutrient  jelly  in  the  culture  chamber.  This  is  done  to  ascertain 
whether  the  test  material  has  surelv  been  infected.     The  remaining 


34  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  {^'^aJf^^^ySr- 

portion  of  the  infected  material  is  then  passed  through  the  steriliza- 
tion process,  care  being  taken  that  it  passes  through  like  conditions 
as  would  the  sterilized  dressings. 

In  the  case  of  gauze  or  cotton,  the  writer's  practice  is  to  wrap 
the  test  material  in  the  centre  of  the  package. 

In  testing  catgut  ligatures,  the  ligatures  are  moistened  and 
untwisted  ;  the  infected  material  is  then  rolled  up  within  the  tissue 
and  dried.  After  the  infected  material  has  passed  through  the 
sterilization  processes,  it  is  placed  in  nutrient  media  in  a  culture 
chamber.  After  a  suitable  time  (at  least  three  days)  if  a  growth  is 
found  in  the  check  experiment,  we  are  certain  that  our  test  material 
was  infected.  If  no  growth  has  taken  place  in  the  infected  material, 
that  has  passed  through  the  sterilization  processes,  we  are  certain 
that  sterilization  has  been  complete  in  all  the  dressings.  This  con- 
clusion needs  no  verification.  The  dressings  have  been  prepared 
and  sterilized  by  methods  which  exclude  contamination.  If  a  cer- 
tain portion  of  material  purposely  infected,  in  passing  through  the 
sterilization  process  with  them,  is  rendered  sterile,  it  is  conclusive 
proof  that  the  whole  of  the  dressings  cannot  fail  to  be  sterile  and 
aseptic. 

The  above  method  of  procedure  applies  particularly  to  dressings 
containing  no  chemical  antiseptic.  Where  the  dressings  are  so 
impregnated,  the  process  is  varied  as  follows  : 

To  avoid  the  restraining  influence  of  the  antiseptic  upon  the 
growth  of  the  test  organism,  portions  of  the  infected  material,  after 
passing  through  the  sterilization  processes,  are  placed  in  quite  a 
large  body  of  liquid  nutrient  media,  which  is  shaken  to  dilute  the 
antiseptic  below  its  normal  antiseptic  potency;  to  carry  this  dilution 
still  farther,  a  few  drops  from  the  first  dilution  are  passed  on  to  a 
second  tube  of  culture  media. 

It  has  been  found  in  the  use  of  antiseptics  that  enough  may 
adhere  to  the  organism  (especially  to  spores)  to  restrain  develop- 
ment, though  not  destroying  their  vitality.  This  is  obviated  even 
in  the  use  of  strong  solutions  of  an  antiseptic  by  the  dilution  above 
mentioned. 

In  testing  with  antiseptics  the  test  material  is  kept  under  a  culti- 
vation for  at  least  a  week.  Development  is  often  so  retarded  by 
the  antiseptic  tending  to  make  hasty  conclusions  erroneous.  In 
these  tests  with  antiseptics,  liquefied  flesh— peptone— gelatine  of 
Koch  is  usually  employed. 


^"^aiully^mr}  Modern   Surgical  Dressings.  35 

Where  no  antiseptic  has  been  employed,  sterihzed  potatoes  and 
other  soHd  media  have  been  found  convenient. 

The  required  test  is  the  presence  or  absence  of  a  growth  which 
will  liquefy  solid  media  or  produce  form,  color  or  odor  characteristic 
of  bacterial  colonies. 

This  is  verified  when  deemed  necessary  by  a  microscopical  exami- 
nation. In  surgical  bacteriology,  the  bacillus  of  anthrax  is  used  as  the 
standard  test  organism  ;  whatever  will  destroy  the  vitality  of  this 
bacillus  will  destroy  all  the  known  organisms  of  wound  infection. 

Who  Should  Make  Surgical  Dressings. — In  the  past,  dressing 
materials  were  largely  the  product  of  domestic  industry  and  convict 
labor.  We  could  not  now  tolerate  supplies  from  such  disease- 
breeding  sources.  In  recent  discussions  by  surgical  authorities,  the 
question  has  been  raised  as  to  the  relative  fitness  of  the  surgeon, 
the  pharmacist  and  the  manufacturer  as  makers  and  purveyors  of 
surgical  materials. 

The  apostle  of  modern  surgery  manufactured  "  Lister's  Gauze  " 
in  his  own  kitchen.  Sir  Joseph's  kitchen  is  doubtless  a  more  fitting 
place  for  such  work  than  is  the  office  of  many  of  his  followers. 
Doctors'  offices  are  not,  as  a  rule,  the  most  wholesome  spots.  Their 
upholstered  furniture  is  in  constant  contact  with  the  clothing  and 
persons  of  patients  carrying  infections  of  ever)'  name  and  kind. 
Their  tapestried  carpets  are  filled  with  dust  brought  from  pest-laden 
households.  In  the  doctor's  ofifice  we  will  find  that  tables,  shelves, 
books  and  apparatus  are  spattered  with  debris  from  urinal  examina- 
tions, pus  from  foul  sores,  dried  excretions  from  diseased  skin, 
pathological  tissue,  clotted  blood  and  dried  discharges  from  innumer- 
able sources. 

Streams  of  infectious  matter  continually  pour  into  the  rooms  ot 
the  busy  doctor  and  find  a  lodging-place  in  its  paraphernalia.  The 
unfitness  of  such  surroundings  for  the  production  of  surgically  clean 
dressings  is  evident. 

I  claim  for  the  American  physician  the  highest  of  honors.  I  all 
but  reverence  the  skill  and  genius  of  the  American  surgeon  ;  but 
before  I  would  attempt  to  prepare  aseptic  dressings  in  their  offices, 
I  should,  in  most  cases,  require  that  they  be  first  cleansed  and  disin- 
fected upon  the  lines  adopted  by  health  authorities  for  the  purifica- 
tion of  infected  premises. 

A  certain  hospital  claims  that  its  operating  room  is  ••  the  cleanest 


36  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  {"'^  January,  ist?™* 

place  in  the  world."  All  hospitals  have  not  earned  such  a  title. 
Many  of  them  are  attached  to  medical  colleges  where  students  and 
professors  gather  fresh  from  the  dispensary  clinic,  from  visits  to 
infected  houses,  from  dissecting  rooms,  from  hundreds  of  sources 
of  contagion. 

Clinging  to  their  persons  and  clothing  may  be  found  particles 
rich  in  pyogenic  and  pathogenic  bacteria.  In  hospitals,  the  aggre- 
gation of  infectious  organisms  cannot  be  avoided.  Formerly,  they 
were  •'  hot-beds  of  infection."  Now  dangers  are  excluded  only 
by  the  most  rigorous  procedures. 

When  dressings  are  prepared  by  the  pharmacist,  the  work  is 
generally  performed  in  the  drug  store  back  room.  This  place 
comes  far  short  of  the  conditions  known  as  surgical  cleanliness. 
The  chemically  clean  graduate  is  still  unclean  in  the  eye  of  the  sur- 
geon. Counters  covered  with  vegetable  and  animal  drugs  of  all 
kinds  are  not  suitable  places  upon  which  to  lay  absorbent  gauze. 
Street  and  store  dust,  spatterings  of  syrups,  extracts,  oils,  and  all 
manner  of  decoctions,  create  a  favorable  lodging-  and  breeding-place 
for  organic  life.  These  are  not  wanted  in  surgical  dressings.  The 
pharmacist,  though  ordinarily  clean  in  person  and  habits,  familiar 
with  soap  and  water  in  the  pursuit  of  his  calling,  yet  he  is  far  from 
aseptic.  Like  the  physician,  he  is  constantly  in  contact  with  infec- 
tion through  the  person  of  his  patrons. 

The  hands  that  dispense  beef  tea  at  the  soda  counter,  or  that 
bring  a  jar  from  a  mouldy  cellar,  should  not  touch  sterilized  mate- 
rial without  cleansing.  Thus  there  must  be  a  radical  change  of 
environment  before  the  pharmacist  can  attain  success  in  aseptic 
technique,  though  he  may,  perhaps,  rightfully  claim  conditions  and 
facilities  that  are  above  those  of  the  ordinary  physician. 

The  facilities  of  the  manufacturer,  whose  whole  organization  is 
adapted  to  the  production  of  surgical  dressings,  are  certainly  more 
perfect  than  those  of  the  surgeon,  to  whom  such  work  is  incidental. 
The  environment  of  a  room  from  which  pathogenic  organisms  and 
septic  matters  are  entirely  excluded  is  superior  to  that  obtained  in 
the  hospital  or  in  the  doctor's  office.  The  room  in  which  no  work 
is  undertaken  except  the  handling  of  aseptic  material  will  certainly 
be  more  nearly  surgically  clean  than  one  to  which  infection  has 
constant  access.  Persons  whose  only  calling  is  that  of  preparing 
surgical   ma'erial,  who  have  been  schooled  in  the  principles  under- 


^fkiulry^'t^"''}  Modern  Surgical  Dressings.  37 

lying  the  infection  and  disinfection  of  dressings,  are  probably  more 
competent  to  handle  dressings  than  the  doctor's  student  or  his 
attendants,  to  whom  such  work  is  of  necessity  relegated.  In  this 
work,  as  in  many  other  instaiices,  properly  constructed  apparatus  is 
more  efficient,  more  cleanly,  more  perfect,  than  hand  work. 

Further,  an  organization  devoted  exclusively  to  the  manufacture 
of  dressings,  once  having  the  details  arranged  to  prepare  a  yard  of 
dressing,  can  produce  any  number  of  yards  more  perfectly  than  if 
done  as  occasion  may  require,  as  is  the  rule  in  the  hospital  or  in 
private  practice. 

To  the  manufacturer  and  dispensing  pharmacist  is  due  the  credit 
of  having  made  possible  the  universal  application  of  the  principles 
of  modern  surgery.  They  have  supplied  to  the  practitioner  in  the 
most  remote  regions  appliances  as  perfect  as  those  used  in  the  great 
hospital  centres.  They  have  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  practitioner 
appliances  that  fulfil  every  requirement  of  the  advanced  art  of 
surgery. 

I  hold  that  the  preparation,  selling  and  dispensing  of  medicinal 
and  surgical  supplies  to  the  doctor,  to  the  surgeon  and  to  the  pub 
lie  belong  to  pharmacy.  Their  application  is  the  province  of  the 
practitioner  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  I  maintain  that  it  will  be 
to  the  betterment  of  surgery  to  receive  all  dressing  materials  from 
the  hands  of  a  competent  pharmacist. 

Training  for  the  Work. — It  is  important  that  persons  who  are  to 
handle  surgical  dressings  in  any  capacity  be  familiar  with  the  prin- 
ciples as  well  as  the  details  of  the  work.  They  should  also  know 
why  things  are  done  as  well  as  how  to  do  them.  The  principles  of 
surgical  asepsis  are  applicable  to  the  dispensing  and  sale  of  these 
materials.  Therefore,  the  following  epitome  oi  a  course  in  aseptic 
technique,  devised  for  use  in  the  writer's  laboratory,  may  be  found 
useful  to  many  pharmacists. 

In  addition  to  the  daily  manual  training  under  experienced  per- 
sons, the  operatives  are  required  to  attend  stated  instructions. 
These  instructions  are  in  the  form  of  demonstrations  of  the  processes, 
with  an  explanation  of  the  principles  involved.  Those  in  attend- 
ance are  given  questions  to  be  answered  and  experiments  to  per- 
form. Text  and  reference  books  are  furnished.  The  scheme  is 
modeled  upon  the  plan  of  a  college  extension  course.  Among  the 
subjects  are  the  following  : 


38  Modern  Surgical  Dressijigs.  {^  January ^isgr.""' 

( i)  The  work  of  preparing  surgical  materials,  its  importance,  its  requirements. 

(2)  Definition  and  meaning  of  terms. 

(3)  Nature  of  the  material  used  in  dressings.     (Fibres,  cloth,  ligatures,  etc.) 
(4]  Preparation  of  materials,  bleaching,  rendering  absorbent,  etc. 

(5)  Kinds  of  dressings  used  in  modern  surgical  practice. 

(6)  Uses  to  which  dressings  are  put  in  surgery. 

(7)  Bacteria,  their  nature,  conditions  of  growth,  multiplication,  products  of 
their  activity,  with  demonstrations  of  the  means  by  which  they  may  be  trans- 
ferred to  and  from  persons  and  things. 

(^S)  Wound  infection. 

(9)  Infection  of  dressings. 

(10)  Disinfection — chemical  agents  and  physical  agents. 

(11)  Exclusion  of  bacteria. 

(12)  Sterilization. 

(13)  Disinfection  of  persons  and  things. 

(14)  Asepsis  and  aseptic  technique  in  the  preparation  of  dressings. 

The  entire  course  in  my  practice  occupies  several  months — in  fact, 
becomes  a  continuous  course,  as  additional  methods  are  constantly 
brought  into  practice. 

Surgical  Dressings  in  Commerce. — Dr.  Gerster,  in  one  of  his  ad- 
dresses, condemned  the  use  of  ready-made  products  as  sold  in  the 
drug  store,  on  the  ground  that  the  gauge  of  success  is  purely  com- 
mercial, only  directed  solely  to  profit. 

Another  writer  affirms  that  the  standard  of  such  dressings  iscom- 
mercial  in  nature,  the  essential  requisite  being  profit,  and  that  they 
must  be  sold  to  meet  competition.  That  in  this  the  requirements 
of  surgery  are  matters  of  indifference  and  generally  matters  of  igno- 
rance. 

These  statements  were  corroborated  in  a  recent  instance  by  a 
druggist  in  one  of  our  large  cities,  who  is  commercially  wise.  He 
stated  that  to  him  quality,  kind  or  make  was  no  factor.  Low  prices 
were  the  sole  criterion  of  value.  Responsibility  hovers  over  every 
field  of  the  pharmacist's  activity  in  dispensing  dressings  ;  we  share 
the  burden  with  the  surgeon.  Whoever  has  stood  beside  the  sur- 
geon in  his  operating  room  and  realized  how  much  depended  on 
not  only  the  hand,  the  training  and  the  skill  of  the  operator,  but  the 
absolute  cleanliness  in  every  movement,  must  realize  that  there 
are  some  things  that  cannot  be  expressed  in  a  money  ratio. 

At  such  a  time  and  in  such  a  place  the  integrity  of  the  dressing 
rises  to  supreme  importance.  Any  neglect  in  its  preparation,  any 
misstep  through  the  ignorance,  cupidity  and  stupidity  of  any  who 


"^'janSafy^'i^'""-}  ModcTH  Suvgical  Drcssiiigs.  39 

have  had  to  do  in  its  history,  is  sure  to  be  revealed.  The  issue  of 
life  or  death  in  such  a  case  should  not  be  subject  to  the  market  rates 
per  pound  or  yard.  What  results  must  follow  the  very  common 
practice  of  dispensers  who  open  packages  of  dressings,  measure  and 
weigh  them  over  dusty  counters  with  unclean  hands,  and  send  them 
on  their  mission  ?  It  would  be  more  humane,  perhaps,  to  send  a 
lethal  dose  of  strychnine.  In  the  light  of  asepsis,  to  dispense  mor- 
phine for  quinine  becomes  a  virtue  when  compared  with  the  wilful 
contamination  of  a  surgical  dressing. 

Poisons  are  put  under  lock  and  key,  dispensed  under  rigid  sys- 
tems of  precaution  and  checking. 

The  importance  of  the  surgical  dressing,  the  nature  of  its  re- 
quirements, call  for  equal  care.  There  is  no  article  in  the  druggist's 
stock  which  should  receive  greater  care  and  judgment.  Upon  every 
yard  of  gauze,  sponge  or  ligature  he  dispenses  hangs,  perhaps,  the  life 
and  death  of  a  patient  and  the  reputation  of  a  surgeon.  They  should 
be  guarded  from  every  chanrtel  of  direct  or  indirect  infection. 

A  closet  or  a  room,  or  a  case  should  be  provided  for  their  recep- 
tion that  is  cleanable  ;  it  should  be  cleaned  often  and  kept  clean. 
They  should  be  sold  within  the  containers  in  which  they  are  packed 
in  their  preparation.  They  should  never  be  broken  open  for  sale  or 
for  any  other  purpose.  They  should  be  delivered  to  the  surgeon  so 
perfect  that  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  their  integrity,  placmg 
all  the  responsibility  for  their  subsequent  care  in  his  hands.  In 
dispensing  to  the  public,  every  purchaser  should  be  cautioned 
as  to  their  nature  and  instructed  in  their  handling  and  use.  The 
price  should  meet  the  cost  of  the  dressing  plus  a  profit  which  will 
cover  this  service  of  advice,  trouble  and  care. 

Ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  100,000  physicians  in  our  land  who 
apply  these  principles  of  surgery  must  look  to  the  pharmacist  for 
their  dressing  materials.  In  filling  this  demand,  the  pharmacist 
should  supply  such  materials  as  will  meet  the  highest  surgical  re- 
quirements. As  far  as  the  dressing  is  a  factor,  the  surgeon  at  the 
country  cross-roads,  by  the  aid  of  the  pharmacist,  should  be  enabled 
to  reach  the  advanced  methods  of  the  metropolitan  clinic. 

To  attain  this  end  in  the  making,  in  the  buying,  in  the  sale  and  in 
the  dispensing,  even  to  the  most  minute  detail,  there  is  required 
knowledge,  skill,  ability  and  finally  a  faithful  application  of  the  same. 


40  Analysis  of  the  Bark  of  Honey  Locust,  {^"^-^l^l^y^^^!^' 

CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS    OF   THE   BARK  OF    HONEY 
LOCUST,  GLEDITSCHIA  TRIACANTHOS. 

Bv  Louis  P.  Carstens,  Ph.G. 

Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia   College  of 

Pharmacy.    No.  i6o. 

The  specimen  analyzed   was   obtained   in  central    Pennsylvania. 
The  results  of  the  analysis  were  as  follows  : 

Petroleum  Ether  Extract : 

Per  Cent. 

Fat,  wax,  etc 1*38 

Ether  Extract: 

Resin,  1*15  per  cent. ;  organic  acid,  etc IT7 

Absolute  Alcohol  Extract  : 

Resin,  097  per  cent.;  alkaloid,  etc i  62 

Water  Extract: 

Glucose,  o'63  per  cent;   saccharose,  0*57  per  cent.;  mucilage, 

2"o8  per  cent;  dextrin,  i'92  per  cent.;  etc 6'5i 

Alkaline  Water  Extract: 

Pectin  and  albuminoids,  4*84  per  cent. ;  etc 13*68 

Acidulated  Water  Extract: 

Pararabin,  etc 3-62 

Lignin 11-76 

Cellulose 42-42 

Moisture c-jq 

Ash yoo 

Loss  and  undetermined c-y^ 

'^Otal lOQ-QO 

The  a.sh  contained  potassium,  calcium,  aluminum  and  ferric  iron, 
as  chlorides,  sulphates,  carbonates  and  phosphates. 

Starch,  tannin  and  glucosides  were  not  present. 

To  obtain  more  of  the  organic  acid  and  the  alkaloid,  which  were 
indicated  in  the  proximate  analysis,  for  further  examination,  about 
500  grammes  of  the  ground  bark  were  percolated  with  95  per  cent, 
alcohol.  After  reducing  the  percolate  to  a  small  bulk  by  distilla- 
tion, it  was  diluted  with  about  five  times  its  bulk  of  distilled  water, 
distinctly  acidified  with  hydrochloric  acid,  and  the  mixture  filtered. 
After  agitating  the   filtrate  with  chloroform,  it  was  made  alkaline 


^"ammryfi^sir}  Aualysis  of  tkc  Burk  of  Honey  Locust.  41 

with  sodium  hydrate  and  again  agitated  with  this  solvent.  The 
chloroformic  layers  were  allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously.  The 
residues  were  dissolved  in  alcohol,  but  failed  to  crystallize  on  spon- 
taneous evaporation.  The  test  solutions  for  alkaloids  were  then 
applied  to  the  residue  from  the  chloroform  shaken  with  the  alkaline 
solution,  with  the  following  results: 

Potassium  tri-iodide,  no  precipitate. 
Mayer's  solution,  precipitate. 
Gold  chloride,  precipitate. 
Phospho-tuugstic  acid,  precipitate. 
Picric  acid,  precipitate. 
Platinic  chloride,  precipitate. 
Tannic  acid,  no  precipitate. 

Two  and  one-half  kilogrammes  of  the  bark,  when  operated  on  in 
the  manner  described  above,  furnished  a  larger  quantity  of  this 
principle.  The  residue  obtained  upon  evaporating  the  chloroform 
was  dissolved  in  absolute  alcohol,  and  the  solution  filtered  through 
animal  charcoal.  The  filtrate  yielded  crystals  of  the  principle  when 
allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously.  The  following  reagents  were 
applied  to  these  crystals  on  a  porcelain  surface : 

Sulphuric  acid,  dark-red  color. 

Sulphuric  and  nitric  acids,  brownish-red  color. 

Sulphuric  acid  and  potassium  bichromate,  dark-brown  color. 

Nitric  acid,  brownish-red  color. 

Gold  chloride,  brown  color. 

When  the  crystals  were  heated  with  soda-lime,  ammonia  was 
evolved. 

The  substance,  removed  from  the  acid  filtrate  by  shaking  it  with 
chloroform,  was  dissolved  in  absolute  alcohol,  but  failed  to  crystal- 
lize on  spontaneous  evaporation.  Dissolved  in  water  it  gave  pre- 
cipitates with  the  following  reagents  for  organic  acids: 

Lead  acetate,  yellow  precipitate. 
Silver  nitrate,  dark  precipitate. 
Ferric  chloride,  black  precipitate. 
Potassium  bichromate,  brown  precipitate. 
Gold  chloride,  black  precipitate. 


France  finds  her  Algerian  cork  oaks  a  convenient  and  sali^faclory  source  of 
direct  revenue.  According  to  a  recent  official  bulletin,  the  department  of 
Algiers  contains  65,000  acres  of  cork  trees  in  the  hands  of  the  Government. — 
The  Forester. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


42  Alcohol  in  tJic  Titration  of  Alkaloids.    {^^anuaryfS 

ALCOHOL  AS  A  SOURCE  OF  ERROR  IN  THE  TITRATION 
OF  ALKALOIDS  AND  ALKALOIDAL  RESIDUES. 

By  Chas.  Caspari,  Jr. 

In  August  last,  the  writer  presented  a  paper  on  the  above  sub- 
ject at  the  Montreal  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, but  not  content  with  the  results  detailed  therein,  decided,  upon 
his  return  home,  to  investigate  the  matter  more  fully  with  the  view 
of  presenting  a  second  paper  on  the  same  subject  at  the  next  annual 
meeting.  Such  a  paper  has  been  made  unnecessary  by  the  publica- 
tion of  an  article,  written  by  Mr.  L.  F.  Kebler,  in  the  December, 
1896,  issue  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  wherein  is 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  strictly  pure  alcohol  does  not  interfere 
appreciably  with  the  titration  of  acids  by  alkalies  in  the  presence  of 
color  indicators,  except  in  the  case  of  methyl  orange  and  a  few 
others.  Having  carried  out  a  series  of  titrations  with  strictly  pure 
alcohol  prepared  by  himself,  using  haematoxylin,  Brazil  wood  and 
cochineal  as  indicators,  the  writer  desires  herewith  to  corroborate 
the  statements  made  by  Mr.  Kebler,  that  satisfactory  results  can  be 
obtained  with  such  alcohol  quite  as  well  as  with  water. 

The  writer,  in  his  paper  (see  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
September,  1896,  p.  473),  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  alcohol 
and  absolute  alcohol,  as  available  in  the  market,  exercise  a  decided 
influence  on  color  indicators  and  may  prove  the  fruitful  source  of 
error  in  volumetric  work,  the  statement  being  supported  by  a  large 
number  of  tabulated  results  obtained  in  actual  work.  This  was 
probably  the  first  time  that  attention  had  been  publicly  called  to 
this  matter,  and  inquiry  made  at  the  time  of  several  leading  phar- 
macists and  chemists  failed  to  elicit  any  information  or  experimental 
data.  The  absolute  alcohol  used  in  the  writer's  experiments  last 
summer  and  stated  to  have  a  slight  alkaline  reaction  was  of  E.  R. 
Squibb  &  Sons'  manufacture,  and  taken  from  a  fresh  bottle.  That 
the  error  liable  to  occur  from  the  use  of  commercial  alcohol  will 
be  greater  or  less  in  proportion  to  the  impurities  present  in  the 
alcohol  is,  of  course,  true,  and  the  question  arises  :  Has  strictly 
pure  alcohol  always  been  used  in  volumetric  work,  and  have 
analysts  been  in  the  habit  of  preparing  it  specially  for  such 
work,  the  market  (at  least  to  the  writer's  knowledge)  not  pro- 
viding   the  article?     The    chairman   of   the    Committee    on    Indi- 


^'january^'isyf.'"}    AlcohoUti  the  Titration  of  Alkaloids.  43 

cators  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  Mr.  Kebler, 
in  his  instructions  to  the  committee  last  winter,  directed  the  use  of 
alcohol,  but  failed  to  note  his  experience  of  eighteen  months  ago 
{see  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1896,  p.  667),  nor  did  he 
caution  the  members  against  the  use  of  commercial  alcohol.  Did 
he  assume  that  all  would  use  strictly  pure  alcohol,  and  did  he  use 
such  alcohol  in  his  own  work  done  for  the  committee?  This  fact 
should  have  been  noted  in  the  committee's  report. 

The  explanation  offered  in  the  writer's  paper  for  the  peculiar 
behavior  of  alcohol,  on  the  basis  of  electrolytic  dissociation,  was 
made  on  the  assumption  that  high-grade  commercial  alcohol,  known 
as  cologne  spirit,  could  scarcely  be  so  impure  as  to  account  for  the 
great  disturbance  observed,  especially  as  the  alcohol  employed  cor- 
responded quite  well  with  pharmacopoeial  requirements,  and  since 
Ostwald  has  directed  attention  to  the  action  of  alcohol  on  color 
indicators.  Even  now,  when  using  strictly  pure  alcohol,  the  writer 
has  observed  that  in  a  mixture  of  only  alcohol  and  indicator  a  much 
larger  (two  to  four  fold)  quantity  of  alkali  solution  is  required  for 
the  characteristic  reaction  than  in  a  mixture  of  only  distilled  water 
and  indicator;  moreover,  the  same  peculiar  behavior  towards 
tropjuolin  was  observed  as  recorded  in  the  writer's  paper,  for  50 
c.c.  strictly  pure  alcohol  with  3  drops  of  a  very  sensitive  tropxolin 
solution  failed  to  show  a  decided  acid  reaction  after  addition  of  45 
c.c.  y^  H^SO^.  This  latter  circumstance,  while  confirming  the  un- 
fitness of  tropaiolin  as  an  indicator  for  alcoholic  titrations,  requires 
further  investigation. 

While  the  writer  regrets  his  misapprehension  of  the  causes  lead- 
ing to  the  observations  mentioned  in  his  paper  of  last  August,  and 
although  the  conclusions  then  arrived  at  have  now  been  shown  to  be 
partly  erroneous,  both  by  experiments  in  his  own  hands  and  by  the 
recently  published  reports  of  Mr.  Kebler,  one  good  result  has  at 
least  been  obtained,  namely,  to  show  the  wholly  unreliable  character 
of  commercial  alcohol  for  volumetric  work  and  to  direct  the  attention 
of  pharmacists  and  others  prominently  to  this  fact,  and  to  the  neces- 
sity for  purifying  all  alcohol  intended  for  such  work. 

Baltimore,  December  17,  1896. 


Pharm. 


44  A   Rcsuvic  of  Reairrent   Topics.        { ^TaimryrfioT 

A  RESUME  OF  RECURRENT  TOPICS. 
By  WiIvI^iam  B.  Thompson. 

Tlu  Avoirdupois  of  Odors. — The  ingenious  are  never  idle.  There 
need  be  but  few  lost  moments  to  the  industrious  mind.  The  povver^ 
volume,  weight  of  odors  can  be  relatively  compared,  it  is  claimed, 
by  the  amount  of  organic  matter  obtainable  by  reducing  this  to 
condensation  and  solution.  Dense  and  heavy  odors  must  assail  the 
nerve  filaments  in  our  nasal  organ  with  a  ponderosity  greater  than 
those  of  a  lighter  or  more  ethereal  kind.  Experiments  may  be 
made  by  thoroughly  impregnating  the  warmed  and  dried  air  of  a 
closet  or  compartment  with  a  chosen  odor.  Something  is  certainly 
diffused  when  our  sense  detects.  What  is  it  to  be  thus  appreciable? 
Is  it  organic  matter?  This  being  granted,  it  must  have  weight. 
After  a  prolonged  diffusion  of  the  odor  in  the  air  of  the  closet  or 
room,  it  is  suddenly  filled  with  the  vapor  of  water,  and  finally 
cooled,  when  the  condensate  is  collected.  This  is  to  be  examined 
for  amount  of  organic  matter,  and  comparisons  instituted.  The 
actual  utility  of  this  does  not  appear  except  in  the  light  of  scientific 
interest ;  ordinary  tests  are  all  physical.  We  may,  however,  desire 
to  know  whether  the  volume  of  natural  odor  in  the  plant  species  can 
be  intensified  by  natural  means.  The  power  and  diffusiveness  of 
fragrance  must  have  a  basis  of  considerable  materiality  to  be  so 
permanent  and  enduring.  Does  it  exist  there  as  we  recognize  it,  or 
is  it  not  rather  the  result  of  the  subtle  chemistry  in  which  the  oxygen 
plays  the  most  important  part  ? 

hucainc. — This  new  therapeutic,  similar  to  cocaine,  is  a  laboratory, 
not  a  vegetable,  product.  Sixty-seven  letters  are  required  to  con- 
stitute its  correct  scientific  orthography.  An  abbreviated  prescrip- 
tion for  such  an  article  will  not  be  criticized  for  ambiguity.  The 
derivation  of  eucaine  would  seem  to  invest  it  with  an  antiseptic 
character.  Its  solubility  in  aqueous  media  is  very  free.  It  does  not 
present  that  tendency  to  fermentative  change  or  to  decomposition 
as  many  vegetable  alkaloids  in  solution  are  prone  to  do.  Some  ob- 
servations have  been  made  as  to  the  comparative  toxic  effect 
with  cocaine,  eucaine  being  less,  and  its  onset  and  intensity  less. 
The  pharmaceutical  preparations  will  include  an  ointment,  but  its 
chief  uses  will  be  those  of  a  mydriatic,  and  as  an  anaesthetic  (lO  per 
cent,  solution)  in  minor  dental  surgery.     Its  composition  is  said  to 


^janua/y.^svf."'}        ^   Rc'sumc  of  RcairrcHt    Topics.  45 

be  very  complex,  and  its  preparation  difficult.     The  pharmacology 
of  eucaine,  however,  is  well  worthy  of  attention. 

Resemblance  with  Difference. — The  realm  of  nature  abounds  in 
curious  creations,  and  a  fanciful  imagination  can  help  many  compari- 
sons. But  with  all  these  freaks,  or,  to  be  more  reverent,  designs, 
these  objects  would  almost  seem  to  present  the  appearance  of  art 
assisting  nature.  For  instance,  the  fly-orchis,  Ophrys  muscifera, 
and  the  bee-orchis,  Ophrys  apifera,  produce  flowers,  the  parts  of 
which  bear  a  very  close  resemblance  to  the  body  forms  of  these 
insects  respectively.  Then  we  have,  in  the  mandrake  and  the  gin- 
seng, forms  which  require  very  slight  additions  to  parts  to  complete 
the  figure  of  human  shape.  The  poetic  fancy  has  given  us  a  tradition 
that  the  ploughman  stood  aghast  as  his  blade  threw  upon  the  surface 
the  rooted  mandrake  with  its  human  feet  and  hands  !  Minerals  are 
often  observed  to  possess  outlines  of  figures  which  might  be  mis- 
taken for  exquisite  chiseling. 

Professional  Cotnpensation. — There  seems  to  exist  a  somewhat 
fixed  law  of  compensation  in  almost  all  affairs  except  those  of  hu- 
man agency,  and  even  there,  if  we  look  carefully  into  the  subject, 
will  be  found  causes  for  which  we  ourselves  are  directly  responsible. 
We  honor  the  individual  who  honors  himself;  we  respect  the  man 
who  gives  evidence  of  an  innate  self-respect,  especially  in  a  profes- 
sional character.  That  man  who  degrades  the  value  of  a  prescrip- 
tion down  to  that  point  of  a  commercial  bartering  standard  creates 
a  torment  which  will  return  to  plague  him  all  the  remaining  days  of 
his  business  life.  There  should  be  no  autocratic  rates  on  prescrip- 
tions ;  but  there  should  be  a  just  and  fair  compensation  when  all  the 
elements  of  expense  are  duly  considered.  Some  estimates  have  bet  n 
given  as  to  what  should  be  a  fair  basis  of  calculation  in  attaching 
the  value,  commercially  and  scientifically,  to  a  physician's  prescrip- 
tion. The  value  to  the  patient  may  be  incalculable;  but  this  is 
never  computed.  A  curative  compound  is  of  inestimable  worth  to 
illness,  suffering  and  pain.  And  when  the  compounder  is  justly  re- 
warded for  his  knowledge,  skill  and  science,  what  a  twopenny  com. 
parison  is  the  cost  of  the  remedy  to  the  man's  or  woman's  health, 
strength  and  enjoyment  of  life!  Tliis  is  the  way  in  which  the  public 
should  be  educated  to  view  it.  In  the  meanwhile,  let  no  reputable 
pharmacist  consent  to  gauge  the  value  of  a  presented  prescription 
by  the  price  to  which  some  mercenary  competitor,  some  commercial 


46  A  Rl'suiiii:  of  Recurrent   Topics.        {"^Tanuaryj 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
897. 


apothecary,  whose  existence  is  made  possible  by  our  loose,  lax  laws, 
has  degraded  it  and  himself.  The  value  of  the  service  in  compound^ 
ing  a  prescription,  omitting  the  cost  of  material,  bears  the  just  ratio 
of  50  per  cent,  of  the  price  charged,  yet  what  a  dignified  recompense 
on  a  ten-cent  prescription  ! 

Fruits  and  Juices. — Those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  observing  may 
often  wonder  why  tropical  fruits  are  so  much  less  perishable  than 
those  grown  in  temperate  regions.  The  first  impression  is  that  the 
high  degrees  of  heat  and  the  strong,  direct  light  would  both  con- 
duce to  relaxed  tissue  and  vapid  juice ;  yet  exactly  the  reverse  of 
this  is  true.  The  provision  which  guards  against  this,  and  so  wisely 
adjusts  the  productions  to  the  clime,  is  seen  in  the  structure  of  the 
orange  and  the  lemon.  The  volatile  oil  and  fixed  oils,  which  exist 
in  the  pellicle  of  the  rind,  absorb  and  check  the  penetrative  power 
of  the  heat,  whilst  the  soft,  white  substance,  the  inner  pulpy  coat- 
ing, is  as  good  a  barrier  against  both  cold  and  heat  as  the  fur  on  an 
animal's  body  or  the  soft  down  on  the  bird's  breast.  As  the  result 
of  this  the  orange  species,  when  uninjured  in  the  picking  and  hand- 
ling, can  be  carried,  without  deteriorating,  to  great  distances  and  to 
all  varieties  of  climate. 

How  very  different  is  the  case  with  our  Northern  berries  and 
fruits  !  But  few  of  these,  if  any,  will  keep  their  flavor  for  forty-eight 
hours,  and  none  of  them  retain  their  form  for  any  considerable  dur- 
ation of  time.  Another  curious  and  striking  fact  is  that  the  juices 
of  tropical  fruits  are  all  of  a  cool  temperature  in  the  native  or  natu- 
ral stale,  being  shielded  from  vicissitudes.  The  milky  juice  of  the 
cocoanut  is  of  an  even  temperature,  refreshingly  cool,  being  well 
protected  in  that  dermic  coire,  or  skin,  which  is  between  the  outer 
shell  and  the  meat  of  the  fruit.  Then  again,  our  now  indigenous 
watermelon  gets  an  abundance  of  sweet  juice  and  retains  it,  no  mat- 
ter how  dry  and  arid  may  be  the  soil  of  its  habitat,  the  largest — 
and  much  the  finest — variety  of  these  fruits  being  grown  in  the  In- 
dian Desert,  between  the  valley  of  the  Indus  and  the  Ganges,  where 
not  a  drop  of  water  falls  from  the  clouds  during  the  annual  cycle, 
and  the  rainy  monsoon  often  passes  over  the  region  without  shed- 
ding one  sympathetic  tear  of  moisture  upon  the  parched  soil ;  yet 
the  melon  secures  its  quota  of  sweet,  watery  juice,  and  keeps  it, 
under  its  varnished  rind,  comparatively  cool.  Verily,  before  the 
magic  of  Nature,  the  feats  of  art  and  legerdemain  are  insignificant! 


^janaaryl'ST.'"'}        Cvichotia  Cultivation  iti   Bengal.  47 

CINCHONA  CULTIVATION  IN  BENGAL.^ 

The  Thirty-fourth  Annual  Report  of  the  Cinchona  Plantations  of 
the  Government  of  India  in  British  Sikkim  and  Bhutan  has  lately 
been  submitted  to  the  Ben^^al  Government  by  Dr.  George  King, 
C.I.E.,  F.R.S  ,  Superintendent  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Garden,  Cal- 
cutta, and  of  cinchona  cultivation  in  Bengal,  and  Government  quin- 
ologist. 

The  number  of  trees  uprooted  for  their  bark  during  the  year 
1895-96  was  453,000,  comprising  65,000  of  C.  succirubra,  used  for 
the  manufacture  of  "  G3vernment  Cinchona  Febrifuge,"  and 
388,000  of  the  kinds  which  yield  yellow  or  quinine-producing  bark 
chiefly  hybrid  cinchona  and  Calisaya  ledgeriana,  a  large  proportion 
of  the  trees  uprooted  being  small.  The  number  of  plants  was  in- 
creased during  the  year  by  9,200  hybrids  ;  the  total  census  of  living 
cinchona  plants  at  the  close  of  the  year,  including  nursery  stock, 
was  3,807,701. 

The  crop  collected  during  the  year  amounted  to  467,190  pounds 
of  dry  bark,  consisting  of  53,380  pounds  of  red  and  413,810  pounds 
of  yellow  bark.  The  whole  of  this  crop,  with  the  exception  of 
79^/i  pounds  supplied  to  the  Government  Medical  Stores  Depart- 
ment or  sold  to  Government  institutions,  was  made  over  to  the  cin- 
chona factory  for  manufacture  into  quinine  and  febrifuge.  In  addi- 
lion  to  the  bark  cropped  at  the  Government  plantations,  170,000 
pounds  of  quinine-yielding  bark  was  purchased  from  private  culti- 
vators in  the  district.  Seventy-four  thousand  pounds  of  red  bark, 
worked  up  in  the  factory  during  the  year,  yielded  3,124  pounds  of 
cinchona  febrifuge,  valued  at  Rs.  10  (about  12s.)  per  pound,  and 
from  387,200  pounds  of  yellow  bark,  9,004  pounds  of  quinine  sul- 
phate, valued  at  Rs.  14  (about  i6s.)  per  pound,  were  manufactured. 
An  additional  1,500  pounds  of  quinine  were  purchased  from  the 
quinine  factory  of  the  Madras  Government  at  Ootacamund.in  order 
to  meet  the  greatly  increased  demand  for  the  5-grain  packets,  which 
are  issued  to  the  people  at  all  post-offices  throughout  the  province, 
at  the  rate  of  i  pice  each  (less  than  a  farthing). 

The  total  issue  of  quinine  for  the  year  amounted  to  10,287 
pounds,  an  increase  of  2,725  pounds  on  the  previous  year,  1,145 
pounds  of  this  increase  being  due  to  the  growth  of  the  post-office 

'  niarmaceuticat  Jounial,  October  17,  1896. 


48  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,     {^'^dnZy'^im'^' 

demand  for  pice-packets,  and  937  pounds  issued  on  account  of  the 
Chitral  expedition.  Of  cinchona  febrifuge  there  were  issued  during 
the  year  3,830  pounds,  554  pounds  more  than  in  the  previous  year, 
the  amount  purchased  by  the  pubhc  having  increased  by  194 
pounds,  showing  that  the  preparation  is  held  in  high  estimation  by 
the  pubhc  as  a  cheap  and  rehable  remedy  for  fever,  notwithstanding 
that  cinchonidine  and  cinchonine  can  be  purchased  at  a  cheaper  rate 
in  the  Calcutta  bazaar.  The  febrifuge  is  an  unbleached  quinetum, 
and  represents  the  total  alkaloids  in  the  bark. 

The  net  profit  on  the  year's  operations  amounted  to  Rs.  4,598,  a 
sum  which  Dr.  King  says  would  form  but  a  small  dividend  on  the 
capital  which  has  been  sunk  in  these  plantations  since  they  were 
first  begun.  There  has  not  been  for  many  years,  however,  any 
capital  to  pay  interest  upon,  as  the  cost  of  the  plantations  was 
extinguished  long  ago  by  profits  made  during  the  early  years  of 
the  manufacture  of  cinchona  febrifuge.  As  the  Government  of 
India  desires  only  to  secure  for  the  people,  without  loss  to  itself,  a 
cheap  remedy  for  fever,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal  con- 
siders this  result  entirely  satisfactory.  The  demand  for  quinine  in 
the  popular  5-grain  powders  has  increased  with  such  rapidity  that  it 
has  been  found  necessary  to  limit  the  sale  to  post-offices  in  Bengal 
and  Assam,  and  to  discontinue  the  regular  supply  to  other  prov- 
inces. 

The  acknowledgments  of  Government  are  again  accorded  to 
Dr.  King  and  to  Mr.  G.  Gammie,  the  Deputy  Superintendent,  for 
their   efficient   management    of    the   department   during    the  j^ear. 


RECENT   LITERATURE   RELATING   TO   PHARMACY. 

IODINE  MANUFACTURE  IN  JAPAN.     [Chemist  and  Dvuggist, 

October  2^,  6og.) 
It  is  well  known  that  enormous  quantities  of  seaweed  containing 
iodine  are  gathered  along  the  coasts  of  Japan,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  fact  that  the  manufacture  of  iodine  from  kelp  is  scarcely  profita- 
ble in  view  of  the  competition  of  the  Chilian  product,  Japan  would 
no  doubt  be  one  of  the  principal  iodine-producing  countries.  In 
fact,  even  under  the  present  circumstances,  Japanese  iodine  and 
iodides  find  a  market  locally,  and  have  even  been  seen  in  Eu- 
rope  in  commercial  quantities.     A  proposal  has  now  been  made 


^Tan2"yri8^™'}       Literature  Relating  to  P liar  mac y.  49 

to  the  Japanese  Government  by  certain  native  chemists  that  the 
customs  duty  on  iodine  and  iodides  in  Japan  should  be  increased  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  enable  the  Japanese  industry  to  be  self-support- 
m^. —  TJie  Journal  of  the  Society  of  Chemical  Industry,  Octobtr  ^i , 
iSg6. 

BARIUM    PLATING    CYANIDE. 

The  text-book  way  of  preparing  barium  platino  cyanide  is  to  pass 
gaseous  hydrocyanic  acid  through  a  mixture  of  platinous  chloride 
2  parts  and  barium  carbonate  3  parts,  suspending  in  twice  their 
weight  of  water.  Schertel,  in  a  recent  issue  of  Berichte,  describes  a 
safer  process,  viz. :  Platinum  chloride  is  precipitated  by  hydrogen 
sulphide  at  60°  to  70°  C,  and  the  well-washed  platinum  sulphide  is 
dissolved  in  a  warm  solution  of  potassium  cyanide.  On  evaporation, 
the  potassium  platino  cyanide  (K.^PcCy^3H^O)  crystallizes  out,  and 
equal  parts  of  potassium  sulphide  and  potassium  thiocyanate  remain 
in  the  mother-liquor.  If  a  solution  of  barium  cyanide  be  used,  the 
barium  platino  cyanide  is  obtained,  and  from  this,  by  double  decom- 
position with  uranium  sulphate,  the  platino  cyanide  of  uranium  may 
be  gotten  in  beautiful  crystals. —  The  Chemist  and  Druggist,  October 
J/,  i8g6, 

PKODL'CTION    OF    QUICKSILVER    IN    CALIFORNIA. 

The  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal  (New  York)  states  that 
quicksilver  production  in  California  has  shown  this  year  a  consider- 
able increase,  the  total  receipts  at  San  Francisco  for  the  six  months 
ending  with  June  having  been  18,439  flasks,  a  gain  of  4,743  flasks, 
or  346  per  cent.,  over  the  first  half  of  1895,  and  of  6,033  flasks,  or 
487  per  cent.,  over  1894.  While  these  receipts  gauge  the  rate  of 
production  very  fairly,  they  do  not  give  the  whole  amount,  as  the 
reports  do  not  include  the  quicksilver  sold  directly  from  the  mines, 
nor  that  shipped  from  them  to  the  East  by  rail,  which  does  not 
come  to  San  F'rancisco  at  all. 

The  larger  output  seems  to  have  been  absorbed  without  difficulty. 
In  addition  to  the  greater  demand  from  the  California  mines,  there 
has  been  a  growth  in  exports  very  nearly  corresponding  to  that  in 
the  production.  The  trade  with  China,  which  had  been  suspended 
for  several  years,  has  been  renewed,  and  has  aided  materially  in  dis- 
posing of  the  increased  production — The  Journal  of  the  Society  of 
Chemical  Industry,  October  jr,  rSgd. 


50  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {"^Tanuary.^ 


Am.  Jour.  Pharru. 
1897. 


MAPLE    SUGAR. 

The  Production  of  Maple  Sugar,  G.  H.  Grimm  {Cult,  and  Country 
Gent.,  6 1  (1896).  No.  2247,  p.  146) — The  author  urges  the  neces- 
sity of  absolute  cleanliness  in  everything  connected  with  the  pro- 
cess; the  sap  should  come  in  contact  with  tin  only;  tin  spouts 
should  be  used ;  and  the  buckets  should  be  covered.  The  sap 
should  be  evaporated  as  soon  as  possible  after  it  leaves  the  tree. 
With  suitable  apparatus  a  barrel  of  sap  can  be  converted  into  a  gal- 
lon of  syrup  weighing  1 1  pounds  in  20  minutes.  This  syrup  will  make 
8  pounds  of  sugar.  The  natural  color  of  the  syrup  is  a  translucent 
white  ;  if  it  weighs  less  than  1 1  pounds  per  gallon  it  will  ferment ;  if 
more,  it  will  crystallize.  The  syrup  is  far  superior  to  that  from  re- 
melted  sugar. 

In  putting  it  up  for  the  market  it  should  be  poured  into  tin  cans 
at  83°  C,  and  hermetically  sealed.  It  will  keep  better  in  an  attic 
than  in  a  cellar,  unless  the  cellar  is  very  dry. 

GOLD    AND    SILVER    IN    SEA  WATER. 

Gold  and  silver  in  sea-water  may  not  be  plentiful  enough  to  war- 
rant the  formation  of  limited  companies  to  extract  them,  yet 
those  metals  exist  in  the  ocean  in  appreciable  amounts.  Professor 
A.  Liversidge,  in  a  long  paper  read  before  the  Royal  Society  of 
New  South  Wales  [vide  Chemical  News,  Sept.  18,  et  seq.),  gives  the 
results  of  some  experiments  made  with  the  object  of  determining 
the  amount  of  precious  metal  in  the  sea-water  off  the  coast  of  New 
South  Wales.  The  evidence  obtained  indicated  the  presence  of 
gold  in  the  proportion  of  about  0-5  to  I  grain  per  ton,  or  in  round 
number^  from  1 30  to  260  tons  of  gold  per  cubic  mile.  Assuming  that 
the  cubic  contents  of  the  whole  of  the  ocean  equal  400,000,000  cubic 
miles,  the  above  proportion  would  be  equivalent  to  a  total  amount 
of  100,000,000,000  tons  of  gold.  With  regard  to  silver,  Malaguti 
obtained  00005  S"^-  ^^om  50  litres  of  sea-water,  representing  more 
than  40  tons  per  cubic  mile.  The  metal  sheathings  of  vessels  have 
been  proved  to  remove  both  gold  and  silver  from  sea-water,  that 
from  one  old  trader  yielding  silver,  4  ozs.  15  dwts.  92  grs.,  and  gold, 
I  dwt.  24  grs.  per  ton,  together  with  a  good  deal  of  iodine.  Muntz 
metal  sheathings  from  the  piles  of  wharves  have  also  yielded  con- 
siderable proportions  of  both  gold  and  silver. — Pharmaceutical 
yoidrnal,  October  ly^  i8g6. 


^jan'ryr'^'"-}  Editorial.  51 

EDITORIAL. 

The  sixty-eighth  volume  of  the  Amkricak  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  which 
closed  with  the  December  uumber,  contained  708  pages  of  reading  matter  and 
index,  and  was  the  largest  volume  of  this  journal  ever  issued.  It  is  but  justice 
to  our  contributors  to  say  that  we  believe  the  quality  of  the  reading  matter  has 
never  been  excelled  in  previous  volumes.  Many  of  the  papers  called  for  illus- 
trations, and  the  call  was  liberally  answered  by  the  publishing  committee,  so 
that  every  number  contained  one  or  more  illustrated  papers. 

The  present  issue  opens  the  sixty-ninth  volume  with  an  array  of  original 
matter,  which  we  have  no  hesitation  in  designating  as  highly  meritorious. 
Mr.  Maiden's  paper  on  red  gum  is  one  of  the  first  published  in  this  country 
oi  that  subject.  Mr.  Rittenhouse's  contribution  on  the  present  sources  of  lico- 
rice root  contains  information  derived  from  first  hands  ;  and  Mr.  LaWall's 
article  calling  attention  to  a  new  and  easily  detected  sophistication  of  Japan 
wax  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  It  is  no  detraction  from  the  other  papers 
that  they  are  not  mentioned  here,  yet  we  cannot  refrain  from  especially  calling 
attention  to  the  address  by  Mr.  Kilmer  on  modern  surgical  dressings,  in  which 
the  pharmacist  will  find  information  about  the  dispensing  of  these  commodi- 
ties which  should  cause  him  to  redouble  his  vigilance  in  the  direction  of  clean- 
liness, and  encourage  him  to  insist  on  the  physician  ordering  such  quantities 
as  to  enable  the  dressings  to  be  dispensed  without  danger  of  their  becoming 
infected. 

THE    PATENT    MEDICINE    AI.MANAC. 

This  is  the  season  of  the  year  when  the  pharmacist  is  liberally  supplied  with 
almanacs,  bearing  his  own  business  card,  for  distribution  to  his  customers. 
Many  fall  into  the  trap,  and  pass  these  wretched  advertisements  on  to  their 
customers,  and  thereby  commit  a  grievous  error  which  injures  them  in  a  uum- 
ber of  ways. 

If  every  pharmacist  who  reads  this  Journal,  would  either  return  the  alma- 
nacs to  the  sender  or  consign  them  to  the  fire,  it  would,  in  some  sections  of  the 
country  at  least,  break  up  this  system  of  making  him  the  advertising  agent  of 
the  nostrum  manufacturers. 

EXIT  LUCIUM. 

Some  three  months  ago,  a  new  element  was  announced  in  monazile  sand. 
It  was  soon  found,  however,  that  the  enterprising  discoverer  had  patented  it, 
and  proposed  to  use  it  in  incandescent  gas  lighting. 

Dr.  William  Crookes,  editor  of  the  Chemical  \cius,  has  been  supplied  with 
the  nitrate  and  oxalate  of  the  alleged  element  by  the  patentee,  Mr.  V.  Rarritire, 
and  finds,  by  spectroscopic  and  chemical  examinations,  "  that  lucium  is  nothii  g 
but  impure  yttrium." 

In  the  same  issue  of  the  Chemical  News,  Dr.  R.  Fresenius  calls  attention  to 
the  fact  that  his  name  had  been  used  in  connection  with  the  so-called  element 
without  authority. 


52  Reviews.  {""^^J.^Sm^- 

REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

Inorganic  Chemical  Preparations.  By  Frank  Hall  Thorp,  Ph.D., 
Instructor  iu  Industrial  Chemistr}^  in  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology.    Boston  :  Ginn  &  Co.,  publishers. 

We  have  several  excellent  small  manuals  in  the  English  language  for  the 
manufacture  of  organic  preparations,  such  as  those  of  Cohen  and  Fischer,  but 
this  is  the  first  one  covering  the  ground  of  inorganic  chemistry  in  the  same 
waj'.  It  has,  moreover,  several  new  and  distinctive  features  which  we  think 
are  of  value.  After  stating  the  formula  and  molecular  weight  of  each  com- 
pound, it  gives  the  materials  and  quantities  of  the  same  needed  for  the  prepa- 
ration, and  full  working  directions  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  manufacture, 
followed  by  the  reactions  involved  and  the  properties  of  the  product.  Under 
the  latter  head,  the  author  gives,  in  a  large  number  of  cases,  tables  showing 
the  solubility  of  the  salt  in  water  at  different  temperatures,  and  the  specific 
gravity  of  solutions  of  different  strengths.  For  these  tables  the  authorities  are 
invariably  given.  While  the  book  wants  a  table  of  contents,  the  substances 
are  alphabetically  arranged  and  an  index  follows. 

A  valuable  introductory  chapter  on  solution,  precipitation,  filtration,  decan- 
tation,  washing,  evaporation  and  crystallization,  abounding  in  valuable  sug- 
gestions, has  not  been  overlooked.  S.  P.  S. 

The  Principi.es  of  Theoreticai.  Chemistry,  with  special  reference  to 
the  constitution  of  chemical  compounds.  By  Ira  Remsen,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  iu  the  Johns  Hopkins  University.  Fifth  Edition.  Lea  Brothers  & 
Co.,  Philadelphia  and  New  York.     1897. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  author,  in  the  latest  edition  of  this  valuable  work, 
to  bring  it  in  accord  with  all  the  recent  advances  of  chemical  science.  The 
salient  features  of  this  book  are,  that  it  contains  a  clear  statement  of  theoretical 
chemistry  in  a  moderate  space.  It  is  therefore  not  so  formidable  to  the 
beginner  as  several  of  the  larger  works  on  this  subject,  yet  it  contains  abun- 
dant information  to  equip  the  student  for  almost  any  amount  of  research  work. 

Semi-Annual  Report  of  ScHiMMEi<  &  Co.  (Fritzsche  Brothers. )  Leip- 
zig and  New  York  :  October,  1896. 

On  Certain  Derivatives  of  Trichlordinitrobenzol.  By  C.  Loring 
Jackson  and  W.  R.  Lamar.  Reprint  horn  American  Chemical  Journal ,  October, 
1896. 

A  Guide  to  the  Organic  Drugs  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopceia.  By  John 
S.  Wright.  First  Revision,  Twelfth  Thousand.  Indianapolis:  Eli  Lilly  & 
Co.     1896. 

Chemists'  and  Druggists'  Diary  for  1897. 

British  and  Coi.oniai,  Druggists'  Diary  for  1897. 

Fourth  and  Fifth  Annuai.  Reports  of  the  California  State  Board 
OF  Pharmacy,  1H94-96. 


^ January ^/Sf.""}  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  S3 

MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

Phii.adkli'HIa,  December  i6,  1S96. 

The  regular  pharmaceutical  meeting  of  the  series  of  1S96-97  was  held  in  the 
Museum  of  the  College.  Mr.  J.  \V.  England  presided.  The  minutes  of  the 
previous  meeting  were  allowed  to  stand  as  published, 

Mr,  F.  B.  Kilmer,  of  the  firm  of  Johnson  .S:  Johnson,  of  New  Brunswick, 
N.  J.,  was  the  first  speaker  on  the  programme,  and  addressed  the  meeting  on 
the  subject  of  "  Modern  Surgical  Dressings."  (See  page  24. )  This  address  was 
not  only  interesting  from  the  technical  standpoint,  but  embodied  many  valua- 
ble suggestions  of  a  practical  character.  The  speaker  said  that  the  pericd 
marked  by  the  introduction  of  Sir  Joseph  Lister's  principles  of  antisepsis  was  a 
distinct  epoch  in  the  history  of  surgery.  The  wound  dressings  made  at  the 
beginning  of  this  epoch  were  characterized  as  crude  in  contrast  with  those 
manufactured  at  the  present  time.  Formerly  they  were  caustic,  irritating  and 
non -absorptive,  while  to  day  the  essential  requirements  are  power  to  alsorb 
wound  secretion  and  to  exclude  infection.  The  author  stated  that  observations 
of  bacteriological  life  had  determined  the  value  of  antiseptic  agents,  and  an 
interesting  feature  of  his  address  was  his  description  of  the  various  methods 
and  agents  used  for  making  sterilized  dressings  at  the  present  time.  Accompa- 
nying the  address  were  samples  of  present-day  surgical  dressings,  and,  by  way 
of  comparison,  one  of  gauze  cloth  that  was  made  in  1887.  The  speaker  said 
that  this  sample  was  the  type  of  the  first  antiseptic  dressing  ;  that  in  making  it 
cloth  was  impregnated  with  wax,  rosin  and  carbolic  acid  ;  and  that,  in  the  light 
of  present  knowledge,  it  was  as  antiquated  as  though  it  were  a  thousand  years 
old.  Microscopic  slides  of  bacilli  and  tubes  containing  cultures  of  the  harm- 
less kinds  were  also  exhibited. 

Prof.  Joseph  P.  Remington  delivered  an  address  on  the  "  Second  Pan  Ameri- 
can Medical  Congress,"  which  was  held  in  the  city  of  Mexico  during  the  week 
beginning  November  16,  1896.  (Seepage  15,)  The  speaker  defined  the  purposes 
of  the  Congress  and  gave  a  concise  statement  of  the  work  that  was  accom- 
plished at  the  recent  meeting.  The  Congress  was  held  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Mexican  Government,  and  all  of  the  entertainments  and  social  features 
connected  therewith  were  on  a  magnificent  scale.  An  invitation  to  hold  the 
next  meeting  in  Caracas,  V^enezuela,  in  1S99,  was  received  from  the  Venezuelan 
Government,  and  was  accepted.  The  speaker  also  related  some  other  incidents 
of  his  trip,  which  were  both  entertaining  and  instructive.  One  thing  in  par- 
ticular he  spoke  of,  and  that  was  the  harmonious  relations  existing  between 
this  country  and  Mexico.  He  believed  that  more  could  be  done  by  scientists 
in  strengthening  and  promoting  these  relations  than  by  diplomats  or  poli- 
ticians. 

"Spermaceti"  was  the  subject  of  a  paper  presented  by  Mr.  Lyman  I". 
Kebler.  About  a  year  ago  the  author  made  a  chemical  examination  of  a  large 
number  of  samples  of  spermaceti,  but  as  a  cjueslion  was  raised  as  to  their 
genuineness,  he  determined  to  procure,  if  possiljlc.  samples  which  would  fulfil 
this  requirement.  These  were  accordingly  procured,  antl  the  results  obtained 
with  them  agreed  in  every  particular,  except  that  of  specific  gravity,  with  those 
obtained  with  the  previous  samples.  In  the  former  work  but  one  mclho^l  was 
employed  for  determining  the  specific  gravity,  anil  in  the  latter  several  niethoils 


54  Phar^naceiitical  Meeting.  {'"^January. is"™* 

were  applied,    the  figures  varying  with   the  method   used.      The   paper  was 
accompanied  bv  specimens,  and  was  the  occasion  for  considerable  discussion. 

"  Murray  Red  Gum,  Eucalyptus  rosirata,  and  Its  Kino,"  was  the  subject  of  a 
communication  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Maiden,  Government  Botanist  at  Sydney,  New 
South  Wales.  (See  page  i.)  This  paper  is  not  only  a  valuable  one  from  the 
botanical  standpoint,  but  is  of  interes  t  as  bearing  on  the  commercial  and  medic- 
inal products  of  the  Australian  colonies.  In  connection  with  this  subject 
attention  was  called  to  the  following  samples  :  Syrupus  eucalypti  rostrati, 
made  from  the  kino,  and  recommended  as  a  valuable  astringent  remedy  ;  Eu- 
calyptus red  gum,  and  samples  of  oil  of  several  species  of  eucalyptus.  These 
were  sent  by  Mr.  J.  Bosisto,  of  Richmond,  Melbourne,  who  is  an  honorary 
member  of  this  College. 

Mr.  Wm.  B.  Thompson  contributed  a  paper  entitled,  "  Ferruginous  Pills 
{Blaud's  Pills):'  (Seepage  17.)  The  writer  suggested  examinations  of  the 
commercial  and  extemporaneous  preparations  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  precise  character  of  the  former,  and  of  determining  wherein  it  differed 
from  the  latter.  He  doubted  whether  ferrous  carbonate  was  superior  in  medic- 
inal efficacy  to  the  other  compounds  of  iron  formed  by  the  oxidation  of  this 
constituent.  He  thought  it  was  time  to  stop  theorizing,  and  offered  these  sug- 
gestions for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  investigation  along  this  line. 

"The  Commercial  Sources  of  Licorice  Root"  was  the  subject  of  a  paper  by 
Mr.  H.  N.  Rittenhouse.  (See  page  13.)  This  paper  was  a  concise  statement  of 
the  sources  of  commercial  licorice  root,  together  with  the  qualities  of  the  vari- 
ous kinds,  and  was  mainly  intended  to  aid  the  retail  pharmacist  in  making 
purchases  of  the  article. 

Mr.  Chas.  H.  LaWall  contributed  the  last  paper,  which  was  on  "Adulterated 
Japan  Wax."  (Seepage  18.)  The  facts  presented  by  the  author  were  timely,  in 
that  they  showed  to  what  extent  fraud  may  be  perpetrated,  and  in  warning 
buyers  against  the  efforts  of  the  purveyors  of  the  article  to  obtain  a  market  for 
their  product.  Samples  of  both  the  pure  and  the  adulterated  Japan  wax  were 
shown. 

On  motion  of  Professor  Trimble,  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered 
Mr.  Kilmer  for  his  interesting  address  and  accompanying  specimens. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

T.    S.    WiEGAND, 

Registrar. 


The  tenth  volume  of  Professor  Sargent's  Silva  of  North  America  was  pub- 
lished on  the  28tli  of  November.  It  contains  figures  and  descriptions  of  the 
arborescent  species  of  Yucca,  which  grow  north  of  the  Mexican  boundary,  the 
Arborescent  Palms  of  the  United  States,  the  Cupressinese  and  Taxaceae,  and 
the  following  genera  of  Coniferae  :  Juniperus,  Cupressus  (including  Chamsecy- 
paris),  Thuya,  Libocedrus,  Sequoia  and  Taxodium.  Two  additional  volumes 
will  complete  the  work.  The  eleventh,  now  in  course  of  preparation,  will  be 
devoted  entirely  to  the  genus  Pinus,  and  in  the  twelfth  and  final  volume  will 
be  described  the  Spruces,  P^'irs,  Hemlocks,  Larches  and  a  few  trees  of  earlier 
orders  which  have  been  found  since  the  publication  of  this  work  was  begun. 
— Garden  and  Forest. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January.  1897 


Catalogue  of  the  Class, 


ss 


CLASSES 


— OF    THK— 


PHILADELPHIA  COLLEGE  OF  PHARMACY, 

SEVENTY-SIXTH  ANNUAL  SESSION,  1896-1897. 


FIRST    YEAR    CLASS    LIST. 


Name. 


Allen,  Milton  Deronda, 
Andrews,  Willard  Crandall, 
Anstock,  Arthur  David, 
Arnott,  William, 
Aughinbaugh,  John  Keely, 
Bacliman,  Herbert  Keck, 
Ball.  ClifTord  Arthur, 
Balliet.  Howard  Paul, 
Bamford,  Melvin  William, 
Barker,  Laura  Alice. 
Barker,  Raymond  Clark, 
Barnett,  Eldredge  Kwing, 
Bayles.  John  Wickoff, 
Bear,  Benj.  vSam'l  Janney, 
Beddow,  Llewellyn  Jenkins, 
Blankemeyer,  Henry  John, 
Booth.  John  Henry, 
Bounds,  Jesse  Vastine, 
Bowers,  Howard   Lewin, 
Brown,  James  Lawrence, 
Bulger.  Walter  John, 
Camplxjll,  William  Lester, 
Chalquest,  Gustave  F)mil. 
Chamberlin,  William  Allen, 
Clark,  John  Hdwanl, 
Cochran,  Harry  Barr, 
Cockroft,  David  Ilolidav, 
Collins.  Mary  O.. 
Crain,  Charles  Edward, 
Crawford.  Horace  Victor, 
Culbv,  Walter  Gibson, 
Curtis,  Henry. 
Davis,  Benjamin  Winter, 
Davis,  Samuel  Bond, 
Dichl,  (reorge  Kdward, 
Dixon,  John  Glaspey. 
Do<lson,  Henry  ^Lllcolm, 
Dohcrty,  Harry  Aloysius, 
Donnelly,  Clarence  Kugene, 
Doubler,  George  Hogen, 
Dunn,  P^lwin  Alfred, 


Place. 

State. 

Preceptor. 

Med  ford, 

N.  J. 

D.  W.  Flemming. 

Cortland, 

O. 

Mahanoy  City, 

Pa. 

L.  Oliphant. 

Wilmington, 

Del. 

Jos.  P.  Williams. 

Greenvillage, 

Pa. 

Eberly  Bros. 

S.  Bethlehem, 

Pa. 

Luther  Gerhard. 

Hellertown, 

Pa. 

El  wood  Ball. 

Allentown, 

Pa. 

John  P.  Frev. 

Reading, 

Pa. 

R.  P.  Wilkinson. 

Coalport, 

Pa. 

Dr.  Woods 

Philadelphia. 

Pa. 

Van  Dvke  Bros. 

Cape  Mav  Citv, 

,     N.J. 

D.  C.  Guthrie,  ^LD. 

Mt.  HollV, 

N.J. 

Edward  B.  Jones. 

Mt.  Joy.  ' 

Pa. 

James  C.  Perrv. 

Mahanoy  City, 

Pa. 

M.  R.  Stein. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Kennedy  &  Burke. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Long  6i:  Neely. 

Wortham, 

Tex. 

P'aston. 

Pa. 

H.  B.  Sample  &  Son. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

R.  T.  Marshall  &  Co. 

Conshohocken, 

Pa. 

Thos.  F.  McCoy. 

Mt.  Pleasant 

la. 

Frank  L.  Kreider. 

Morristown, 

N.  J. 

E.  A.  Carrell. 

Indianapolis, 

Ind. 

Frank  Morse. 

Lock  Haven, 

Pa. 

Franciscus  ^:  Co. 

Millerstown, 

F'a. 

J.  C.  Altick  .S:  Co. 

Phila<lelphia, 

Pa. 

-■\rthur  S.  Hollojjeter. 

Atlanta. 

Ga. 

Springfield, 

O. 

G.  cS:  S.  Coblentz. 

>Iifllinburg, 

Pa. 

G.  W.  Rowland. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Jose])!!  Healy. 

Minneapolis, 

Minn. 

().  J.  Thompson,  M.D. 

Camden, 

N.J. 

(U'o.  L.  (;eiger  &  Co. 

Bridgelon, 

N.  J. 

Reeve  M:  1-ithian. 

Charh  stown, 

W.  \a. 

Light  N:  Watson. 

Salem, 

N.  J. 

J    il.  Lock,  M.D. 

Delta, 

Pa. 

M.  L.  Hollowav. 

Atlantic  City, 

N.J. 

F.  F:imer  Post.' 

Bridgtton, 

N.  J. 

F.  Seilz.  M  D. 

Milton, 

Pa. 

W.  H.  Galbraith. 

Meadville, 

Pa. 

P.  Heury  I'tech. 

56 


Catalogue  of  the  Class. 


r  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     January,  1897. 


Name. 
Egel,  rrederick  William, 
Engler,  Robert  Savior, 
Evans,  Alex.  Cornelius, 
Evans,  Fannie  Cheney, 
Falkenhainer,  Charles, 
Faulhaber,  Gustave  Adolph, 
Fenncr,  Harvey  Albert, 
Finger,  Philip  Charles, 
Fishburn,  Richard  Levis, 
Fleming,  Arthur  Bowles, 
FYeeman,  William  Joseph, 
Gasslein,  Richard  Joseph, 
Gillan,  Charles  McDowell, 
Grady,  William  Patrick, 
Greisamer,  Henry  Franklin, 
Gruel,  John  I{dward, 
Gryning.  John  Francis, 
Hammond,  Nathan  Brown, 
Hance,  Plovvard  Ivins, 
Hannum,  John  Lewis, 
Harrison,  Walter  B., 
Hartman,  Harry  Kessler, 
Hartman,  Henry  Loelke, 
Harvey,  Charles  John, 
Hays,  Samuel  Smith, 
Heckman,  John  George, 
Heineberg,  Alfred, 
Hess,  Percy  Dudley, 
Hesse,  Frederick  William, 
Hetrick,  Harry  Leady, 
Heyke,  John  Kricson, 
Heyl,  Charles  Ambrose, 
Hicks,  George  Wellington, 
High,  Raymond, 
Hill,  George  Price 
Hillan,  Joseph  Jame", 
Hoagland,  Robert  John, 
Hoch,  (2uintus, 
Holland.  Albert  James  Fowler, 
Holloway,  Paul  P'undenberg, 
Holt,  Edwin  Merrimon, 
Hostetter,  Harry  Jacob, 
Hottenstein,  Peter  David. 
Humma,  (J.smond  Bernard, 
Hungerbuehler,  John  Conrad, 
Hunt,  P^arl  Robert, 
Huzzard,  Kurtz, 
Jackson.  Charles  Henry, 
James,  Arthur  Bernstein, 
Jenkins,  David  livans, 
Kaderly,  Eugene  John, 
Keiser.  I'rederick, 
Kelchner,  I'rederick  Victor, 
Kemp,  Lousian  Scott. 
Kimberlin.  P'red,  William, 
Kincaid,  Raymond  Keck, 
Klusmeyer,  Henry  Chester, 
Koch,  Chri.stc)])her.  Jr., 
Kraus,  Wm.  I'red.  Constance, 


Place. 


State. 


Bound  Brook,  X.  J. 

Temple,  Pa. 

Brookhaven,  Miss. 

Reading,  Pa. 

Guttenburg,  la. 

Loudenville,  O. 

S.  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Lancaster,  Pa, 

Lock  Haven,  Pa. 

Chambersburg,  Pa. 

Trenton,  N.  J. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Chambersburg,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

East  Greenville,  Pa. 

Lancaster,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

W^est  Chester,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Media,  Pa. 

INIcKeesport,  Pa, 

Pensauken,  N.  J. 

Lebanon,  Pa. 

Butler,  Pa. 

Greensburg,  Pa. 

Meadville,  Pa. 

Selma,  Ala. 

vS3'racuse,  N.  Y. 

Savannah,  Ga. 

Altoona,  Pa. 

Dayton,  O. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Trenton,  N.  J. 

Norristown,  Pa. 

Lansford,  Pa. 

St.  Clair,  Pa, 

Peoria,  111. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa, 

Mifflintown,  Pa, 

Goldsboro,  N,  C, 

Reading,  Pa. 

Kutztown,  Pa. 

Reading,  Pa, 

Philadelphia,  Pa, 

Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Norristown,  Pa. 

Salem,  N.  J. 

Kingston,  N.  Y. 

Danville,  Pa. 
New  Philadelphia,     O, 

Milton,  Pa. 

Fleetwood,  Pa. 

Dayton,  Q. 

Norristown,  Pa. 

Allentown,  Pa. 

Easton,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Preceptor. 

Chas.  L.  Manning. 
John  B.  Raser. 
George  Dejan. 
W.  C.  Rowe. 
James  Hervey. 
Gustav  Appenzeller. 
Campbell  &  Bro. 
J.  A.  Brown. 
Andrew  Blair. 
J,  S.  Barnitz. 
M.  Tidd, 

James  J.  Ottinger. 
P,  B.  White, 
F,  W,  E,  Stedem. 
Emil  Jungmann. 
John  C,   Long,  dec'd. 
Geo.  B.  Evans. 
Arthur  B.   Hammond. 
R.  A.  Hance. 
W.  E.  Dickeson. 
J.  C.  Smith. 
J.  W.  Kohlerman. 
Dr.  Geo.  Ross  &  Co. 
D,  H.  Waller. 
S.  Logan  Waltham. 
J.  G.  Lindemau, 
Selma  Drug  Co. 
J.  LeRoy  Webber. 

W.  M.  C.  Craine. 

C.  E.  Martin, 

P.  M.  Kelly,  M.D. 

A.  D.  Cuskaden, 
W,  M.  Rickert. 
W.  M.  Hill. 
John  M.  Hillan. 

B.  G,  Clapham, 
Aquila  Hoch, 

Geo.  Holland,  M.D. 
Jos.  W\  England. 

C.  B.  Miller, 
Harry  Bitler. 

C.  L.  Shoemaker. 
F.  X.  Wolf. 

C.  E.  Keeler. 
Eugene  Fillman. 
Harry  Lippen. 
J.  Wohlgemuth. 
Henry  C.  Blair. 

C.  Carroll  Meyer. 
C.  A.  Eckels. 
Justus  Schmitt. 
Chas.  B.  Ashton. 
Harvey  I.  Keiper. 
Fred.  L.  Mevus. 
C,  A,  Eckels. 
Otto  Kraus. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarra. 
January,  IP97. 


Catalogue  of  tJie  Class. 


57 


Name. 
Krehl,  Benjamin, 
Lacy,  Burdett  Seldon, 
Lauer,  Julius  Paul, 
Lawton,  Oliver  Halton, 
Lehman,  Charles  Luther, 
Lehman,  George  Theodore, 
Leonard,  Emma, 
Lincoln,  John  Hamilton, 
Lingle,  John  McXit, 
Lock,  William, 
Longstreet,  Chalmer  Joseph, 
Love,  Thomas  B., 


Place. 

Titusville, 

Gloucester, 

Millersville, 

Philadelphia, 

Boiling  Springs, 

Portsmouth, 

Davisville, 

Bowling  Green, 

Bellefonte, 

Philadelphia, 

Mexico, 

Philadelphia, 


J- 


Luckenbach,  Harry  Windfield,  Bethlehem, 


McClure,  Richard  Terris, 
McCoUin,  James  Garrett, 
McCoy.  James  Edward, 
McCullough,  Ed.  Leonard, 
McDonnell.  Joseph  Francis, 
McElwain,  William  Thomas, 
McEall.  John  Allen, 
McGarrah,  William  Henr}-, 
McGuire,  Thomas  Edward, 
McKane.  Francis  Joseph, 
McKeever,  William  Henry, 
MacMurray,  Annie, 
MacPherran,  Ivan  LeRoy, 
Maghee,  Griffith  Holme, 
Malone,  Charles  FMward, 


Wilmington, 

Philadelphia, 

New  York, 

Salladasburg, 

Centralia, 

Chambersburg, 

Charleston, 

Scranton, 

Mahanoy  City, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Upland, 

Pittsburg, 

Rawlins, 

Philadelphia, 


Matlison,  Richard  Van  Selous,  Jr.,     Ambler, 


Meister,  Samuel  Emil, 
Meredith,  Harry  Lionel, 
Mervine,  Graydon  Duncan, 
Metzger,  Chiis.  Washington, 
Mitchel,  F^lward, 
Mooney,  I'rank, 
Mountain,  Lloyd  Lott, 
Moury,  Joseph  Daniel, 
Mutly,  Walter  Clement, 
Nicklas,  David  Ivlward, 
Norris,  Clarence  Augustus, 
Orf,  George  Marion, 
Orr,  James  Alexander, 
Osterlund.  Otto  William, 
Patrick,  William  Smith, 
Pechin,  Ivdward  Charles, 
Pflieger,  FUlwoo<^l  Keech, 
Phillips,  John  Henry, 
Pile,  Wilson, 

Popp,  .\ndrew  Martin  Ralph, 
Potts,  Samuel  Lawrence, 
Price,  .Vrthur  Chew, 
Pullen,  Ro«lney  Woolston, 
Radefeld,  Robert, 
Rains,  FMward  Lee, 
Ranck,  David  Walter, 
Reice,  William. 
Reigel,  M.  Calvin, 
Reinhart,  Robert  Lucian, 


Lancaster, 

Hagerstown, 

Milton, 

Abbottstown, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Confluence, 

Shamc^kin, 

South  Hrt-wer, 

Chambersburg, 

Manasquan, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Kinekulle, 

Salem, 

Philadelphia, 

York, 

Red  field, 

Philadelphia, 

Reading, 

Newtown, 

Wilmington, 

Camden. 

Philadelphia, 

Mein])his, 

Phila«lelphia, 

Bloomsl)urg, 

Linglestown, 

Shepherdstown, 


State 
Pa. 
N. 
Pa 
Pa. 
Pa. 
O. 
Pa. 
O. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
N.  Y. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Del. 
Pa. 
N.  Y. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
S.  C. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Wv. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Md 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Me. 
Pa. 
N.J. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Sweden. 
X.J. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
N.  Y. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Del. 
N.  J. 
Pa. 
Tenn. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
W.  Va. 


Preceptor. 
Theo.  W.  Renting. 
Wm.  E.  Lee. 
C.  E.  Keeler. 
Lawson  C.  Funk. 
R.  T.  Blackwood. 
Fisher  &  Streich. 

J.  C.  Lincoln. 
F'.  Potts  Green. 
James  Huston. 
Norval  D.  Hart. 
Bullock  &   Crenshaw. 
Simon  Rau  6s:  Co. 
N.  B.  Danforth. 
Wm.  H.  Milliken. 
H.  G.  Shinn. 

G.  W.  Davis. 
Charles  D.  Keefer. 
A.  C.  McClennan,  M.D. 
F.  W.  F:.  Stedem. 
Shenandoah  Drug  Store. 


Wm.  H.  Farley. 

Thos.G.  Maghee,  M.D. 

R.  V.  Mattison,  M.D. 
James  F.  Ro>s 
D.  C.  Auginbaugh  &  Son. 
J.  S.  I-ollmer,  M.D. 
A.  Dalton. 

E.  R.  Gatchel. 

F.  Schwartz,  M.D. 
W.  S.  Mountain.  M  D. 

L.  W.  Hensvl,  >LD. 

F.  W.  K.  Sledem. 
J.  S.  Barnitz. 
.\ndrew  Blair. 

J.  V.  Slaughter,  M.D. 
Theo.  Cam])bell. 
W.  Henrv  Dunn. 

G.  J.  Pfchin. 
Dale,  Hart  vS:  Co. 
Wm.  H.  Phillips. 
Gustavus  Pile. 
John  B.  Raser. 
Richard  W.   Livezey. 

Joseph  C.  Roberts. 
J.  S.  Haer.  >LD. 
Fred.  Radefild. 
Jas.  S.  Robinson. 
J.  W    Ranck,  M.D. 
Jas,  H.  Mercer. 
G.  n.  Evans. 
S.  I*.  Loughridgc. 


58 


Name. 


Revnolds.  Alver  Carroll, 
Rh'oads.  Robert  Elliott, 
Rice,  Albert  Ainsworth, 
Robbins,  Edward  Cruise, 
Roesstier,  Benjamin, 
Rogers,  Edward  Bancroft, 
Ross.  Dell  Noblitt, 
Rossell,  Edward  Wood, 
Ryan,  William  Stephen, 
Sample,  James  Turner, 
Savior,  Byron  Centennial, 
Schreiner,  Charles  Herman, 
Schwaenmile,  Fred.  Philip, 
Seitz,  John  Alphonsus, 
Seubert,  Charles  Aloysius, 
Shannon,  Samuel  Coward, 
Sh^iro,  Henry, 
Sheehan,  William  Henry, 
Shirey,  Orville  Ludwig, 
Shoffner.  John  Perry, 
Simcox,  Howard  Leon, 
Sipes,  Clarence  Lessly, 
Skinner,  Clarence  Russel, 
Sleifer.  Jay  Ward, 
Smith,  Chas.  El  wood  Rupert, 
Smith,  George  Carroll, 
Smith,  Silas  Alfred, 
Smith,  Wellington  Gordon, 
Snyder,  Herman  Hugo, 
Stable,  Robert  Xevin, 
Stancill.  George  Walter, 
Stang,  Peter, 

Steel,  Chalmers  Alexander, 
Stern,  Wilson  C.  A., 
Stinson,  William  vSamuel, 
Stout.  Philip  Samuel, 
Strode,  Richard  Clark, 
Suhn,  Minnie, 
Tanzola,  Angelo, 
Turner,  Kenneth  Beymer, 
Turner,  Joseph  Constant, 
Turner,  James  Deaver, 
Tye,  Frank  John, 
Van  Dyke,  James  Wiiber, 
Van  Senden,  James, 
Wagner,  Charles,  Jr., 
Waite,  William  Crigler, 
Walters,  I'red.  Robert, 
Warrington,  Henry, 
Watson,  James  Nathaniel, 
Weakley,  William  Stair, 
Wehn,  Clyde  P)dwards, 
Wenner.  Ilarvey  PUitjene, 
West,  Katheriiie  Powell, 
Wiiber,  John  Arthur, 
Wf.lf,  Charles. 
Wright.  John  Franklin, 
Wyckoff,  Elmer  Leroy, 


ilogue  of  the 

Class. 

/Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
I      January .  1897. 

Place. 

State. 

Preceptor. 

Rising  Sun, 

Md. 

C   A.  Eckels. 

Reading, 

Pa. 

Irviu  J.  Brandt. 

P'lemington, 

N.J. 

Franklin  C.  Burk. 

Glassboro, 

N.J. 

F.  G.  Thoman. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Decatur  Milligan. 

Mt.  Holly, 

N.J. 

Elmer  D.  Prickitt. 

Rosemont, 

Pa. 

Frank  W.  Prickitt. 

Springfield, 

N.J. 

Charles  B.  Mathis. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Albert  D.  Forrest. 

Roaring  Spring, 

,  Pa. 

C.  J.  Biddle. 

Annville, 

Pa. 

Henrv  T.  Hayhurst. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

L.W.  Hildenbrand,  M.D. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

E.  H.  Fienhold. 

Wilmington, 

Del. 

Z.  James  Belt. 

Lebanon, 

Pa. 

John  F.  Loehle. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

D.  M.  Harris. 

Vitebsk, 

Russia. 

F.  W.  E.  Stedem. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

H.  M.  CampbeU. 

Chambersburg, 

Pa. 

Cressler  &  Keefer. 

Xorristown, 

Pa. 

Harrv  H.  Stallman. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

G.  W.  Bo  wen,  M.D. 

McConnellsburg,  Pa. 

W.  H.  Perkins,  M.D. 

Chambersburg, 

Pa. 

Samuel  E.  Wagaman, 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

J.  A.  Wamsley,  M.D. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Shoemaker  &  Busch.. 

Pottstown, 

Pa. 

C.  A.  Smith. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Wm.  ISIcCorkle. 

Lykens, 

Pa. 

A.  B.  Schminky. 

Philad-lphia, 

Pa. 

Frank  C.  Davis. 

Gettysburg, 

Pa. 

Jesse  W.  Pechin. 

Selma, 

N.  C. 

G.  T.  Williams. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Henry  Mueller,  M.D. 

Huntingdon, 

Pa. 

H.  E.  Steel. 

S   Bethlehem, 

Pa. 

D.  B.  Richards,  M.D. 

Titusville, 

Pa. 

Geo.  B.  H.  Brown. 

Quakertown, 

Pa. 

Oliver  Stout. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Funk  &  Groff. 

Vitebsk, 

Russia. 

Marcus  Peisakhovitch. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Victor  Michelotti. 

Washington, 

D.  C. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

W.  F.  Steinmetz. 

Baltimore, 

Md. 

Gordon, 

Pa. 

'j.  E.  Gregory. 

Hightstown, 

N.J. 

H.  G.  Rue. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

J.  A.  Fajans,  M.D. 

Culpeper, 

Va. 

R.  B.  Macoy. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

C.  W.  Warrington. 

Elizabethtown, 

Pa. 

Henrv  C.  Blair. 

Vork, 

Pa. 

J.  J.  Weakley. 

Johnstown, 

Pa. 

Charles  Young. 

Allentown, 

Pa. 

Geo.  D.  Feidt. 

Xorristown, 

Pa. 

Jos.  C.  Roberts. 

Malone, 

N.  Y. 

A.  A.  Allen. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

S.  K.  Loder. 

Caiion  City, 

Col. 

Hunter  Palmer. 

Ithaca, 

N.  Y. 

Fred,  H.  Blackmer. 

Am.  Jour.  Phamj.i 
January,  1897.      / 


Catalogue  of  the  Class. 


59 


Name. 

Young,  Annie  Hawkins, 
Zeller,  Earl  Emanuel, 
Ziegler,  Chester  Winsor, 


Place.  State.  Preceptor. 

Henderson,  X.  C.  Geo.  B.  Evans. 

Mifflinburg,  Pa.  James  Kleckner. 

Gettysburg,  Pa.  Shinn  ^:  Baer. 


SECOND   YEAR    CLASS  LIST.— 1896-97. 


Name. 
Abrams,  I-'rederick  Arthur, 
Albert,  Harry  Clay, 
Albright,  Charles  Henr\', 
Anderson,  George  Charles, 
Baer.  Lemuel  ^Iiles, 
Bartholomew,  .\rthur, 
Beane,  George  Ridenour, 
Beardsley,  Carolyn  Frances, 
Berbericii.  Herman, 
Berry,  Robert  Taylor, 
Beyerle,  Charles  Wellington, 
Bishop,  David  Kerlin, 
Black,  Robert  Morris, 
Bloor,  Alfred  Wainright, 
Booth,  Thomas, 
Brach,  Cornelius, 
Bradford,  Edward  Burton. 
Bready,  William  Ramsey.  Jr., 
Brennan,  Thomas  Francis, 
Brewton,  Swain  Hoffman, 
Brown,  Hampton  Housman, 
Buckingham.  Harry  Sheldon, 
Calloway,  Harry  Willis, 
Cassel,  Oscar  Heebner, 
Cohen.  John  Thomas, 
Coleman.  John  FMward, 
Cooper,  Walter  Greenlee, 
Cox,  Lin  wood, 
Cunningham,  Orrick  Sim, 
Dale,  David, 
Davis,  George  I-'ckley, 
DeBeust,  William  Hare, 
Decker.  William  Robert, 
DeHaven,  Ida  Valeria, 
Dirmitt,  Charles  Walter, 
Downing,  William  Henry, 
Dubell,  Alexander, 
Eason,  David  Clark, 
Estlack,  Walter  Forrest, 
Evans,  Abner  Thomas, 
Evans,  Samuel,  Jr., 
Farrow,  I'rederick  Reeves, 
Felty,  Harvey  Long, 
F'ishcr,  Samuel  Keim, 
Fleming,  John  Halbert, 
Foltz,  Ivdgar  Daniel  (irant, 
Friel)ely,  Harry  luigene, 
Funk,  Robert  Rowland, 


Place. 

Philadelphia, 

Maysville, 

Philadelphia, 

Meadville, 

Lancaster. 

Golden  City, 

Bainbridge, 

Chicago, 

Baden, 

Charlestown, 

Bernville. 

Mifflintown. 

Philadelphia, 

Manor, 

Philadelphia, 

Kerzenhcim, 

Newport, 

Philadelphia, 

New  London, 

Cape  May  City, 

Pleasant  Grove 

Clayton, 

BaltimoT  e, 

Norristown, 

Chester, 

Carbondale, 

Savannah, 

Norristown, 

Clear  S])ring, 

Philadelphia, 

Eckley, 

Philadelphia, 

York, 

Bayonne, 

Philadelphia, 

Wilmington, 

Mt.  Holly, 

Brookville, 

Philadelphia, 

Greensburg, 

Circleville, 

Philadelphia, 

Palmvra, 

Litit/, 

Mi-dia. 

Hflhlchem, 

S.  Hethlchem, 

Hagerstown, 


State. 

Pa. 

Kv. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Col. 

Pa. 

111. 
Germany. 

W.  Va'. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Tex. 

Pa. 
Germany 

N.J.   ' 

Pa. 

Conn. 

N.  J. 

Pa. 

X.  J. 

Md. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Mo. 

Pa. 

Md. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

N.J. 

Pa. 

DeL 

N.J. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

O. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Md. 


Preceptor. 
John  Wyeth  &  Bro. 

John  P.  Frey. 
A.  L.  Ballinger. 
Breidinger  &  Comber. 
J.  W.  Higgins. 
H.  C.  Blair. 

James  MofTet. 
P.  H.  Franklin. 
E.  M.  Boring. 
W.  G.  Nebig. 
P.  M.  Kelly,  M.D. 

Alexander  Wilson. 
W.  E.  Miller. 
\.  La  Dow. 

A.  J.  Frankelberger. 
W.  Higbee  Whitcomb. 
W'm.  Porter. 

B.  L.  Brown,  M.D. 
H.  G.  Shinn. 

H.  Browning. 
William  vStahler. 
R.  H.  Henderson. 
Geo.  V.  Eddy. 
J.  P.  Cooper. 
Atwood  Veakle. 
George  W    Hurd 
John  Wyeth  8:  Bro. 
Charles  J.  Schneider. 
R.   H.   DeBeust,  M.D. 
R.  Wm.  Ziegler. 

C.  H.  Dirmitt.  M.D. 
N.  B.  Dan  forth. 

R.  C.  Barrington. 
Shinn  vS:  Baer. 
H.  W.  Ivsllack. 
S.  P.  Brown. 
pA'ans  ^y:  Kimmel. 
F'bcrlv  Bros. 
A.  CHersh. 
J.  C.  Broh^t.  M.D. 
A.  W.  -  v,dec'd. 

N.  B.  i  n. 

HA    Bur  k  hart,  M.D. 
Blew  ^c  Luca.s. 


6o 


Catalogue  of  the  Class. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January,  1897. 


Name. 
Gag;e,  Porciiis  Silkinan, 
Geitrer.  Kdward  George, 
Gibb,  Andrew, 
Gladhill,  James  White, 
Greer,  Mary  C, 
Groff,  Harry  Musselman, 
GrofT,  William, 
Grunden,  Percival  Edward, 
Guth,  Herbert  Wallace, 
Hans,  Ralph  Leonard, 
Heintzelman,  Joseph  August, 
Helmbold,  Anna  Palmer, 
Heverly,  Frederick  Chase, 
Hoffman,  William  Anthony, 
Hubbert,  William  Ernest, 
Hudson,  Harr}-.  Jr., 
Hukill,  Oscar  k., 
Huntington,  Joseph, 
Jenkins,  Frank  Huston, 
Joffe,  Jacob  Leopold, 
Kain,  John  Kauffman, 
Keen,  George  Carll, 
Keen,  Geo.  Samuel  Jacob, 
Keenan,  John  Joseph, 
Keim,  Joseph  Paxson, 
Kepner,  Weldon  vStover, 
King,  James  David, 
Kintzer,  Harry  Augustus, 
Kirby,  Frank  Brennand, 
Kohl,  George  ]\Iichner,  Jr., 
Krewson,  William  Egbert,  Jr. , 
Kyser,  George  Herbert, 
Latchford,  Orwan  Luther, 
Lee,  Walter  Evan, 
Lefever,  John  Matthew, 
Lerch,  William  Abraham, 
Levy,  Joseph  Jacob, 
Lindig,  Charles  Warren, 
Luebert,  August  Gustav, 
:McCleary,  Harry  Walter, 
Mahoney,  J.  Norris, 
Mathers,  Grace, 
Met/.ler,  Walter  Scott, 
Midflleton,  Claude  Ruoff, 
Miller,  William  I-'rederick, 
Mills,  John  Leopold, 
Monaghan,  Thomas  Francis, 
Monroe,  William  Robeson, 
Morell,  Charles  Joseph, 
Morgan,  I'rank  William, 
Mountain,  Lloyd  Lott, 
Xey,  Howard  Jacob, 
Obear,  Josiali  Julian, 
Otto,  Glenn  Frazier, 
Page,  (ieorge  Ralph, 
Parse,  Andrew  Con  net, 
Perse,  James  Woodlock, 
Pettebone,  Thomas  J., 
Preston,  Gilbert  Kent, 


Place. 


State. 


Vineland, 

N.J. 

Peoria, 

111. 

Lock  Haven, 

Pa. 

Jersey  Shore, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa.      ] 

Lancaster, 

Pa. 

Quarryville, 

Pa. 

Steelton, 

Pa. 

Allentown, 

Pa. 

Mifflinburg, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Wilkes-Barre, 

Pa. 

Renovo, 

Pa. 

Hico, 

Texas. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Hot  Springs, 

Ark. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Hanover, 

Pa. 

Kovno, 

Russia, 

York, 

Pa. 

Vineland, 

N.J. 

Wiconisco, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Bristol, 

Pa. 

Shippensburg, 

Pa. 

Easton, 

Pa. 

Womelsdorf, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Jenkintown, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Richmond, 

Ala. 

Markelsville, 

Pa. 

Vineland, 

N.J. 

York, 

Pa. 

Allentown, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Lewisburg, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Carlisle, 

Pa. 

Bridgeport, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Baltic, 

O. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Erie. 

Pa. 

Cardington, 

O. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

P'resno, 

Cal. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Pass  Christian, 

Miss. 

Confluence, 

Pa. 

Harrisburg, 

Pa. 

W^innsboro, 

S.  C. 

La  Crosse, 

Wis. 

vScranton, 

Pa. 

I'lemington, 

N.  J. 

Plymouth, 

Pa. 

Dorranceton, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Preceptor. 

F.  H.  Vonachen. 
W.  C.  Franciscus. 
George  M.  Beringer. 

,  K.  Richardson,  M.D. 
C.  W.  Warrington. 
T.  M.Rohrer,  M.D. 

G.  A.  Gorgas, 
Peters  &  Smith. 

W.  H.  F.  Vandegrift. 
Jos.  A.  Heintzelman. 
F.  W.  E.  Stedem. 
R.  D.  Williams. 
E.  T.  Swain. 
W.  E.  Hubbert. 
Wm.  C.  Walter. 
Andrew  Blair. 
J.  C.  Perry. 
J.  L.  Emlet. 

E.  J.  Lupin. 

J.  B.  Kain,  M.D. 
J.  J.  Ottinger. 

C.  D.  Christman,  M.D. 
J.J.Burk. 

Enilen  Martin. 
J.  C.  Altick  &  Co. 
Rowland  Willard. 

F.  T.  Landis. 
Lawson  C.  Funk. 
Thos   C.  Coltman. 
Wm.  E  Krewson. 

G.  W.  Kyser. 

D.  H.  Ross. 
Bidwell  &  Co. 
S.  M.  Gable. 
Peters  &  Smith. 

J.  H.  B.  Amick,  M.D. 
H.  N.  Hoffman. 
David  A.  Over. 
J.  E.  vSipe. 

E.  A.  Stabler. 
Susan  Havhurst.  M.D. 
A.  S.  Metzler,  M.D. 
Shinn  &  Baer. 

Wm.  Fischer. 

A.  C.  Schofield. 

H.  D.  Stichter,  M.D. 

G.  H.  Monroe. 

Chas.  M.  Morell. 

Wm.  Greve. 

W.  S.  Mountain,  M.D. 

Chas.  F.  Kramer, 

O.  Y.  Owings. 

Oscar  Houck. 

Horatio  M.  Cole. 

J.  Sherman  Cooley. 

J.  V.  Perse. 

C.  \Y-  vSpayd,  M.D. 

David  Preston. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
January,  18i>7. 


Catalogue  of  the  Class. 


6\ 


Name. 

Putt,  Milton  Thomas, 
Raker,  John  Wilson 
Randolph,  Edward  Fitts, 
Richardson.  James, 
Ringer,  Lewis  Johnson, 
Rinker,  Henry  Paul, 
Ritz,  Charles  August, 
Roberts,  DeWilton  Smith, 
Rose,  Frank, 
Ross,  Annie  Catherine, 
Sausser,  Howard  Elmer, 
Schlauch,  Theodore  Storb, 
Scott,  Emma  Love, 
Seiberling,  Joseph  Dallas, 
vSheitz,  Lloyd  A., 
Shemp,  Russell  Nicholas, 
Shwab,  George  Augustus, 
Sieber,  Isaac  Grafton, 
Slobodkin,  Rose, 
Smith,  Alfred  Homer, 
Smith,  Benjamin  James, 
Suavely,  Clarence  Osborne, 
Snyder,  John  Paul, 
Steinmetz,  William  Baer, 
Stimus,  Howard  George, 
Stokien,  Francis  Joseph, 
Stott,  Horatio  Allen, 
Strawinski,  Jacob  Franklin, 
Swartley,  Harry  Mahlon, 
Thomas,  Frank  Hartwell, 
Thompson,  Henry  Kirk, 
Thompson,  Harry  Merril, 
Tomlinson,  George  Walton, 
Troth,  Finest  Augustine, 
Tyler.  William  Walston, 
Underwood,  James  Harris, 
Waldner.  Herman  Theodore, 
Walter,  William  liell, 
Wilt,  Geo.  Washington,  Jr., 
Winkler.  Oscar  Charles, 
Winslow,  John  Hayes, 
Wiza,  Joseph  Louis, 
Zane,  William  Spence, 
Zimmeniian,  Thos.  Edmonds, 


Place. 

Lebanon, 

Pillow. 

Plainfield, 

Pickering. 

Hagerstown, 

Hellertown, 

Ashland, 

Xorristown, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Schuylkill  Hav 

New  Holland, 

Richmond, 

Hvnemansville 

York, 

Philadelphia, 

Nashville, 

Harrisburg, 

Minsk, 

Smyrna, 

Trenton, 

Lebanon, 

Lancaster, 

Ephrata, 

Moorestown, 

Charleston, 

Coatesville, 

York, 

Philadelphia, 

Yaldosta. 

Titusville, 

Selins  Grove, 

Rydal, 

Palmyra, 

Onancock, 

Woodbury, 

Ashland, 

Gettysburg, 

F'lemingsburg, 

Philadelphia, 

Vineland. 

Philadel])hia, 

Seabright, 

Carlisle, 


State. 

Pa. 
Pa. 

N-  J. 

Out. 

Md. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 
en.  Pa. 

Pa. 

Ya. 
,    Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Tenn. 

Pa. 

Russia, 

Del. 

N.J. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

N.  J. 

S.  C. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Ga. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

N   J- 
Ya. 

N.J. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Ky. 

Pa 

N.J. 

Pa. 

N.J. 

Pa. 


Preceptor. 
\\\  B.  Means 
Chas.  H.  Tatem. 
L.  W.  Randolph. 
Geo.  Y.  Wood. 
M.  L.  Bvers  &  Co. 
C.  W.  Albright. 
A.   Schoenenberger. 
O.  F.  Lenhardt. 
G.  W.  Bo  wen. 
W^  E).  Supplee. 
John  B.  Raser. 
C.  J.  Seltzer. 
Susan  Hayhurst,  M.D. 
Frank  Morse. 
Harrv  A.  Hav. 
\V.  E'  Supplee  &  Bro. 

J.  Wilson  Hoffa. 
Susan  Hayhurst,  M.D. 
Wm.  F.  Dunn. 
Aquila  Hoch 
Wm.  G.  Shugar. 
W.  T.  Hock. 
G.  S.  Rover 
G.  H.  W'ilkinson. 
R.  P.  Wilkinson. 
W.  S.  Young. 
Dale,  Hart  &  Co.  " 
Y.  P.  Streeper. 

R.  C.  Cadmus. 
T.  C.  Tomlinson. 
S.  T.  Hamberg. 
Shoemaker  &    Busch. 
George  B.  F'vans. 
W.  S.  Reeve. 
T.  H.  Strouse. 
H.  C.  Blair. 
John  J.  Reynolds. 
Milton  S.  Apple. 
A.  C.  Taylor. 

A.  A.  Pochner. 
G.  B.  Minton. 

B.  F.  Emrick. 


SENIOR  CLASS   LIST.— 1896-97. 


Xame. 

Althouse,  Harry  B., 
Anderson.  Ralph. 
Baker,  Newton  Claire, 
Barth,  Charles. 


Place. 
Harrisburg, 
I^atrobe, 
Sunbury, 
Philadelphia, 


Bartholomew,  Claude  Lafayette,     Bath. 
Bates,  John  Phillips,  Mansfield. 

Becht.  Frederick,  Philadel])hia, 

Beh,  Edward,  Philadelphia, 


State. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 
Pa. 


Preceptor. 
F.  J.  Althou.se. 
R.  T.  Blackwood. 
Charles  Leedom. 
W    G.  Nebjj^'. 
Peters  &  Smith. 
J.  M.  Smith. 
Bullock  ^:  Crenshaw 
David  J.  Reese. 


62 


Catalogue  of  tJie  Class. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January,  1897. 


Name. 
Breilliaupt,  Alphons  Peter, 
Brown,  Roscoe  James, 
Briieckmann,  Walter, 
Brumbaugh,  Albert  Sylvester, 
Carson,  James  Thompson, 
Clapp,  Samuel  Clarence,  Jr. , 
Clark,  Kdward  B  , 
Clark,  Robert  Hall, 
Cloud.  Norman  Henderson, 
Codori,  Simon  Jacob,  Jr., 
Compton,  Richard  Hal, 
Cooper,  Morris, 
Cope,  Edward  Kreidler, 
Cornell   Horace  Hogeland, 
Craig,  Ralph  Butz, 
Criswell,  Edward  Ott, 
Deibert,  William  Henry, 
Eckels,  Frank  Huston, 
Eddy,  Volora  Doolittle, 
Entwistle,  Albert  Henry, 
Eschbach,  Clarence  Derbie, 
Failing,  William  Clark, 
Farley,  Levi  James, 
Few,  Colin  Spangler, 
Filer,  Bunitt  Boynton, 
Frederici,  John  Koch, 
Funches,  Cardoza  Marion, 
Garrison,  Joseph  Miller,  Jr., 
Gessford,  Otice  Eugene, 
Godshall,  Samuel  R., 


Place. 
Philadelphia, 
Oxford, 
Philadelphia, 
Mansfield, 
Philadelphia, 
INIilton, 
Reading, 
Union  City, 
West  Chester, 
Gettysburg, 
Allen, 

Friedensburg, 
Philadelphia, 
Newtown, 
Allentown, 
Waynesboro, 
Northampton, 
Carlisle, 
S.  Chester, 
Philadelphia, 
Milton, 
Albany, 
Chester, 
Middletown, 
Hammonton, 
Auburn. 
Rowesville, 
Elmer, 
Lippincott, 
Soudertown, 


Goodfellow,  Charles  Rumney,  Philadelphia, 


Grakelow,  Ralph, 
Gross,  Paul  Herbert, 
Harry,  Hamilton  Maxwell, 
Hebden,  William. 
Heim,  Christian,  Jr., 
Hildfbrand,  Howard  Ovid, 
Hill,  William  Maurice, 
HofTman,  William  Shalter, 
Horst,  Harry  Lewis, 
Hostellcy,  John  Jos.  hVancis, 
Howard,  Horace  Emory, 
Howell,  Plarvey  I'ield, 
Hundertmark,  John  Charles, 
Ingling,  Howard  Ivdgar, 
Jacoby,  William  Lawless, 
Jaeger,  Charles  I'rederick, 
Janisch,  Frederick  Wm., 
JelTeris,  David  Strode, 
Jennings,  Isaac  Astor, 
Johns,  I'rank  James, 
JoUey,  John  James, 
Kessler,  Lawrence  Anthony 


Tower  City, 

York, 

Conshohocken, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

York, 

Lansford, 

Danville, 

Lock  Haven, 

Collingdale, 

S.  Hadley, 

Easton, 

Cleveland, 

Riverton, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Pleasant  Mount 

Philadelphia, 

Logan, 


J- 


State. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

O. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Ind. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Tex. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

N.  ^ 

Pa. 

Pa. 

N. 

Pa 

S.  C 

N.J 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Mass 

Pa. 

O. 

N.J. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 
,  Pa. 

Pa. 

O 


Kirlin,  Chas.  Coleman  Hagenbach  Shenandoah,  Pa. 


Kf)ehler,  George, 
Konover,  Harold  Doble, 
Kramer,  CVeorge  Henry, 
Ku])fer,  John  Harry, 
Langham,  John  Williams, 


Philadelphia, 
Trenton , 
Philadelphia, 
Butte  City, 
Philadelphia, 


Pa. 

N.J. 

Pa. 

Mont. 

Pa. 


Preceptor. 

George  H.  Ochse. 
W.  T.  J.  Brown. 

E.  W^  Herrmann. 
Silas  Shull. 
Dr.  Meredith. 

C.  E.  Stout. 

F.  X.  Wolf. 
J.  P.  Frey. 
Luther  Gerhard. 
J.  M.  Hillan. 
Geo.  F".  McKinstry. 

G.  D.  Borton. 

F.  H.  Cope. 
Robert  Gleuk. 
Kennedy  &  Burke. 
J.  W.  Harrigan. 
J.  H.  Stermer. 
J.  B.  Moore. 
A  L.  Castle. 
Chas.  H.  Roberts. 
JohnS.  Follmer,  M.D. 
H.  C.  Blair. 
Wm.  H.  Farley. 
Geo.  B.  Evans. 
J.  F.  Meade,  M.D. 
E.  F.  Haenchen. 
J.  M.  Hillan. 
Theodore  Campbell. 
Funk  &  Groff. 

Smith,  Kline  &  French  Co. 
E.  M.  Wallington  &  Co. 
Ira  P.  Amick. 
R.  Wm.  Ziegler. 
Jas.  W.  Harry. 
Caleb  Scattergood. 
Henry  Mueller,  M.D. 
A.  H.  Lafean  &  Bro. 
Wm   M.  Hill. 

G.  C.  Devine. 
T.  C.  Hilton  &  Co. 
T.  W.  Hargreaves. 
J.  J.  Ottinger. 
Geo.  B.  Evans. 
Acker  Bros. 

Milton  Cowperthwaite. 
Bullock  &  Crenshaw. 

E.  E.  Bostick. 

F.  H.  Davis. 
Funk  &  Grofif. 
Theodore  Campbell. 
H.  C.  Blair. 
F.  M.  Apple. 
E.  F.  Kessler. 
P.  P.  D.  Kirlin. 
E.  F".  Kaempfer. 

D.  W.  Baker. 
Robert  McNeil. 
C.  W.  Newton,  M.D. 

E.  B    Kyle. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January.  1897. 


Catalogue  of  the  Class. 


63 


Name.  Place. 

•Laughlin,  Albert  Russell,  Newville, 

Lenhart,  Enos  Samuel,  Philadelphia, 

Levan,  Walter,  Nuniidia, 

Lewis,  Daniel  William.  Catasauqiia, 

Liebert,  Charles  Frederick,  Philadelphia, 
Lincoln,  George  Washington,  Philadelphia, 
IvOngshaw.  Thomas  Elmer,  Philadelphia, 
Luhr,  Frederick  A.,  St.  Marys, 

Lukens,  Charles  Baker,  Philadelphia, 

MacKride,  W^illiam  Vaiighan,  Jr.,  Philadelphia, 
McGehee,  Hanford  Bell,  Staunton, 

McNeil,  Thomas  Hunter, 
Malin,  George  Lawrence, 
Matusow,  Harn^-, 
Metzler,  Claude  Dallas, 
Morgan.  Clayton  Edward, 
Morse,  Thomas, 
Mueller,  Charles  August, 
Nebel,  Charles  William, 
Parry,  Edward, 
Parry,  William  Hough, 
Pasold,  Julius  Martin, 
Pearce,  Sanmel  Robert, 
Peiffer,  Charles  Oscar, 
Peterson.  Walter  Nickerstaff, 
Pierson,  Wm.  Harry.  Jr., 
Pipes.  William  Henry, 
Praul,  Walter  I'rancis, 

Prosser,  David  Davis,  Jr.,  _, 

Punt,  Arnold  Anthony  Joseph,  Philadelphia, 
Reese,  John  Bull,  Centralia. 

Reifsnyder,  David  Ernest,         X.  Heidelberg, 
Rieben,  Ernest,  Philadeli)hia, 

Robertson,  Henry  Edward,  Jr.,  Philadelphia, 


Philadelphia, 
Atlantic  City,    X. 
Minsk, 

Harrisonville, 
Lynn, 

Montgomen.-, 
Philadelphia, 
Philadelphia, 
Cramer  Hill, 
Xewtown, 
Joliet, 
Manasquan, 
Morton, 
Philadelphia, 
Wilmington, 
Millington, 
Philadelphia, 
Hellertown, 


Roth,  Frans  Johan, 
Rowe.  Thomas  Maurer, 
Seipel,  Harry  Bertram, 
Smiley,  Geo.  Washington, 
Smiley,  Laura  ^L1rgucrite, 
Smith,  Justin  Tone, 
Sny<ler,  Harry  Lamar, 
Stommel.  Henry  Aloysius  Jos., 
Strayer,  Otho  O'Burn, 
Streeper.  Austin. 
Swinehart,  Daniel  Harrison, 
Test,  Ivllwoo<l  Allen, 
Tobias,  Is.'iac  Herbert, 
Toelke,  Cliarles, 
Troxell,  John  Isaac  Peter, 
Tyson,  Warren  Sunderland, 
Watson,  Joseph  Shaffer, 
Weber,  Howard  Elmer, 
Weiss,  Hervev  Beale, 
Weit/el,  Sue  C., 
Wells,  James  Ralston,  Jr., 
Went/.ler.  Hartman  Gotthanl, 
Wet/el,  S.imuel, 
Wilson,  Oliver  I'awcett, 
Winger,  John  Bowman, 
Yates,  John  Julius,  Jr., 


Lund, 

Reading, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadelphia, 

Philadel])hia, 

Windsor, 

Aniiaiid  tie, 

Doylestown, 

Wilmington. 

Xorristown, 

Pottstown, 

Philadelphia, 

Canal  Winchester,     O. 

Philadel])hia, 

Allentown, 

Xorristown, 

Mt    Holly, 

Mahanoy  City, 

Philadelphia, 

Greensburg, 

Philadelphia, 

Muncv, 

Carli-sie. 

Pittsburg. 

Philadelphia, 

Wilmington, 


State.  Preceptor. 

Pa.  B.  F.  Emrick. 

Pa.  Harry  E).  Jones. 

Pa.  J.  E.  Gregory. 

Pa.  Wm.  H.  Faunce. 

Pa.  A.  G.  Keller. 

Pa.  Howard  G.  Shinn. 

Pa.       Henrv  Sunderland,  ^LD. 
Pa.  A.'Mulhaupt,  ^LD. 

Pa.  D.  A.  Over. 

Pa.  W\  F    Seiler. 

\'a.  Lawson  C.  I'unk. 

Pa.  Robert  C.  McXeil. 

Willard  W^right.  M.D.  ( dec'd). 
Russia     C.  H.  Bohn. 

J.  A.  I'erguson. 

Frank  E.  Morgan. 

H.  G.  Eakin. 

Alex.  G.  Keller. 

A.  S.  Hollopeter. 

W.  H.  Kensinger. 

M.  B.  Fretz. 

H    F.  Voshage. 

Andrew  Blair. 

J.  ^L  Sharp. 

C.  W.  Shull. 

J.  S.  Beetem. 

Dr.  Todd. 

J.  H.  Masholder. 
J.  Howard  Evans,  >LD. 

W.  H.  Pile  cS:  Sons. 

Geo.  W.  Davis. 
Wm.  P:.  Donough,  M.D. 

A.  A.  G.  Starck,  M.D. 
Shinn  ^:  Baer. 
E.  W.  Shaq). 

B.  A.  Hertsch. 
Leidy  Seipel. 
F:.  R.  Smiley,  M.D. 
E.  R.  Smiley,  >LD. 
W.  .A..  Rumsev. 
H.  A.  Xolte.  ' 
E.  M.  Boring. 
A.  W.  Tavlor,  M.D. 
H.  R.  Stallman. 
L.  L  Shuler. 
John  H.  Kerr. 
Shinn  cS:  Baer. 

Pa.  I'rank  \\.  Morgan. 

Pa.  J.  Iv.  Bennett,  >LI). 

Pa.  .\twood  Vcakle. 

X.  J.         Wm    F.  Simes  ^c  Son. 

Pa.  M.  R.  Stein 

Pa.  Bullock  ^:  Crenshaw. 

Pa.  Susan  Hay  hurst.  .M.D. 

Pa.  Bullock  iS:  Crenshaw. 

Pa.  John  W.  McLeer. 

Pa.  W.  F.  Horn. 

Pa.  v..  F.  Kessiler. 

Pa  W.   L.  Hartzcll. 

Dil.  H.  K    Watson. 


Pa. 

Mass. 

Ala. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

X.J. 

Pa. 

111. 

N.J. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Del. 

Md. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Sweden. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Vt. 

X.J. 

Pa 

Del. 

Pa. 

Pa. 

Pa. 


64 


Catalogue  of  the  Class. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January.  1897. 


LIST  OF  SPECIAL  STUDENTS.— 1896-97. 


Name. 

Bailey,  Esther, 
Carrington,Thos.  Specs,  M.D, 
Case,  Luella.  Ph.Cx., 
Cheney,  Millwood  C, 
Collings,  Walter  Xagle, 
De  Graffe,  Bertha  Leon,  Ph.G 
Frislimiith,  H.  H., 
Heckeroth,  William  Conard, 
Hoft,  William  Irving, 
Ketterer,  Martin,  Ph.G., 
Kinzey,  Calvin  Otto, 
Krider,  C.  Richard, 
Leas.  Fred.  C,  B.S.", 
Mavs,  Edmund  Anstie, 
Post,  Edward  Meigs,  Ph.G., 
Rowe,  William  C,  Ph.G., 
Silverthorn,  Alfred  P., 
Stroup,  Freeman  Preston,  Ph.G 
Suhr.  Charles  Louis, 
Toplis,  William  G..  Ph.G., 
Tucker,  Stephen  Allen, 
White,  William  Clements, 


Place. 


State. 


KiefF, 

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Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Delaware, 

0. 

Brooklyn, 

N.  Y. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Albany, 

N.  Y. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Cumberland, 

Md. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Chester, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Ridley  Park, 

Pa. 

r..  Rouseville, 

Pa. 

Oil  City, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Department. 

Pharmacy. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistr}-. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistr3\ 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistr3\ 
Chemistr^^ 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
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Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 
Chemistry. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


FEBRUARY,  iSgj. 


ON  THE  VOLUxMETRIC  ESTIMATION  OF  ACETONE. 

Bv  Lyman  F.  Kebler, 

Since  the  modern  developments  in  the  manufacture  of  acetone,  the 
application  of  this  product  has  been  developed  in  many  directions. 
As  a  solvent  its  uses  appear  to  be  almost  unlimited,  in  both  analy- 
tical and  technical  operations.  Ethyl  alcohol,  wood  alcohol,  ether 
and  acetic  ether  have  been  displaced  by  it  in  many  instances,  not 
only  as  being  a  more  economical  solvent,  but  a  better  general  solv- 
ent. Prof.  S.  P.  Sadtler'  has  proposed  its  use  for  the  technical  anal- 
ysis of  asphalt ;  C.  Kippenberger-  has  employed  it  as  a  solvent  in 
volumetric  determinations  of  alkaloids  by  means  of  Wagner's  rea- 
gent ;  and  H.  Trimble  and  J.  C.  Peacock''  have  used  it  in  the  pre- 
paration of  tannic  acid.  These  are  only  instances  of  the  possibilities 
of  acetone. 

Now,  it  can  reasonably  be  expected  that  the  manufacture  of  this 
product  will  be  materially  cheapened  in  due  time,  and,  with  this 
cheapening,  samples  of  various  degrees  of  purity  will  be  met  with  ; 
then  the  analyst  will  be  called  on  to  devise  ways  and  means  for 
deciding  in  favor  of  the  deserving  products. 

At  present,  we  are  not  in  position  to  determine  the  acetone,  or 
dimethyl  ketone,  in  various  mixtures  with  accuracy.  The  commer- 
cial acetone  generally  contains  bodies,  besides  acetone,  that  respond 
to  the  iodoform  reaction,  on  which  all  of  our  analytical  methods  are 

'  1-^95. /•  Frank.  Inst.,  140.  383.  • 

'  1896,  Zlschr.  anal.  Chctn.,  .m.  10,  aud  422. 

'  1893,  Am.  J.  PiiARM.,  ea,  435  ;  /V<><.  ./;//.  Phatm.  Assoc,  41,  iia 

(65) 


66  Vohimetric  Estimation  of  Acetone,      {^Y^^r^lxyAm^' 

based.  The  writer  examined  a  sample  of  acetone  that  contained  6 
per  cent,  of  material  (higher  ketones?)  that  possessed  a  boihng 
point  of  80"  C.  and  above ;  yet  it  proved  on  analysis  to  contain  20 
per  cent,  of  iodoform-yielding  substances  by  our  present  methods. 

The  specific  gravity  is  of  little  value,  since  there  are  a  number  of 
products  formed  during  the  destructive  distillation  of  the  acetates 
that  possess  practically  the  same  specific  gravity  as  acetone.  An 
actual  case  will  illustrate  this  fact  admirably.  A  certain  make  of 
acetone  was  examined,  and  on  submitting  the  results  of  the  analysis 
the  producer  protested  loudly.  He  maintained  that  their  product 
contained  98  per  cent,  of  pure  acetone  according  to  the  alcoholo- 
meter. Would  methyl  alcohol  contain  98  per  cent,  of  acetone  if,  on 
immersing  the  alcoholometer,  it  sank  to  the  98  per  cent,  mark  ? 
Comment  is  unnecessary. 

The  boiling  point  is  of  considerable  value,  but  some  allowance 
must  be  made  even  for  this  constant.  A  sample,  assaying  91-96 
per  cent,  of  acetone,  yielded,  on  distilling  100  c.c,  the  following  frac- 
tions :  from  55°-58°  Z.  =  6  c.c;  58^-59°  C.  =  20  c.c;  590-60°  C. 
=  30  c.c;  6o°-62°  C.  =  25  c.c;  62^-65°  C.  =.  10  c  c;  65^-70°  C. 
=r  3  C.c;  70°  and  above  =  6  c.c  Another  sample,  assaying  96*95 
per  cent,  of  acetone,  boiled  between  56°  and  61°  C,  with  a  small 
amount  of  residue. 

A  word  about  the  stability  of  acetone  at  this  point  may  not  be 
inappropriate.  On  assaying  a  drum  of  acetone,  it  was  found  con- 
siderably below  the  requirements.  On  informing  the  manufacturer 
concerning  it,  he  made  the  assertion  that  acetone  deteriorated  very 
materially  in  a  month.  This  information  was  quite  contrary  to  the 
writer's  experience.  For  example,  a  sample  of  acetone  had  been 
kept  by  the  writer  for  two  years,  about  one-half  of  the  time  in  a 
dark,  dry  cellar,  in  an  ordinary  greenish,  cork-stopped,  glass  bottle; 
the  remainder  of  the  time  the  bottle  and  contents  were  kept  in 
direct  and  diffused  sunlight.  This  acetone  assayed  97-12  per  cent. 
This  product  certainly  did  not  deteriorate  much  in  these  two  years; 
for  the  best  commercial  acetone  obtainable  contains  only  from  97  to 
98  per  cent,  of  pure  acetone.  Dr.  Squibb,  in  a  private  communica- 
tion, writes  thus  on  this  point :  "  Nothing  within  our  knowledge  or 
experience  has  ever  led  us  to  suspect  any  spontaneous  change  in 
acetone  by  keeping,  and  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  such  change 
either  in  full  or  partly  filled  vessels." 


^Februar/?^!''}      Vohinietric  Esthfiatioyi  of  Acetone.  67 

A.  Lieben,^  in  1870,  discovered  that  certain  organic  groups,  such 
as  CH3,  COC  — ,  CH3  CH(OH)C  — .  CH3CH2OH,  etc..  when  treated 
with  iodine  in  the  presence  of  an  alkali,  yield  iodoform.  Iodoform 
itself,  however,  was  discovered  in  1822,  by  SeruUas.-  With  some 
of  the  groups  the  application  of  heat  is  necessary  to  bring  about  the 
reaction.  Lieben  also  observed  that  methyl  alcohol  did  not  re- 
spond  to  this  test,  and  suggested  at  the  same  time  that  this  fact 
might  be  of  service  in  establishing  the  purity  of  this  alcohol. 

Ten  years  later,  G.  Kramer^  devised  a  gravimetric  process,  based 
on  the  iodoform  reaction  for  estimating  acetone  in  wood  alcohol. 
The  results  obtained  by  this  method  were  rarely  concordant,  conse- 
quently it  was  unsatisfactory. 

From  1884  to  1888  much  interest  was  manifested  in  this  country 
concerning  the  manufacture  of  chloroform  from  acetone.  During 
this  period,  \V.  R.  Orndorff*  and  H.  Jessel  studied  the  action  of 
chlorinated  lime  on  acetone  in  the  manufacture  of  chloroform.  On  the 
results  of  this  investigation  J.  Messinger^  based  the  first  volumetric 
method  for  estimating  acetone  in  wood  alcohol.  The  method  has 
been  applied  with  success  to  all*  mixtures  in  which  acetone  gener- 
ally occurs. 

The  reactions^  involved  for  this  volumetric  process  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

I3  -f  2KOH  =  KIO  4-  KI  +  H2O. 

CH3COCH3  -I-  6KIO  =  CH3COCI3  +  3KOH  -f  3KI. 

CH3COCI3  -f  KOH  =  CHI3  -f  KCH3O2. 

KIO  -f  KI  -}-  2HCI  =  I,  +  2KCI  -f  H.b. 

KIO3  -i-  5KI  -:-  6HC1  =  31,  -f  6KC1  +  3H2O. 

The  solutions  required  for  the  process  are  as  follows :  56 
grammes  of  potassium  hydroxide,  free  from  nitrite,  dissolved  in  dis- 
tilled water  and  made  up  to  i  litre. 


*  1876,  Ann.  (Liebig)  Supp.,  7.  218  and  377. 
'  1822,  Ann.  chem.  phys.,  20,  165. 

*  1S80,  Brr,  d.  chem.  Ges.,  13.  1000;  Ztschr.  anal.  Chrm.,  19,498. 

*  1888,  Atn.  Chrm.J.,  10.  363. 

*  1888,  Bfr.  d.  chem.  Ges.,        3366. 

*  Sec  Hteraturc  at  the  end  of  the  article. 

^  There  may  be  some  question  concerning  the  actual  reactions,  but  the  basis 
of  calculation  is  not  involved.  Kramer  expresses  it  in  a  single  equation  : 
CHjCOCH,  4-  61    i-  4KOH  =  CHIj  4   3KI  -    KC,H,0,  -f  3H,0. 


68  Volumetric  Estimation  of  Acetone.     { "^reb^ruary^JsT?!"* 

Solution  of  hydrochloric  acid,  specific  gravity  1-025. 

A  decinormal  solution  of  sodium  thiosulphate. 

A  starch  solution. 

A  dilute  solution  of  acetone  containing  from  i  to  ij^  per  cent,  of 
acetone  by  weight.  This  is  prepared  from  the  acetone  or  ace- 
tone solution  to  be  examined.  The  writer  prepares  this  by  weigh- 
ing the  acetone  in  a  beaker  containing  water,  transferring  to  a  gradu- 
ated cylinder,  rinsing  the  beaker  well  with  water  and  making  up  to  a 
definite  volume. 

Having  prepared  the  above  solutions,  place  from  25  to  30  c.c.  of 
the  potassium  hydroxide  solution  into  a  suitable  flask,  add  I  or  2 
c.c.  of  the  diluted  acetone  solution,  very  carefully  measured,  or  if 
greater  accuracy  is  desired,  carefully  weigh  the  aqueous  acetone,  mix 
well,  and  run  in  from  a  burette,  while  rotating  the  flask,  from  25  to 
30  c.c.  of  the  iodine  solution ;  insert  the  stopple  quickly  and  agitate 
vigorously  for  one  minute.  After  shaking,  render  the  mixture  acid 
by  means  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  solution;  add,  while  rotating,  an 
excess  of  the  sodium  thiosulphate  solution.  Allow  the  mixture  to 
stand  several  minutes,  add  the  starch  indicator,  and  re-titrate  the 
excess  of  the  sodium  thiosulphate  with  the  iodine  solution.  From 
the  above  data  the  per  cent,  of  acetone  can  readily  be  calcu- 
lated ;  thus  I  molecule  of  acetone  (58)  requires  3  molecules  of  iodine 
(762)  to  form  I  molecule  of  iodoform.  Expressing  it  in  the  form 
of  a  proportion,  letting  j/  equal  the  amount  of  combined  iodine,  and 
X  equal  the  amount  of  acetone,  we  have ; 

762  \  i^Z  \\y\  X   or  x  =  y.     A_  or  x  =  y.  0-07612. 

762 

Before  leaving  the  process,  it  may  be  well  to  direct  attention  to 
several  important  points.  After  adding  the  iodine  solution,  agita- 
tion must  not  be  delayed  if  concordant  results  are  desired,  since 
the  active  agent  KIO  is  rapidly  converted  into  KI  and  KIO3. 
Experiments  have  proven  that  it  becomes  inactive  in  one-half  an 
hour.  It  is  essential  to  allow  the  mixture  to  stand  a  few  minutes 
after  adding  the  sodium  thiosulphate  solution,  in  that  the  reaction  is 
not  immediate.  It  is  necessary  to  add  an  excess  of  the  iodine  and 
sodium  thiosulphate  solution,  respectively,  at  the  time  of  adding 
them,  in  order  to  secure  completed  reactions. 


^FeDruaryT?^""}      Volufftetric  Estimation  of  Acetone.  69 

MM.  F.  Robineau^  and  G.  Rollin,  in  1893,  proposed  another  volu- 
metric method  for  estimating  acetone.  This  method  was  first 
brought  to  the  writer's  notice  through  the  generosity  of  Dr.  Squibb 
and  the  kindness  of  his  chemist,  Dr.  L.  L.  Jackson,  while  visiting 
the  laboratory  of  the  former  last  summer.  Prior  to  this  time 
Messinger's  process  had  been  used  exclusively  by  the  writer.  R. 
and  R.'s  method  is  applied  by  mixing  an  aqueous  acetone  solution 
with  a  strongly  alkaline  solution  of  potassium  iodide  and  convert- 
ing the  acetone  into  iodoform  by  means  of  a  titrated  solution 
of  sodium  hypochlorite,  the  end  reaction  being  determined  by 
means  of  a  bicarbonated  starch  solution. 

The  writer  has  not  applied  the  above  process  to  any  extent,  but 
has  studied  and  worked  with  Dr.  Squibb's-  modification  of  the  same 
considerably. 

The  solutions  required  for  this  modification  and  the  methods 
of  preparing  them  are  as  follows  : 

Pure  acetone  made  by  the  bisulphite  process. 

An  alkaline  solution  of  potassium  iodide.  Dissolve  250  grammes 
of  pure  potassium  iodide  in  distilled  water  and  make  up  to  i  litre. 
Dissolve  257  grammes  of  sodium  hydroxide,  purified  by  alcohol,  in 
distilled  water  and  make  up  to  I  litre.  Allow  the  insoluble 
part  to  subside  and  mix  850  c.c.  of  the  clear  solution  with  the  litre 
of  potassium  iodide. 

Solution  of  hypochlorite,  containing  about  2^  per  cent,  of 
available  chlorine.  To  each  litre  add  25  c.c.  of  sodium  hydroxide 
solution,  specific  gravity  1-29. 

l^icarbonated  starch  solution.  Treat  01 25  gramme  of  starch 
with  5  c.c.  of  cold  water,  then  add  20  c.c.  of  boiling  water 
and  boil  a  few  minutes,  cool  and  add  2  grammes  of  sodium 
bicarbonate.  The  keeping  quality  of  this  solution  is  certainly 
an  agreeable  surprise.  A  sample  prepared  four  months  ago  is  as 
delicate  to-day  as  a  freshly  prepared  one. 

The  manner  of  application.  Prepare  an  aqueous  solution  of  the 
pure  acetone  of  such  a  strength  that  each  10  c.c.  contains  exactly 
-jIq^  gramme  of  the  acetone.     Of  this  solution,  accurately  measure, 


'  1893,  Moniteur  Scitntijiquf  (4),  7.  pt.  i,  272  ;  translation  \nj.  Am.  Cfum 
Soc,  18,  106S. 
'  1896,  y.  Am.  Chem.  Sac,  is.  1068. 


70  Volumetric  Estimation  of  Acetone.     {'^Feb'I-uaryTJf/?"'' 

with  a  pipette,  lO  c.c.  into  a  50  c.c.  beaker,  add  20  c.c.  of  the  alka- 
line potassium  iodide  solution  and  mix  well.  To  this  mixture  add, 
from  a  burette,  while  vigorously  agitating  the  contents  of  the  beaker, 
the  standard  solution  of  sodium  hypochlorite  in  rapid  drops  until 
about  9  c.c.  have  been  run  in.  Allow  the  iodoform  to  subside* 
which  it  does  rapidly,  then  add  a  drop  or  two  of  the  hypochlo- 
rite solution  ;  should  a  cloudiness  result,  add  another  J^  c.c.  of 
the  hypochlorite  solution  ;  agitate  well  ;  allow  the  iodoform  to  sub- 
side, etc.,  until  just  a  faint  turbidity  results  on  adding  the  hypo- 
chlorite solution.  Now  agitate  the  solution  well  ;  transfer  a  small 
drop  to  a  white  porcelain  tile ;  in  a  similar  manner,  bring  a  drop 
of  the  bicarbonated  starch  solution  near  this  drop,  then  connect  the 
two  drops  by  means  of  a  glass  rod.  If  a  blue  color  does  not 
develop  at  the  point  of  union,  not  enough  of  the  hypochlorite  solu- 
tion has  been  added.  Continue  adding  the  hypochlorite  solution, 
a  small  quantity  at  a  time,  agitating  and  testing,  until  a  blue  line 
is  just  formed  at  the  meeting  of  a  drop  of  the  starch  solution  and 
a  drop  of  the  mixture  titrated.  Ordinary  starch  solution  is  value- 
less for  this  end  reaction. 

The  number  of  c.c.  of  the  hypochlorite  solution  required  to  com- 
plete the  reaction  is  the  amount  of  this  active  agent  needed  to  con- 
vert J^  gramme  of  acetone  into  iodoform.  From  this  basis  calcu- 
lations for  any  amount  of  acetone  are  readily  made. 

In  estimating  the  amount  of  acetone  in  any  solution,  first  prepare 
an  aqueous  solution  containing  from  i  to  2  per  cent,  of  acetone  by 
weight,  then  proceed  as  above  for  establishing  the  standard  with 
pure  acetone.  For  fuller  details  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  origi- 
nal communication. 

The  two  latter  methods  will  meet  with  two  objections:  first,  2, pure 
acetone,  and  second,  the  tedious,  time-consuming  drop  end  reaction. 
Pure  acetone  is  not  so  readily  prepared.  It  necessitates  the  prepa- 
ration of  an  acetone  absolutely  free  from  other  ketones,  before  the 
bisulphite  process  can  be  applied.  The  writer  has  not  been  able  to 
secure  acetone  that  assayed  more  than  9973  per  cent,  of  pure  ace- 
tone by  either  Messinger's  process  or  the  one  presently  to  be 
described.  This  small  quantity  may  have  volatilized,  but  the  loss 
would  be  practically  constant  for  all  the  methods,  consequently,  the 
basis  of  calculation  for  the  pure  acetone  methods  would  be  100, 
when  in  reality  it  is  less.     The  difference  may  again  be  due  to  some 


^Febroary^^S?*}      Vohinietric  Estimation  of  Acetone.  yi 

slight  inaccuracies  in  the  volumetric  solutions.     Grant  that  abso- 
lutely pure  acetone  is  made,  it  is  not  readily  secured  when  desired. 

The  writer  has  adapted  Dr.  Squibb's  modification  so  that  both 
the  pure  acetone  and  the  drop  end  reaction  are  eliminated.  In  this 
process  the  following  solutions  are  employed  : 

A  6  per  cent,  solution  of  hydrochloric  acid. 

The  alkaline  solution  of  potassium  iodide  of  Dr.  Squibb. 

A  decinormal  solution  of  sodium  thiosulphate. 

Sodium  hypochlorite  solution,  about  ^  normal,  or  containing  from 
2^g-  to  3  per  cent,  of  available  chlorine.  To  prepare  this  solution, 
intimately  mix  lOO  grammes  of  bleaching  powder  (35  per  cent.)  in 
400  c.c.  of  distilled  water.  Dissolve  120  grammes  of  crystallized 
sodium  carbonate  in  400  c.c.  of  hot  distilled  water,  and  immediately 
pour  the  latter  into  the  former.  Cover  the  vessel  and  allow  to  cool, 
then  decant  the  clear  liquid,  filter  the  remainder  and  to  the  filter 
add  enough  water  to  make  up  to  i  litre.  To  each  litre  add  25 
c.c.  of  sodium  hydroxide  solution,  specific  gravity  1-29. 

An  aqueous  solution  of  acetone  containing  from  i  to  2  per  cent, 
by  weight.  Prepared  as  for  Messinger's  process  above.  To  esti- 
mate the  acetone,  place  20  c.  c.  of  the  alkaline  potassium  iodide 
solution  into  a  suitable  flask  add  lO  c.c.  of  the  diluted  aqueous  ace- 
tone solution,  or  weigh  if  greater  accuracy  is  desired;  mix  well,  and 
run  in  from  a  burette,  while  rotating  the  flask,  an  excess  of  the 
sodium  hypochlorite  solution,  insert  the  stopple  quickly  and  shake 
well  for  one  minute.  After  agitating,  render  the  mixture  acid  by 
means  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  solution,  add,  while  rotating  the 
flask,  an  excess  of  the  sodium  thiosulphate  solution,  and  allow  the 
mixture  to  stand  a  few  minutes.  Then  add  the  starch  indicator  and 
re-titrate  the  excess  of  the  sodium  thiosulphate. 

The  relation  of  the  sodium  hypochlorite  solution  to  the  sodium 
thiosulphate  solution  being  known,  the  percentage  of  acetone  can 
readily  be  calculated  from  the  above  data.  One  atom  of  available 
chlorine  will  liberate  I  atom  of  iodine  from  the  potassium  iodide 
of  the  alkaline  solution,  or  i  c.c.  will  liberate  just  enough  iodine  to 
make  I  c.c.  of  iodine  solution  of  the  same  normal  strength  as  the 
sodium  hypochlorite  solution  originally  was  ;  therefore,  by  reading 
the  number  of  c.c.  of  sodium  hyp>ochlorite  solution  consumed  as  so 
many  c  c.  of  iodine  solution  of  the  same  normal  strength,  we  reduce 
the  calculation  to  the  basis  of  iodine.  For  explanation  from  here 
see  Messinger's  process  above. 


/2 


Volumetric  Estimation  of  Acetone,     {^FebrXyasw"' 


Example  of  calculation.  Ten  c.c.  of  the  acetone  solution,  con- 
taining I  gramme  of  the  solution  to  be  analysed,  required  14-57  cc. 
of  N  X  0806  sodium  hypochlorite  solution,  which  formed  14-57 c.c. 
of  iodine  solution  of  the  same   strength  ;    or  combining  we  have : 

14-57  X  0-806  X  01265  X  0-07612  _  ^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^^^^  _ 
I  gramme  of  solution. 

11-307  per  cent. 

On  comparing  Messinger's,  Dr.  Squibbs'  and  the  writer's  adapta- 
tion with  the  same  solution,  the  following  results,  in  per  cent,  were 
obtained : 


Messinger. 

Squibb. 

Author. 

Pure  acetone 

99-69 

99:95 

9973 

Residue  80°  C.  and  above  . 

20*00 

19-67 

20-39 

Purified  by  fraction     .    .    . 

99*03 

99-00 

99-41 

Commercial  acetone 

96-23 

96-00 

9663 

98-00 

97-83 

97-93 

94  "30 

94-00 

94-46 

94-80 

94-70 

94-81 

97-12 

96-23 

96-42 

94-93 

94-80 

94-39 

96-b8 

96-56 

96-79 

97-32 

97-28 

97*45 

90-74 

89-03 

90-51 

98-82 

96-11 

9862 

92-32 

92-20 

92-94 

Wood  alcohol 

14-61 

14-49 

14-78 

1  (            ( ( 

ii-8i 

11-73 

12-00 

Crude  wood  alcohol 

11-23 

1 1  00 

11-42 

The  above  table  clearly  shows  that  the  results  obtained  by  Dr. 
Squibb's  process  are  a  trifle  too  low,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
its  basis  of  calculation  gives  it  some  advantage.  The  method  is 
represented  to  yield  satisfactory  results  for  ordinary  work,  and  that 
it  certainly  does.  The  difficulty  with  this  method  lies  in  the  end 
reaction.  According  to  some  experiments  made  by  the  writer,  it  is 
necessary  to  have  present  a  larger  excess  of  the  active  agent,  to 
bring  about  the  completed  reaction,  than  the  end  reaction  allows. 

The  iodoform  reaction  with  ethyl  alcohol  is  an  endothermic  one, 
consequently  its  presence  does  not  interfere  with  the  estimation  of 
acetone,  which  does  not  require  the  presence  of  external  heat  to 
bring  about  the  reaction.  The  same  holds  true  for  all  other  groups 
of  endothermic  reaction. 


^Feb',?."/r,^?S^"}  Terpin  Hydrate.  73 

LITERATURE   NOT    IN   THE    BODY   OF   THK    ARTICLE. 

1888,  E.  Hintz,  "  Zur  quantitativen  Bestimniung  von  Aceton  in  Methyl- 
alcohol,  Holzgeist  und  Aceton,"  Ztschr.  anal.  Cfion.,  -ii.  182. 

1890,  Fr.  Collischonn,  "  Ueber  die  gebrauchlichen  Methoden  zur  quantita- 
tiven Bestimniung  des  Acetous,"  Ztschr.  anal.  Chem.,  29,562. 

1890,  H.  Huburt,  "Zur  quantitativen  Bestimniung  des  Acetons  im  Harn," 
Ztschr.  anal.  Chem.,  29,  632,  from  Neubauer  und  Vogel  ;  "  Anleitung  zur 
Analyse  des  Harns,"  9  Auf.,  471. 

1890,  L.  Vignon,  "  Dosage  de  I'ac^tone  dans  I'alcool  m^thylique  et  dans  les 
methylenes  de  ddnaturation,"  Comp.  rend.,  110,  534. 

1890,  G.  Arachequesne,  "  Dosage  de  I'acdtone  par  I'iodoforme,"  Comp.  rend., 
110,  642  ;  Ztschr.  anal.  Chem.,  27,  695. 

1894,  N.  Savelieff,  "  Ueber  das  Vorkommen  von  Aceton  ira  Mageninhalt  bei 
Erkrankung  en  des  Magens ;"  Berliner  klin.  Wochenschrift,  No.  33 ;  und 
Malys  Jdhresberichte  iiber  die  Fortschrittc  der  Thierchemie,  24,  352;  1896, 
Ztschr.  anal.  Chem.,  35,  507. 

1896,  Chr.  Geelmnyden,  '*  Ueber  die  Messinger'sche  Methode  zur  Bestimmung 
des  Acetons,"  Ztschr.  anal.  Chem.,  35,  503. 

1896,  M.  Klar,  "  Zur  Bestimniung  des  Acetons  in  Denaturirungs-Holzgeist 
und  Rohaceton,"  Die  chetn.  Ind.,  19,  73  ;  Ztschr.  anal.  Chem.,  37,  595. 

305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa, 


TERPIN   HYDRATE. 
By  Edward  T.  Hahn. 


In  1840,  A.  Wiggers  contributed  an  article  to  the  Annaicn  der 
Chemic,  33,  358,  on  the  crystalline  substance  from  turpentine  oil,  to 
which,  however,  he  applied  the  name  turpentine  camphor.  He  em- 
ployed a  mixture  of  nitric  acid,  alcohol  and  turpentine  oil,  and  in 
1846^  i^Annalen  der  Chemie,  57,  247)  reported  a  formula  for  making 
the  substance  on  a  large  scale,  stating  that  it  could  only  be  obtained 
from  that  variety  of  turpentine  which  yielded  a  crystalline  com- 
pound with   hydrochloric  acid. 

The  method  suggested  by  Wiggers  was  tried  with  commercial 
oil  of  turpentine,  but  it  failed  to  produce  any  crystalline  compound. 
Knowing  that  the  oil  of  turpentine  found  on  the  market  at  the  pre- 
sent time  is  occasionally  adulterated  with  some  of  the  heavier 
petroleum  oils,  a  quantity  of  the  commercial  oil  was  procured  and 
distilled  with  lime  and  water.     An  oil   having  a  sf)ecific  gravity  of 


•  Am.  JoiR.  Pharm.,  i».  286. 


T'      J.:.     U..^^^/^  / Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

74  lerpin  nyarale.  |    February,  1897. 

0-856,  and  a  boiling  point  of  from  154°  to  157°  C,  was  obtained, 
and  this  product  was  used  in  all  my  experiments. 

The  first  method  tried  was  one  suggested  by  Carl  Hempel  {An- 
nalen  der  Chemie,  153,  71),  using  the  following  quantities: 

(i)  Oil  of  turpentine 120  c.c. 

(2)  Alcohol  (sp.  gr.,  o-8i6) 30    " 

(3)  Nitric  acid  (sp.  gr.,  1-35) 30    " 

These  liquids  were  mixed  in  a  flask  in  the  order  indicated  by  the 
numbers,  and  allowed  to  stand  three  days,  shaking  occasionally. 
The  mixture  separated  into  two  layers,  the  lower  one  becoming 
quite  dark  in  color.  On  the  third  day  it  was  poured  into  a  flat  dish 
and  15  c.c.  of  alcohol  added,  and  allowed  to  stand  in  a  room  having 
a  temperature  of  about  18°  C. 

Crystals  began  to  form  within  five  days,  and  at  the  end  of  two 
weeks  they  had  separated  from  the  mother  liquor.  About  13 
grammes  of  crystals  were  thus  obtained.  This  product  was  puri- 
fied by  recrystallization  in  a  solution  of  boiling  alcohol,  and  yielded 
8  grammes  of  terpin  hydrate,  which  was  found  to  answer  all  the 
U.S.P.  requirements. 

The  mother  liquor  was  allowed  to  stand  for  a  short  time,  and 
another  crop  of  crystals  was  obtained ;  but  these,  when  tested  with 
sulphuric  acid,  did  not  give  the  characteristic  deep  orange  color, 
but  a  light,  pinkish  one,  which  quickly  faded. 

The  next  method  tried  was  one  suggested  by  Wm.  A.  Tilden 
{Jour.  Client.  Soc.  Lond.,  33,  247),  the  following  being  the  propor- 
tions of  liquids  used  : 

Oil  of  turpentine 60  c.c. 

Alcohol 30    " 

Nitric  acid  (sp.  gr.,  1-40) 60    " 

In  this  method  and  all  others  suggested  by  Tilden,  nitric  acid 
having  the  specific  gravity  of  1-40  was  employed,  but  the  writer's 
experience  with  acid  of  this  strength  was  that  a  thick  resinous-like 
mass  was  obtained,  which  showed  no  signs  of  crystallization. 

A  method  was  also  given  by  F.  Flawitzky  {Jour.  Chem.  Soc.  Lond., 
38,  264),  in  which  he  used  sulphuric  instead  of  nitric  acid,  and 
obtained  a  compound  having  the  formula  CioH^gO. 

As  ethyl  alcohol  commands  a  comparatively  high  price  at  the 
present  time,  methyl  alcohol  was  substituted  for  it,  and  the  follow- 
ing formula  was  found  to  be  very  satisfactory  : 


''fd^ln''%"'}  Terpin  Hydrate.  75 

(i)  Oil  of  turpentine 120  c.c. 

(2)  Methyl  alcohol  (sp.  gr.,  o-8oi) 30    ** 

(3)  Nitric  acid  (sp.  gr.,  1-35) 30    '• 

These  liquids  were  mixed  in  the  order  indicated  and  allowed  to 
stand  in  a  flask  three  days  and  then  poured  into  a  flat  dish.  Taking 
advantage  of  the  very  slight  solubility  of  terpin  hydrate  in  water, 
30  c.c.  of  this  liquid  were  added  to  the  mixture,  with  the  result  that 
the  crystals  separated  in  a  much  shorter  time  than  they  did  with 
the  methods  previously  employed.  No  additional  crystals  were 
formed  dn  allowing  the  mixture  to  stand  several  days.  The  weight 
of  the  crystals  obtained  was  7-32  grammes,  and  these,  on  purifying 
from  hot  solution  of  methyl  alcohol,  yielded  32  grammes  of  terpin 
hydrate,  which  answered  to  all  the  tests  for  the  U.S.P.  compound. 

By  further  evaporation  an  additional  quantity  of  crystals  may 
be  obtained. 

The  crystals  obtained  by  the  use  of  methyl  alcohol  had  a  closer 
resemblance  to  the  article  which  is  found  in  the  market,  and  also  a 
more  aromatic  odor  than  those  obtained  by  the  employment  of 
ethyl  alcohol. 

Amyl  alcohol  likewise  may  be  used  in  making  terpin  hydrate. 

An  explosion  occurred  a  few  years  ago  {Proc.  Am.  Pharm.  Assoc. y 
1887)  in  a  Parisian  laboratory  during  the  manufacture  of  terpin 
hydrate.     The  following  proportions  of  liquids  were  employed  : 

Oil  of  turpentine 72  L. 

Alcohol 50  " 

Nitric  acid 17  Kg. 

The  mixture  was  usually  cooled  in  stone  jars  set  in  water,  but  as 
these  were  all  in  use  at  the  time,  a  part  of  the  mixture  was  poured 
into  a  wooden  cask,  to  cool  off,  and  as  the  wood  did  not  conduct 
the  heat  away  rapidly  enough,  a  violent  explosion  took  place,  doing 
much  damage. 


Indian  podophyllum,  according  to  W.  R.  Dunstan  {Imp.  Inst.  Jour.,  Decem- 
ber, 1896),  is  derived  from  Podophyllum  emodi,  and  contains  two  to  three 
times  as  much  resin  as  the  American  podophyllum  from  P.  peltatnm.  Dr. 
Mackenzie  finds  that  the  two  resins  1  Indian  and  American  1  are  idcMitical  in 
their  medicinal  effects,  and  that  there  is  no  reason  why  the  resin  obtained 
from  the  Indian  drug  should  not  be  substituted  for  the  American  resin. 


76 


Solanuni  Carolinense. 


{ 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
February,  1897. 


SOLANUM  CAROLINENSE. 

By  Chari^ton  G.  Johnson,  Ph.G. 

(Abstract  from  Thesis.) 

Since  its   introduction  to  the  medical   profession  by    Dr.   J.  L. 

Napier,  in  1889,  several  contributions  to  the  chemistry  of  Solanum 


/-Vir.  /  represents  a  portion  of  a  branch  of  Solanum  Carolinense.  It  shows 
the  spiny  stem,  bearing  the  rather  irregularly  shaped  leaves,  with  the  small 
axillary  leaves  and  the  racemose  flowers. 

Carolinense  have  appeared  in  this  Journal.     In  the  meantime  phar- 
macists have  become  better  acquainted  with  the  botany  of  this  plant. 


Am.  Joar.  Pbarm. "» 
February,  1897.    / 


Solatium  Carolviense. 


77 


The  microscopical  characters,  however,  have  not  been  so  fully 
investigated.  But,  at  the  beginning  of  this  article,  the  author 
wishes  to  call  attention  to  a  slight  difference  which  was  observed  in 
the  fruit  (or  berry,  as  it  is  called),  obtained  from  two  sections  of  the 
country.  In  the  specimens  obtained  from  the  South,  mainly 
Georgia  and  Florida,  the  calyx,  though  adherent,  was  recurved, 
while  the  berries  gathered  near  Philadelphia  had  the  calyx  adhering 
to  the  fruit. 

A  transverse  section  of  the  root  {Fig.  ^)  shows  it  to  have  a  con- 
centric structure   caused   by  irregular,  alternating   zones    of  wood- 


Fif^.  2  shows  a  small  portion  of  a  branch  bearing  the  fruit.     Natural  size. 
The  berries  frequently  grow  much  larger. 

parenchyma  and  vascular  tissues.  The  cork  tissue  replacing  the  epi- 
dermis is  composed  of  about  three  layers  of  cells,  with  the  rough 
fissured  remains  of  older  cork  cells  exterior.  The  cork  meristem  in 
the  root,  as  well  as  in  the  stem,  shows  quite  plainly.  The  paren- 
chyma cells  of  the  cortex  are  larger  in  the  middle  bark  than  near 
the  epidermis,  becoming  very  much  smaller  and  elongated  longi- 
tudinally near  the  cambium  zone,  while  in  the  outer  and  inner  por- 
tions of  the  cortex  they  are,  from  mutual  pressure,  much  distorted 
and  elongated  tangentially.     The  ducts  of  the  xylcm  are   large  and 


-8 


Solanum  Carolinense. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
I   February,  1897. 


numerous ;  and  seen  in  longitudinal-radial  section  {Fig-  5),  they 
prove  to  be  pitted,  the  pits  showing  an  elliptical  marking  within  a 
larger  circular  one.     Spiral,  annulate  and  reticulate  ducts  are  also 


^m^ 


Fig.  J  is  a  drawing  of  the  root  of  vSolanum  Carolinense  in  the  fresh  state.     It 
shows  the  natural  size  of  the  root  when  about  two  years  old. 


I)resent.  The  libriform  cells  show  markings  from  the  pressure  of 
adjacent  cells,  and  are  usually  forked  at  one  end.  In  the  portions  of 
the  wood  studied  no  collenchyma  was  found  and  bast-fibres  were 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
February.  1887. 


Solatium  Carolinense. 


79 


also  absent.     The  medullary  rays  are  distinct  and  slightly  undulate, 
the  number  of  rows  varying  from  two  to  five  or  six. 


^^£^-  /.  portion  of  a  transverse  section  of  a  root  of  Solanum  Carolinense, 
magnified  45  diameters.  ./,  rnptured  cork  tissue  ;  h  and  b',  secretion  cells 
containing  calcium  oxalate  ;  c,  cambium  zone  ;  d,  medullary  ray;  r,  one  of  the 
concentric  layers  of  ducts,  alternating  with  wood  parenchyma. 

The   underground  stem  {Fi^.   6)  shows  the    pericyclc  relatively 
thicker  and  the  corte.x  thinner  than  in  the    root.     The   cork   tissue 


8o 


Solamim  Carolinense. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
February,  1897. 


resembles  that  of  the  root,  except  that  a  part  of  the  epidermis  is 
present.  Collenchyma  is  found  in  the  younger  parts  of  the  stem, 
though  absent  from  the  older  portions.     No  bast-fibres  were  found. 


A 


/S. 


^'. 


aa^ 


t. 


Fig.  5,  longitudinal-radial  section,  made  from  a  young  root  of  Solanum 
Carolinense  having  a  thick  cortex,  magnified  35  diameters.  A,  cork  tissue; 
b,  b\  secretion  cells  of  calcium  oxalate  ;  c,  the  cambium,  with  the  ducts  of  the 
xylem  on  one  side  and  the  phloem  tissue  on  the  other. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
February,  1897. 


Solatium  Carolinetise. 


8i 


The  cortex  is  mainly  composed  of  parenchyma  tissue ;  the  cells 
are  round,  but  otherwise  correspond  to  the  same  tissue  in  the  root. 
The  woody  tissue  is  rather  irregular  in  width,  and  beside  the  phloem 
tissue  on  its  exterior,  there  is  a  distinct  inner  phloem,  which,  though 
narrower  in  some  places  than  in  others,  is  distinctly  discernible. 
The  pith  is  composed  of  large  parenchyma  cells. 


Fig.  6,  transverse  section  of  underjjround  stem  of  Solanum  Carolincnsc 
(from  a  portion  just  at  or  beneath  the  ground),  magnified  56  diameters.  A, 
epidermis  ;  d,  cork  cells  ;  r,  c/,  secretion  cells  of  the  cortex  ;  d,  cambium  ;  ^, 
xylem  ;  p,  secondary  or  inner  phloem,  l>eneath  which  arc  the  soft,  parenchy- 
matous cells  of  the  pith. 

The  petiole,  as  seen  in  transverse  section  in  Fi^.  7,  shows  three 
bi-coUateral  bundles.  Heneath  the  epidermal  tissue  are  several  rows 
of  collenchyma  cells,  and  next  to  these  are  the  parenchyma  cells 
surrounding  the  vasal  bundles.  Two  large  secretion  reservoirs  are 
found,  one  on  each  side,  near  the  upper  surface.  Some  starch  is 
present   in  the  parenchymatous  cells  of  the  stem,  principally  in  the 


f^i]^-  7.  transverse  section  of  a  younger  portion  of  a  petiole  of  Solanum  Caro- 
linense.     Magnification,  65  diameters,     a,  epidermis  ;  b,  collenchyma  tissue  ; 
c,  c\  large  secretion  reservoirs  ;  d,  d\  upper  and  lower  phloem  tissues,  respec 
tively  ;  r,  xylem  ;  /,  meristem,  found  only  on  the  lower  side  ;  g,  stellate  hair. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
February,  18y7. 


Soianum  Carolinense. 


83 


cortex,  but  it  is  more  especially  found  in  the  cortical  tissue  of  the 
root,  chiefly  near  the  pericycle.  In  some  of  the  specimens  exam- 
ined, the  whole  of  the  cortex  seemed  filled  with  starch  granules, 
while  others  failed  to  show  its  presence  so   profusely.     The  grains 


Fig.  S,  starch  grains  found  in  the  root  of  Soianum   Carolinense*;  magnified 
about  40f)  diameters. 

show  distinct  stratification  lines.  In  shap>e  some  were  oblong,  some 
ellipsoidal  and  others  in  clusters  of  two,  three  or  four,  the  oval  or 
oblong-ovate  being,  however,  the  most  common  form.  The  hilum 
is   distinct,  eccentric,  and    usually  presents  a   fissured   appearance. 


84  Solannm  Carolinense.  {^Y^J>r^Iiy^m^' 

Some  of  the  grains  were  bi-nucleated  and  others  possessed  a  pecu- 
liar, contorted  shape.  The  starch  grains  resemble  somewhat  in 
shape  those  of  another  plant  of  the  same  genus,  Solanum  tuberosum, 
the  potato.  Scattered  irregularly  through  the  cortex  of  the  root, 
and  less  profusely  in  the  stem,  are  secretion  cells  containing  a  pecu- 
liar, mucilaginous-like  matter.  On  treating  these  cells  with  potas- 
sium hydrate  test  solution  they  were  rendered  clear,  and  their  con- 
tents now  shown  to  be  a  white,  granular  or  crystalline  substance. 
This  substance,  by  dissolving  in  warm  hydrochloric  acid,  without 
-effervescence,  proved  to  be  calcium  oxalate.  The  tests  for  tannin 
failed  to  show  its  presence.  On  testing  for  resins  and  oils,  with 
alcannin  solution,  small  quantities  of  these  substances  were  found 
in  some  of  the  starch-bearing  cells  and  also  in  some  of  the  lignified 
tissues. 

In  conclusion,  the  author  wishes  to  express  his  thanks  to  Messrs. 
Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  for  specimens  kindly  furnished,  and  to  Dr.  M. 
V.  Ball  for  his  valuable  assistance  in  the  microscopical  work. 


SOLANUM  CAROLINENSE. 

By  M.  C1.AYT0N  Thrush,  Ph.G. 
(Abstract  from  Thesis.) 

The  author  found  the  fruit  to  contain  the  largest  amount  of  alka- 
loidal  constituents ;  consequently,  it  is  the  most  active  therapeuti- 
cally. The  leaves  came  next  in  strength,  then  the  root,  and  finally 
the  stem,  which  is  the  least  active. 

In  order  to  study  the  drug  microscopically,  sections  were  cut  by 
means  of  the  microtome  from  specimens  of  the  plant  which  had 
been  preserved  in  strong  alcohol.  They  were  then  placed  in  Labar- 
raque's  solution  until  properly  bleached,  except  those  intended  for 
the  tests  for  tannin  and  oleoresin.  They  were  then  treated  as  fol- 
lows :  For  double  staining  some  of  the  sections  were  treated  with 
iodine  green,  then  washed  to  separate  excess,  then  passed  through 
dilute,  strong  and  finally  absolute  alcohol,  to  anhydrate  them. 
They  were  then  treated  with  eosin,  oil  of  cloves,  and  from  that 
through  pure  oil  of  cloves,  and  mounted  in  xylol  balsam.  The 
others,  after  being  treated  with  the  reagent,  were  washed  to  sep- 
arate excess,  anhydrated  by  absolute  alcohol  and  mounted   in  xylol 


Am.  Joar.  Pbarm. 
February,  1897. 


Solan  Jim  Carolinensc. 


85 


balsam.  The  sections  which  were  tested  for  tannin  and  oleoresin 
were  treated  direct  with  ferric  chloride  in  absolute  alcohol  and 
alcannin,  respectively,  then  mounted  in  xylol  balsam.  These  latter 
tests    were  confirmed    by    treating    dry    sections    with    ammonio- 


FiK'  '•  un<lerground  portion  of  the  plant,  one-half  natural  size. 

ferric  alum.  By  treatinpj  dry  sections  of  the  younp^  root  for 
tannin  with  ferric  chloride  in  absolute  alcohol,  tannin  precipitates 
were  produced  in  the  central  parenchyma  and  the  cortical 
parenchyma.     In  the  old  root  tannin  precipitates  were  produced  in 


S6  Solanum  Carolinense.  V^Y^iv^lryMT^' 

a  great  number  of  the  cells  of  the  cortical  parenchyma,  also  in  a 
itw  cells  of  the  phloem  tissue  and  the  medullary  rays.  In  the 
mature  stem,  indications  of  tannin  were  obtained  in  abundance,  in 
the  pith  parenchyma,  medullary  rays,  cambium  zone,  phloem,  corti- 
cal parenchyma  and  suberous  tissue.  In  the  leaf  indications  were 
produced  in  all  of  the  different  tissues.  In  the  fruit  tannin  indica- 
tions were  obtained  in  the  cells  of  the  section  irregularly  scattered. 
The  tannin  was  estimated  by  the  *'  hide  powder  method,"  and 
found  to  be  3-10  per  cent,  in  the  leaves;  2-27  per  cent,  in  the  root ; 


Fig.  2,  transverse  section  of  rootlet  of  Solanum  Carolinense,  magnified  75 
diameters.  A,  epidermis  ;  b,  collenchyma  tissue  ;  c,  cortical  parenchyma  ;  d, 
endodermis  ;  e,  phloem  tissue  ;  /  cambium  zone  ;  g,  duct  of  xylem  ;  h,  xylem 
tissue,  consisting  of  wood  cells  and  ducts. 

806  per  cent,  in  the  fruit ;  5-06  per  cent,  in  the  stem— all  calculated 
for  absolutely  dry  material. 

Fig.  I  represents  the  underground  portion  of  the  plant. 

/e^^/._Phloroglucin  and  hydrochloric  acid  stain  the  xylem  tissue, 
which  is  strongly  lignified,  a  bright  red.  In  the  young  undeveloped 
root  central  parenchyma  exists,  but  as  the  root  becomes  older  the 
xylem  of  the  radial  bundle  extends  to  the  centre  with  the  develop, 
ment  of  rings  of  growth,  medullary  rays  and  a  cambium  zone,  and 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm 
February,  1897 


^•} 


Solanuin  Carolineiise. 


87 


has  a  similar  appearance  to  the  structure  of  a  dicotyl  stem.  Zinc 
chloriodide  iodine  shows  an  abundance  of  starch  in  the  cells  of  the 
medullary  rays,  phloem,  collenchyma  and  cortical  parenchyma. 
Chloral  hydrate  iodine  gives  the  same  indications.  The  epidermis 
of  the  mature  root  consists  of  several  rows  of  suberous  tissue, 
which  exfoliates  at  the  surface  ;  beneath  this  is  a  circle  consisting  of 


Fig.  J,  longitudinal  section  of  younj;^  root  of  Solanuni  CaroHnense,  magni- 
fied 75  diameters.  A,  epidermis,  not  yet  displaced  by  cork  cells  forming 
beneath  ;  c,  cortical  parenchyma  ;  d,  phloem  tissue  ;  ^,  cambium  zone  ;  /,  xy- 
lem  tissue,  consisting  of  wood  cells  and  ducts  ;  g,  central  parenchyma,  not 
yet  develof>ed  into  xylem  tissue  ;  h,  duct  of  xylcm. 

several  rows  of  collenchyma  tissue  ;  interior  to  this  a  layer  of  cortical 
parenchyma,  consisting  of  several  tiers  of  cells,  then  the  phloem  tis- 
sue and  finally  the  xylem,  which  extends  to  the  centre  and  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  phloem  by  the  cambium  zone.  The  different  rays 
are  separated  by  the  medullary  rays. 


Fig.  4,  transverse  section  of  the  mid-rib  of  a  leaf  of  Solanum  Carolinense, 
with  one  of  the  prickles,  which  is  shown  in  longitudinal  section,  attached  ; 
magnification,  150  diameters.  A,  epidermal  cells  ;  b,  parenchyma  of  upper 
portion  of  mid-rib  ;  c,  a  portion  of  the  lamina  of  the  leaf;  d,  xylem  tissue  of 
mid-rib  ;  c,  cambium  zone  ;  /,  phloem  tissue  of  mid-rib  ;  g,  parenchyma  of 
lower  portion  of  mid-rib  ;  h,  collenchyma  tissue  ;  i,  slightly  lignified  tissue  of 
the  prickle,  which  occurred  on  the  mid-rib  and  was  cut  through  longitudinally; 
k,  epidermal  tissue,  more  lignified. 


Am.  Jonr.  Pbarm. ) 
February.  Ift97.     j 


Solatiion  Carolinense. 


89 


Steyn. — Zinc  chloriodide  iodine  shows  starch  in  the  central  paren- 
chyma, in  the  cells  of  the  medullary  rays,  in  the  cortical  paren- 
chyma, and  in  the  cambium  zone.  Chloral  hydrate  iodine  gives  the 
same  results,  as  does  also  potassium  iodide  iodine,  but  much  more 
prominently,  especially  in  the  central  parenchyma  tissue,  which 
contains  an  abundance  of  the  substance.  Phloroglucin  and  hydro- 
chloric  acid  stain  the  xylem  tissue,  which  is  strongly  lignified,  a 


Fig.  5,  portion  of  transverse  section  of  fruit  of  Solanum  Carolinense,  showinj^ 
the  succulent  tissues,  magnified  200  diameters.  A,  epidermal  tissue  ;  b  and 
c,  succulent  tissues,  farther  interior  ;  d,  parenchyma  tissue,  adjacent  to  the  pla- 
centa. 

bright  red.  The  stem  possesses  open  collateral  bundles,  which  are 
in  wedge-shaped  rays,  and  which  are  separated  from  one  an  other 
by  medullary  rays.  In  the  mature  stem  the  outer  portion  of  the 
section  consists  of  several  rows  of  cork  tissue,  which  are  exfoliat- 
ing at  the  surface.  In  the  mature  stem  indications  of  tannin  are 
obtained  in  abundance  in  the  pith  parenchyma,  medullary  rays, 
cambium  zone,  phloem,  cortical  parenchyma  and  suberous  tissue. 


Artificial  whalebone  is  prepared  from  bones  by  removing  fat,  then  irraim^ 
with  hydrochloric  acid  to  extract  lime  ;  the  cartilaginous  residue  is  then 
steeped  in  concentrated  chrome  alum  solution  until  saturated.  It  is  then  dried 
and  cut  into  strips  for  use. 


90  North  American  Conifer  a;.  {'^Februaryfisg?"'* 

A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  SOME 

NORTH  AMERICAN  CONIFER.©. 

By  Edson   S.  Bastin  and    Henry  Trimbi^K. 

{^Continued  from   Vol.  6S,page  648.) 

TSUGA  CANADENSIS. 

CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION. 

Considering  the  enormous  commercial  importance  of  this  tree 
and  its  products,  it  has  received  very  little  attention  by  the  botanist 
or  chemist.  No  investigations  have  been  reported  recently,  except 
two  on  the  volatile  oil,  so  that  the  text-books  at  the  present  time 
give  the  results  of  observations  made  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  years 
ago. 

The  Leaves. — The  most  important  constituent  of  the  leaves  is  the 
volatile  oil.  The  preparation  of  this  product  was  described  by 
Stearns^  in  a  report  to  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  in 
1858.  He  had,  from  a  practical  distiller,  the  information  that  in 
Michigan,  at  least,  the  oils  of  hemlock  and  spruce  (Picea  nigra)  were 
one  and  the  same  thing,  and  distilled  from  the  boughs  of  Tsuga 
Canadensis,  a  statement  which  is  probably  true  to-day. 

"  The  proceeding  is  as  follows  :  The  trees  are  cut  down  and 
the  boughs  collected  only ;  they  are  cut  up  fine  and  subjected  to  a 
distillation  with  water,  in  a  portable  copper  still  and  worm,  capable 
of  holding  about  one  hundred  gallons,  which  is  so  arranged  that  it 
can  be  transported  in  the  woods,  and  erected  quickly  upon  a  tem- 
porary arch ;  two  pails  full  of  boughs  (about  8  pounds)  are 
calculated  to  yield  I  ounce  of  oil.  The  distilling  is  done  only  in 
winter,  when  the  tree  is  richest  in  oil." 

Bertram  and  Walbaum,^  in  1894,  examined  oil  of  spruce,  said  to 
have  been  prepared  from  Abies  Canadensis  (Tsuga  Canadensis),  and 
found  it  to  consist  of  laevogyrate  pinene,  laevogyrate  bornyl  acetate 
(36  per  cent.)  and  a  sesquiterpene.  It  had  a  specific  gravity  of  0-907 
at  15°  C.  Carl  G.  HunkeP  considered  it  a  question  whether  this 
sample  was  derived  from  Tsuga  Canadensis,  or  from  Picea  nigra ;  he, 
therefore,  collected  the  leaves  and  twigs  of  Tsuga  Canadensis  him- 
self in  the  month  of  September,  and  submitted  them,  while  fresh,  to 
distillation  with  water  vapor.     The  yield  was  small,  of  a  yellowish 

'  Report  on  the  Medical  Plants  of  Michigan,  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1859,  P-  28. 
"^Archil  der  Pharm.,  231,  294. 
'  Pharmaceutical  Review^  14,  34. 


''FebiSalryT?^"}  Novth  American  Conifcm.  91 

color  and  it  possessed  the  characteristic  odor  of  hemlock.  The 
specific  gravity  of  the  dried  oil  at  20^ C.  was  09288,  [«]u  =  — 
18399°  ^t  the  same  temperature.  His  conclusion  was  that  this  oil 
of  hemlock  was  very  similar  in  composition  to  that  examined  by 
Bertram  and  Walbaum,  and  also  to  the  oil  of  black  spruce,  Picea 
nigra,  previously  examined  by  himself. 

Our  own  experiments  on  the  leaves  have  been  limited  to  an  esti- 
mation of  the  tannin,  resin  and  ash.  For  this  work  the  leaves  were 
collected  in  November,  and,  after  a  short  exposure  to  dry  air,  were 
found  to  still  contain  1280  per  cent,  of  moisture.  The  ash  esti- 
mated on  absolutely  dry  substance  was  found  to  be  378  per  cent., 
and  tannin,  similarly  calculated,  amounted  to  1-48  per  cent.  The 
ash  contained  calcium  and  potassium  sulphates,  phosphates  and 
traces  of  carbonates  and  chlorides.  The  leaves  submitted  to  the 
action  of  absolute  alcohol  yielded  22-97  per  cent,  of  their  weight  to 
that  solvent.  From  the  residual  extract,  after  recovery  of  the  alco- 
hol, petroleum  ether  removed  583  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the 
leaves,  consisting  of  fat,  volatile  oil,  wax,  chlorophyll  and  resin. 
Water  then  removed  from  the  residual  alcohol  extract  14/O  per 
cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  leaves,  which  consisted  of  tannin,  sugar 
and  extractive,  leaving  2-44  per  cent,  of  resinous  matter  and  chlo- 
rophyll. 

The  Root  Bark. — This  portion  of  the  hemlock  was  collected  for 
examination  on  the  first  day  of  August,  and  yielded  the  following 
results : 

I'er  Cent. 

Moisture 11*83 

Ash  in  dry  bark       3  96 

Tannin  in  dry  bark .     24*46 

This  large  amount  of  tannin  was  equivalent  to  21-57  per  cent,  in 
the  air-dry  sample. 

Tkc  Trunk. — The  wood  portion  of  the  hemlock  tree  supplies  the 
chief  amount  of  the  resin,  which  is  found  in  commerce  under  the 
name  of  Canadian  pitch. 

Probably  the  first  pharmaceutical  literature  concerning  this  resin 
was  by  Charles   Ellis,*  in    1830,  and   the  full  title  of  the   paper,  as 

^  "Finns  Canadensis,  Willd.;  Abies  Canadensis,  Mich.  Sylv.  A  lar^  tree 
belonging  lo  the  natural  order  Conifera.',  Mon(i.*cia,  Monodelphia  of  Linnaeus. 
Officinal  Resin  Pini  Canadensis.  Hemlock  Resin.  By  Charles  KUis."  Jour- 
nal of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phartnaey,  Vol.  2,  p.  18. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


92  North  American  Conifer ce.  {  February. isT?' 

given  in  the  foot-note,  indicates  that  the  tree  and  its  products  were 
not  well  known  at  that  time.  The  paper  opens  by  stating  this  tree 
is  "  known  only  in  the  United  States  by  the  name  of  hemlock 
spruce,  and  in  Canada  by  the  French  is  called  perusse."  That 
the  resin  had  not  been  an  article  of  commerce  very  long  is  indicated 
by  the  following :  "  The  resin  which  exudes  from  it  was  first  intro- 
duced into  this  City  (Philadelphia)  about  twelve  years  since,  and  was 
obtained  in  this  State  (Pennsylvania)  near  Silver  Lake, Susquehanna 
County.  But  its  history  even  here  has  been  but  little  known,  and 
still  less  elsewhere."  That  the  wood  of  the  hemlock  was  not  much 
esteemed  is  evidenced  by  the  statement  that  "of  all  the  great 
resinous  trees  of  America,  its  wood  is  of  least  value."  The  pro« 
cess  of  collecting  the  resin  at  that  time  was  different  from  that  given 
by  more  recent  writers.  Then  it  was  prepared  by  boiling  the  bark 
with  water  and  skimming  off  the  melted  resin  as  it  rose  to  the 
surface.  The  quantity  yielded  by  a  single  tree  with  this  process 
was  said  to  be  from  4  to  6  pounds.  The  product  was  more  or  less 
contaminated  with  pieces  of  bark  and  was  submitted  to  a  process 
of  purification  by  melting  and  straining. 

A  more  recent  report,  by  Stearns,  in  1858,  already  referred  to,^ 
gives  the  process  of  preparation  as  wholly  from  the  wood,  two 
methods  for  this  purpose  being  employed,  one  by  making  cup-like 
incisions  in  the  body  of  the  living  tree  and  allowing  the  resin  to 
flow  out,  after  the  manner  of  collecting  turpentine ;  the  other,  by 
chopping  out  the  knots  in  the  wood,  which  are  rich  in  resin,  and 
boiling  them  with  water.  The  latter  method  is  not  considered  as 
good  as  the  former,  as  the  boiling  with  water  deprives  the  resin 
of  most  of  its  volatile  oil,  which  is  present  in  the  resin  obtained  by 
exudation. 

Canada  pitch  is  considered  to  be  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  Bur- 
gundy pitch  in  the  manufacture  of  plasters ;  but  both  have  given 
way,  in  the  modern  methods,  to  caoutchouc  and  asphalt,  chiefly 
the  latter. 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  chemistry  of  Canada  pitch ;  the  vola- 
tile oil  contained  in  it  is  probably  similar  to  that  obtained  from  the 
leaves,  and  just  described ;  but  the  resin  or  resins,  which  constitute 
a  large  proportion  of  it,  have  not  been  studied. 

The  bark  of  the  trunk  is,  from  both  chemical  and  industrial 
standpoints,  of  great  importance;  nevertheless,  there  does  not  ap- 


""Febi^a'iV^?^'"}  North  American  Cofiifem.  93 

pear  to  have  been  published  anything  concerning  its  composition. 
It  is  evident  that  it  contains  resin,  volatile  oil  and  tannin,  and  a 
closer  examination  will  show  the  presence  of  a  considerable  amount 
of  red  coloritig,  as  has  already  been  shown  in  the  description  of 
microscopical  structure. 

The  following  results  were  obtained  by  us  on  a  sample  of  bark 
collected  in  June,  1896,  in  eastern  Tennessee.  The  sample  was 
taken  from  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  near  the  ground,  and  repre- 
sents an  average  sample  of  the  hemlock  bark  used  in  that  district 
by  tanners.  The  whole  bark  was  taken;  that  is,  it  had  not  been 
"  rossed."  After  having  been  finely  powdered,  50  grammes  were 
submitted  successively  to  the  following  solvents,  moisture  and  ash 
being  added  in  the  proportions  they  were  found  to  exist  in  the  air- 
dry  drug : 

Per  Cent. 
Petroleum  ether  dissolved 070 


Ether 

Absolute  alcohol 

Water 

Alkaline  water 

Acid 

Boiling 


350 

1574 

392 

75' 

o-8i 

147 

Ash  in  air-dry  bark i  42 

Moisture  in  air-dry  bark 673 

Residue  and  undetermined 5820 


loooo 

The  petroleum  ether  extract  consisted  of  0036  per  cent,  volatile 
oil,  0564  per  cent,  of  fat  melting  at  50*^,  and  o  10  per  cent,  of  wax 
melting  at  65°. 

The  ethereal  extract  consisted  chiefly  of  resin  and  red  coloring 
matter,  with  a  small  amount  of  tannin. 

The  alcohol  extract  contained  7-90  per  cent,  of  resin  and  decom- 
posed tannin,  known  as  hemlock  red,  the  balance  being  pure  tannin, 
soluble  in  water. 

The  water  extract  contained  neither  mucilage,  sugar  nor  tannin, 
and  only  a  small  amount  of  coloring  matter  ;  its  composition  was  not 
further  studied. 

The  alkali  extract  contained  229  per  cent,  of  albuminoids,  and  the 
hot  water  extract  consisted  almost  entirely  of  starch. 

The  ash  was  found  to  be  composed  of  magnesium  in  greatest 
abundance,  aluminum,  calcium,  manganese,  potassium  and  traces  of 
phosphoric,  hydrochloric  and  sulphuric  acids. 


94 


North  American  Coniferce. 


(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t    February,  1897. 


It  will  be  seen  from  this  analysis  of  the  bark  that  the  important 
constituents  are  tannin,  resin  and  hemlock  red;  all  of  these  con- 
stituents vary  with  the  season  of  the  year.  Hemlock  red  may  be 
an  intermediate  product  between  the  resins  and  the  tannin ;  its  pro- 
portion in  the  bark  is  very  variable. 

HEMLOCK    TANNIN. 

The  tannin  of  hemlock  bark  has  received  so  little  attention  at 
the  hands  of  investigators,  and  is  of  so  much  importance  industrially, 
that  it  is  considered  worthy  of  especial  notice  here. 

Occurrence. — The  few  results  that  have  been  published  concern- 
ing the  amount  of  tannin  in  hemlock  bark  are  widely  at  variance 
with  one  another.  Procter^  says  it  contains  nearly  14  per  cent.;  he 
probably  quoted  Mulligan  and  Dowling,^  who,  m  1859,  found  13*9 
per  cent.  Mafat,'^  1892,  gives  8  to  10  per  cent,  as  the  average 
amount.  The  following  results  will  show  that  there  may  be  a  great 
variation  in  the  proportion  present,  according  to  the  season  of  the 
year  and  other  circumstances: 

PERCENTAGES  OF  MOISTURE,  ASH  AND  TANNIN  IN  THE  BARK  OF  TSUGA  CANADENSIS. 


Date  of 
Collection. 


Moisture. 


May  12,  1895    .  .   .  20'o6 

June  30,  1895  .  .   .  15-54 

August  I,  18951  .  .  1000 

October  27,  1895     .  irgo 

November  28,  1895  14-01 

January  17,  1897    .  13-45 

May,  1896     ....  10-73 

June,  1896    ....  1043 

July,  1896     ....  10-98 


Ash  in 
Absolutely 
Dry  Bark. 

Tannin  in 
Absolutely 
Drj^  Bark. 

I  "46 

8-22 

3 '03 

9-82 

2-51 

1477 

1-21 

15-12 

I '43 

I5*45 

1-58 

13'05 

1-56 

io-6o 

I  "40 

14-96 

1-29 

11  "34 

Remarks. 


Small  tree. 

Taken  from  a  branch. 

Small  tree.  Bark  from  trunk. 

((                     K  l(                tl  (( 

Medium"  "        "  " 

<(           i<  11        (<  i< 

I^arge     "  '•        "  " 


Near  Philadelphia. 


Tennessee. 


1  This  sample  was  taken  from  the  same  tree  that  yielded  the  root  bark,  the  composition  of  which  ha 
been  given  on  a  previous  page  of  this  article. 

Hemlock   bark   is  usually  collected   during  the  months  of  May, 
June  and  July,  and  the  three   samples  in  the  foregoing  table  which 

'  Text-Book  of  Ta^ming,  p.  31. 
2  Chemical  Gazette,  17,  430. 

^Bulletin  de  la  Socicte  industrielle  de  Mulhouse,   63,   130.      Am.  Jour. 
Pharm.,  64,531. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Februarj'.  1897. 


North  American  Conifer ce. 


95 


were  collected  in  1896  were  taken  from  similar  trees  for  the  especial 
purpose  of  determining  their  relative  tannin  value. 

Preparation. — For  the  purpose  of  investigating  its  composition 
and  properties,  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  tannin  was  prepared 
by  extracting  hemlock  bark  with  acetone.  The  solvent  was  recovered 
by  distillation  and  the  syrupy  residue  was  poured  into  several  times 
its  bulk  of  water;  the  insoluble  resin  and  anhydrides  were  separated 
by  agitation  with  paper  pulp  and  filtration.  The  clear  aqueous  liquid 
was  saturated  with  sodium  chloride  and  shaken  with  acetic  ether, 
which  removed  the  tannin,'  the  solvent  in  this  case  being  removed 
by  distillation  under  reduced  pressure.  The  residue  was  redissolved 
in  water,  salt  added  and  the  tannin  again  removed  by  acetic  ether, 
and  the  operation  repeated  until  a  tannin  resulted  which  formed 
a  clear  solution  with  water.  It  was  then  treated  with  absolute 
ether,  in  which  it  was  insoluble,  and,  after  removal  of  the  ether, 
dried. 

Properties  and  Composition. — The  product  was  a  reddish  porous 
powder,  completely  and  readily  soluble  in  water  and  in  alcohol.  A 
I  per  cent,  solution  gave  the  following  reactions: 


Reagent. 


Ferric  chloride 

and 

Ammonium 
hydrate. 

Ammonio-ferric 
sulphate. 

Calcium  hydrate. 
Bromine  water. 


Hemlock  Tannin. 


Brownish -green 
color  and  ppt. 

Purple  color 
and  ppt. 

Brownish-green 
color  and  ppt. 

Pinkish  ppt., 
turning  red. 

Yellow  ppt. 


Chestnut  Oak 
Tannin. 


Gallotannic  Acid. 


Green  color 
and  ppt. 

Purple  ppt. 


Green  color 
and  ppt. 

Precipitate 
turning  pink. 

Yellow  ppt. 


Blue  color 
and  ppt. 

Purple  ppt. 


Blue  color 
and  ppt. 

Precipitate 
turning  blue. 

No  ppt. 


A  Study  of  the  decomposition  products  of  hemlock  tannin  was 
made  in  the  usual  way.  The  product  resulting  from  the  action  of 
heat  on   a    solution    of   the    tannin    in    glycerin  was   identified  as 

'  It  has  since  been  found  that  methyl  acetate  with  salt  answers  the  purpose 
of  an  immiscible  solvent,  for  the  removal  of  tannin,  equally  as  well  as  ethyl 
acetate,  and  is  much  cheaper. 


96  North  American  Conifer ce.  {^F^bSyT^s"!"' 

catechol.  Boiling  hydrochloric  acid  containing  2  per  cent,  of  HCl 
gas,  resolved  the  tannin  into  an  amorphous,  reddish-brown,  in- 
soluble phlobaphene  and  soluble  protocatechuic  acid.  The  phlo- 
baphene  was  of  the  same  character  as  that  obtained  from  the 
tannins  of  several  oak  barks.  When  heated  with  fused  potassium 
hydrate  the  tannin  yielded  protocatechuic  acid.  Although  the 
above  reactions  and  decomposition  products  indicated  a  great 
similarity  between  the  tannins  of  the  barks  of  the  hemlock  and 
oaks,  an  ultimate  analysis  was  made  in  order  to  further  establish 
their  relationship.  The  results  which  were  obtained  show  that 
the  tannins  from  these  two  sources  are  very  closely  related,  if, 
indeed,  not  identical.  For  comparison,  the  figures  which  represent 
the  composition  of  chestnut  oak  bark  tannin,  gallotannic  acid  and 
the  average  composition  of  the  tannins  from  nine  species  of  oak 
bark  are  given  : 

Average  on 
Chestnut  Oak  Tannins  from  Nine  Gallotannic 
Hemlock  Tannin.  Tannin.  Species  of  Oaks.  Acid. 

Carbon 60*09  59'69  5979  52  "17 

Hydrogen 5*18  5"o6  5*08  3*10 

Oxygen 3473  35*25  35-13  4473 

IGO'OO  IQG'GG  lOO'OO        lOO'OO 

The  several  tannins  used  in  the  combustions  were  dried  at  120°  C. 

The  conclusion  from  this  study  of  the  properties  and  composition 
of  hemlock  tannin  is  that  it  is  identical  with  the  other  tannins 
of  this  natural  order,  which  have  thus  far  been  studied  by  us,  as 
well  as  with  the  tannin  of  oak  bark,  and  a  number  of  others  from  a 
variety  of  sources. 

The  only  other  investigation  of  hemlock  tannin  on  record  was 
made  by  Boettinger\  in  1884,  who,  by  precipitating  a  commercial 
extract  of  hemlock  bark  with  bromine,  and  estimating  the  halogen  in 
the  product,  deduced  the  formula  Z^^^fixf)^^  from  which  he  con- 
cluded that  the  tannin  had  a  composition  expressed  by  the  formula 
^zo^igOio-  Such  a  formula  would  require  the  following  percentage 
composition  : 

C  .  . 


•   •   • 57*41 

^ 4-31 

O 38-28 

100  GO 

'  Berichtcder  deut.  chem.  Gesell.,  17,  1041  and  11 23. 


^Febmary^iS"''}  NortJi  American  Co ni fern.  97 

This  is  a  considerable  variation  from  our  figures  given  for  hemlock 
tannin  and,  in  fact,  from  those  of  a  larger  number  of  other  tannins, 
and  it  appears  reasonable  to  attribute  this  difference  to  the  fact  that 
Boettinger  operated  on  a  commercial  extract  of  hemlock.  To  those 
familiar  with  the  manufacture  of  tanning  extracts  this  would  be  a 
sufficient  reason  for  allowing  his  results  to  await  further  research  on 
the  bark.  Much  assistance  on  the  chemical  investigation  of  this 
tannin  was  given  by  J.  C.  Peacock  and  VV.  E.  Ridenour,  who  also 
aided  in  the  collection  of  the  various  samples  used  in  the  estimations. 

ECONOMICS. 

When  Ellis  wrote  concerning  this  tree  in  1830,  the  wood 
was  considered  of  very  little  value,  but  the  steady  diminution 
of  our  forests  has  brought  this  wood  to  the  front,  and  it  is  now  one 
of  the  most  important  lumber  trees  in  northeastern  United  States. 
The  hemlock  trunks  also  found  use  before  iron  became  so  cheap,  in 
conveying  water.  A  case  was  reported  in  1862^  where  pipes  of  this 
wood  had  been  in  service  thirty-two  years,  and  where  the  earth  was 
moist  they  had  not  decayed.  The  resin  has  had  extensive  use  in 
the  manufacture  of  plasters,  and  is  still  employed  for  that  purpose. 
The  volatile  oil  from  the  branches  is  used  as  a  flavoring  and  for  dis- 
infecting purposes.  The  bark  is  used  to  an  enormous  extent  in  the 
manufacture  of  heavy  leather.  In  recent  years,  many  tanneries  have 
been  built  in  the  hemlock  districts,  so  as  to  be  near  the  supply  of 
bark.  For  the  finer  grades  of  leather  the  hemlock  bark  is  mixed 
with  that  of  the  oak,  in  order  to  avoid  the  reddish  color  produced 
by  the  former. 

An  extract  of  the  bark  is  employed  by  tanners  in  place  of  the 
bark,  or  to  strengthen  their  bark  liquors,  and  in  a  variety  of 
other  ways,  notably  by  dyers,  in  conjunction  with  logwood  coloring, 
to  modify  the  shades  of  the  latter,  especially  when  copper  sulphate 
is  used  as  the  mordant.  Large  quantities  of  hemlock  extract  go  to 
the  European  markets,  where  it  finds  ready  sale.  All  parts  of  the 
tree  are  used  except  the  root,  and  from  what  we  have  seen  of  its 
contents  of  tannin  we  may  look  forward  to  the  day  when  it,  too, 
will  not  be  allowed  to  go  to  waste. 

(  To  be  continued.) 


*  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  34. 377. 


98  Correspondence,  {^^.i?^lr?^^^i^' 

CORRESPONDENCE  ON  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  SOME 
GALENICALS   FROM  FLUID  EXTRACTS. 

By  Edward  R.  Souibb,  Charles  Rice  and  John  Uri  IvLoyd. 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  January  8,  1897. 

Mr.  L.  F.  Kebler,  Philadelphia. 

Dear  Sir: — Your  favor  of  yesterday  is  received.  I  am  not  in  a 
condition  to  enter  upon  this  discussion,  but  must  confine  myself  to 
my  chief  argument  against  the  general  practice  of  making  tinctures 
from  fluid  extracts ;  and  this  single  argument  has  been  sufficient  to 
control  my  practice  ever  since  fluid  extracts  were  introduced. 

The  objection  to  the  practice  is  that  it  is  not  authorized  by  the 
U.S.P.,  and  that,  therefore,  such  tinctures  are  not  officinal,  but  are 
substituted  for  the  officinal  tinctures. 

To  make  them  so  is  to  break  through  our  own  authority,  or  law, 
as  to  how  they  should  be  made,  and  to  substitute  them  for  the 
U.S.?.  tinctures  is  an  immoral  act  of  dangerous  influence  and  ex- 
ample. 

The  convenience  of  such  a  practice  has  been  known  to  the  suc- 
cessive Committees  of  Revision  ever  since  fluid  extracts  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  U.S. P.,  since  the  practice  antedated  the  admission, 
and  in  some  of  the  committees,  at  least,  it  was  fully  discussed  and 
rejected  by  majority  vote.  A  prominent  reason  for  rejecting  the 
practice  was  that  it  doubled  the  risks  of  quality  in  the  tinctures  so 
made,  and  pushed  the  responsibility  for  quality  back  from  the  dis- 
penser to  some  one  behind.  If  a  dispenser  makes  a  tincture  from  a 
drug,  he  is  bound  to  know,  and  does  know,  whether  it  be  the  offici- 
nal drug  or  not,  and  responsibility  for  the  quality  of  the  tincture  is 
direct  and,  therefore,  right  and  proper.  If  he  makes  his  tincture 
from  a  fluid  extract,  according  to  the  formula  of  the  fluid-extract 
maker,  he  goes  entirely  behind  his  only  legitimate  authority,  the 
U.S.P.,  both  for  material  and  process,  and  supposes  he  avoids  the 
responsibility  for  quality.  If  he  says :  "  I  buy  standardized  fluid 
extracts  because  they  are  better  than  unassayed  drugs,"  he  brings 
the  practice  to  depend  on  the  standardization,  which  is  still  further 
back  from  the  legitimate  responsibility,  for  then,  who  standardizes 
the  standardizer,  and  who  authorizes  his  assay  process  ? 

When  the   Pharmacopoeia   finds  a  set  of  assay  processes  simple 


""Fe'rZ'rri^oi^]  CoTrespondcncc.  99 

enough  to  be  trusted  for  general  use,  it  will  probably  direct  some 
such  practice.  It  has  not  done  so  yet,  and  until  it  does  it  is  but 
right,  and  it  is  the  part  of  wisdom  and  safety,  to  conform  to  its 
authority  and  obey  its  commands.  Why  sacrifice  the  advantages 
of  having  an  excellent  Pharmacopoeia  by  trying  to  set  up  individual 
or  popular  authority  against  it.  Change  the  law,  if  you  will — but 
don't  change  the  practice  against  the  law. 

I  have  no  objection  whatever  to  your  using  what  I  have  said  in 
your  approaching  discussion  of  the  subject  on  the  20th.  Indeed,  I 
would  very  much  like  to  have  this  letter  read  in  the  discussion  at 
the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  on  January  20th,  and  published  in  the 
Minutes  of  the  College  Meeting,  Very  truly  yours, 

E.  R.  Squibb. 

New  York,  January  9,   1897, 
Lyman  F.  Kcblcr^  Esq. 

My  Dear  Sir: — You  ask  me  what  my  opinion  is  regarding  the 
propriety  of  making  tmctures  and  other  liquid  preparations  from  the 
corresponding  fluid  extracts,  citing  as  an  example  the  case  of  nux 
vomica,  where  the  U.S.P.  directs  the  tincture  to  be  made  from  the 
assayed  extract,  and  then  raising  the  question  why  a  tincture  of 
aconite  (35  per  cent.)  prepared  from  an  assayed  fluid  extract  should 
be  less  reliable  than  one  made  direct  from  the  drug  of  unknown 
strength. 

In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  submit  the  following,  which 
you  are  at  liberty  to  use,  as  coming  from  me,  in  any  way  agreeable 
to  you : 

When  fluid  extracts  were  first  suggested  and  introduced,  the  prin- 
cipal claim  made  for  them  was  that  they  represented  the  correspond- 
ing tinctures,  wines,  etc.,  in  a  more  concentrated  form  and  in  a 
smaller  bulk.  No  one  claimed  for  them  a  different  therapeutic 
action,  except,  of  course,  that  a  proportionately  smaller  quantity  of 
them  was  required  to  produce  the  same  effect  as  a  corresponding 
dose  of  the  respective  tinctures.  No  authority  in  therapeutics  to 
this  day  has  maintained  that  tinctures  and  fluid  extracts  prepared 
from  the  same  drug  differed  by  more  than  the  degree  of  effect,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  in  a  few  cases,  and  then  for  reasons   well   understood. 

Now,  if  a  tincture  or  a  fluid  extract  is  properly  made  from  the 
same,  uniformly  mixed  and  comminuted  lot  of  a  drug,  either  of  them 


lOO  Correspondence.  { ^^^ebiuarV^'fsT- 

should  and  will  contain  all  the  desired  active  principles  of  the  drug. 
If  this  is  true,  it  follows  logically  and  necessarily  that  if  such  a 
fluid  extract  be  diluted  by  the  proper  menstruum  to  the  strength  of 
the  corresponding  tincture,  the  resulting  dilution  will  be  equal  in 
therapeutic  effect  to  the  latter.  But  one  reservation  must  be  made 
here.  The  equality  will  be  disturbed,if  the  liquid  added  as  diluent 
to  the  fluid  extract  causes  such  a  disturbance  of  the  dissolved  mat- 
ters that  some  of  the  latter,  either  at  once  or  gradually,  lose  their 
solubility  and  become  precipitated.  That  there  are  drugs  behaving 
in  such  a  manner  cannot  be  denied,  and  it  must,  at  the  same  time,  be 
stated  that,  while  the  matters  first  thrown  out  of  solution  are  proba- 
bly, m  theynselves,  always  inert,  yet  they  are  apt  to  carry  along  with 
them  some  of  the  useful,  active  constituents,  thereby  causing  the 
tincture  made  by  dilution  from  the  fluid  extract  to  become  weaker 
in  therapeutic  strength  than  that  made  originally  as  a  tincture  from 
the  drug  direct.  Moreover,  it  is  well  known  that  when  such  pre- 
cipitation once  begins,  it  is  liable  to  progress  for  a  long  time,  so  that 
even  filtration  will  not  interrupt  the  process  of  deterioration.  A 
notable  example  of  this  class  of  drugs  is  cinchona  bark,  particu- 
larly the  red  variety. 

If  the  statements  thus  far  made  are  agreed  to,  it  seems  to  me 
that  we  may  formulate  a  few  propositions  regarding  the  subject, 
which  will  probably  also  be  accepted,  though  there  is  likely  to  arise 
a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  whether  it  is  practicable  at  all,  or  at 
least  as  to  how  far  it  is  practicable  to  apply  the  propositions.  It 
should  be  understood  that  in  comparing  any  fluid  extract  and  tinc- 
ture made  from  one  and  the  same  drug,  they  are  assumed  to  have 
been  prepared  from  known  quantities  of  the  drug  of  known  strength, 
and,  therefore,  to  be  commensurate.  The  propositions  which  I  wish 
to  make  are  as  follows  : 

(i)  If  a  fluid  extract  differs  from  a  tincture  only  in  the  quantity 
of  the  solvent  or  menstruum,  and  if  the  dilution  of  the  former  to 
the  strength  of  the  tincture  by  the  addition  of  more  of  the  solvent 
throws  nothing  out  of  solution,  the  two  tinctures  must  be  alike  in 
the  quantity  of  active  constituents,  and,  therefore,  be  alike  in  thera- 
peutic effect. 

(2)  If  the  dilution  of  a  fluid  extract  to  the  strength  of  the  corre- 
sponding tincture  by  the  addition  of  even  the  most  favorable  men- 
struum causes   a  precipitation,  the    two   tinctures    may  still  be  re- 


^Febtuary!'?^"^}  Correspondcftcc .  lOI 

garded  as  alike  in  therapeutic  effect,  if  the  precipitate  contains  none 
of  the  useful  medicinal  constituents. 

These  propositions  are  almost  self-evident,  and  will  probably  not 
be  gainsaid.  But  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that,  in  many  cases,  the 
dilution  of  a  fluid  extract  produces,  sooner  or  later,  more  or  less 
precipitation.  And  as  it  is  not  at  all  practicable  to  classify  drugs 
into  groups  representing  such  as  will  or  will  not  yield  precipitablc 
fluid  e.xtracts,  though  it  is  possible  to  mention  some  from  which  no 
precipitate  is  derived,  it  seems  to  me  unwise  to  give  a  general  en- 
dorsement to  the  practice  of  preparing  tinctures  from  fluid  extracts, 
at  least  at  the  present  time,  and  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowl- 
edge. If  the  manufacturing  houses  could  put  on  the  market  fluid 
extracts  of  full  official  strength,  made  with  menstrua,  the  further 
addition  of  which  would  cause  no  precipitate,  or  at  most  only  one 
known  or  guaranteed  to  be  inert,  the  practice  might  be  approved. 
But  as  this  is  not  the  case,  nor  likely  to  happen  in  the  near  future, 
no  general  license  to  make  tinctures  from  fluid  extracts  should  be 
given.  On  the  other  hand,  if  a  pharmacist  has  the  knowledge  and 
ability  to  examine  and  assay  his  preparations,  and  is  willing  to  as- 
sume full  responsibility  for  the  quality  of  the  medicines  he  dispenses, 
he  should  have  full  liberty  as  to  how  he  arrives  at  any  preparation, 
say  at  a  tincture,  and  it  is  then  immaterial  whether  he  prepares  it 
from  the  fluid  extract  or  the  drug.  I  would,  therefore,  offer  as  a 
third  proposition  the  following  : 

(3)  The  practice  of  preparing  tinctures  from  fluid  extracts,  in  all 
cases  where  dilution  causes  obvious  physical  changes  (such  as  pre- 
cipitation, gelatinization,  etc.),  is  not  to  be  recommended  for  general 
use,  but  may  be  adopted  in  cases  of  necessity  or  urgency,  when  a 
prescription  calls  for  the  tincture  of  a  drug  of  which  only  the  fluid 
extract  is  available  or  obtainable. 

Now  as  to  the  labels  you  sent  me.  To  judge  from  exj>erience,  I 
should  say  that  no  trouble  will  be  encountered  in  preparing  a  tinct- 
ure from  the  fluid  extracts  of  aconite  and  ipecac.  But  it  is  probable 
that  some  precipitate  will  form  in  the  case  of  belladonna  leaves  and 
coca  leaves,  particularly  as  different  persons  are  apt  to  use  different 
menstrua,  in  spite  of  your  direction.  Still,  we  should  not  pay  any 
attention  to  what  may  happen  if  your  directions  are  disobeyed.  If 
it  can  be  shown  that  the  i)rccipitate  in  these  cases  is  free  from  alka- 
loids, there  can  be  no  objection  raised  against  the  method. 


r  ^A^^V^^^^  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

102  Lorresponaence.  \  February.  1397. 

I  have  been  more  profuse  than  I  intended  ;  but  I  do  not  regret  it 
now,  since  it  gave  me  a  chance  to  discuss  a  subject  which  has  often 
been  brought  to  my  notice.  Very  truly  yours, 

Charles  Rice. 

Cincinnati,  O.,  January  9,  1897. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Kebler  : — Permit  me  to  strongly  urge  you  not  to 
commit  yourself  without  reserve  to  the  tincture-from-fluid-extract 
method.  In  my  opinion  there  is  more  than  one  side  to  the  subject. 
In  the  case  of  preparations  in  which  the  therapeutical  constituent  or 
constituents  of  the  drug  are  firmly  established  and  known,  and  in 
which  no  question  exists  concerning  the  exact  value  of  the  fluid 
extract,  there  seems  to  me  to  be  no  question  but  that  the  tincture 
may  be  made  by  diluting  the  fluid  extract ;  this,  of  course,  being  in  ' 
cases  where  the  menstruum  will  not  be  considered  at  all  as  a  thera- 
peutical part  of  the  product. 

In  such  cases  as  nux  vomica,  where  the  therapeutical  constituents 
are  permanent,  I  will  go  further,  and  say  that,  owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  extraction,  in  my  opinion,  unless  the  tincture  is  assayed  in  order 
to  establish  its  value,  the  method  of  preparation  from  an  unexcep- 
tional fluid  extract  (standardized)  is  to  be  preferred  to  blind  extrac- 
tions from  a  standardized  drug. 

In  some  cases,  however,  as,  for  example,  ipecac,  I  question  if  it 
has  been  demonstrated  that  a  standardized  fluid  extract  will  retain 
its  therapeutical  value  as  fully  as  will  the  drug.  Indeed,  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  the  advantage  is  decidedly  with  the  drug.  Hence, 
in  such  cases  as  this,  which  might  be  illustrated  more  markedly, 
perhaps,  with  other  drugs,  the  element  of  time  may  play  an  import- 
ant part  in  the  subject 

On  the  other  hand,  with  drugs  that  deteriorate  more  rapidly  than 
a  bottled  preparation  made  promptly  from  the  drug  when  in  its 
best  condition,  the  preference  must,  in  my  opinion,  rest  with  the 
fluid  extract.  Among  these  may  be  cited  those  substances  con- 
taining volatile  bodies  that  escape  by  age  ;  as,  for  example,  penny- 
royal, peppermint,  etc.  (of  course,  the  fluid  must  carry  full  amount 
of  tannates,  etc.),  and  included  in  this  class  must  be  such  substances 
as  disintegrate  on  exposure  in  drug  form,  as  exemplified  in  Pulsa- 
tilla, arum,  etc. 

Passing  now  to  the  great  class  of  drugs  in  which  nothing  has  been 


""rebrrr-ri^™}  Correspondence,  103 

recorded  as  to  the  therapeutical  constituents,  and  in  which  the  men- 
struum employed  in  making  the  official  tincture  is  different  from 
that  used  in  making  the  fluid  extract,  in  my  opinion  the  question  is 
open  yet,  and  I  hardly  venture  to  express  a  view  for  or  against. 
Indeed,  I  would  prefer  to  place  these  among  emergency  prepara- 
tions, in  which,  in  cases  demanding  prompt  action,  the  making  of 
a  tincture  from  the  fluid  extract  is  permitted,  but  in  which  the 
general  stock  should  be  made,  as  yet,  from  the  drug. 

Among  the  preparations  where  tinctures  may  be  made,  I  would 
include  all  these  fluid  extracts  not  official  and  of  which  no  standard 
menstruum  exists  for  making  either  the  tincture  or  fluid  extract. 
These  the  pharmacist  should  be  permitted  (expected)  to  mix  from 
the  respective  fluid  extract  when  he  has  a  call  for  the  tincture. 

Finally,  in  cases  where  the  menstruum  directed  by  the  U.S. P.  is 
decidedly  different  from  that  used  in  making  the  fluid  extract,  espe- 
cially in  those  cases  where  the  tincture  is  given  in  large  doses  and 
in  which  the  alcoholic  strength  of  the  tincture  is  very  much  less 
than  that  of  the  fluid  extract,  the  question  ot  therapy  extends  beyond 
the  drug  question.  If  the  fluid  extract  is  mixed  with  the  official 
menstruum,  an  unscientific  product  results  ;  if  it  be  not  mixed  with  the 
tincture  menstruum,  the  superabundance  of  alcohol  may  prove  objec- 
tionable. In  these  cases,  until  the  U.S. P.  is  corrected  and  identical 
solvents  used  in  making  both  tincture  and  fluid  extract  (which,  in 
my  opinion,  should  be  accomplished,  and  with  few  exceptions  can 
easily  be  done),  the  making  of  the  tincture  from  the  fluid  extract 
should  be  avoided,  unless  an  emergency  case  renders  it  absolutely 
necessary,  which  now  and  then  will  be  the  case. 

In  my  opinion  this  subject  is  one  worthy  of  some  study  and  con- 
sideration. I  see  no  reason  why  manufacturers  of  fluid  extracts 
should  not  give  directions  for  making  tinctures  from  fluid  extracts; 
but,  in  my  opinion,  although  such  information  is  useful  in  emergency 
cases,  and  in  certain  cases  to  be  preferred,  I  would  not  advocate 
the  substitution  of  a  line  of  tinctures  made  in  this  way  without 
Pharmacopceial  authority.  I  feel  that  the  skill  required  in  making 
these  simplest  of  pharmaceutical  preparations  is  not  such  as  to  pre- 
vent their  preparation  from  the  drugs,  and  I  believe  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  Pharmacist  to  make  them  according  to  the  PharmacopcL-ia,  until 
the  Pharmacopoeia  gives  him  the  privilege  of  selecting  either 
method.     This,  I  believe,  in  face  of  the  fact  that  in  my  opinion  ccr- 


r  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


104  Ptire    Spermaceti.  {    February,  I897, 

tain  tinctures  can  in  a  general  way  be  made  as  reasonably  (or  even 
cheaper)  from  the  fluid  extract,  and  with  greater  uniformity  than 
from  the  drug.  Of  course,  you  are  at  liberty  to  use  this  letter  in 
your  society  if  my  personal  opinion  will  be  of  service.  Bear 
in  mind  that  the  subject  is  considered  in  a  rambling  way  and  super- 
ficially, but  still  it  voices  opinions  gained  by  more  than  a  little 
thought  in  this  direction.  Very  sincerely  yours, 

John  Uri  Lloyd. 

PURE  SPERMACETI. 

By  Lyman  F.  Kebi.e;r. 

About  a  year  ago,  the  writer  presented^  some  data  on  the  ques- 
tion of  spermaceti.  The  conclusions  arrived  at  then  raised  a  ques- 
tion concerning  the  absolute  purity  of  the  material  operated  on. 
While  it  was  impossible  to  state  that  the  spermaceti  was  absolutely 
pure,  yet  there  was  every  reason  to  think  that  such  was  the  case. 
In  order  to  settle  the  question  as  completely  as  possible,  specimens 
of  spermaceti  were  secured  as  close  to  the  natural  source  as  the 
nature  of  the  case  permitted.  To  bring  this  about  most  effectually, 
every  person  who  was  likely  to  be  in  a  position  to  secure  a  sample 
of  pure  material  was  interviewed,  either  personally  or  through  corre- 
spondence. The  original  producers  were  also  requested  to  furnish 
samples  that  they  were  willing  to  guarantee  absolutely  pure.  This 
they  cheerfully  did. 

By  the  above  procedure,  three  specimens  were  received  from  the 
Pacific  Coast,  through  the  kindness  of  Prof.  W.  R.  Searby,  of  San 
Francisco,  Cal.  Prof.  E.  L.  Patch,  kindly  secured  a  sample  himself 
at  New  Bedford,  Mass.  Profs.  J.  P.  Remington  and  W.  R.  Scoville 
each  obtained  a  sample  from  the  same  source,  through  friends  closely 
connected  with  the  spermaceti  trade  there.  The  writer  himself 
secured  five  samples  from  the  original  producers,  with  guarantees  of 
absolute  purity.  Dr.  Chas.  Rice  also  assisted  in  the  way  of  sugges- 
tions. No.  12  was  a  specimen  obtained  by  melting  together  several 
samples  taken  from  a  purchase  of  2,000  pounds.  These  specimens, 
coming  directly  from  the  centres  of  supply  of  the  United  States,  can 
reasonably  be  expected  to  be  pure,  at  least  purer  material  cannot  be 
secured  in  this  country. 

^  1896,  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  68,  7. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
February,  1897, 


Pure  Spermaceti. 


los 


Having  accumulated  the  samples,  they  were  carefully  examined. 
Physically,  they  resembled  one  another  very  closely,  and  did  not 
differ  in  any  respect  from  the  commercial  material  examined  during 
the  past  three  years.  They  were  all  tested  in  the  same  manner 
that  those  reported  on  last  year  were  ;  in  addition,  however,  the 
specific  gravity  was  taken  in  a  liquid  lighter  than  the  spermaceti,  by 
means  of  the  sinker  attached,  and  at  the  boiling  point  of  water  in  a 
pycnometer.  Two  methods  lor  attaching  the  sinker  were  employed. 
In  the  first  case,  the  sinker  was  simply  tied  to  the  spermaceti ;  in 
the  second  case,  the  sinker  covered  the  spermaceti  so  that  only  one 
surface  was  exposed  to  the  liquid,  thus  reducing  the  question  of 
attached  air-bubbles  to  a  minimum.  This  was  done  in  the  follow- 
ing manner  :  Porcelain  crucible  covers  were  carefully  cleansed,  dried 
and  their  weight  taken.  The  melted  spermaceti  was  poured  into 
these  covers,  allowed  to  cool  at  the  temperature  of  the  working- 
room  and  the  specific  gravity  taken  at  the  end  of  two  days  with 
the  spermaceti  in  situ.  The  congealing  points  were  also  observed. 
The  results  are  as  follows  : 


1 

) 

\o 

? 

u 

0 

J    . 

0    ^ 

^-6 
0  0 

S 

es 

6 

cd 

°o 

•o 

'J 

= 

>» 

^3 

^b 

u 
3 

(A 

"p 

I 

be 

a 

u 
u 

s 

u 

CI 

a 

9 

2s; 
«2 

fit 

1- 

2o 

St 
0% 

*  a 

a 

be 

a 

"5 

y. 

£^ 

£^ 

it 

a— 

U  V 

^  s 

u  3 

1 

«< 
c 

be 
a 
0 

1 

JO 

y 

•c  . 

11 

u 

1-- 

s 

u 

-< 

W 

(A 

(A 

(A 

tfl 

(0 

KemiDKton  . 

43*5° 

42° 

0-47 

13962 

08406 

0*8083 

0*8981 

0*8979 

08902 

0*9381 

Scoville      .   .    . 

44V 

43° 

O'lO 

>25* 

0*8405 

0*8083 

0*8989 

08992 

08987 

09385 

Patch      .... 

45° 

43° 

0-25 

124*8 

08404 

0-8083 

09042 

09009 

0*9036 

0*9401 

Scarby    .... 

44° 

42-5° 

0'2I 

131*06 

0-8458' 

08124 

0*9066 

O9UO7 

0-8954 

0-9510 

Searby    .... 

43° 

4X° 

om6 

136-31 

08432 

0  81C9 

0-8960 

019099 

0*8118 

0-9413 

Searby    .... 

43-5° 

42° 

043 

129-91 

0*8452 

0*8160 

0*8969 

o*9uu9 

0-9420 

Kebler   .... 

44° 

43° 

o\V> 

13030 

0*8412 

0*8089 

1  0*8960 

1 

0*8972 

0-8993 

0-9394 

Kebler   .... 

43° 

42° 

035 

130*20 

0*8412 

0*8089 

0*8899 

08974 

08937 

Keblcr    .... 

44° 

43° 

023 

I258I 

0*8410 

O.80&7 

'  0*8982 

0*8983 

0*8982 

0-9421 

Kebler   .... 

46P 

44-5° 

019 

129'oa 

0*8412 

08089 

0-9079 

09079 

0-9013 

0*9410 

Kebler  .... 

44  5° 

43° 

039 

12813 

08419 

08097 

1 
09103 

0*9018 

0-8992 

0*9500 

Commercial    . 

44° 

43° 

009 

125*1 

0*8409 

0*8093 

0*8991 

0*8993 

0*9010 

0*9400 

io6  Pure  Spermaceti.  {"^Y^i^^liyM^^- 

The  melting- points,  acid  numbers  and  ether  numbers  correspond 
very  closely  with  those  reported  last  year.  The  anomalous  specific 
gravities  are  unique  and  require  an  explanation.  The  highest  spe- 
cific gravities  were  obtained  by  the  same  method  that  was  used  to 
ascertain  the  specific  gravities  reported  on  in  a  previous  paper,  viz.: 
alcohol  diluted  to  such  an  extent  that  the  small  pellets  floated 
indifferently.  This  method,  for  convenience,  will  be  called  the  sus- 
pensory method. 

In  making  the  pellets  for  the  suspensory  method,  the  melted  (on 
a  water-bath)  spermaceti  was  dropped  on  a  moistened  plate  having 
a  temperature  of  about  20°  C.  This  was  cool  enough  to  chill  the 
melted  spermaceti  quickly,  so  that  the  molecules  were  not  given 
time  to  assume  a  crystalline  form ;  at  least,  the  pellets  were  very 
slightly  crystalline,  if  at  all. 

For  the  other  methods  in  which  the  solid  material  was  employed, 
the  melted  spermaceti  was  poured  into  porcelain  crucible  covers  and 
allowed  to  cool  in  a  room  at  about  22°  C.  After  cooling,  the  sper- 
maceti was  removed  from  the  covers.  All  material  worked  on  was 
given  at  least  two  days'  time  to  assume  a  normal  state  before  the 
specific  gravity  was  taken.  These  prepared  forms  were  30  mm.  in 
diameter  and  about  6  mm.  thick ;  thicker  in  the  centre,  tapering 
towards  the  circumference.  The  manner  of  congealing  allowed 
ample  time  for  the  spermaceti  to  assume  crystalline  forms. 

Normally,  spermaceti  is  crystalline.  From  the  fact  that  the  pel- 
lets prepared  for  the  suspensory  method  were  non-crystalline,  and 
of  a  higher  specific  gravity  than  the  crystallized  material,  the  writer 
is  led  to  think  that  the  specific  gravity  for  normal  spermaceti  is  not 
much  above  o  9000  and  not  much  below  08900  at  15°  C.  The  spe- 
cific gravity  obtained  by  the  suspensory  method  is  probably  abnor- 
mal, due  to  the  non-crystalline  character  of  the  pellets. 

The  writer,  on  referring  td  his  memorandum,  finds  that  the  low 
specific  gravities  obtained  by  the  suspensory  method,  reported  in  a 
former  contribution  (0905,  0-915.  0-920,  etc.),  were  taken  during  the 
months  of  August  and  early  September ;  while  the  higher  specific 
gravities  (0935,  0939,  etc.)  were  taken  in  November  and  Decem- 
ber. 

In  the  former  case  the  elevated  temperature  was  conducive  to 
the  formation  of  more  highly  crystalline  pellets  than  in  the  latter 
case,  when  the  temperature  was  considerably  lower.     The  specific 


^Febrnary^?S^"}  P^^rc  Spcrmaceti.  lOJ 

gravities  embodied  in  the  present  paper  were  all  taken  during  the 
cold  weather  of  December,  1896. 

To  throw  further  light  on  this  point,  further  observations  were 
made.  The  writer  has  in  his  possession  a  sample  of  crude  sperm 
oil;  on  cooling,  spermaceti  crystallizes  out  and  floats  indifferently 
on  the  liquid  at  about  22°  C;  the  specific  gravity  of  this  mixture  at 
22°  C  is  o  8846,  which  would  approximate  08900  very  closely  at  1 5° 
C.  Next,  a  sample  of  spermaceti,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  o  9385 
at  15°  C.  by  the  suspensory  method,  was  dissolved  with  20  per 
cent,  of  paraffin,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  09132  at  15°  C.  by  the 
same  method.  This  mixture  possessed  a  specific  gravity  of  o  945 
by  the  same  method.  The  same  spermaceti,  with  an  admixture 
of  33  per  cent,  of  paraffin,  had  a  specific  gravity  of  0-946  at  15°  C. 
by  the  suspensory  method.  The  experiments  again  indicate  that 
the  conclusion  arrived  at  above  is  correct. 

In  view  of  the  possibility  of  obtaining  such  variable  results  for 
the  specific  gravity  of  solid  spermaceti  it  is  necessary  to  detail  ex- 
actly the  conditions  under  which  the  observations  are  made,  or  the 
results  are  worthless. 

The  writer  recommends  that  the  specific  gravity  of  this  substance 
be  taken  at  the  boiling  point  of  water.  The  results  by  this  process 
are  uniform  and  concordant.  This  is  done  as  follows  :  Pour  the 
melted  spermaceti  into  the  warmed  pycnometer,  insert  the  stopple 
and  plunge  the  bottle  immediately  into  boiling  water,  to  such  a 
depth  that  the  neck  of  the  bottle  only  projects.  Keep  the  water 
boiling  for  one  hour,  remove  the  bottle,  wipe  well,  cool  and  weigh. 

This  gives  the  weight  of  a  given  volume  of  spermaceti  at  the 
temperature  of  boiling  water. 

The  conclusions  arrived  at  in  the  previous  article  are  fully  sup- 
ported by  the  observations  made  in  this  communication,  except  the 
specific  gravity  of  the  solid  material.  To  this  constant  a  greater 
degree  of  variableness  must  be  ascribed,  depending  entirely  on  the 
crystalline  or  non-crystalline  condition  of  the  spermaceti  oper- 
ated on. 

Before  closing  the  writer  desires  to  kindly  thank  all  who 
assisted  him  with  this  work. 

305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


io8  Solninc— Pilocarpine  Hydrochloride.    { ^ February!  1^97°"' 

SOLNINE  NOTE. 
By  John  Uri  Lloyd. 
The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  April,  1894,  contained  a 
paper  from  my  pen  concerning  the  alkaloid  of  Solamnn  Caroli- 
nense.  To  this  alkaloid  I  ventured  to  affix  the  name  Solnine,  "  in 
order  to  give  it  an  existence  in  literature."  I  also  stated  that 
'•  having  never  made  a  study  of  Solanine,  I  am  not  prepared  to  de- 
cide concerning  the  identity  of  Solnine  and  that  substance.  If  Witt- 
stein's  description  of  Solanine  is  correct,  they  are  different."  After- 
ward (September,  1895)  ^  determination  was  accurately  made  of  the 
melting  point  of  crystallized  solnine.  This,  together  with  the 
characteristics  noted  in  the  paper  of  April,  1895,  may  be  said  to 
fairly  establish  that  Solnine  is  not  the  same  as  Solanine. 

Melting  point  of  Solnine 127-2°  C. 

Melting  point  of  Solanine  (as  per  current  literature)    .    .    .    .  235-0°  C. 

A  fresh  supply  of  Solnine  is  now   in  process,  and  then  I  hope  to 

supply  combustion  figures. 


PILOCARPINE   HYDROCHLORIDE.! 
By  Dr.  B.  H.  Paui^  and  A.  J.  Cowni^ey. 

In  the  last  issue  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  the  United  States  of 
America  an  addition  was  made  to  the  characters  of  this  salt  by  giv- 
ing the  melting  point  as  197°  C,  and  an  American  journal  has  re- 
cently expressed  the  opinion  that  an  observation  of  the  melting 
point  is  the  best  means  of  ascertaining  the  purity  of  the  salt  met 
with  in  commerce.  It  might  therefore  be  inferred  that  the  hydro- 
chloride has  in  that  respect  an  advantage  over  the  nitrate,  some 
samples  of  which  we  have  shown  differ  considerably  in  the  melting 
point.  The  question,  however,  is  not  so  much  as  to  the  purity  of 
any  particular  salt,  but  whether  the  alkaloid  obtained  from  jabor- 
andi  consists  of  more  than  one  chemical  individual.  The  results 
already  described  by  us'-^  point  to  the  probability  that  the  salts  met 
with  in  commerce  under  the  name  of  pilocarpine  nitrate  do  contain 
more  than  one  base,  and  there  is  consequently  some  uncertainty  as 
to  which  of  those  bases  has  the  medicinal  action  peculiar  to 
jaborandi. 

^  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  November  21,  1896. 

"^  Pharm.  Jour.,  1896,  p.  i.     Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1896,  p.  445. 


'^Februa'ry^?^,™}  Pilocarpine  Hydrochloride.  109 

A  similar  want  of  homogeneity  might  be  expected  to  obtain  with 
the  hydrochloride  and  other  pilocarpine  salts. 

In  examining  some  samples  of  pilocarpine  hydrochloride  as  to 
the  melting  point,  we  have  found  that  this  salt  gives  indications  of 
being  a  mixture  of  more  than  one  chemical  compound.  Taking 
the  melting  point  in  a  Roth  apparatus,  we  found  that  two  different 
temperatures  might  be  read  as  the  melting  point,  one  at  which  the 
substance  in  the  capillar)'  tube  showed  signs  of  partial  liquefaction, 
and  a  higher  point,  at  which  the  contents  of  the  tube  became  en- 
tirely liquid.  The  results  obtained  with  two  samples  of  pilocarpine 
hydrochloride  are  given  in  the  following  table : 

Sample.  Befjan  to  Run.  Clear  Liquid. 

A 1927°  1967° 

B 192-2°  1967° 

This  behavior  appears  to  point  to  the  probable  presence  of  two 
substances  in  both  of  the  samples,  judging  from  the  partial  melt- 
ing at  the  lower  temperature,  and  the  way  the  salt  becomes  a  clear 
liquid  at  a  point  about  4°  higher. 

For  one  of  these  samples  of  pilocarpine  hydrochloride  we  are 
indebted  to  Messrs.  Domeier,  who  were  good  enough  to  procure  it 
specially  from  the  makers,  Messrs.  C.  F.  Boehringer  &  Sons.  At 
the  same  time  they  sent  an  account  of  the  result  of  some  pharma- 
cological examinations  they  have  had  made  in  consequence  of  the 
statement  as  to  abnormal  action  of  pilocarpine  salts. ^  They  have 
found  that  a  salt  of  high  melting  does  not  differ  in  its  action  from  the 
one  of  low  melting  point  which  can  be  separated  by  purification — 
presumably  fractional  recrystallization.  In  regard  to  the  medicinal 
use  of  pilocarpine  salts,  this  result  would  appear  to  show  that  the 
possible  presence  of  two  substances  is,  from  that  point  of  view,  a 
matter  of  no  account  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  would  do  away 
with  the  value  of  the  melting-point  test  as  a  criterion  of  the  quali- 
ties of  pilocarpine  salts. 

In  reference  to  the  abnormal  action  of  pilocarpine  salts  analogous 
to  that  of  atropine,  Messrs.  Boehringer  suggest  that  it  may  prob- 
ably be  due  to  the  presence  of  jaborine  ;  but  as  the  existence  of 
that  base  is  somewhat  questionable,  such  a  mode  of  explanation 
would  require  to  be  supported  by  more  definite  proof  than  is  at 
present  available. 

'  Ibid. ,  p.  2. 


Am.  Jour  Pharm. 


no  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {^FebSiary! 


1897. 


RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

NOTES    ON    THE    TREES    YIELDING    MYRRH. 

E.  M.  Holmes  read  an  interesting  paper  on  this  subject  at 
an  evening  meeting  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society,  of  Great 
Britain  (Pharmaceutical  Journal,  December  12,  1896),  in  which  he 
detailed  his  own  investigations  and  at  the  same  time  incorporated 
some  literature  on  this  subject,  which  appeared  in  the  Kew  Bulletin 
for  March  and  April,  1896. 

Myrrh  is  imported  into  England  chiefly  from  Aden,  to  which  port 
it  is  sent  from  Arabia  and  Abyssinia.  Some  comes  from  Bombay, 
and  is  known  in  the  London  market  as  ''  red  Zanzibar "  myrrh. 
Writers  on  materia  medica  distinguish  four  varieties  :  Somali  myrrh ; 
Arabian  myrrh,  of  Hanbury ;  Arabian  myrrh,  of  Dymock,  or 
Meetiya,  and  Yemen  myrrh.  There  are  also  three  others  men- 
tioned in  Pharmacographia  Indica,  I,  p.  307,  as  occurring  in  the 
Bombay  market :  Persian  myrrh,  sent  principally  from  Mekran, 
Chinese  myrrh  and  Siam  myrrh  or  Meetiya ;  the  same  authority 
states  that  myrrh  appears  to  have  been  shipped  from  China  as  early 
as  A.  D.  1340. 

Judging  from  the  taste  and  odor  of  the  four  principal  varieties  of 
myrrh  mentioned  above,  it  might  reasonably  be  supposed  that  they 
are  the  product  of  one  species  of  Commiphora,  or  of  varieties  of 
the  same  species  modified  by  conditions  of  soil,  elevation  and 
climate. 

Concerning  the  plant  which  yields  Somali  myrrh,  we  have  no 
exact  information,  for  there  exists  very  little  evidence  connecting 
the  gum  resin  with  the  trees  supposed  to  yield,  owing  partly  to  the 
fact  that  collectors  of  plants  are  not  usually  well  acquainted  with 
the  drugs  of  commerce. 

With  respect  to  Arabian  myrrh  the  case  is  different.  About  the 
year  1820,  Ehrenberg  collected  specimens  of  a  myrrh  tree  at  Gezan, 
in  South  Arabia.  These  were  referred  to  Balsamodendron  myrrha, 
Nees.  Subsequently,  however,  Berg  showed  that  two  species  were 
mixed  under  this  name,  and  he  separated  the  second,  which  has 
obcordate  leaflets,  under  the  name  of  B.  Ehrenbergiana,  Berg.  The 
first  of  these,  Balsamodendron,  or,  as  it  is  now  called,  Commiphora 
myrrha,  has  recently  been  stated  by  Schweinfurth  to  yield  no  resin 
at  all,  and  the  second  has  been  identified  as  a  variety  of  the  Balm  of 


'^Febr**uao^?«^' ;       Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,  III 

Gilead  tree,  C.  opobalsamum.  Professor  Schweinfurth  has  recently 
stated  that  Arabian  myrrh  is  the  product  of  Commiphora  Abyssinica, 
Engl.,  and  of  C.  schimperi  [Berichte  dcr  Pliarin.  Gcsellschaft,  1893, 
pp.  218  and  237),  but  the  Director  of  Kevv  Gardens,  in  a  lengthy 
paper  on  the  subject  in  the  Kew  Bulletin,  1896,  p.  91,  in  which  he 
differs  somewhat  from  the  views  of  Professor  Schweinfurth,  expresses 
the  opinion  that  Commiphora  simplicifolia  may  be  accepted  as  the 
source  of  Yemen  myrrh,  and  that  Fadhli  myrrh  be  yielded  by  both 
C.  myrrha  and  C.  simplicifolia. 

Professor  Schweinfurth  supplied  the  herbarium  of  the  Pharma- 
ceutical Society  with  specimens  of  C.  Abyssinica,  C.  schimperi,  C. 
simplicifolia,  C.  Africana  and  C.  opobalsamum,  and  it  occurred  to  Mr. 
Holmes  that  some  light  might  be  thrown  on  this  difficult  question 
by  tasting  the  bark  and  fruits  of  these  specimens,  especially  as  true 
myrrh  has  a  very  bitter  taste,  and  a  peculiar  aroma,  hardly  likely  to 
be  entirely  absent  in  the  plant  itself.  In  none  of  these  did  Mr. 
Holmes  detect  the  odor  and  taste  of  myrrh,  and  he  says  we  are 
driven  to  the  conclusion  that  Arabian  myrrh  is  the  produce  of  the 
plant  named  Balsamodendron  myrrha,  by  Nees.and  not  of  C.  Abys- 
sinica, nor  of  C.  simplicifolia,  nor  of  C.  schimperi.  There  are  several 
acrid  gum  resins  that  occur  mixed  with  myrrh  as  imported.  The 
most  abundant  of  these  is  opaque  bdellium,  which,  as  pointed  out 
by  R.  H.  Parker  [Pharm.  Jour.  [3],  il,  p.  41),  differs  from  hotai  in 
its  greater  toughness,  and  in  giving  an  intense  greenish-black  color 
with  ferric  chloride.  These  are,  doubtless,  yielded  by  other  species 
of  Commiphora.  Thirty-five  species  of  Commiphora  are  described 
in  A.  DeCandolle's  MonographicB  Phancrogajnarutn  Proiiro)ni,  Vol. 
4,  pp.  9-^9. 

RELATION  OF  THE  GROWTH  OF  FOLIAGE  LEAVES  AND  THE  CHLORO- 
PHYLL FUNCTION. 

The  following  conclusions  have  been  reached  by  D.  T.  MacDougal 
{The  Journal  of  the  Linnean  Society,  31,  526),  after  a  practical  study 
of  a  number  of  plants: 

(i)  Material  constructed  in  active  chlorophyll  areas  and  stored  in 
special  organs  may  be  transported  to  inactive  chlorophyll-bearing 
organs  in  some  plants  in  light  and  in  darkness,  and  be  used  in  such 
manner  as  to  allow  of  the  perfect  development  of  these  organs. 

(2)  The  removal  of  concurrent  members  in  darkness  may  have 


112  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {''^^i^^lrjAm^' 

no  effect,  may  cause  an  exaggerated  development  of  the  petioles,  or 
may  result  in  the  perfect  development  of  the  entire  leaf.  The 
nature  of  the  regulatory  mechanism  in  each  instance  must  be 
entirely  specific. 

(3)  It  is  possible  for  some  plants  to  form  perfect  leaves  in  dark- 
ness, some  when  a  portion  of  the  stem  only  is  darkened,  and  others 
when  the  entire  plant  is  etiolated.  It  is  thus  shown  that  no  invari- 
able connection  exists  between  the  phototonic  condition  and  leaf- 
development. 

(4)  The  conclusion  of  Jost,  that  pathological  conditions  ensue 
more  quickly  in  inactive  leaves  in  light  than  in  darkness,  is  not 
capable  of  general  application.  The  deterioration  in  certain  plants 
appears  as  quickly  in  darkness  as  in  others  in  light. 

(5)  Placing  a  leaf  under  such  conditions  that  it  cannot  construct 
food  material,  sets  in  motion  the  specific  regulatory  mechanism  of 
the  organism  in  such  manner  that  the  plastic  material  may  be  with- 
drawn and  the  organ  cast  off.  An  exaggerated  development  of  the 
petioles  may  be  induced  in  darkness  by  this  mechanism. 

(6)  It  is  to  be  noted  that  plants  may  not  be  entirely  ?  as  to  their 
reaction  to  an  atmosphere  devoid  of  COg  upon  the  basis  of  species, 
since  a  given  plant  may  be  capable  of  developing  inactive  leaves  at 
one  stage  of  its  development,  and  not  at  another.  This  is  evident 
upon  consideration  of  the  fact  that  such  capacity  is  entirely  depend- 
ent upon  the  availability  of  the  reserve  food  for  this  purpose. 

In  addition  to  this  summary,  the  article  contains  an  interesting 
historical  introduction  and  a  short  bibliography  of  the  subject. 

ORANGE  GROVES  OF  NAPLES. 

The  Orange  Groves  of  Naples  are  planted  with  wild  trees,  which 
are  grafted  in  the  usual  way,  and  grow  with  bare  trunks  to  4  or  5 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  branches  then  run  out  and  form  the 
fruit-bearing  portion  of  the  tree.  An  ingenious  and  beautiful  inno- 
vation has  been  introduced  into  one  grove,  and  is  described  by 
Consul  Neville-Rolfe  in  his  latest  report.  Lemons  are  grafted  upon 
the  bare  and  non-productive  stems  of  the  oranges,  about  2  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  trained  in  garlands  from  tree  to  tree,  thus  not 
only  increasing  the  productiveness  of  the  grove  very  materially,  but 
adding  greatly  to  the  picturesqueness  of  its  appearance.  Orange 
trees  being  usually  planted  in  rows  at  a   measured  distance  apart,  a 


"^Februao^r^T™}      Liter uUirc  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  113 

grove  has  usually  a  geometrical  appearance  which  is  unsatisfactory, 
but  this  appearance  is  very  much  modified  by  the  lemons,  which 
break  the  lines  in  all  directions.  There  is  a  legend  which  most 
people  firmly  believe,  that  the  grafting  of  a  second  fruit  on  the  parent 
stem  materially  alters  the  type  and  quality,  not  only  of  the  original 
fruit,  but  also  of  the  graft,  and  it  is  sometimes  gravely  asserted  that 
••  blood  oranges  "  are  obtained  by  grafting  the  pomegranate  on  to 
the  orange.  This,  says  the  Consul,  is  a  complete  fallacy.  Both 
fruits  retain  their  original  quality,  and  neither  borrows  anything  from 
the  other.  There  is  thus  no  difference  between  the  lemons  grown 
in  the  orange  grove  from  those  grown  in  the  grove  where  lemons 
alone  are  cultivated. — Pharmaceutical  Journal,  October  //,  i8g6. 

DETERMINATION    OF   THEOBROMINE    IN    CACAO.      (Eminger,  in 

Forschungsberichte,  1896,  275.) 

The  author  first  extracts  vegetable  fat  by  digesting  10  grammes 
of  the  finely  powdered  material  with  150  parts  of  petroleum 
spirit  ;  the  residue  is  then  dried  and  a  weighed  portion  boiled  for 
about  half  an  hour,  or  until  the  formation  of  cacao-red  is  completed, 
with  100  cubic  centimetres  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  (3-4  per  cent.) 
in  a  flask  fitted  with  a  reflux  condenser.  The  contents  of  the  flask 
are  then  turned  into  a  beaker  and,  whilst  hot,  exactly  neutralized 
with  the  calculated  quantity  of  baryta  ;  the  whole  is  evaporated  to 
dryness  with  some  sand,  and  the  residue  extracted  in  a  Soxhlet 
apparatus  with  150  parts  of  chloroform  for  five  hours;  the  chloro- 
form is  then  distilled  off  and  the  residue  dried  at  100°  C.  This 
residue  is  then  washed  with  not  more  than  1 00  cubic  centimetres  of 
carbon  tetrachloride,  which  dissolves  the  fat  and  caffeine  ;  the  theo- 
bromine, being  quite  insoluble  in  carbon  tetrachloride  at  18°  C.,  is 
collected  on  a  filter,  dissolved  in  boiling  water,  the  solution  filtered 
and  evaporated  and  the  residue  weighed.  By  this  method  the 
theobromine  in  different  kinds  of  cacao  was  found  to  vary  from  105 
to  234  per  cent.,  and  the  caffeine,  from  005  to  036  per  cent. 
Theobromine  is  soluble  in  736-5  parts  of  water  at  18 C,  in  136 
parts  at  100°  C,  in  818  parts  of  boiling  absolute  alcohol,  in  21,000 
parts  of  ether  at  17°  C,  in  2,710  parts  of  boiling  chloroform,  and  in 
5,808  parts  at  18^  C.  "Theobromine  begins  to  sublime  at  220°  C. 
without  melting,  whilst  caffeine  sublimes  at  180°  C.  and  begins  to 
melt  at   220°  C."     Theobromine   is  more  or   less  decomposed  if 


114  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.     {Tebruaryfis^'!"' 

warmed  for  any  length  of  time  with  alkalies,  earthy  oxides  or  hy- 
d rated  lead  oxide. —  The  Journal  of  the  Society  of  Chemical  Industry ^ 
October  ^i,  iSg6. 

ANALYSIS  OF  CHLOROFORM.    {Gay,  in  y.  Pharm.  Chim.,  i8g6,  ^,  ^5P-) 

(i)  A  piece  of  filter  paper  saturated  with  the  chloroform  should 
dry  completely,  and  the  odor  remain  pleasant  to  the  end.  The  con- 
trary indicates  the  presence  of  amyl  alcohol. 

(2)  Shake  6  c.c.  with  3  c.c.  of  water  and  test  with  litmus  paper ; 
this  should  not  be  reddened. 

(3)  Shake  with  an  equal  volume  of  10  per  cent,  silver  nitrate ;  a 
white  precipitate  on  standing  indicates  the  presence  of  hydrochloric 
acid,  and  a  black  precipitate  on  boiling,  that  of  aldehyde  or  acetone. 

(4)  To  5  c.c.  add  2  c.c.  of  a  solution  of  I  part  of  potassium  bi- 
chromate in  100  parts  of  strong  sulphuric  acid,  and  warm  gently; 
if  alcohol  be  present  a  green  coloration  appears.  A  quantitative 
test  for  alcohol  is  necessary,  since  0-5  per  cent,  may  be  added  to 
preserve  the  chloroform.  To  5  c.c.  add  I  c.c.  of  Mohr's  solution 
(i  part  of  potassium  permanganate  and  10  parts  of  alcoholic  potash 
dissolved  in  25  parts  of  water)  in  such  a  manner  that  the  liquids  do 
not  mix ;  then  shake  whilst  slowly  turning  the  tube,  and  observe 
the  time  between  the  mixture  and  the  appearance  of  a  green  color. 

Time  :   5  minutes Very  pure  chloroform. 

25     "  o*oi  percent,  alcohol. 

"        3*5  seconds q-i  "  " 

"        5       "  0-5 

"        Less  than  5  seconds    .    .  more  than  0*5  "  *' 

One  agitation 10  **  " 

(5)  Shake  violently  10  c.c.  with  an  equal  volume  of  strong  sul- 
phuric acid  and  let  stand.  The  mixture  remains  colorless,  even  for 
an  hour,  if  the  product  is  pure,  but  if  it  becomes  brown,  the  pres- 
ence of  chloro-derivatives  of  ethyl  alcohol  or  of  the  higher  homo- 
logues  is  indicated.— r/^c-  Journal  of  the  Society  of  Chemical  Indus- 
try, October  ji^  i8g6. 


The  quantity  of  quicksilver  exported  by  the  mines  of  Auerbach  &  Co. ,  at 
Nikotovka,  Russia,  in  the  course  of  last  year,  amounted  to  10,706  bottles,  which 
went  to  various  European  countries,  China,  India  and  to  the  Transvaal.  For 
consumption  in  Russia  1,596  bottles  were  sold.  The  output  is  steadily  increas- 
ing.—CA^wrj/  and  Druggist,  December  5,  1896. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
February.  1897. 


Editorial. 


IIS 


EDITORIAL. 

MINERAL  STATISTICS    FOR    1896. 

The  Etie^iyieering  and  ^fining  Journal,  of  New  York,  in  its  issue  of  January 
2,  1897,  presents  the  statistics  of  the  mineral  and  metal  production  of  the  I'ni- 
ted  States  for  the  year  1896.  These  statistics  are  gathered  from  official  sources, 
or  irom  reports  of  producers,  and  will  be  found  to  be  very  close  to  those  which 
are  made  up  later  in  detail.  From  these  statistics  we  glean  some  facts  of  inter- 
est to  pharmacists. 


1^5. 


Non-Metallic  Products. 


Metric 
Tons. 


Alum 68,035 

Bromine 179 

Borax 6,126 

Copperas 12,805 

Copper  sulphate 20,413 

GypJsum 270,804 

Petroleum,  crude 6,420,741 

Salt.  evap>orated 1,539.178 

Salt,  rock 173.662 

Soda,  natural 1.724 

Soda,  manufactured 167,000 

Sulphur 1,676 

Metals. 

Aluminum     408 

Antimony 393 

Copper 175.294 

Oold 70,470  kilos. 

Iron,  pig 9.597,449 

Lead  (New  York  value) 142.29S 

Platinum 150  ozs. 

Quicksilver 1,179 

Silver  (commercial  value) 1,441,087  k. 

Zinc  (spelter) 74  245 


Value. 


$2,225,000 

102,662 

742,850 

69,846 

1,350,000 

974,219 

42,547,701 

5,844,34s 

518.740 

47.500 

3,841,000 

136.950 


495.000 

68847 

36,944,9** 

46,830,200 

ioS.632,542 

10,132,7^8 

2,250 

1.313.589 

30.254,087 

5.942,890 


1896. 


Metric 

Tons. 


72,900 

2495 

6,SiB6 

10.796 

20,412 

241,900 

5,731,920 

1. 39 1. 349 
146,998 


».524 


5893 

579 

205.853 

85,773  kilos. 

8,909  000 

159.410 

150  ozs. 

1.160 

1,414.'48 

74.925 


Value. 


13,225,000 

143.074 

759.094 

53112 

1,350.000 

867,071 

42,116,184 

5,43',  J  05 

138,840 

3,500,000 
100,000 


520,000 

83.440 

48,786,080 

S7, 000 ,000 

87.688,690 

10,472.733 
2,250 

1.222,444 

30.461,665 

6,074,319 


s.  p.  s. 


FIKLD    BOTANY    IN    WINTER. 


The  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  in  its  issue  of  January  2,  1S97,  says  the  wild 
flowers  most  likely  to  be  found  in  blossom  in  England  during  the  early  part 
of  January  arc  Capsella  Bursa-pastoris,  Ulex  Europieus  and  Senecio  vulgaris. 
This  leads  us  to  speak  of  the  winter-blooming  plants  in  the  I'nited  States, 
where  in  the  latitude  of  Philadelphia  one  does  not  need  to  await  the  arrival  of 
spring  to  pursue  outdoor  botanical  studies,  since  there  is  probably  no  month 
in  the  year  in  which  plants  cannot  be  found  in  bloom  in  this  latitude.  It  is 
also  of  peculiar  interest  to  observe  the  winter  habits  of  a  great  number  of 
plants,  even  if  they  are  not  in  flower. 

A  walk  of  four  or  five  miles  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  on  November 
26,  1896,  revcale<l  the  following  eighteen  plants  in  bloom  ;  they  were  not 
unusually  protected,  although  many  of  them  were  found  on  banks  having  a 
southern  exposure:  Sisymbrium  ofllicinale,  Lepidiuni  virginicum,  Stellaria 
media,  Ccrastium  viscosum,  Malva  rotundifolia,  Trifolium  pratense,  Daucus 
carota.    Solidago    serotina,    S.    nemoralis,    S.    rugosa.    Taraxacum    officinale, 


,  r>       '        ^  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

no  KeVteWS.  \    February,!  897. 

Chrysanthemum  leucanthemum,  Aster  ericoides,  A.  cordifolius,  Autennaria 
plantagiuifolia,  Guaphalium  polycephalum,  Erigeron  Canadense  and  Lobelia 
inflata.  Two  other  plants,  Symplocarpus  fcetidus  and  Claytonia  virginica, 
were  found,  which  showed  the  floral  organs  well  developed  and  only  awaiting 
a  suitable  time  in  which  to  bloom. 

On  December  31,  the  following  were  found  in  blossom  :  Taraxacum  officinale, 
Stellaria  media,  Veronica  Buxbaumii,  Lamium  amplexicaule  and  Symplocarpus 
foetidus. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

EiNFUHRUNG  IN  DAS  Studium  der  Ai.kat^oide,  mit  besoudercr  Beriick- 
sichtigung  der  vegetabilischen  Alkaloide  und  der  Ptomaine.  Von  Dr.  Icilio 
Guareschi,  O.  O.  Professor  an  der  konigl.  Universitat  Turin,  und  Director  des 
pharmaceutisch-chemischen  und  toxicologischen  Instituts.  Mit  Genehmigung 
des  Verfassers  in  deutscher  Bearbeitung  herausgegeben  von  Dr.  Hermann 
Kunz-Krause,  dozent  fiir  allgemeine  und  pharmaceutische  Chemie  an  der 
Universitat  Lausanne.  Erste  Halfte.  Berlin,  1896.  R.  Gaertner's  Verlags- 
buchhandlung,  Hermann  Heyfelder. 

In  publishing  a  German  translation  of  Guareschi' s  **  Introduzione  alio  Studio 
degli  Alcaloidi,"  Dr.  Kunz-Krause  has  made  available  to  a  large  number  of 
readers  what  would  otherwise  be  a  sealed  book.  The  first  half  is  now  obtain- 
able, and  the  second  half  will  appear  during  the  year  1897.  After  a  brief  intro- 
duction ,  the  work  very  properly  begins  with  a  historical  review,  in  which  the 
development  of  the  alkaloids  is  shown  to  have  been  the  work  of  chemists  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Beginning  with  the  discovery  of  morphine,  by  Sertiirner, 
in  1805,  this  historical  summary  is  divided  by  the  author  into  six  periods,  as 
follows  : 

Period  i. — Discovery  of  numerous  vegetable  alkaloids,  1806-1835. 
Period  2. — Investigation  of  the  coal-tar  bases  (aniline),  1834-1848. 
Period  3. — Discovery  of  pyridine  and  quinoline  bases. 

Period  4. — Synthesis  of  the  oxy-ethylene  bases  and  of  the  paraconiines  ;  the- 
ory of  the  constitution  of  pyridine  and  quinoline. 
Period  5. — Discovery  of  ptomaine  and  leucomaine. 

Period  6. — vSynthesis  of  a  large  number  of  basic  pyridine  and  quinoline 
derivatives,  and  the  investigation  of  the  constitution  of  the  natural  alkaloids. 
The  history  is  followed  by  a  brief  description  of  the  properties  of  the  various 
organic  bases  and  a  discussion  of  their  structural  relations.  Several  pages  are 
devoted  to  the  alkaloidal  reagents,  and  the  behavior  of  each  towards  the  alka- 
loids is  explained.  Following  this  is  a  short  summary  on  classification  and 
nomenclature,  in  which  the  great  body  of  the  book  is  divided  into  five  sections, 
as  follows  :  I,  Bases  of  the  Open  Chain  Series  ;  II,  Bases  of  the  Closed  Chain 
Series;  III,  Metal  Amines;  IV,  Alkaloids  in  the  Narrower  Sense;  V,  Pto- 
maines and  Leucomaines.  The  present  volume  is  largely  occupied  by  the  first 
two  sections,  and  consequently  embraces  most  of  the  synthetic  organic  bases, 
as  well  as  those  natural  alkaloids  whose  structure  has  been  established. 

The  whole  book   is  very  systematically  arranged,  and  furnishes  abundant 
material  for  prolonged  study  by  everyone  who  is  interested  in  this  important 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.)  ReVte'WS  11/ 

February,  1897.    /  yvrt/to/J.  / 

branch  of  organic  chemistry.     It  is  a  great  credit  to  both  author  and  translator, 
and  we  look  forward  with  interest  to  the  appearance  of  the  second  half. 

Commercial  Organic  Analysis.  A  treatise  on  the  properties,  proximate 
analytical  examination,  and  modes  of  assaying  the  various  organic  chemicals 
and  products  employed  in  the  arts,  manufactures,  medicine,  etc.,  with  concise 
methods  for  the  detection  and  determination  of  their  impurities,  adulterations, 
and  products  of  decomposition.  By  Alfred  H.  Allen,  F.I.C.,  F.C.S.  Second 
Edition.     Vol.  Ill,  Part  III.     Philadelphia:  P.  Blakistgn,  Son  &  Co.     1S96. 

The  installment  of  this  work  now  published  is  nominally  Part  III  of  Volume 
III,  though  practically  it  forms  Volume  V  of  the  book.  One  more  volume, 
treating  of  proteids  and  albuminoid  compounds,  will  complete  the  work.  The 
part  now  issued  treats  of  the  less  important  vegetable  alkaloids,  left  over  from 
Part  II  ;  non-basic  vegetable  bitter  principles ;  animal  bases,  including 
ptomaines  ;  animal  acids,  and  cyanogen  compounds.  Although  considered  by 
the  author  as  less  important  alkaloids,  still  there  are  among  them  those  derived 
from  ipecac,  colchicum,  calabar  bean  and  jaborandi,  which  makes  them  of  con- 
siderable importance. 

The  same  systematic  treatment  has  been  accorded  these  alkaloids  that  was 
given  to  those  in  Part  II,  and  it  serves  to  make  the  two  volumes  the  most 
important  works  on  this  subject  in  the  English  language.  About  one  hundred 
pages  are  devoted  to  the  non-basic  vegetable  bitter  principles.  The  literature 
concerning  these  important  compounds  is  very  voluminous,  and  the  author  has 
sifted  that  so  as  to  make  it  available  to  other  chemists.  Not  the  least  in  this 
class  is  his  condensed  statement  concerning  the  constituents  of  digitalis,  about 
which  so  much  has  been  written  that  in  many  minds  the  whole  subject  is 
decidedly  mixed. 

Under  the  animal  bases  we  have  the  whole  subject  of  estimating  urea  as 
well  as  the  latest  information  concerning  creatine  and  creatinine;  these  have 
also  been  exhaustively  treated  in  the  author's  Chemistry  of  the  Urine,  published 
over  a  year  ago. 

The  whole  book  is  fully  equal  in  value  to  its  predecessors,  and  the  final 
volume  is  looked  forward  to  with  interest. 

Popular  German  Names  of  Domestic  Drigs  and  Medicines  (Volks- 
thiimliche  deutsche  .\rzneimittel-Namen).  Compiled  by  Dr.  Fr.  Hoffmann. 
Revised  and  enlarged  edition.  Pharmaceutical  Review  Publishing  Company, 
Milwaukee.     1.S96. 

Dr.  Hoffmann  has  performed  a  real  service  for  the  American  druggist  by  com- 
piling this  list  of  popular  German  names  and  arranging  them  so  as  to  be 
available  to  every  one  but  the  most  stupid.  In  nearly  all  parts  of  the  United 
States  the  pharmacist  is  confronted  in  his  daily  practice  with  the  (lernian 
names  of  many  of  the  simpler  drugs.  The  book  can  be  had  of  the  Pharma- 
ceutical Review  Publishing  Company,  at  the  moderate  cost  of  fifty  cents  ^x 
copy. 

LE  CoM.MERCE  .\CTrEL  I>E  L'HkRBORLSTERIE  I»\v^  TNI  Ric.ioN  DU 
Langueix)C.     Par  le  Dr.  Ix>uis  Planchon. 

Ke^nni  irom  Journal  de  Pharmacie  et  deChimie,  1H96.  An  mtrrcsting  con- 
tribution to  the  local  flora  of  a  region  very  rich  in  medicinal  plants. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


1 1 8  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  { ^^ebrnarVT isp' 

La  Composition  des  Peptones  de  Viande.  Par  A.  Denaeyer.  A  com- 
munication to  the  second  International  Congress  of  Applied  Chemistry  at 
Paris.     1896.     Reprinted  from  ^«wa/^5t/^ /%arwa^/>. 

Prospectus  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Annual.  Session  of  the  Cai^ifornia. 
College  of  Pharmacy.    Session  of  1897. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

Philadelphia,  January  20,  1897. 

The  regular  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  was  held  in  the  Museum  of  the  College. 
Mr.  J.  W.  England  was  chairman.  The  minutes  of  the  previous  meeting  were 
allowed  to  stand  as  published. 

Professor  Trimble  called  attention  to  a  sample  of  the  genuine  kino  of  Euca- 
lyptus rostrata,  which  had  been  sent  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Maiden,  of  Sydney,  New 
South  Wales  ;  also  to  a  sample  of  Texas  rhatany  Kramerie  secundiflora,  which 
was  collected  in  Mexico  and  presented  by  Prof.  Alfonso  Herrera  ;  and  also  to 
some  specimens  of  cultivated  canaigre  root,  which  were  grown  in  California 
and  were  unusually  large. 

Mr.  Lyman  F.  Kebler  read  a  paper  on  the  "Volumetric  Estimation  of 
Acetone"  (see  p.  65),  which  was  considered  to  be  particularly  opportune, 
inasmuch  as  the  various  applications  of  acetone  as  a  solvent  have  only  just 
begun. 

The  author  stated  that  the  methods  for  estimating  the  percentage  of  acetone 
were  not  yet  perfected,  and  that  only  the  amount  of  iodoform  producing 
bodies  could  be  determined  in  the  commercial  product. 

Mr.  Edward  T.  Hahn  read  a  paper  on  "  Terpin  Hydrate  "  (see  p.  73),  and 
said  that  his  experiments  had  been  made  with  a  view  of  producing  the  crystals 
of  this  substance,  rather  than  studying  its  therapeutic  properties,  or  of  deter- 
mining its  ultimate  composition.  Samples  which  had  been  made  with  ethyl 
alcohol  and  also  with  methyl  alcohol  accompanied  the  paper. 

After  the  reading  of  the  papers,  an  interesting  discussion  on  the  subject  of 
the  manufacture  of  some  galenicals  from  fluid  extracts  ensued,  and  was  par- 
ticipated in  by  Mr.  Kebler,  Mr.  England,  Professor  Remington  and  others. 
The  question  was  introduced  at  the  December  meeting  by  Mr.  Kebler,  but  was 
deferred  on  account  of  lack  of  time,  and  in  the  meantime  he  received  letters 
on  the  subject  from  Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb  (see  p.  98),  Dr.  Chas.  Rice  (see  p.  99)  and 
Prof.  J.  U.  Lloyd  (see  p.  102). 

Mr.  Kebler  prefaced  his  remarks  by  saying  that  the  commercial  aspect  of  the 
question  could  not  be  taken  into  consideration  ;  that  human  life  was  too  valua- 
ble for  this  phase  of  the  subject  to  merit  any  attention  in  this  connection. 

He  said  in  considering  the  merits  and  demerits  of  the  main  subject  that 
"  when  it  comes  to  the  question  of  making  infusions  from  the  fluid  extracts, 
it  must  be  admitted,  on  the  one  hand,  that  it  is  wrong  in  many  cases,  in  the 
light  of  our  present  knowledge  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  remains  to  be 
demonstrated  that  an  infusion  made  from  a  fluid  extract  is  less  active,  thera- 
peutically, than  one  from  the  drug  direct.  In  some  cases  an  aqueous  meustuum 
will  educe  active  constituents  that  are  insoluble  in  alcoholic  solutions  and  vice 


'^FebrX/^S:"}  Pharinaccjitical  Meeting.  119 

versa.  But  when  we  enter  the  field  of  manufacturing  tinctures  and  some  other 
preparations  from  the  respective  fluid  extracts,  debatable  ground  is  invaded." 

Before  taking  up  this  question  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  state  that  if  the 
position  were  taken  that  a  U.S. P.  preparation  was  U.S. P.  only  when  made 
strictly  according  to  the  directions  therein  laid  down,  and  could  not  be  made 
in  any  other  way,  there  was  only  a  single  answer  to  the  question. 

Some  of  the  faulty  and  imperfect  tests  and  methods  of  the  Pharmacopoeia 
were  referred  to,  as  well  as  some  of  the  duplicate  processes  sanctioned  by  it, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  processes  for  the  manufacture  of  fluid  extracts,  and  thus 
the  Pharmacopceia  itself  was  considered  to  justifj-,  in  a  measure,  the  applica- 
tion of  processes  which  seemed  best  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  case. 

Standardized  preparations  and  the  manufacture  of  other  preparations  from 
them  then  claimed  the  speaker's  attention.  He  said  that  the  1890  Pharma- 
copoeia had  incorporated  methods  for  assaying  the  crude  drugs  cinchona,  nux 
vomica  and  opium,  as  well  as  some  of  their  preparations  ;  and  that  the  next 
revision  would,  undoubtedly,  be  enriched  by  methods  for  assaying  a  number  of 
other  drugs  and  their  preparations.  The  assay  processes  already  authorized 
had  been  introduced  on  account  of  the  great  variability  of  the  drugs  to  which 
they  were  applied.  Then  referring  to  his  analytical  records  the  speaker  said 
that  these  showed  that  there  were  other  drugs  equally  variable  in  character  ; 
for  instance,  one  bale  of  aconite  root  assayed  0*4  per  cent,  total  alkaloids,  and 
another  I  14  per  cent.,  or  one  root  was  nearly  three  times  as  potent  as  the 
other.  It  was  evident  that  tinctures  and  fluid  extracts,  made  according  to  the 
Pharmacopceia  from  these  roots,  would  vary  accordingly.  In  other  words,  the 
tincture  made  from  the  root  containing  the  high  percentage  of  alkaloids  would 
be  as  powerful  as  the  fluid  extract  made  from  the  lower  assaying  root.  This 
was  not  an  isolated  case,  but  similar  data  could  be  furnished  for  other  drugs. 

The  problem  of  extracting  the  active  principles  from  the  drugs  completely 
was  next  considered,  and  the  speaker  said  that  again  and  again  cases  had  come 
to  his  notice  where  only  one-half,  three-fifths,  two-thirds  or  three-fourths  of 
these  principles  had  been  extracted  from  the  drug  operated  upon.  The  fore- 
man of  the  fluid-extract  department  of  a  large  wholesale  house  was  quoted  as 
saying:  "The  manufacture  of  unassayed  preparations  and  of  standardized 
preparations  are  two  diff"erent  things.  Before  assaying  was  adopted,  appear- 
ance was  the  only  requirement,  whether  one-half  or  one-third  of  the  active 
principles  was  extracted." 

Then,  summarizing  his  opinions,  with  reference  to  the  foregoing  statements, 
the  speaker  said  :  "  In  view  of  the  variableness  of  the  drugs,  and  the  element 
of  uncertainty  introduced  in  manufacturing  the  various  preparations,  which  is 
the  most  rational  course  to  pursue  :  to  make  tinctures,  varying  in  strength 
from  a  very  small  potency  to  the  strength  of  fluid  extracts,  and  fluid  extracts, 
solid  extracts,  etc.,  varying  in  the  same  degree  ;  or  to  make  preparations  that 
are  uniform  in  strength  ?"  In  his  mind  there  was  only  one  answer.  And  again  : 
"What  tinctures,  for  example,  will  possess  the  greater  degree  of  uniformity — 
those  made  from  crude  drugs  varying  extremely  in  potency,  or  those  prepared 
from  standardized  fluid  extracts,  etc.'" 

It  was  stated  that,  in  preparing  tinctures  from  their  respective  fluid  extracts, 
the  menstrua  directed  to  be  used  were  usually  of  such  a  strength  that  precipita- 
tion was  obviated.     In  some  cases,  a  small  precipitate  settled  out  on  standing  ; 


I20  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  {^FebruaryTJsT;!"- 

but  this  was  also  true  of  tinctures  freshly  prepared  from  the  drug.     If  it  was 
inert  in  one  case,  it  remained  to  be  demonstrated  that  it  was  not  in  the  other. 

The  chairman,  Mr.  Joseph  W.  England,  was  opposed  to  the  manufacture  of 
other  galenicals  from  fluid  extracts,  and  referred  to  a  paper  prepared  by  him 
and  published  in  the  September,  1893,  number  of  this  Journai,,  upon  the 
question  :  "  Is  it  possible  to  produce  fluid  extracts  of  such  strength  that  they 
can  be  diluted  with  proper  menstrua  to  standard  tinctures?"  Much  of  the 
argument  then  presented  was  brought  forward  by  the  speaker  in  support  of 
his  views  on  the  subject  proposed  for  discussion. 

One  of  the  statements  which  he  emphasized  was  that  different  classes  of 
proximate  principles  were  yielded  to  menstrua  of  varying  strength,  and  hence 
oflScial  tinctures  could  not  be  made  from  the  respective  fluid  extracts,  inasmuch 
as  the  menstrua  for  these  two  classes  of  preparations  varied  greatly  in  their 
proportions  of  alcohol  and  water  as  applied  to  different  drugs,  and  in  evidence 
of  this,  the  menstrua  for  a  number  of  these  preparations  were  given  in  tabular 
form. 

The  claim  was  also  made  that  an  officially  made  tincture  was  relatively 
stronger  than  the  corresponding  fluid  extract,  the  relatively  larger  dose  of  the 
fluid  extract  confirming  this  opinion. 

The  speaker  stated  that  many  manufacturers  did  not  make  their  fluid  extracts 
according  to  Pharmacopoeial  directions,  but  according  to  methods  which  their 
own  experience  suggested.  Another  point  was  the  variation  in  menstrua  which 
they  used,  which  neither  agreed  with  the  Pharmacopoeial  requirements  nor 
among  themselves. 

He,  therefore,  concluded  that  it  was  impossible  to  make  tinctures  uniform  in 
strength  from  fluid  extracts,  whether  these  were  assayed  or  not,  inasmuch  as 
the  assay  processes  used  likewise  varied,  as  well  as  the  standards  assumed  for 
many  drugs. 

Professor  Remington  said  that  the  main  question  was  in  reference  to  the 
objects  had  in  view  concerning  these  two  classes  of  preparations  ;  that  fluid 
extracts  were  intended  to  be  permanent  preparations  and  were  made  strongly 
alcoholic,  while  on  the  other  hand,  the  menstrua  for  tinctures  were  made  as 
aqueous  as  possible,  and  still  extract  and  retain  the  desirable  constituents  of 
the  drug. 

He  also  said  that  some  principles  which  could  not  be  obtained  with  a  small 
amount  of  dilute  menstruum  could  be  extracted  from  the  drug  by  the  use  of 
a  larger  quantity  of  the  solvent,  whereas  in  the  case  of  fluid  extracts  the  object 
was  to  limit  the  quantity  of  menstruum. 

In  his  opinion,  to  consider  the  question  in  reference  to  standardized  fluid  ex- 
tracts was  to  limit  it,  as  many  manufacturers,  who  do  not  standardize  these  prep- 
arations, nevertheless  give  directions  for  diluting  them  in  the  preparation  of 
tinctures. 

The  speaker  remarked  upon  the  custom  among  manufacturers  of  storing  fluid 
extracts  for  a  time  and  then  removing  the  precipitates  formed,  and  questioned 
the  propriety  of  making  tinctures  from  fluid  extracts  thus  deprived  of  some  of 
their  constituents. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

T.    S.    WiEGAND, 

Registrar. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


MARCH,  iSgj. 


ACETIC  ACID  AS  A  MENSTRUUM  AND  SOLVENT. 
By  Joseph  P.  Remington. 

Any  one  who  has  delved,  even  moderately,  into  the  pharmacy  of 
the  ancients,  must  have  noticed  the  frequency  with  which  the  vine- 
gar of  that  time  was  used  as  a  solvent,  but  the  nineteenth  century 
has  witnessed  the  gradual  decline  of  the  use  of  acetic  acid  in  phar- 
macy. 

The  alcohol  question,  which  is  so  perplexing,  and  which  is  still 
unsettled,  furnishes  a  reason  for  diverting  the  attention  of  the  phar- 
macist to  some  liquid  which  will,  occasionally,  take  its  place. 
The  object  of  the  following  experiments  is  to  determine  whether 
acetic  acid  cannot  be  made  to  replace  alcohol  in  at  least  some  of  the 
preparations  now  in  common  use. 

The  antiseptic  power  of  acetic  acid  is  frequently  overlooked,  and 
there  is  no  question  that  the  vinegars,  if  properly  made,  could  ad- 
vantageously replace  many  tinctures. 

Slightly  acidulated  liquids  are  palatable  to  most  patients,  and 
these,  when  combined  in  prescriptions  with  .syrups,  are  particularly 
acceptable,  inasmuch  as  the  acid  counteracts  the  cloying  sweetness  of 
the  syrups. 

Then  again,  it  is  very  desirable  for  physicians  to  have  alternative 
preparations  of  the  same  drug  to  give  to  patients  who  are  liable  to 
become  victims  of  the  alcohol  habit,  and  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
the  prescribing  of  tinctures,  elixirs  and  other  alcoholic  preparations 
have  been  the  innocent  means  of  working  disaster. 

The  writer,  four  years  ago,  made  a  number  of  lluid  extracts,  using 
acetic  acid   in  place  of  alcohol.      I  hesc*   liave  been  allowed  to  stand 

(  121  ) 


122  Acetic  Acid  as  a  Menstruum  and  Solvent.  {"^'^iS'SK''""* 

alongside  of  others  which  have  been  made  with  alcohol,  and  most 
of  them  have  proved  their  superiority.  It  is  the  intention  to  report 
upon  these  later. 

It  will  at  once  occur  to  the  reader  that  the  presence  of  strong 
acetic  acid  in  a  fluid  extract  would  be  objectionable  on  account  of 
its  taste;  but  it  can  be  shown  that  it  is  possible  to  evaporate  the  fluid 
extract  at  a  very  low  temperature,  thus  getting  rid  of  the  acetic  acid, 
and  then  re-dissolving  a  proper  portion  of  the  extract  in  a  sol- 
vent. If  this  extract  be  standardized,  a  definite  preparation  is  se- 
cured. It  is  true  that  a  portion  of  the  extractive  seems  to  be  ren- 
dered insoluble  during  the  evaporation  ;  but  the  experiments  will 
show  that  this  can  be  re-dissolved  by  varying  the  menstruum,  and, 
in  addition,  it  can  be  shown  that  this  insoluble  extractive  usually 
represents  inert  substances. 

In  the  following  experiments  the  acetic  extract  of  nux  vomica 
was  prepared  with  a  lo  per  cent,  acetic  acid,  made  by  Dr.  E.  R. 
Squibb  &  Sons,  and  proved  by  assay  to  contain  15  per  cent,  of 
alkaloids. 

These  acetic  extracts  can  be  made  dry  and  pulverulent,  and  to  dis- 
tinguish them  the  writer  proposes  for  them  the  name  of  "  Acetracts." 

No.  I. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  100  c.c.  alcohol, 
sp.  gr.  819,  yielded  a  light  colored  tincture;  the  residue  weighed 
I  1 12  gm.,  and  was  not  devoid  of  bitterness,  plainly  indicating  that 
the  alcohol  was  too  strong. 

No.  2. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
75  c.c.  alcohol  and  25  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0502 
gm.  The  residue  was  very  slightly  bitter  and  practically  an  inert 
substance.  The  tincture  was  limpid,  transparent  and  of  a  dark 
amber  color. 

No.  3. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
70  c.c.  alcohol  and  30  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0-4<4 
gm.  This  had  a  very  slightly  bitter  taste,  and  was  practically 
exhausted,  producing  a  limpid,  dark  brownish-red  liquid. 

No.  4.-2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
65  c.c.  alcohol  and  35  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0-360 
gm.  The  liquid  was  not  clear,  a  fine,  brownish-red  precipitate  mak- 
ing its  appearance.  The  liquid  could  not  be  filtered  satisfactorily, 
and  a  small  portion  which  was  filtered  continued  to  let  fall  a  pre- 
ci[jitate. 


^'"M^ch.^Sw^"'}  Acetic  Acid  as  a  Menstruum  and  Solvent.  123 

No.  5. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
60  c.c.  alcohol  and  40  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weif;hing  04 10 
gm.  The  liquid  was  not  clear,  filtering  with  great  difficulty,  the 
precipitate  not  settling. 

No.  6. —  2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
55  c.c.  alcohol  and  45  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0340 
gm.  Ihe  liquid  was  not  clear,  filtering  with  great  difficulty,  the 
precipitate  not  settling. 

No.  7. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  50  c.c.  alcohol  and  50  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  o  320 
gm.  The  liquid  was  muddy,  precipitate  not  settling,  and  not  easily 
filtered. 

No.  8. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
45  c.c.  alcohol  and  55  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0-246 
gm.  Liquid  cloudy,  precipitate  settling  in  three  days,  filtering 
with  difficulty. 

No.  9. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  40  c.c.  alcohol  and  60  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0450 
gm.  Liquid  muddy,  not  easily  filtered.  The  addition  of  a  little 
talc  improved  filtering. 

No.  10. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
ot  35  c.c.  alcohol  and  65  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  O  338 
gm.     Liquid  not  clear;   not  easily  filtered. 

No.  II. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  30  c.c.  alcohol  and  70  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0360 
gm.  Liquid  not  clear,  filtered  with  difficulty,  and  filtrate  does  not 
remain  clear. 

No.  12. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  25  c.c.  alcohol  and  75  c.c.  water  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0378 
gm.     Liquid  not  clear,  but  filtered  more  easily  than  No.  11. 

No.  13. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  20  c.c.  alcohol  and  80  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  o  476 
gm.  Liquid  not  quite  clear,  filters  without  much  difficulty,  but 
slowly. 

No.  14. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
15  c.c.  alcohol  and  85  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0426 
gm.     The  liquid  was  not  quite  clear,  but  filtered  fairly  well. 

No.  15. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  10  c.c.  picohol  and  90  c.c.  water,  yielded  a  residue  weighing  0-376 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


124  Acetic  Acid  as  a  Menstruum  and  Solvent.  {^^iAxcl'Xm. 

gm.  Liquid  not  clear,  deposits  some  sediment,  and  showed  evi- 
dence of  decomposition  ten  days  after  preparation. 

No.  16. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  65  c.c.  alcohol,  10  c.c.  glycerin,  and  25  c.c.  water,  left  very  slight 
residue,  filtered  easily  and  remained  clear. 

No.  17. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum 
of  50  c.c.  alcohol,  25  c.c.  glycerin  and  25  c.c.  water,  left  very  slight 
residue,  filtered  easily  but  slowly,  and  remained  clear. 

No.  18. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
40  c.c.  alcohol,  30  c.c.  glycerin  and  30  c.c.  water,  left  very  little  res- 
idue, filtered  easily,  and  remained  clear. 

No.  19. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
20  c.c.  alcohol,  20  c.c.  glycerin  and  60  c.c.  water,  left  very  slight 
residue,  filtered  very  slowly,  but  clear. 

No,  20. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
10  c.c.  alcohol,  10  c.c.  glycerin  and  80  c.c.  water,  left  very  slight 
residue,  filtered  easily,  but  not  quite  clear. 

No.  21. — 2  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
100  c.c.  diluted  acetic  acid,  and  I  gm.  ground  nux  vomica  added  to 
the  percolate  to  aid  in  filtration.     The  liquid  was  not  quite  clear. 

No.  22. —  I  gm.  acetract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
100  c.c.  diluted  acetic  acid,  gave  a  liquid  which  was  not  easily  filtered, 
but  which  remained  clear. 

No.  24. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  100  c.c.  alcohol, 
left  a  residue  0352  gm.  The  liquid  was  light-colored,  filtered 
easily  and  remained  perfectly  clear. 

No.  25. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
75  c.c.  alcohol  and  25  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  weighing  01 22  gm. 
The  liquid  was  dark  brownish-red,  remaining  perfectly  clear,  but 
throwing  down  a  very  slight  dark  precipitate  after  filtering. 

No.  26. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
70  c.c.  alcohol  and  30  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  weighing  o-i88  gm. 
The  liquid  remained  clear  after  filtering,  but  with  a  slight  precipi- 
tate. 

No.  27. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
65  c.c.  alcohol  and  35  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  0-212  gm.  The 
liquid  was  clear,  a  slight  precipitate  settling  after  the  liquid  was 
filtered. 

No.  28. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 


^"iurch.^s^'"'}  Acetic  Acid  as  a  Mcnstruuin  and  Solvent.  125 

60  c  c.  alcohol  and  40  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  0-232  gm.     The 
liquid  was  clear. 

No.  29. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
55  c.c.  alcohol  and  45  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  031  gm.  The 
liquid  was  clear,  a  slight  precipitate  settling  after  filtration. 

No.  30 — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
50  c.c.  alcohol  and  50  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  0-316  gm.  The 
liquid  was  not  quite  clear,  a  slight  precipitate  settling  after 
filtration. 

No.  31. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
45  c.c.  alcohol  and  55  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  031  gm.  The 
liquid  was  not  clear,  a  precipitate  settling. 

No.  32. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
45  c.c.  alcohol  and  60  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  0342  gm.  The 
liquid  was  cloudy,  a  very  slight  precipitate  after  filtration. 

No.  33. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
35  c.c.  alcohol  and  65  c  c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  040  gm.  The 
liquid  was  cloudy. 

No.  34. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
30  c.c.  alcohol  and  70  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  o  430  gm.  The 
liquid  was  cloudy. 

No.  35. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
25  c.c.  alcohol  and  75  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  040  gm.  The 
liquid  was  cloudy. 

No.  36. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
20  c  c.  alcohol  and  80  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  0372  gm.  The 
liquid  was  cloudy. 

No.  37. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
15  c.c.  alcohol  and  85  c.c.  water,  left  a  residue  of  0-420  gm.  The 
liquid  was  cloudy. 

No.  38. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  treated  with  a  menstruum  of 
10  c.c.  alcohol  and  90  c.c.  water.  The  residue  not  weighed.  The 
liquid  was  not  clear. 

No.  39. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  dissolved  in  100  c.c.  water, 
left  residue  040  gm.  The  liquid  was  muddy,  and,  upon  stand- 
ing, showed  evidence  of  decomposition. 

No.  40. — 2  gm.  extract  nux  vomica,  di.ssolved  in  100  c.c.  diluted 
acetic  acid.     The  liquid  was  a  clear,  light  amber  color. 

No.  41. — 2*4  gm.   extract   nux  vomica,  dissolved    in    2,400  c.c. 


126  Frangula  and  Cascara  Barks.  {^^iv^l\^Jm^.^' 

diluted  acetic  acid.  The  liquid  was  clear  and  of  a  light  amber 
color. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  object  of  these  experiments  is  to  as- 
certain whether  acetic  acid  can  advantageously  replace  alcohol  in  the 
extraction  of  a  drug  like  nux  vomica.  The  answer  is  decidedly  in 
the  affirmative.  Acetic  acid  may  be  used  for  exhausting  a  drug 
known  to  be  difficult  to  exhaust,  like  nux  vomica. 

A  solid  preparation  can  be  made  from  it  ;  this  can  be  assayed  and 
standardized,  and  the  liquid  preparations  made  by  re-dissolving  the 
solid  in  various  mixtures  of  alcohol  and  water,  with  or  without  gly- 
cerin, and  of  different  strengths  of  acetic  acid. 

If  the  proper  menstruum  be  chosen,  the  residue  will  be  inert,  and 
may  be  filtered  out.  A  number  of  other  drugs  have  been  exhausted 
with  varying  strengths  of  acetic  acid,  such  as  sanguinaria,  kola, 
ipecac,  squill,  cinchona  and  colchicum  seed. 

A  number  of  samples  are  presented,  and  especial  attention  is  called 
tosanguinaria  with  acetic  acid  60  percent.  This  fluid  extract  has  been 
made  four  years,  and  does  not  show  the  least  sign  of  precipitation. 

It,  doubtless,  would  be  just  as  satisfactory  if  made  with  U.S. P. 
acetic  acid,  and  experiments  are  being  conducted  now,  which  will 
prove  this  view. 

FRANGULA   AND    CASCARA    BARKS. 

TO    DISTINGUISH    BETWEEN    RHAMNUS    PURSHIANA    AND    RHAMNUS    FRAN- 
GULA, AND    TO    EXCLUDE    RHAMNUS    CALIFORNICA,  IN    THE 
STATE    OF    POWDER, 

By  L.  E.  SayrE, 
Member  of  the  Research  Committee  C,  of  the  Committee  of  Revision  of  the 

United  States  Pharmacopoeia. 

One  of  the  problems  submitted  to  this  committee  is  embraced  in 
the  title  to  the  present  paper.  For  the  purpose  of  the  investi- 
gation, authentic  specimens  of  the  barks  were  received  from  the 
chairman  of  the  sub-committee.  Dr.  Rusby,  who  had  them  specially 
collected  for  the  work. 

In  order  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion  as  to  the  best  method  of  distinguish- 
ing the  barks  in  the  state  of  powder,  it  was,  of  course,  necessary, 
first  to  study  them  microscopically,  and,  if  possible,  find  distinctive 
elements  which  might  survive  pulverization,  and  be  recognizable  in 
the  state  of  powder. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March.  18y7. 


}  Frangula  and  Cascara  Barks. 


127 


The  description  of  the  gross  characteristics  of  these  barks  may 
contribute  Httle  to  the  purpose  of  the  investigation;  but  these  should 
be  stated,  as  they  have  a  bearing  upon  {)harmacop(jL*ial  description, 
an  item  of  interest  to  every  worker  in  pharmacoprjeial  revision. 

Taking  the  specimens,  furnished  as  above  stated,  I  should  say 
that  the  pharmacopoeial  description  of  Rhamnus  Purshiana  is  some- 
what faulty  ;  the  color  of  the  bark  on  the  outside  cannot  be  con- 
sidered as  a  ••  brownish  gray,"  but  a  dark  gray ;  the  thickness, 
instead  of  being  "about  2  millimeters,"  is  about  I  millimeter.     For 


Fig.  I,  Rhamnus  Purshiaua,  cross  section.  .7,  epidermis  ;  b,  collenchyma  ; 
r,  sclerenchyma  ;  d,  stone  cells  ;  e,  medullary  ray  ;  J\  bast  bundle  ;  g,  paren- 
chyma ;  //,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate. 

a  description  of  the  external  characteristics  of  the  three  barks, 
using  the  specimens  furnished  as  a  guide,  I  should  perhaps  adopt 
in  substance  the  following  : 

Rhamnus  Purshiana. — In  quills  or  curved  pieces,  about  3  to  10 
centimeters  long,  and  about  i  millimeter  thick  ;  outer  surface  dark 
gray  and  much  encrusted  by  ashen  gray  lichen  patches,  with  longi- 
tudinal grooves  from  3  to  10  millimeters  apart  ;  inner  surface 
yellowish  to  light  brownish,  becoming  darker  by  age ;  smooth, 
glossy  and   finely  striate  ;   fracture   short.   \'ellowish  ;   in   the   insitic 


128 


Frans:ula  and  Cascara  Barks. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      March,  1897. 


When 


layer  of  thick  bark,  somewhat   fibrous  and  sHghtly  bitter, 
chewed  the  bark  imparts  a  yellowish  color  to  the  saliva. 

Rhamnus  Californica. — In  quills  or  curved  pieces  about  3  to  lo 
centimeters  long,  and  about  1-5  millimeters  thick;  outer  surface 
grayish  brown,  beset  with  numerous  lenticels,  which  are  from  round 
to  transversely  elongated,  infrequently  longitudinally  elongated,  and 
often  longitudinally  confluent.  On  scraping  the  surface  of  the  bark 
a  reddish  brown  color  is   observed,  which  is  due  to  the  contents  of 


Fig.  2,  Rhamnus  Purshiana,  longitudinal  section.  A,  epidermis ;  b,  collen- 
chyma  ;  c,  sclerenchyma  ;  d,  stone  cells  ;  e,  medullary  ray  ;  f,  bast  bundle  ;  gy 
parenchyma  ;  h,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate. 

the  cork  cells.  Inner  surface  reddish  brown  to  dark  brown  ;  smooth, 
glossy  and  finely  striate ;  fracture  short  (inner  layer  of  thick  bark, 
although  somewhat  fibrous  ;  breaks  with  a  short  fracture);  inodorous 
and  slightly  bitter.  When  chewed  the  bark  imparts  an  orange-red- 
ish  color  to  the  saliva. 

Frafigida. — See  U.S.P.  External  character  of  this  baric  answers 
well  to  official  description. 

From  the  marked  physical  distinction  between  these  barks,  one 


^"Ma°rchj^'""}  Frangula  and  Cascara  Barks.  129 

might  suppose  it  an  easy  task  to  distinguish  between  them  in  pow- 
der; but  such  is  not  the  case;  although  differing  widely  in  ap- 
pearance, they  possess  very  similar  microscopical  or  anatomical 
structure.  The  points  of  similarity  may  be  stated  briefly  as  fol- 
lows: 

(l)  Narrow  medullary  rays,  which    extend    nearly    to    thejcork, 
these  rays  in  Rhamnus  Purshiana  convcrgijig  at  their  outer  ends. 


Fig.  J,  Rhamnus  Frangula,  cross  section.  A,  epidermis  ;  b,  collenchyma  ;  r, 
sclerenchyma  ;  e,  medullary  ray  ;  f,  bast  bundle  ;  .1^,  parenchyma  ;  /;,  crystals 
of  calcium  oxalate. 


(2)  Numerous  small  groups  of  bast  scattered  somewhat  regularly 
throughout  nearly  the  whole  bark,  the  number  of  fibres  in  the  bast 
bundle  varying  from  2  to  3  to  perhaps  25  in  each  bundle. 

(3)  P^ch  bundle  of  bast  is  bordered  by  a  layer  of  thin. walled 
cells,  filled  with  cubical  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate  ;  these  crystal 
cells  appearing  very  distinctly  in  longitudinal  section,  and  in  the 
powder.     (See  drawings.) 


130 


Frangiila  and  Cascara  Barks. 


A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March,  1897. 


(4)  In  each,  the  relative  amount  of  cork,  of  collenchyma  and  of 
parenchyma  is  about  the  same. 

These  structural  similarities  would  seem  to  make  the  distinction 
between  the  pulverized  barks  quite  difficult,  but  fortunately,  for  this 
purpose,  there  are  a  very  few  points  of  dissimilarity  revealed  by  the 
compound  microscope  and  reagents,  which  may  serve  the  pharma- 
cologist. 


Fig.  4,  Rhamnus  Frangula,  longitudinal  section.  A,  epidermis  ;  b,  collen- 
chyma ;  c,  sclerenchyma  ;  e,  medullary  ray  ;  /,  bast  bundle  ;  gy  parenchyma  ; 
h,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate. 


Rhamnus  Frangula  contains  no  stone  cells,  while  the  Rhamnus 
Californica  and  the  Rhamnus  Purshiana  contain  a  large  number  of 
them,  scattered  in  large,  irregular  groups  below  the  cork,  and  usually 
outside  the  region  of  bast.  The  presence  or  absence  of  stone  cells 
is  very  easily  noted  by  one  familiar  with  vegetable  tissues,  and  this 
one  characteristic  is  suggested  as  a  means  of  distinction  between 
Rhamnus  Frangula  and  the  other  two  barks. 

In  the  case  of  Rhamnus  Purshiana  and  Rhamnus  Californica,  it 


/ 


dm^  ^^es 


^^S^'  S>  Rhamnus  Californica.  powder.  B,  collenchyma  ;  r,  sclerenchyma 
(cross);  ^'',  sclereuchyma  (longitudinal);  d,  stone  cells;  e,  medullary  ray  ;  _/", 
bast  bundle  ;  ^,  parenchyma  ;  h,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate. 


Fig^.  6,  Rhamnus  Frangula,  powder.  /?,  collenchynia ;  <',  sclerenchyma 
(cross);  r' sclerenchyma  (longitudinal );  e,  medullary  ray;  /,  bast  bundle;^, 
parenchyma  ;  h,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate. 


n2 


Fran^ula  and  Cascara  Barks. 


( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       March,  1897. 


seems  that  no  microscopical  element  can  be  detected  sufficiently 
reliable  to  depend  upon  as  a  means  of  distinguishing  the  two  species, 
the  one  from  the  other.  However,  if  the  powder  be  macerated 
several  days  in  diluted  alcohol,  a  very  marked  difference  may  be 
noted  ;  the  powder  of  Rhamnus  Purshiana  will  be  of  an  orange- 
yellow  color,  when  mounted  for  microscopical  examination,  and 
when  viewed  by  a  moderately  high  power  the  various  tissues  will 
come  out  clearly,  while  the  powder  of  Rhamnus  Californica,  sub- 


FiIq-.  7,  Rhamnus  Californica,  cross  section.  A,  epidermis  ;  5,  collenchyma  ; 
c,  sclerenchyma  ;  ^,  stone  cells ;  e,  medullary  ray  ;  /.  bast  bundle ;  ^,  paren- 
chyma ;  h,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate. 


jected  to  the  same  treatment,  assumes  a  purplish  color,  and  when 
viewed  through  the  lens  the  tissues  seem  to  be  obscured  more  or 
less  by  a  dark  coloring  matter.  If  to  a  small  quantity  of  the 
powdered  barks  an  alkaline  solution  be  added,  the  color  developed 
in  the  Rhamnus  Californica  is  a  deep  red,  while  that  of  the  Purshi- 
ana is  orange.  This  test  may  be  briefly  stated  as  follows:  If  0-2 
gramme  of  the  powdered  bark  be  placed  in  a  small  test  tube,  and 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March,  1&97. 


Frayigula  and  Cascara  Barks. 


133 


there  be  added  2  c.c.  of  solution  of  potassa,  T.  S.,  Rhamnus  Californica 
will  immediately  produce  a  blood-red  color,  while  Rhamnus  Purshi- 
ana  will  produce  an  orange-red.  These  differences  in  intensity  of 
color,  thus  developed,  are  very  marked. 

The  deep  red  coloring  matter  so  abundant  in  Rhamnus  Califor- 
nica is  just  beneath  the  outer  cork  layer,  including  the  phellogen. 
It  can  be  very  plainly  seen  in  the  whole  bark  by  the  aid  of  a  simple 
lens. 


I 
i 


I 


Fig.  8,  Rhamnus  Californica,  lonj^itudinal  section.  A,  epidermis;  h,  colleu- 
chyma  ;  c,  sclerenchyma  ;  d,  stone  cells  ;  i\  medullary  ray  ;  /,  bast  bundle  ; 
g,  parenchyma  ;  //,  crj'stals  of  calcium  oxalate. 


The  above  outline  seems  to  answer  well  the  purpose  of  distin- 
guishing between  tlie  three  barks  named  ;  but  to  detect  one  powder 
mixed  with  another  would,  perhaps,  be  very  difficult  even  to  one 
perfectly  familiar  with  the  drugs.  Rhamnus  Californica,  when  used 
as  an  adulterant  for  Rhamnus  Purshiana,  could  be  distinguished  by 
the  color  test  if  in  considerable  cjuantit)';  small  amounts  could  hardly 
be  detected. 

The    following  addition   to   the   descriptions  of  the   two  official 


134  Phytolacca  Decandra.  {^iSSr"- 

barks,  Frangula  and  Rhamnus  Purshiana  is  suggested.  To  the  de- 
scription of  Frangula  add  :  Medullary  rays  not  converging  at  the 
outer  ends  (distinction  from  Rhamnus  Purshiana).  Stone  cells  absent 
(distinction  from  Rhamnus  Purshiana  and  Rhamnus  Californica). 

To  the  description  of  Rhamnus  Purshiana  add:  Medullary  rays  in 
groups  converging  at  their  outer  ends  (distinction  from  Rhamnus 
Californica).  Stone  cells  present  (distinction  from  Rhamnus  Fran- 
gula). 

Drawings. — The  description  accompanying  each  one  of  the  draw-- 
ings  presented  will  aid  somewhat  in  pointing  out  the  structural 
characteristics  above  referred  to.  Figures  were  drawn,  using  a  i 
inch  ocular  and  i  objective. 


A   CHEMICAL   STUDY   OF   PHYTOLACCA   DECANDRA.^ 

By  G.  B.  Frankforter. 
part  first. 

The  important  medical  properties  of  the  root  of  the  common 
poke  weed,  Phytolacca  decandra,  have  made  it  the  subject  for  a 
number  of  investigations.  While  many  important  facts  have  been 
learned,  yet  nothing  of  a  definite  character  in  connection  with  the 
chemical  side  of  it  has  been  discovered.  Crystalline  substances 
have  been  obtained,  but  none  of  them  seem  to  have  been  carefully 
studied.  It  has  been  with  the  hope  of  adding  more  to  the  present 
knowledge  of  this  interesting  plant  that  the  following  experiments 
have  b^en  conducted. 

The -root,  which  has  been  the  principal  part  of  the  plant  under 
investigation,  was  personally  obtained,  dried  and  prepared  for  exami- 
nation.' It  has  been  stated  that  the  root  undergoes  a  change,  so 
that  after  a  year  it  virtually  loses  its  medicinal  properties.  The 
writer  has  been  unable  to  corroborate  this  statement.  Samples 
were  examined  shortly  alter  the  roots  were  gathered,  and  again 
after  two  years.  There  was  no  apparent  change.  The  writer  there- 
fore believes  that  if  the  root  is  carefully  dried  immediately  after 
gathering,  it  will  retain  its  properties  for  a  long  time. 


'  Read  before  the  American  Chemical  Society,  Aug;ust,  1896,  aud  communi- 
cated by  the  author. 


''"March.'ISi^:"}  Phytolacca  Decandra.  135 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    ASH. 

It  seldom  occurs  that  a  common  plant  is  characterized  by  the 
inorganic  substance  it  contains.  In  this  respect  the  poke  weed 
seems  to  be  an  exception  to  the  rule.  Mention  has  been  made  of 
the  large  per  cent,  of  potassium  present,  but  beyond  this  the  writer 
has  been  unable  to  find  any  analyses  of  the  inorganic  part  of  the 
plant.  In  order  to  verify  the  above  statement,  and  to  throw  more 
light  on  the  inorganic  side  of  the  plant,  a  complete  analysis  of  the 
ash  was  made.  The  root  was  carefully  cleaned,  in  order  to  remove 
any  soil  from  the  surface,  carefully  dried  and  analyzed.  Three 
analyses  gave  the  following  average : 

Per  Cent. 
Ash  or  inorgauic  matter 13*38 

The  ash  contained  the  following  constituents : 

Per  Cent. 

Potassium  oxide 41*62 

Sodium  oxide 4  41 

Calcium  oxide 4*13 

Aluminum  oxide 1-62 

Iron  oxide .    .  0*59 

Magnesium  oxide 6"25 

Carbon  dioxide 30*01 

Chlorine 225 

Phosphorus  pentoxide 3  54 

Silicon  dioxide 5*21 


Total 99  63 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  plant  is  exceptionally  rich  in  potas- 
sium. It  was  at  first  suspected  that  this  high  per  cent,  of  potassium 
was  characteristic  of  the  locality  from  whence  the  samples  came. 
Samples  from  different  localities  were  examined  with  practicall}'  the 
same  results,  so  that  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  plant  has  the  power 
of  assimilating  large  quantities  of  potassium.  It  has  been  stated 
that  the  leaves  and  stems  of  the  plant  contain  as  high  as  4  2  per 
cent,  of  potassium  hydroxide.  This  is  low  as  compared  with  the 
above  analysis,  inasmuch  as  the  leaves  and  stems  of  plants  invari- 
ably run  higher  than  the  roots  in  inorganic  matter. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE   GASES   GIVEN    OFF    BY    A    DESTRLCIIVK    DISTILLATION 

OF   THE    KOOT. 

The  gas  obtained  by  a  destructive  distillation  of  the  root  of  this 
plant  has  been  briefly  referred  to  as  having  a  peculiar  odor  and  pro- 


136 


Phytolacca  Decandra. 


f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t       March,  1897. 


ducing  dizziness  if  inhaled.^  With  the  hope  of  throwing  some 
light  on  this  physiologically  active  gas,  a  complete  analysis  of  it 
was  made.  The  gas  was  prepared  by  placing  a  known  quantity  of 
the  dried  root  in  a  hard  glass  retort,  removing  the  air  and  heating 
as  long  as  gas  was  given  off.  The  gas  was  collected  over  mercury. 
It  was  found  to  vary  widely  at  different  stages  of  the  distillation. 
That  given  off  early  in  the  process  contained  as  high  as  60  per 
cent,  of  gas  soluble  in  water,  while  that  near  the  end  of  the  process 
contained  less  than  2  per  cent.  The  gas  at  various  stages  of  the 
distillation  was  tried  on  several  persons  without  producing  any 
physiological  effects.  There  is  a  characteristic  odor  of  ammonia 
and  pyridine  derivatives  throughout  the  whole  process. 

Owing  to  the  wide  variation  in  the  composition  of  the  gas  given 
off  at  different  stages  of  the  distillation,  a  series  of  analyses  were 
made  by  heating  the  substance  just  long  enough  to  drive  off  suffi- 
cient gas  for  a  single  analysis.  For  the  experiment,  72  grammes  of 
the  dried  root  were  taken.  The  apparatus  used  was  that  already 
mentioned.  The  distillation  was  continued  until  the  gas  ceased  to 
come  off  at  a  bright  red  heat. 

The  following  is  the  result  of  the  twelve  analyses  in  the  order 
in  which  they  were  made : 


Analysis. 

I. 

2. 

3. 

4- 

5- 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9- 

17-6 

22-3 

I" 

CO" 

10-8 
6-1 

9' 
33'2 

10. 

II. 
6- 

12' 
I' 
GO" 
10" 
10" 

i6- 
45" 

12. 

Ammonia 

Carbon  dioxide     .  .   . 
Heavy  hydrocarbons  . 

Oxygen     

Carbon  monoxide    .   , 

Hydrogen 

Methane      

Nitrogen 

65- 
13* 

0-8 

0-4 
12*2 

CO' 

0-6 
8- 

6o-2 

13" 
0-8 

GO' 

i8-6 
•6 
1-8 
5- 

55* 
H" 
1-4 

CO' 
201 

r 
3- 
5*5 

46- 
19-4 

2* 
00' 

14* 
2-6 

^^ 

12* 

37- 
23- 

2" 

GO* 

15-8 

4' 

4* 
14*2 

32- 
24"6 

2"  2 
CO" 

14* 
6- 

3" 

l6*2 

26- 

24- 
17 

00* 
12' 

8-6 

5-2 

22-5 

24*2 

25" 

I '5 

00* 

6- 

9" 

8- 

26-3 

15' 
13* 
1-8 

GO- 

8-8 
6-4 

IG* 

45" 

2" 

10". 

I* 

00* 

9" 

17-8 
19-4 
4G-8 

Total 

100 '0 

lOO'O 

lOO'O 

lOO'O 

1 

lOO'G     I00"0 

lOG'O 

IGO'G 

IOO"0 

lOO'O 

lOG'G 

100"0 

The  gas  estimated  as  ammonia,  upon  examination,  was  found  to 
contain  other  gases,  as  the  amines,  but  no  determinations  of  the 
latter  have  as  yet  been  made.     The  gas  estimated  as  carbon  dioxide 


'  American  Journai,  of  Pharmacy,  1888,  p.  123. 


^VrchriS^'"."'}     Estimation  of  Ash  in  Various  Drugs.  I37 

was  largely  the  peculiar-odored  gas  which  is  under  examination. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  gases  increase  and  decrease  quite  uniformly. 
The  variations  which  occur  were  undoubtedly  due  to  the  uneven 
application  of  heat. 

In  order  to  determine  whether  or  not  the  nitrogen  estimated  as 
such  was  pure,  the  hydrocarbons  were  removed  by  combustion  with 
pure  oxygen,  and  the  residue  sparked  with  excess  of  oxygen  over 
potassium  hydrate  until  no  further  change  took  place.  About  2CX) 
c  c.  of  the  residue  were  taken,  and  at  the  end  of  the  process  there 
remained  2-6  c.c.  of  gas,  which  remained  unchanged  after  several 
days'  sparking  gave  the  spectrum  for  argon.  No  satisfactory  ex- 
planation for  this  spectrum  can  as  yet  be  given.  The  process  is 
being  repeated  with  larger  quantities  of  gas.  It  seems  impossible 
that  this  quantity  could  have  come  from  the  air  which  was  left  after 
exhausting  the  retort  with  a  mercury  pump. 

University  of   Minnesota, 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 


ESTIMATION    OF   ASH    IN   VARIOUS    DRUGS. 

By  Charles  H.  La  Wall. 
Sub-Committee  of  Research  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeial  Committee 

of  Revision. 

The  subject  of  the  inorganic  constituents  of  plants  has  received 
very  little  attention  in  itself;  the  existing  data  are  scattered,  and,  in 
many  cases,  obtainable  only  after  a  laborious  search.  One  exten- 
sive work  on  the  ash  in  plants  was  published  in  1871.^ 

This  concerns  itself  mainly,  however,  with  the  per  cent,  of  ash  in 
various  agricultural  products.  The  work  is  in  very  few  libraries  in 
this  country,  and  jt  was  due  to  the  kindness  of  Professor  Trimble 
that  the  author  was  enabled  to  consult  it  before  tabulating  his 
results  upon  this  subject. 

Works  on  materia  medica  usually  contain  a  list  of  the  proximate 
organic  constituents  of  each  plant  considered  ;  percentages  of  these 
constituents  are  only  given  in  few  cases,  and  then  with  no  reference 
to  the  authority  whose  figures  are  used.    This  is  often  unsatisfactory, 

'  1871,  Aschen-analysen  von  landivirihschaftlichcn  ProJuctcn,  Fabrikabf alien 
und  wildwachsetidrn  Pflanzen.     Dr.  Va\\\\  Wolf. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


138  Estimation  of  Ash  in  Various  Drugs.     {^^i^^l^X^l 

as  in  one  case  which  came  under  the  author's  notice,  the  percentage 
of  ash  present  in  a  certain  drug  was  stated  as  "  about  8  per  cent.;" 
and,  as  authentic  samples  collected  by  the  author  gave  a  maxi- 
mum of  5-20  per  cent.,  and  the  highest  amount  in  the  commercial 
drug  was  342  per  cent.,  the  accuracy  of  the  authority  quoted  is 
questionable. 

Some  scattering  contributions  to  this  subject  have  been  made  in 
the  past  few  years,  but  in  most  cases  the  data  are  incomplete  in 
some  one  respect.  It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  to  note  what  little 
importance  has  been  attached  to  the  moisture  in  the  sample  taken 
for  estimation.  It  is  obvious  that  the  moisture  content  varies  with 
the  atmospheric  changes  to  which  the  drug  is  exposed,  and  that 
the  only  reliable  basis  for  comparison  is  the  per  cent,  of  ash  calcu- 
lated to,  or  estimated  in,  the  moisture-free  substance. 

The  therapeutic  activity  of  any  given  drug  is  attributable  to  the 
constituents  peculiar  to  that  drug,  irrespective  of  the  physiological 
effects  produced  by  so-called  inert  cellular  tissue.  It  might,  there- 
fore, truthfully  be  said  that :  The  therapeutic  effect  of  any  given  drug 
is  the  algebraic  sum  of  the  effects  of  its  proximate  constituents.  Effect 
is  used  in  a  relative  sense  only  ;  no  uniform  or  fixed  value  can  be 
given,  in  view  of  the  fact  that,  in  no  two  cases  of  administration,  are 
the  conditions  exactly  similar.  The  inorganic  constituents  may  play 
a  very  small  part  in  the  physiological  action  of  a  drug,  but,  in  the 
present  state  of  our  knowledge,  no  factor,  however  slight,  should 
be  ignored. 

Certain  groups  of  plants  show  marked  peculiarities  in  the  amount 
of  ash  present.  The  leaves  of  those  plants  belonging  to  the  Natural 
Order  Solanaceae  are  noted  for  the  large  amount  of  inorganic  mat- 
ter present  ;  in  some  instances  over  25  per  cent.,  or  more  than 
one-fourth  their  weight,  is  obtained  as  ash,  upon  ignition  of  a 
sample. 

This  work  was  begun  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  data  on  a 
number  of  the  more  commonly-used  drugs,  with  the  hope  that  they 
might  be  found  of  service  in  subsequent  studies  concerning  identifi- 
cation of  drugs.  The  subject  proved  to  be  one  of  great  interest, 
and  the  results  accompanying  the  present  paper  are  published  with 
the  idea  that  by  making  occasional  contributions  of  a  limited  num- 
ber each  time,  the  tedium  of  a  long,  uninteresting  list  (dry  reading 
at  its  best)  would  be  avoided,  and  also  that  others  who  are  in  a  po- 


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142  F lores  DaturcE  AlbcB.  {^"mSSSt^'"'"' 

sition  to  verify  or  add  to  the  figures  here  given   may  be  interested 
enough  to  contribute  additional  data. 

The  general  arrangement  has  been  made  alphabetical,  the  offi- 
cial drugs  being  distinguished  by  printing  them  in  italics,  using  the 
pharmacopceial  titles. 

The  present  contribution  contains  all  of  the  estimations  made  by 
the  author  to  date,  the  lack  of  uniformity  in  many  respects  being 
due  to  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  what  was  required  when  the 
work  was  begun. 

Those  which  are  incomplete  are  merely  included  for  comparative 
effect,  and  duplications  will  be  made  in  every  case,  and,  in  the 
future,  only  those  results  will  be  published  which  are  complete  as 
regards  the  per  cent,  of  ash,  percent,  of  moisture  in  the  air-dried 
drug  and  qualitative  examination  of  ash. 

The  ash  estimations  were  made  in  a  platinum  crucible  in  the  usual 
manner;  the  moisture  was  estimated  by  drying  about  5  grammes  to 
a  constant  weight  at  1 10°  C.  In  certain  cases  the  alkaloidal  or  ex- 
tractive value  is  included,  but  this  is  merely  for  the  purpose  of  gen- 
eral comparison  ;  the  processes  used  for  the  estimation  of  such  con- 
stituents are  at  all  times  obtainable  upon  application  to  the  author, 
as  a  detailed  record  is  kept  of  all  estimations  made. 


FLORES  DATURA  ALB^. 

By  J.  B.  NAGE1.V00RT. 

The  task  of  investigating  the  alkaloidal  strength  of  the  flowers  of 
Datura  Alba,  L.,  was  undertaken  after  reading  the  article  by  Mr.  Van 
der  Wal,  in  Nederlandsch  Tijdschrift  voor  PJiarmacie,  1895,  and  re- 
produced in  the  Bulletin  of  Pharmacy^  1896,  p.  153. 

It  was  my  intention  to  go  a  step  further  and  extend  Van  der 
Wal's  experiments  over  the  Solanaceae,  then  Atropa  and  Hyoscya- 
mus,  on  which  he  reported,  and  to  begin  with  Datura. 

There  was  not,  however,  as  much  material  on  hand  for  the  work 
as  an  English  analyst,  Mr.  Frank  Brownei  had  at  his  disposal. 

The  flowers  of  Datura  are  not  used  in  the  United  States  save  for 
ornamental  purposes,  while  Browne  reports  that  they  are  considera- 
bly used  in  China  as  a  medicine,  as  well  as  for  criminal  purposes. 


'  "  Datura  Alba,"  by  Frank  Browne,  Pharm.  four.,  1896,  p  197. 


"^^^Mareh.^Sfr!"'"}  F lores  Daturce  Albcc.  143 

It  will  be  wise  to  take  particular  notice  of  this,  because  the 
Chinese  element  in  our  large  cities  amounts  to  something.  Browne 
reports  that  the  drug  is  easily  administered  in  tea. 

I  might  be  allowed  to  remark  that  the  use  of  Datura  as  a  stupe- 
fying agent  is  practised,  on  a  large  scale,  by  all  Asiatics,  not  by 
the  Chinese  exclusively. 

Mr.  Browne's  communication,  with  its  local  color,  disposes  effect- 
ually of  a  doubt  expressed  in  Gehe's  BerichtCy  for  September,  1896, 
p.  6.  That  firm  state  that  they  feel  bound  to  call  the  attention  of 
the  public  to  the  irregularity  that  Naou-yang-hwa  is  the  Chinese 
name  of  a  flower,  which  is  mixed  with  aconite  tubers,  and  that  this 
mixture  is  used,  in  powder  form,  in  surgery,  to  alleviate  pain.  Gehe 
further  states:  "  Hanbury  records  that  the  above  name  is  the  Chi- 
nese vernacular  for  Hyoscyamns.  Naou-yang-hwa  and  Nau-young-fa 
(Datura)  are  semi-successful  European  experiments  to  reproduce 
one  and  the  same  Chinese  hieroglyph."  This  seems  to  be  a  small 
matter  and  easily  disposed  of.  Of  greater  importance  is  what  fol- 
lows in  the  same  Berichte,  in  regard  to  Datura. 

Dr.  Pienemann  made  an  analysis  of  the  seeds,  of  the  root,  and  of 
the  leaves  of  Datura  alba  according  to  Keller's  process,  so  that  we 
have  now  a  fairly  accurate  knowledge  of  the  value  of  this  drug. 
Compare  also  a  later  investigation  by  R.  A.  Cripps  in  No.  1290, 
March  16,  iS95,of  the  Pharm.  Journal. 

Dr.  Pienemann  has,  in  all  probability,  exhausted  his  plants  with 
Prollius'  fluid. 

Pienemann  presumed  that  the  alkaloid  he  obtained  was  atropine  ; 
he  intended  to  prove  this  by  Vitali's  test.  He  mentioned  also  the 
hypothetical  "  stramonine ;"  but  Vitali's  test  is  a  test  for  mydria- 
tics in  general,  is  a  group  reagent,  not  an  identity  reaction  for  atro- 
pine only. 

Above  is  said  that  not  as  much  material  could  be  gathered  for 
this  investigation  as  Browne  had  at  his  command.  I  had  about  60 
grammes  of  dry  flowers. 

Browne  found  in  the  dry  flowers,  Chinese  growth,  0485  f>er 
cent,  of  an  alkaloid  which  he  called  hyoscine. 

I  found  in  flowers  grown  in  parks  in  Chicago,  0464  per  cent,  al- 
kaloid by  weight.  I  presume  that  Browne's  figures  are  also  obtained 
on  the  balance,  and  not  by  titration  and  calculation. 

Of  course,  the  coincidence  of  these  figures  is  remarkable.     But  it 


144  F lores  DaturcB  AlbcB.  {^'"mS;£9T°'- 

is  wise  not  to  attach  too  much  importance  to  this.  I  assayed  the 
flowers  only  once.  I  do  not  know  if  Mr.  Browne  repeated  his  analysis. 
If  I  had  obtained  a  higher  result  than  Mr.  Browne,  that  would  not 
have  been  proof  that  American-grown  Datura  alba  flowers  were 
richer  in  alkaloid  than  those  collected  in  China.  Neither  could  the 
reverse  be  argued  if  conditions  differed.  Let  us  take  it  simply  as 
a  contribution  in  favor  of  the  original  Van  der  Wal's  investigation, 
and  deduce  a  recommendation  to  our  U.  S.  P.  Revision  Committee 
from  it.  When  the  article,  Stramonii  folia,  is  revised  for  the  eighth 
decennial  revision,  I  would  like  to  see  it  read  *' Herba  Stramonii, 
collected  in  blossom,"  instead  of  folia  S.,  so  as  not  to  throwaway  the 
most  valuable  part  of  the  plant  any  longer. 

Assay. — The  flowers,  after  being  dried  without  the  application  of  any  artifi- 
cial heat,  were  reduced  to  a  fine  powder.  Fifty  grammes  of  this  air-dry  powder 
was  exhausted  by  percolation  with  alcohol  of  90  volume  per  cent.  Exhaustion 
was  proved  according  to  analytical  rules.  Alcohol  was  recovered  in  vacuo. 
Residue  was  taken  up  with  acidulated  water  (HgSOj^),  whereby  all  the  waxy 
and  resinous  matter  was  left  behind.  The  aqueous  fluid,  which  was  carefully 
kept  to  a  small  amount,  was,  in  a  separator,  thoroughly  washed  with  chloro- 
form, the  latter  removed.  The  fluid  was  made  alkaline  with  ammonia  water, 
agitated  again  with  chloroform.  This  was  collected  and  the  operation  repeated 
to  exhaustion.  The  chloroform  was  evaporated  spontaneously.  The  residue 
was  dissolved  in  acidulated  water,  because  the  alkaloid  was  not  pure  enough, 
washed  with  chloroform  ;  the  acid  fluid  being  made  alkaline  again,  yielded  to 
chloroform  an  amorphous,  nearly  colorless  residue,  which,  being  dried  over  sul- 
phuric acid  to  constant  weight,  weighed  0*232  gramme,  or  o"  464  per  cent.  This 
was  dissolved  in  very  diluted  hydrochloric  acid,  precipitated  with  gold  chloride, 
the  precipitate  dissolved  in  slightly  acidulated  (HCl)  water  and  recrystallized 
from  boiling  water.  The  crystals  thereby  obtained  had  the  form  published  on 
page  67  of  Fliickiger's  Reaction,  American  edition.  "Hyoscin  goldchloride. " 
Dried  over  H2SO4  in  vacuo.     M.p.,  5  determinations,  792°  C. 

Atropine  goldchloride  has  a  melting  point  of  137°,  Hyoscyamine  goldchlor- 
ide a  melting  point  of  160°. 

An  extract  of  the  flowers  of  Datura  alba,  was  free  from  that  large  amount 
of  oil  that  bothers  one  so  much  in  Sol.  Ex.  Sem.  Stramonii,  U.S.P. 

Will  the  Revision  Committee  take  it  kindly  under  consideration  to  replace 
stramonium  seed  with  20  per  cent,  useless  fat,  by  stramonium  flowers  with 
hardly  any  ? 

Will  a  colorless  petrolatum  preparation  of  those  flowers  not  make  an  elegant 
sub-siitute  for  the  unsightly  ointment? 

I  want  to  see  retained  in  our  U.S.P.  the  very  useful  Datura.  The  flowers  are 
stronger  tliaii  the  seed. 

Conclusion. — I  have  made  arrangements  to  repeat  this  examina- 
tion on  a  larger  scale,  in  the  fall  of  1897,  and  will  plant  a  vacant  lot 
next  to  my  laboratory  with  Datura  alba. 


^"i/aTh.^^""-}  Ideyttifying  Fats  and  Oils.  145 

Mr.  Frank  Browne  concluded  that  he  obtained  hyoscine, 
goldchloride,  m.p.,  198°.  This  will  have  to  be  verified  also,  but 
material  is  lacking  now.  The  reader  interested  herein  is  referred  to 
the  works  of  E.  Schmidt,  Max  Biechele,  Hager,  F'isher  and  Hart- 
wich,  and  especially  to  Blythe  on  ••  Poisons,  their  Effects  and  Detec- 
tion," London,  1895,  P-  37^- 

School  of  Pharmacy,  Northwestern  University. 


HEAT  OF  BROMINATION  AS  A  MEANS   OF   IDENTIFY- 
ING FATS  AND  OILS. 

By  Wm.  BR0MWE1.L,  Ph.D.,  and  Joseph  L.  Mayer,  Ph.G. 

A   contribution   from  the  Chemical  Laboratory    of  the  Brooklyn    College  of 

Pharmacy. 

Among  other  work  required  of  the  students  in  the  Brooklyn  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy  in  the  course  in  analytical  and  applied  chem- 
istry, is  the  examination  of  fats  and  oils,  with  a  view  to  identifying 
them  and  their  adulterants. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  color  tests,  we  had  been  employing 
Maumene's  method  of  identifying  them  by  the  rise  in  temperature 
produced  on  the  addition  of  sulphuric  acid. 

This  method  is  a  good  one  in  the  hands  of  an  expert  analyst,  but 
our  experience  with  the  students  here  proved  it  was  not  the 
method  for  pharmacists ;  it  is  somewhat  unsatisfactory  and  the  re- 
sults not  always  regular  and  concordant,  so  much  so  that  Professor 
Bartley  suggested  that  Professor  Bromwell  and  myself  adopt 
Hehner  and  Mitchell's  method  of  recognizing  them  by  the  rise  in 
temperature  produced  on  the  addition  of  I  c.c.  bromine  to  i  gramme 
of  oil,  and  that  the  table  published  by  them  be  extended  so  as  to 
include  as  many  other  fats  and  oils  as  could  be  obtained. 

This  method,  which  is  quite  recent  (having  been  introduced  to 
the  chemical  world  through  the  Analyst,  July,  1895).  depends  for  its 
action  on  the  fact  that  the  oils  are  natural  glycerides  containing  un- 
saturated radicals  capable  of  combining  with   the  halogens. 

This  fact  had  been  taken  advantage  of  by  Hlibl,  whose  iodine  ab- 
sorption method  is  so  well  known  that  it  needs  but  to  be  mentioned. 
Fawsitt  (Journal  Society  Chemical  Industry,  1888)  tried  to  utilize 
the  heat  evolved  by  sulphur  chloride  (SXI..).  but  nut  with  sufficient 
success  to  make  it  popular. 


146 


Identifying  Fats  and  Oils. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March,  1897. 


To  prevent  as  far  as  possible  loss  of  heat  by  radiation,  Mitchell 
and  Hehner  used  Professor  Devvar's  vacuum  jacketed  tube,  which 
he  had  employed  in  his  experiments  with  liquefied  air.  It  is  a  small 
inner  tube  soldered  at  the  neck  to  a  larger  outer  tube,  from  which 
the  air  is  practically  exhausted,  leaving  almost  a  perfect  vacuum  and 
consequently  making  it  a  non-conductor  of  heat. 

The  expense  of  such  a  tube  determined  us  to  make  our  experi- 
ments with  a  cheaper  apparatus,  so  that  our  method  could  be 
applied  and  our  results  obtained  at  any  time  or  place  without  special 
apparatus. 


X 


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^^ 


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r^-g^cc 


hm.*i'^^^mT.''.y»j 


Fig.  I. 


Magnesia  and  Cotton. 


.^  Magnesia. 


The  apparatus  we  adopted  consisted  of  a  larger  beaker  (a  gradu- 
ate or  other  glass  vessel  will  do  when  a  beaker  is  not  at  hand),  with 
about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  of  calcined  magnesia  in  the  bottom,  a 
test  tube  about  7  inches  in  length,  around  the  bottom  of  which  was 
wrapped  a  small  piece  of  cotton  ;  it  was  then  put  in  the  beaker  and 
imbedded  in  alternate  layers  of  cotton  and  calcined  magnesia, 
being  packed  quite  tightly  so  that  the  tube  could  be  withdrawn  and 
replaced  at  will  without  disturbing  the  nest  so  made. 

A  Centigrade  thermometer  graduated  to  fifths  of  a  degree  com- 
pleted the  apparatus,  which,  when  ready  for  use,  presented  the 
appearance  shown  in  Fig,  /. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
March,  1897. 


}  Identifying  Fats  and  Oils. 


147 


Mitchell  and  Hehner  added  the  bromine  directly  to  the  oil,  but 
the  difficulty  of  conveniently  handlinf]^  i  c.c.  of  it  was  recognized 
by  Dr.  Wiley  {Journal  American  Chemical  !£ociety,  April,  1896), 
who  su<Tgested  that  it  be  diluted  with  chloroform. 

Acting  upon  his  suggestion,  we  diluted  in  the  proportion  of  i  c.c. 
of  bromine  to  4  c.c.  of  chloroform. 

The  action  of  the  bromine  on  some  of  the  oils  being  so  violent, 
we  diluted  or  dissolved  them  in  chloroform  in  the  proportion  of  6 
grammes  of  oil  and  made  up  to  30  c.c.  with  chloroform.  We  made 
up  this  quantity,  so  that  we  might  conduct  a  number  of  determina- 
tions on  each  oil  without  having  to  prepare  a  fresh  solution  for  each 
determination. 


Fig.  2. 

Of  the  chloroform  bromine  solution,  we  made  up  enough  to  last  for 
one  day's  work,  fearing  that  the  action  of  the  bromine  on  the  chlo- 
roform might,  in  due  time, generate  hydrobromic  acid,  which  would 
interfere  with  the  results. 

It  is  of  great  importance  to  accurately  measure  the  5  c.c.  of  oil 
solution  ;  this  is  best  accomplished  by  using  a  glass-stopped  burette, 
care  being  taken  to  avoid  any  loss  by  contact  with  the  walls  of  the 
tube  during  the  flowing  in. 

In  the  oil  solution  a  thermometer  is  inserted,  to  .sec  that  it  lias 
the  same  tcm()erature  as  the   bromine   solution  ;  if  such   is  not  the 


f  Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 


148  Identifying  Fats  and  Oils.  {^"^ii^lliXii. 

case,  it  must  be  brought  to  the  same  temperature.  As  the  action  of 
the  bromine  on  the  oil  is  instantaneous,  it  is  necessary  to  have  the 
thermometer  in  the  oil  solution  before  adding  the  bromine. 

The  bromine  being  largely  in  excess  of  the  amount  required,  the 
5  c.c.  of  the  solution  need  not  be  so  accurately  measured ;  we 
adopted  Dr.  Wiley's  apparatus  for  measuring  it  {Fig.  2). 

It  is  simply  a  wash  bottle  arrangement  ;  through  one  opening 
in  the  stopper  a  pipette  (graduated  on  the  stem  to  5  c.c.)  passes 
nearly  to  the  bottom,  through  the  other  a  short  tube  which  con- 
nects on  the  outside  with  an  atomizer  bulb  ;  by  pressing  this  bulb 
the  solution  is  forced  up  in  the  pipette  to  the  5  c.c.  mark ;  the  in- 
dex finger  is  then  used  to  close  the  top,  the  stopper  and  tube  are 
withdrawn  from  the  bottle,  the  point  of  the  pipette  directed  into  the 
oil,  and,  the  finger  being  withdrawn,  the  solution  flows  in. 

Our  experiments  proved  that  if  the  solution  was  allowed  to  run 
in  very  quickly  the  temperature  would  be  reduced,  in  some  instances^ 
2°,  there  being  much  ebullition,  which  would  throw  the  hot  liquid 
against  the  cold  sides  of  the  tube  and  thus  reduce  the  temperature; 
this  result  was  also  brought  about  by  stirring  the  mixture  with  the 
thermometer.  We  would,  therefore,  recommend  that  the  bromine 
solution  be  slowly  run  in,  consuming  about  a  half  minute  in  adding 
it.  The  figures  in  the  table  are  the  results  of  four  determinations 
on  each  oil,  the  average  of  these  being  given. 

In  making  the  tests  we  had  in  use  about  twelve  of  the  beaker 
test  tube  apparatus,  so  that  after  making  the  four  tests  the  tubes 
were  withdrawn  from  the  nests,  washed  out  with  petroleum  benzine 
and  inverted  so  that  they  would  dry.  For  the  next  set  of  tests  we 
took  four  more  tubes  and  beakers,  and  so  on,  until  we  had  used  all ; 
we  then  come  back  to  the  first  set,  having  them,  in  the  meantime, 
cleaned,  and  the  temperature  of  the  nest  reduced  to  that  of  the  room. 

Experiments  made  with  a  beaker  with  cotton  loosely  packed, 
without  any  magnesia,  proved  that  in  this  way  the  temperature 
was  also  considerably  lowered. 

In  the  table  will  be  found  Hehner  and  Mitchell's  figures  for  the 
oils  on  which  they  worked.  There  will  also  be  found  Dr.  Wiley's, 
who  worked  on  a  few  oils  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Washington 
Bureau  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

We  are  still  at  work  on  this  subject,  and  hope  in  our  next  paper 
to  give  a  factor  which,  when  multiplied  by  the  rise  in  temperature 
of  the  oil,  will  approximately  give  Hiibl's  iodine  number. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
March,  1867. 


}  Identifying  Fats  and  Oils. 


149 


We  would  also  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  the  members  of 
the  Class  of  1897  for  valuable  assistance  rendered  us,  under  our 
supervision  and  direction. 

The  oils  were  all  supplied  gratuitously  by  the  dealers  mentioned 
in  the  table,  and  were  supplied  as  the  purest  obtainable.  For  their 
kindness  and  promptness  in  complying  with  our  request,  our  thanks 
are  due. 


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AMMONOL. 
By  George  M.  Beringer. 

The  manufacturers  state  that  "Ammonol  is  a  product  of  the 
Amide- benzene  series  (CgH^NH.,).  It  differs  essentially  from  the 
other  m.edicinal  coal-tar  products,  especially  in  that  it  contains  am- 
monia in  an  active  form  and  has  a  stimulating  action  on  all  the  vital 
functions."  Its  medicinal  action  is  claimed  "  to  be  stimulant,  anti- 
pyretic and  analgesic."  The  chemical  composition  is  given  as 
•*  Ammoniated-Phenylacetamide,"  but  the  chemical  formula  giv^en 
on  the  label,  '•  CgHgNHo,"  is  the  accepted  formula  {ox  amido-benzene, 
which  is  commonly  spoken  of  as  aniline. 

The  writer  was  induced  to  make  an  examination  of  this  valuable 
mzu  coaitar  derivative  {?^  It  is  a  powder,  having  a  very  faint  yel- 
low color,  put  up  in  i-ounce  vials.  The  odor  is  strongly  ammo- 
niacal,  and  on  smelling  the  vial  one  can  readily  detect  the  peculiar 
empyreumatic  odor  of  commercial  ammonium  carbonate.  On  closer 
examination,  even  with  the  naked  eye,  one  can  detect  small  parti- 
cles of  a  crystalline  character,  indicatmg  imperfect  comminution  of 
a  cr^'stalline  ingredient.  This  is  the  so-called  auiorphous  micro 
crystals  of  the  manufacturer's  description. 

One  gramme  of  the  powder  was  rubbed  up  with  20  c.c.  of  water 
and  poured  on  a  tared  filter,  and  the  mortar  and  filter  carefully 
washed  v>-ith  an  additional  10  c.c.  of  water  added  in  small  portions. 
After  drying,  the  residue  was  a  white  powder,  weighing  -360  gm. 
A  portion  left  no  ash  on  incinerating.  On  boiling  with  concentrated 
potassa  solution  it  was  converted  into  aniline,  and  with  chloroform 
readily  yielded  the  isonitrile  reaction.  From  these  tests,  also  sup- 
ported by  solubilitj'  and  color  reactions,  I  was  led  to  conclude  that 
this  was  pure  phenylacetamide,  or  acetanilid.  According  to  the 
U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  acetanilid  is  soluble  in  194  parts  of  water,  and 
so  the  30  c.c.  of  water  used  would  have  extracted  -154  gm.,  and  this, 
added  to  the  undissolved  portion  on  the  filter,  would  give  the  total 
amount  of  acetanilid  as  -514  gm.,  or  about  50  per  cent. 

'I  he  filtrate  was  a  light  canary-yellow-colored  solution,  and,  on 
testing,  showed  the  presence  of  sodium  and  ammonia  as  carbonates. 

The  filtered  solution  of  i  gm.  of  ammonol  in  30  c.c.  of  water,  evapo- 
rated on  the  water-bath,  yielded  a  residue  of  -222  gm.,  and  on  pro- 
longed heating,  minute   micaceous  crystals  separated  and  sublimed 


^^March ';S^^"- }  A  mmonol.  1 5 1 

into  loose  tufts  on  the  surface.  These  crystals  proved  to  be  acetanilid, 
showing  that,  as  stated  above,  it  had  been  partly  extracted  by  the 
water,  and  that  it  was  more  or  less  volatile  at  the  temperature  of 
the  water-bath.  On  incineration,  the  residue  left  -158  gm.  ash, 
which  required  29-  c.c.  ^,j  sulphuric  acid  for  neutralization,  which, 
calculated  for  sodium  bicarbonate,  would  be  -24317  gm. 

One  gm.  of  ammonol  was  incinerated,  and  left  an  ash  weighing 
•157  gm.,  which,  titrated  with  f-^  sulphuric  acid,  required  30  c.c,  or, 
calculated  as  sodium  bicarbonate,  -25  i  5  gm.  This  would  indicate  the 
presence  of  about  25  per  cent,  of  sodium  bicarbonate  in  the  product, 
and  leave  25  per  cent,  for  ammonium  carbonate. 

On  adding  hydrochloric  acid  in  excess  to  the  canary-colored 
aqueous  solution,  the  color  is  changed  to  a  rosy  pink,  which  is  again 
changed  to  the  pale  yellow  on  adding  ammonia  water.  With  nitric 
acid,  the  color  is  also  changed  to  pink,  but  in  excess  is  destroyed, 
the  solution  becoming  colorless,  and  ammonia  does  not  again 
restore  the  original  color.  From  these  reactions  I  became  con- 
vinced that  a  small  amount  of  some  aniline  color  had  been  added 
as  a  disguise,  and  not  for  medicinal  action.  An  examination  of  a 
number  of  so-called  aniline  orange  and  yellow  colors,  for  one  possess- 
ing similar  reactions  and  tinctorial  properties,  was  made,  and  the 
dye  known  as  Dietanilycllaiv  was  found  to  give  similar  reactions. 
According  to  Allen  (Commercial  Organic  Analysis,  Vol.  Ill,  Pt.  I, 
p.  i84),metanil-yellowor  orange  MN,  is  the  sodium  salt  of  diphenyl- 
amine-azobenzene-meta-sul phonic  acid. 

From  my  examination,  I  am  compelled  to  conclude  that  ••  ammo- 
nol," instead  of  being  a  new  "  coal-tar  derivative,"  is  merely  an 
admixture  of  the  well-known  acetanilid,  sodium  bicarbonate  and 
ammonium  carbonate,  and  that  the  following  formula  represents  its 
real  composition  : 

Gramme*. 
li  Acetanilid 

Stxlium  bicarbonate -5' 

Ammonium  carl>onate      ....  •    ■     5' 

Metauil-yellow 0*005 

Mixtures  of  acetanilid  and  sodium  bicarbonate,  as  an  antacid  and 
antipyretic  and  analgesic,  have  been  in  daily  use  by  nearly  every 
physician  for  at  least  a  decade.  The  addition  of  ammonium  carbo- 
nate as  an  arterial  stimulant  is  not  unusual,  and  in  many  cases  such 
a  mixture   must   undoubtedly  prove   serviceable.      Mr.  Joseph   \V. 


152  Chemical  Analysis  of  Sage  Brush.     {'^'^^^^11^^^'^' 

England  informs  me  that  at  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  they  use  an 
ammoniated  acetanilid,  the  formula  of  which  is : 

Grains. 

Ammonium  carbonate ^ 

Sodium  bicarbonate i/^ 

Pulv.  acetanilid 2^ 

Misce. 
Dose,  one  to  three  powders. 

Ammonol  thus  appears  to  be  another  of  the  numerous  mixtures 
of  acetanilid  that  are  being  palmed  off  on  the  gullable  physicians 
as  new  and  valuable  discoveries.  The  names  published  in  their 
circulars  would  indicate  that  the  Ammonol  Chemical  Company  have 
been  unusually  successful  in  playing  on  the  credulity  of  quite  a 
number  of  prominent  practitioners,  and  medical  as  well  as  pharma- 
ceutical journals. 

CHEMICAL    ANALYSIS    OF    SAGE    BRUSH,    ARTEMISIA 

TRIDENTATA,  NUTT. 

By  Griffith  H.  Maghke. 
Contribution  from  the    Chemical  Laboratory  of   the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  161. 

The  sage  brush,  or  sage  bush,  is  a  small  shrub,  5  or  6  feet  in 
height,  which  grows  abundantly  on  the  Western  plains,  covering 
hundreds  of  square  miles  on  the  foot-hills  of  Nevada  and  Utah,  and 
extending  from  Arizona  to  Oregon  and  Sonora,  and  as  far  east  as 
Nebraska.  It  does  not  thrive  where  there  is  an  abundance  of  water, 
but  rather  prefers  a  dry,  barren  soil ;  ranchmen  very  often  clear  their 
ground  of  it  by  flooding  with  water. 

When  fired,  it  burns  rapidly  and  with  an  intense  heat,  affording 
excellent  fuel,  and  the  Indians  employ  the  smoky  flame  in  curing  or 
smoking  their  buckskins  ;  they  also  use  an  infusion  of  the  leaves 
for  colds,  headache  and  mountain  fever  (considered  by  many  physi- 
cians to  be  a  modification  of  typhoid  lever). 

The  leaves  and  flower  heads  used  in  the  present  analysis  were 
collected  in  Fremont  County,  Wyoming,  at  an  elevation  of  5,000 
feet.  F'ifty  grammes  of  the  fine  powder  were  used,  and  the  usual 
method  of  plant  analysis  was  employed,  except  that  the  drug,  after 
extraction  with  alcohol,  was  enclosed  in  a  strong  piece  of  muslin 
and  suspended  in  the  water  and  succeeding  solvents,  with  the  result 
that  a  much  smaller  amount  of  liquid  was  necessary  for  complete 


^  V^h.^STi""  }  Fluid  Extracts.  1 5  3 

exhaustion,  and  some  loss  in  handling  the  drug  by  the  ordinary 
method  was  avoided  ;  it  also  admitted  of  expression  being  employed 
without  loss  of  material. 

The  following  results  were  obtained  : 

Per  Cent. 

Moisture 848 

Ash  492 

Petroleum  ether  extract,  containing  volatile  oil  084,  fixed  oil 
and  fat  041,   wax  melting  at   61^    C.    o  61,   and   caoutchouc 

026 212 

Ether  extract,  consisting  of  resins 4' 25 

Absolute  alcohol  extract,   containing  resins,    glucosidal  bitter 

principle,  etc ••    •  332 

Water  extract,   composed  of  mucilage  3*22,   glucose  052,    ex- 
tractive 4*90 8*63 

Alkali  extract,  containing  pectin  274,  extractive  3  36 610 

Acid  extract 114 

Lignin 6*44 

Cellulose 54"6o 


loooo 

The  ash  was  composed  of  calcium,  potassium,  manganese  and 
iron,  combined  with  hydrochloric,  sulphuric,  phosphoric  and  car- 
bonic acids. 

The  alcohol  extract  yielded  a  bitter  principle  by  treating  with 
acidulated  water  and  agitating  this  solution  with  ether  or  chloroform, 
which  removed  the  principle  and  deposited  it,  on  evaporation,  in 
an  amorphous  condition. 

Tannin  and  starch  were  not  found  in  the  drug. 


FLUID  P:X TRACTS. 
By  William  B.  Thompson. 


Reasonable  and  well-tempered  discussion  on  subjects  in  contro- 
versy ought  to  be  improving  to  knowledge.  The  natural  tendency 
of  such  would  be  to  turn  thought  into  new  channels,  or  to  broaden 
its  scope  in  directions  already  pursued.  Events  which,  at  times, 
seem  adverse  and  disappointing,  may  often  be  turned  into  fortune- 
ate  advantage.  The  use  and  ;///5-use  of  fluid  e.xtracts  in  extempor- 
izing the  preparation  of  the  lesser  galenicals,  as  tinctures,  wines, 
syrups  and  infusions,  has  evoked  the  expression  of  some  opinions 
and  is  likely  to  arouse  more.     It  would  seem  to  be  within  the  con- 


154  Zanzibar  Copal.  { 


f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


March,  1897. 


fines  of  truth  to  say  that  at  least  90  per  cent,  of  the  pharmacists  of 
this  country  resort,  in  a  more  or  less  extent,  to  the  practice  of  dilut- 
ing fluid  extracts  to  form  the  minor  preparations.  That  this  prac- 
tice would  inevitably  follow  the  advent  of  this  class  of  preparations 
(fluid  extracts)  having  official  sanction,  as  well  as  unauthoritative 
origin,  was  obvious,  and  plainly  foreseen  at  the  various  periods  of  re- 
vision, adoption  and  introduction.  And  it  now  has  the  appearance 
of  an  eleventh-hour  conversion  for  pharmacists  to  criticize  the 
natural  sequence  of  their  own  acts.  No  protest  having  come  from 
the  medical  profession  in  regard  to  any  deficient  therapeutic  value 
of  the  lesser  galenicals  so  made,  may  we  not  be  straining  a  point  or 
principle  somewhat  in  making  too  broad  a  condemnation  of  the 
practice  ? 

If  the  fluid  extract  is  right  exactly,  and  in  every  particular  just 
what  it  should  be,  the  addition  or  dilution  (provided  it  be  made 
without  material  disturbance  of  permanent  solubility)  must  be  right. 
There  are  two  dilemmas  and  two  horns !  If  the  result  of  contro- 
versy should  be  to  induce  pharmacists  to  discriminate  more  intelli- 
gently between  the  true  and  the  false — between  the  good  and  the  bad 
— much  good  will  undoubtedly  arise  from  a  seeming  evil.  But  that 
the  90  per  cent,  of  pharmacists  can  be  induced  by  any  persuasion 
or  argument  to  abandon  that  national  penchant  for  a  short-cut  to 
the  goal,  is  an  idea  too  un-American  to  be  entertained.  Had  w^e 
not  better  wisely  adapt  the  fluids  to  the  dilutions  ? 

Philadelphia,  February,  1897. 


ZANZIBAR   COPAL.i 

By  a.  Stephan. 


Copal  is  a  collective  name  for  a  number  of  resins  that  exhibit 
great  differences  in  their  chemical  and  physical  properties ;  they 
may,  according  to  the  author,  be  arranged  in  the  following  groups : 

[a)  East  African,  probably  derived  from  Trachylobium  mossam- 
bicense  and  Hymenea  verrucosa. 

{b)  West  African,  said  to  be  obtained  from  Guibourtia  copallifera, 
or  from  species  of  Copaifera. 

*  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  December  19,  1896. 


^VaTh.^g^^"}  Zanzibar  Copal.  I55 

[c)  Kauri  copal  from  New  Zealand,  the  botanical  origin  of  which 
is  Dammara  australis. 

{d)  Manilla  copal,  obtained  from  Vateria  indica. 

(e)  South  American  copal,  derived  from  Hymenea  coubaril,  H. 
stilbocarpa,  Trachylobium  martianum,  T.  hornemannianum. 

The  first  three  are  fossil  resins,  and  are  dug  up  out  of  the  earth, 
whilst  the  last  two  are  collected  from  the  plants  yielding  them. 

To  the  East  African  copals  belong  the  following  three  varieties: 

(i)  Copal  from  Mozambique. 

(2)  Copal  from  Madagascar. 

(3)  Copal  from  Zanzibar. 

The  purity  and  hardness  of  the  last  variety  render  it  the  most 
valuable,  and  the  principal  object  of  the  author's  work  was  to 
investigate  the  constituents  of  Zanzibar  copal ;  the  details  that 
follow  relate,  therefore,  to  that  variety  only.  This  must  be  empha- 
sized, because  many  statements  are  met  with  without  any  mention 
of  the  variety  of  copal  to  which  they  refer. 

From  Bagamoyo,  in  East  Africa,  the  author  received  raw 
(unwashed)  copal,  pure  copal,  and  specimens  of  the  tree  yielding  it. 
The  resin  is  brought  down  by  the  natives  to  Kiboa  from  districts 
from  the  coast ;  the  botanical  specimens  came  from  Usegna,  which 
lies  inland  westward  from  Bagamoyo.  The  commercial  resin, 
obtained  from  a  German  firm,  agreed  in  its  characters  with  the 
genuine  specimens  sent  from  East  Africa. 

Zanzibar  copal,  finely  powdered,  melts  at  about  140^  C;  it  is 
slowly  but  completely  soluble  in  alcohol ;  benzol,  chloroform  and 
glacial  acetic  acid  dissolve  about  30  per  cent.,  ether  about  34  per 
cent.,  petroleum  spirit  and  carbon  bisulphide  about  10  per  cent. 

When  boiled  with  alcohol  the  resin  caked,  and  only  a  slight  pro- 
portion dissolved,  but  by  repeated  digestion  with  alcohol  it  could  be 
brought  entirely  into  solution  and  precipitated  with  water.  The 
resin  thus  jjurified  was  more  soluble  in  the  menstrua  previously 
mentioned,  and  dissolved  also  in  boiling  very  dilute  solution  of  pot- 
ash (o  I).  All  attempts  to  separate  it  into  other  constituents  were 
unsuccessful,  nor  could  it  be  saponified.  It  appeared  to  consist  of 
resin-acids,  the  principal  of  which,  constituting  about  80  per  cent,  of 
tlie  resin,  was  called  trachylolic  acid.  This  acid  could  be  obtained 
with  difficulty  in  minute  sphiero-crystalline  masses,  melting  at 
168°  C.     From  it  the  potassium,  copj^er  and   iron  salts   were   pre- 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

1897. 


156  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {"^"MaS 

pared.  A  second  acid,  present  to  the  extent  of  about  4  per  cent, 
only,  was  also  obtained ;  to  this  the  name  isotrachylolic  acid  was 
assigned.  These  two  acids,  together  with  about  6  per  cent,  of 
^/-copal  resin  and  /9-copal  resin,  a  bitter  principle  and  volatile  oil, 
form  the  constituents  of  Zanzibar  copal  as  far  as  the  author  could 
succeed  in  separating  them. 

An  examination  of  the  stems  sent  from  Usegna  showed  that^ 
although  the  primary  cortex  contains  schizogenous  secretion  ducts, 
these  are  soon  thrown  off  as  the  secondary  cortex  is  produced,  and 
in  the  bark  of  older  twigs  and  of  the  stem  no  ducts  could  be  found. 
The  resin  appears,  therefore,  to  the  author  to  be  a  pathological 
product. 

RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

ASSAY    OF   JOHORE    GAMBIER. 

\V.  O.  Richtmann  {Pharmaceutical  Review^  15,  27)  has  examined 
six  specimens  of  Johore  gambier  obtained  by  the  University  or 
Wisconsin  from  the  Columbian  Exposition.  The  tannin  was  esti 
mated  by  the  process  recommended  by  the  Commission  of  German 
Technical  Chemists  and  published  in  1885;  the  catechin  was  deter- 
mined by  extracting  it  from  the  aqueous  solution  of  the  gambier, 
and  the  ash  and  moisture  according  to  the  usual  methods.  The 
following  are  the  results  in  per  cent. : 

Specimen  No.  Moisture.  Ash.  Tannin.  Catechin. 

2,900 12-37  4'35  39*63  ii'ic. 

2,901 II*20  3-63  32'5I  9*22 

2,902 1-38  3-65  40-51  9-39 

2.904 1-50  1-87  46-95  5-25 

.2,905 8-37  3-77  22-21  8*68 

2,906 7-00  4-13  29-94  6-98 

The  presence  of  two  fungi,  Penicillium  glaucum  and  Aspergillus 
niger,  was  demonstrated. 

ON    THE    SEPARATION    OF    NITRATE    OF    COPPER    FROM    NITRATE    OF 
SILVER    IN    THE    MANUFACTURE    OF    CAUSTIC. 

C.  J.  H.  ^ dixd^n  [Pharmaceutical  yournal,  January  23,  1897)  gives 
the  following  method  for  separating  these  two  salts :  It  is  not  gen- 
erally known  that  strong  nitric  acid  precipitates  nitrate  of  silver 
from  concentrated  aqueous  solutions,  and  this  action  has  been  used 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  • 


SiarchT^?.''"'}       Literature  Relating  to  Pliarmacy,  157 

in  the  manufacture  of  caustic  at  the  Calcutta  Medical  Depot.  The 
silver  employed  always  contains  a  certain  amount  of  copper,  and 
after  solution  of  the  metal  in  nitric  acid  and  separation  of  the  gold, 
as  much  as  possible  of  the  nitrate  of  silver  is  crj'stallized  out,  and 
the  deep  blue  mother  liquor  evaporated  to  dryness.  The  dry  salt 
is  then  powdered  and  placed  in  a  glass  funnel,  stopped  with  a  plug  of 
asbestos,  and  percolated  with  strong  nitric  acid,  specific  gravity  1-42. 
The  nitric  acid  dissolves  the  whole  of  the  nitrate  of  copper,  leaving 
the  nitrate  of  silver  perfectly  white,  while  only  a  very  small  amount 
of  the  latter  salt  is  dissolved.  The  nitric  acid  can,  of  course,  be  re- 
covered by  distillation,  and  the  small  amount  of  nitrate  of  silver 
separated  from  the  nitrate  of  copper  by  precipitation  with  salt,  and, 
when  sufficient  has  accumulated,  reduced  to  the  metallic  condition 
by  one  of  the  usual  methods.  In  preparing  nitrate  of  silver  by 
crystallizing  out  the  salt,  a  point  is  reached  when  the  mother  liquor 
is  too  highly  charged  with  nitrate  of  copper  to  permit  of  a  suffi- 
ciently pure  silver  salt  separating  by  crystallization,  and  this  impure 
or  •*  blue  nitrate  of  silver"  has  hitherto  been  returned  to  the  mint. 
By  the  adoption,  however,  of  the  method  above  described,  these 
residues  can  be  worked  up  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the  silver 
obtained  in  the  form  of  nitrate,  and  as  the  nitric  acid  can  be  recov- 
ered the  process  is  decidedly  economical,  while  it  affords  a  salt 
practically  free  from  copper. 

TONKA    BEANS. 

The  following  information  concerning  this  drug  is  furnished  by 
Superintendent  J.  H.  Hart,  of  the  Royal  Hotanic  Gardens,  Trinidad, 
in  the  Bulletin  of  Miscellaneous  Information  for  January,  1897, 
p.  II. 

The  tonga,  tonquin  or  tonka  bean  is  the  product  of  a  tree  known 
to  botanists  as  Dipterix  odorata,  Willd.,  and  less  frequently  as  the 
Coumarouna  odora  of  Aublet.  The  latter,  however,  is  given  in  the 
Kew  Index  as  the  nonun  prius. 

The  tree  thrives  well  in  Trinidad  when  planted  in  shady,  damp 
situations,  and  is  very  abundant  in  the  forest  of  the  neighboring 
mainland  of  Venezuela.  The  fruit  or  seed  ripens  in  June  and  July, 
and  in  these  months  large  shipments  are  received  in  Trinidad 
from  South  American  ports.  In  the  newspaper  of  July  10,  1896, 
the  arrival  is  reported  of  a  consignment  of  260  bags"  Tonca  Heans," 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


158  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {^^ilxcx^Jm. 

by  S.  S.  Bolivar,  an  Orinoco  trader.  The  beans  are  sent  to  Trinidad 
for  preparation  for  European  and  American  markets  ;  for  this  pur- 
pose they  are  conveyed  to  warehouses,  where,  under  customs  regu- 
lations, they  are  steeped  in  rum  for  a  certain  time,  and  are  then 
spread  on  the  floors  in  layers  9  to  12  inches  in  thickness,  to  undergo 
a  kind  of  fermenting  and  decaying  process,  during  which  white 
crystals  are  developed  on  the  outside  of  the  bean.  As  much  as 
;^30,ooo  worth  have  been  imported  and  reshipped  during  a  single 
year.  The  tree  grows  some  60  or  more  feet  high.  It  belongs  to 
the  Leguminosae  or  bean  family,  but  is  one  of  the  few  members  of 
this  order  that  produces  a  single-seeded  drupe- like  pod,  which  does 
not  open  at  maturity.  The  seed,  when  ripe,  so  soon  loses  its  vitality 
that  it  is  difficult  at  times  to  procure  supplies  for  raising  plants. 

A    SOLVENT    CAPABLE    OF    SEPARATING    CODEINE    FROM    MORPHINE. 

L.  Fouquet  (Jour,  de  Pharm.  et  de  Chim,,  [O],  5,  49)  has  found 
that  morphine  is  insoluble  in  anisol  in  the  cold,  and  only  slightly 
soluble  at  the  boiling  temperature.  Codeine,  on  the  contrary,  is 
soluble  in  the  same  solvent  cold,  and  its  solubility  rapidly  rises  with 
the  temperature  according  to  the  following : 

Temperature.  Morphine.  Codeine. 

9° Insoluble.  7*80  per  100,  by  weight. 

16° ....  '«  15-28       "  " 

32° 

100° o"95  per  100.  i64"oo       *'  ** 

150° 4-80 

These  investigations  were  made  with  a  very  pure  anisol,  boiling 
at  150°  C,  and  having  a  specific  gravity  of  0-991. 

Morphine  was  found  to  crystallize  in  beautiful,  colorless,  anhy- 
drous prisms  by  chilling  the  solution  made  in  boiling  anisol  ;  these 
crystals  did  not  melt  at  120^,  like  the  hydrated  morphine,  but 
became  brown  at  210°,  and  were  converted  into  an  oily  black  liquid 
at  247°. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  solubility  of  the  codeine  is  increased 
by  crystallization  from  anisol ;  since  after  one  crystallization  the 
alkaloid  dissolves  in  the  proportion  of  1075  P^rts  per  100  at  the 
temperature  of  0°,  whereas  the  proportion  is  only  7-80  per  100  at 
9°  with  the  codeine  of  commerce. 

The  author  concluded  that  he  could,  with  anisol,  effect  a  separa- 


Am.Joar.  PhHrm. 


Ma^rch.TS""}      Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  159 

tion  of  the  two  alkaloids  when  mixed,  and  to  establish  this  he  made 
a  mixture  of  1044  grammes  codeine  and  0-7 10  grammes  of  mor- 
phine; he  exhausted  this  with  20  c.c.  of  anisol  at  15°,  and  washed 
the  residue  with  10  c.c.  more  of  the  solvent  poured  on  the  filter; 
after  drying  he  found  the  residual  morphine  to  weigh  0702  grammes, 
corresponding  to  a  loss  of  a  little  over  i  per  cent.  From  these  re- 
sults he  concluded  that  anisol  is  applicable  in  many  ways  as  a 
laboratory  solvent  in  toxicological  investigations. 

NATIVE    FOOD    PLANTS    OF    THE    COEUR    d'ALENE    INDIANS. 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  "Report  on  a  l^otanical  Survey 
of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  Mountains  in  Idaho,"  by  John  B.  Leiberg. 
Conttibutiotis  from  the  ♦•  U.  S.  National  Herbarium^'  Vol.  5,  No.  I. 

The  native  food  plants  are  few.  The  paucity  of  plants  suitable 
for  human  food  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  circumstances  in 
a  region  which  supports  such  vast  quantities  of  vegetation  as 
does  this  in  its  forest  covering.  Probably,  for  this  reason  mainly, 
it  contained  only  a  small  aboriginal  population,  and  the  only 
localities  in  which  there  appear  to  have  been  permanent  settle- 
ments of  the  Indians  were  in  the  slack-water  portion  of  the  Coeur 
d'Alene — possibly  some  existed  in  the  lower  valley  of  the  St. 
Joseph.  The  rest  of  the  country  was  visited  by  them  only  in 
their  migratory  summer  and  fall  excursions  in  pursuit  of  game 
and  fish,  with  which  the  St.  Mary  and  St.  Joseph  Valleys  for- 
merly abounded. 

The  most  valuable  food  plant  in  the  dietary  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene 
Indians  was  undoubtedly  the  camass  (Camassia  esculenta),  a  plant 
belonging  to  the  lily  family,  therefore  related  to  the  onion,  but  lack- 
ing all  trace  of  alliaceous  flavor  and  smell.  The  esculent  part  of 
the  plant  is  the  bulb,  which,  in  the  fresh  state,  is  of  an  oblong 
shape,  seldom  more  than  25  cm.  (i  inch)  in  diameter  and  4  cm. 
(l  J^  inches)  long.  It  is  mucilaginous,  and  possesses  very  little,  if 
any,  flavor.  The  flowers  are  bright  or  deep  blue,  and  a  cnmass 
meadow  in  full  bloom,  seen  from  an  elevation,  gives  the  impression 
that  one  is  looking  at  a  body  of  very  clear  water  reflecting  a  cloud  • 
less  sky.  The  lower  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  St.  Joseph,  and,  in 
particular,  that  of  the  St.  Mary  and  its  tributaries,  were,  before  the 
advent  of  settlements,  among  the  classic  camass  grounds  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alenes.     Here  the  tribe  came  in  large  numbers  each  sum- 


Am.  Jour    Pharm. 


1 60  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {^"^MaSfsS: 

mer  to  dig  the  root  and  to  hunt  the  deer  and  elk,  which  roamed 
by  the  thousand  in  the  surrounding  forest,  and  to  catch  the  trout 
with  which  the  streams  teemed.  Every  meadow  was  a  camass  field. 
The  plant  was  so  plentiful  in  many  places  that  it  is  no  exaggera- 
tion to  say  that  in  the  upper  St.  Mary  basin  more  than  one-half  of 
the  total  herbaceous  vegetation  in  the  lowlands  was  composed  of 
this  one  species.  With  the  advance  of  settlements  came  the  utili- 
zation of  the  camass  fields  as  hay  meadows.  This  ended  the  exist- 
ence of  the  plant,  except  as  a  weed  in  the  farmers'  fields,  and  the 
camass  digging  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  basins,  like  the  game,  is 
now  a  thing  of  the  past.  Strangely  enough,  the  plant  seems  to 
have  been  entirely  absent  from  the  North  Fork  areas,  at  least  I  do 
not  know  of  a  single  locality  where  it  occurs. 

Two  species  of  lichens,  Alectoria  fremontii  and  Alectoria  ochro- 
leuca,  principally  the  form  sarmentosa  of  the  latter  species,  were 
eaten  by  the  Coeur  d'Alene  tribe.  Both  are  extremely  plentiful  at 
all  elevations.  Boiled,  or  rather  baked,  in  which  latter  condition 
they  were  mainly  used,  together  with  venison,  they  become  some- 
what gelatinous  in  their  consistency,  and  lose  the  bitter  taste  which 
they  possess  in  a  fresh  state. 

Of  fruits,  they  had  huckleberries  (Vaccinium  myrtilloides  princi- 
pally), raspberries  (Rubus  leucodermis  and  R.  strigosus),  black- 
berries (Rubus  ursinus  or  vitifolius)  and  service  berries  (Amelanchier 
alnifolia).  These  fruits  are  gathered  and  used  at  the  present  time 
by  the  white  settlers,  but  none  are  abundant  in  the  region  except 
the  huckleberries  and  service  berries,  and  these  not  every  year. 
The  Coeur  d'Alene  Indians  draw  no  more  native  plant  foods  from 
these  mountains.  They  are  now  mostly  farmers,  have  large  and 
fairly  well-cultivated  ranches,  and  find  in  the  raising  of  the  cereals 
and  vegetables  of  civilization  a  far  more  bountiful  supply  of  food, 
and  much  more  palatable  withal,  than  they  ever  obtained  from  the 
laboriously  gathered  camass  of  their  mountain  meadows. 


Professor  Dr.  R.  Kobert  has  left  Dorpat,  Russia,  and  will,  in  future,  be 
located  at  the  Brehmenschen  Liingciihcilanstalt  in  Gorbersdorf,  Germany, 
where  he  will  occupy  the  position  of  director.  Dr.  Robert's  ten  years  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Pharmacology  at  the  University  of  Dorpat  have  been  eminently  success- 
ful ones,  and  many  expressions  of  regret  have  been  heard  from  those  with  whom 
he  was  associated. 

Dr.  Hans  Hermatm  Julius  Hager  recently  died  at  Neuruppin,  Germany,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  We  hope  to  furnish  a  suitable  sketch 
of  this  eminent  pharmacist  in  our  next  issue,  written  by  one  of  his  friends. 


"""MaThJS^:"}  Editorial.  l6i 

EDITORIAL. 

EIGHTH   INTERNATIONAL   PHARMACEUTICAL   CONGRESS. 

The  General  Pharmaceutical  Association,  of  Belgium,  has  decided  to  hold  the 
Eighth  International  Congress  of  Pharmacy  in  Brussels,  August  14  to  19, 
1897. 

There  will  be  six  sections  organized  : 

(i)  Legislation  and  questions  of  professional  interest,  Deontology  and  Phar- 
maceutical Education. 

(2)  Practical  Pharmacy,  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry  and  Pharmacopceia. 

(3)  Food. 

(4)  Sanitary  Matters,  Public  Health. 

(5)  Microscopical,  Bacteriological  and  Biological  Researches. 

(6)  Toxicology. 

The  following  questions  have  been  suggested  by  the  Committee  of  Organi- 
zation to  be  discussed  at  the  meetings  : 

(i)  In  the  actual  state  of  science,  is  it  not  advisable  to  enforce  in  all  drugs 
and  medicines  a  normal  quantity  of  active  principles  ? 

(2)  Is  it  not  necessary  to  unify  the  modes  of  analysis  of  medicine  and  of 
their  active  principles  ?     If  so,  what  are  the  best  ways  of  doing  so  ? 

(3)  As  a  question  of  public  safety,  what  are  the  best  regulations  of  the  prac- 
tice of  pharmacy  ? 

(4)  From  a  bacteriological  point  of  view,  what  is  the  best  system  of  analysis 
of  drinking  water?  How  far  can  the  methods  actually  known,  be  relied 
upon  ? 

(5)  Has  the  chemist  the  right  of  preparing  and  selling  organic  essences  and 
the  substances  employed  in  organotherapy  ?  Which  are  the  best  ways  of  insur- 
ing the  chemist  of  the  value  of  these  substances,  and  also  of  serums  ? 

(6)  Show  the  best  ways  of  encouraging  the  manufacture  of  new  medicines  ? 
Is  it  possible,  in  patents,  to  amalgamate  the  protection  of  private  trade  and 
public  good?  Would  it  not  be  preferable  for  the  chemist  to  sell  them  and  the 
doctor  to  presenile  them  under  names  more  appropriate  to  their  composition  ? 

(7)  Prepare  the  plan  of  a  programme  of  pharmaceutical  studies. 

In  addition  to  these  queries,  the  committee  has  offered  a  list  of  twenty  sub- 
jects for  papers,  on  which  some  six  prizes  will  be  awarded.  Those  who  desire 
to  take  part  in  the  Congress  should  send  their  names  to  M.  Maurice  Duyk, 
secretary,  or  Dr.  Fernand  Ranwez,  president,  102  Chauss(5e  de  Wavre,  Brussels, 
Belgium. 

AMERICAN    MILK   SUGAR. 

Previous  to  the  year  1890,  milk  sugar  from  Switzerland  was  largely  used  in 
the  United  States.  The  establishment  of  a  large  number  of  "  creanu-ries, " 
however,  has  changed  this  condition  of  affairs  materially.  After  making  but- 
ter and  cheese,  milk  sugar  is  the  only  by-pro<luct.  The  vacuum  pan  appears 
to  have  made  this  substance  available  to  such  an  extent  that  it  not  only 
largely  supplies  the  demand  at  home,  but  it  has  become  a  factor  in  foreign 
markets.  The  milk  sugar  manufacturers  of  (lermany  have  petitione<l  their 
Government  for  a  protective  tariff,  not  against  the  Swiss  product,  but  against 
that  from  .America,  which,  the  petitioners  claim,  will  gain  such  a  foothold  that 
it  will  be  difficult  to  exclude  it.  Consul  Germain,  at  Ziirich,  says  that  the 
export  of  Swiss  milk  sugar  to  America  has  almost  ceased. 


i62  Reviews,  {^"M^ll^J^'"^- 

REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

Principles  and  Practice  of  Agricultural.  Analysis.  By  Harvey  W. 
Wiley,  chemist  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Volume  III,  Agricul- 
tural Products.     Chemical  Publishing  Company,  Baston,  Pa.    1897. 

The  third  and  final  volume  of  this  valuable  work  has  recently  been  com- 
pleted, and  occupies  665  octavo  pages.  The  three  volumes  cover  about  1600 
pages.  Volume  I  deals  with  soils  and  their  analysis  ;  Volume  II  treats  of  ferti- 
lizers, and  Volume  III  of  agricultural  products.  All  are  full  of  special  informa- 
tion for  the  analyst,  but  the  third  volume  appeals  especially  to  the  pharmacist. 
It  first  considers  the  operations  of  sampling,  drying,  incinerating  and  extract- 
ing, and  then  takes  up  the  special  processes  involved  in  estimating  sugars  and 
starches,  carbohydrates  in  crude  or  manufactured  agricultural  products,  fats 
and  oils,  nitrogenous  bodies,  dairy  products  and  miscellaneous  agricultural  pro- 
ducts. The  citation  of  authorities  throughout  the  work  has  been  on  a  liberal 
scale,  so  that  one  has  at  his  command  a  complete  view  of  the  whole  subject. 
There  is  no  other  book  like  it  in  the  English  language,  and  its  possession  is 
almost  a  necessity  to  every  one  having  to  do  with  the  analysis  of  organic  sub- 
stances. 

Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  at  the 
Forty-fourth  Annual  Meeting,  held  at  Montreal,  Canada,  August,  1896,  also 
the  constitution,  by-laws  and  roll  of  members.  Published  by  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association.     Baltimore.     1896. 

It  is  with  considerable  satisfaction  that  we  note  the  publication  of  th^  Pro- 
ceedings some  three  months  earlier  than  they  appeared  last  year.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  ere  long  they  may  appear  within  three  months  of  the  adjournment 
of  the  meeting. 

The  something  over  500  pages  of  Report  on  the  Progress  of  Pharmacy  are  a 
part  of  this  volume,  which  will  be  of  lasting  value.  Professor  Diehl  has  made 
an  excellent  collection  of  abstracts,  which  are  both  readable  and  instructive. 

The  original  papers  are  an  improvement  over  those  which  have  appeared  in 
some  previous  volumes,  although,  as  many  of  them  were  not  thought  suffi- 
ciently well  of  by  the  members  at  the  meeting  to  admit  of  their  being  more 
than  read  by  title,  it  is  a  question  whether  they  should  not  have  been  curtailed 
somewhat  or  omitted  altogether. 

A  Simple  Method  of  Water  Analysis,  especially  designed  for  the  use 
of  medical  officers  of  health.  By  John  C.  Thresh,  M.D.  (Vic),  D.Sc.  (Lond.), 
D.P.H.  (Camb.).     J.  &  A.  Churchill,  London.    1897. 

What  we  took  for  a  valuable  work  on  water  analysis  for  health  officers  and 
physicians  came  to  an  untimely  end  in  our  estimation  before  we  passed  the 
introduction.  The  claims  for  recognition  by  this  book  appear  to  be  based  on 
the  use  by  the  author  of  a  prepared  reagent,  called  a  "  soloid,"  whereby  he  is 
able  to  give  the  free  ammonia,  chlorine,  nitrites,  nitrates,  hardness,  absorbed 
oxygen,  etc.,  in  water,  with  a  facility  that  is  little  short  of  magical.  It  is  a 
kind  of  tablet  medication  applied  to  chemistry. 

The  author  apologizes  for  this  mechanical  method  of  conducting  water 
examinations  on  the  score  of  necessity,  but  it  strikes  us  that  the  water  had 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.l  JP/^^'i/rncie  \f\1 

March,  18y7.      /  KCcieWS.  IO3 

better  be  let  alone  rather  than  to  be  tested  with  reagents  of  which  the 
so-called  analyst  can  know  nothing.  A  medical  officer,  with  a  case  of  ready- 
made  reagents  and  this  book,  would  be  a  dangerous  man.  We  believe  there  is 
no  better  waj'  to  explain  the  character  of  the  book  than  to  quote  the  following 
test  for  nitrites  : 

"Take  about  70  c.c.  of  the  water  in  one  of  the  tubes,  dissolve  therein  i 
soloid  of  compound  potassium  iodide,  add  a  soloid  of  acid  sulphate  and  dis- 
solve. Note  whether  any  blue  color  develops  within  five  minutes,  and  record 
whether  faint,  distinct,  very  distinct  or  dark  blue.  If  no  blue  color  develops 
in  five  minutes,  nitrites  are  absent.  The  blue  color,  if  produced,  will  be  pro- 
portionate to  the  amount  of  nitrites  present." 

H.\NDBOOK  OF  Structural  Formulae,  for  use  of  students.  By  Henry 
Leffmann.     P.  Blakiston,  Son  &  Co.     Philadelphia.     1S97. 

Almost  every  one  having  to  do  with  chemistry  has  felt  the  need  of  a  book 
with  the  foregoing  title.  Dr.  Leffmann  has,  in  compiling  such  a  work,  done  a 
real  service  to  students,  and,  we  might  add,  especially  to  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  the  relation  between  chemical  composition  and  physiological  action. 
Only  alternate  pages  have  been  printed,  in  order  to  admit  of  the  addition  of 
new  compounds  and  of  notes.  A  table  of  elements  and  an  index  add  to  the 
completeness  of  the  work/ 

Proceedings  of  the  Seventeenth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  North 
Carolin.\  Pharmaceutical  Association,  lield  at  Moorehead  City,  July  22 
and  23,  1896.     Raleigh,  North  Carolina.     1896. 

The  two  original  papers  are  :  "  Guaiacol,"  by  E.  V.  Howell,  and  "  Expenses 
in  Comparison  with  Purchases  of  Drugs,  and  Expenses  in  Comparison  with 
Sales  of  Soda  Water  for  a  Period  of  Ten  Years,"  by  H.  R.  Home. 

Des  AcanthaceES  Medicinales.  By  Georges  Dethan.  These  ;  Ivcole 
Supcrieure  de  Pharmacie  de  Paris.     1S96-97. 

This  is  a  complete  illustrated  monograph  on  the  medicinal  members  of 
the  natural  order  Acanthaceiu.  The  work  is  divided  into  two  parts.  In  the 
first  part,  the  author  treats  the  members  of  the  order  in  general,  giving  the 
geographical  distribution,  history,  general  morphological  and  anatomical 
characters,  principles  of  classification,  properties  and  uses.  In  the  second 
part,  the  individual  plants  receive  special  treatment  in  regard  to  their 
morphology,  anatomic  structure,  properties  and  uses.  The  whole  comprises 
192  pages  of  valuable  reading  matter,  with  a  complete  index. 

On  the  Toxic  Action  of  Dissolved  Salts  and  Their  Elkctrolstic 
Dissociation.  By  Louis  Kahleuljerg  and  Ro<luey  H.  True.  Reprint  from 
Botanical  Gazette,  August,  1896. 

Native  Drugs  of  Ceylon.  By  Professor  Rodney  H.  True.  Reprint  from 
Pharmaceutical  Review,  January,  1897.  Bassia  longifolia  constitutes  the  special 
subject  of  this  interesting  communication. 

Gf.nhkal  Rf,im)rt  on  a  Hotanical  Survey  of  thk  C<»i:rR  i»  .Alhnk 
Mou.NTAiNS  IN  Idaho  DURIN<v  thi:  Summfr  of   1895.     Hy  John   \\.  Lcilnrrg. 


1 64  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  { ^ VaS  S?^''"' 

Contributions  from  the  U.  S.  National  Herbarium,  Vol.  5,  No.  i.  Issued  Janu- 
ary 25,  1897.  A  number  of  interesting  subjects  are  discussed  concerning  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  region,  notably,  the  mineral  deposits,  native  food  plants  and 
forest  resources.  Some  of  these  we  shall  take  occasion  to  notice  elsewhere  in 
this  Journal. 

Electro-Germination,  Bulletin  No.  43.  Hatch  Experiment  Station  of 
the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  January,  1897. 

This  interesting  coutribution  shows  that  electricity  exerts  an  appreciable 
influence  upon  the  germination  of  seeds.  As  a  result  of  experiment  it  has 
been  found  that  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours,  over  30  per  cent,  more 
seeds  were  germinated  in  the  treated  lots  than  in  the  normal,  at  the  end  of  forty- 
eight  hours  about  twenty  per  cent.,  and  in  seventy -two  hours  six  per  cent. 

Calendar  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain.  Besides 
giving  information  to  members  and  others  concerning  the  Society,  this  book 
contains  many  other  valuable  matters  of  interest  to  the  pharmacist  in  general. 

Les  Drogues  Recemment  Inscrites  au  Codex.  Par  le  Dr.  Louis  Plan- 
chon.  I.  Les  Strophanthus.  II.  Le  Cascara  Sagrada.  Reprints  from  Bulletin 
de  Phannacie  du  Sud-Est.  1896.  These  are  illustrated  contributions  on  the 
two  drugs,  from  a  French  standpoint,  and  are  a  valuable  addition  to  the  subject. 

The  Journal  of  Pharmacology  is  the  title  of  the  successor  to  the  Alumni 
Journal  of  the  New  York  College  of  Pharmac}'.  The  first  number  makes  a 
good  start  with  a  contribution  on  "The  Comparative  Anatomy  of  the  Roots  of 
Rio  Ipecac  (Uragoga  Ipecacuanha,  Baill)  and  Carthagena  Ipecac  (Uragoga 
Granatensis,  Baill)."     By  Albert  Schneider,  M.S.,  M  D. 

Practical  Druggist  and  Pharmaceutical  Review  of  Reviews  is  the 
title  of  a  new  pharmaceutical  journal  ;  it  is  conducted  by  Benjamin  Lillard,  108 
Fulton  Street,  New  York. 

The  Physician's  Vest-Pocket  Formula  Book.  Fourteenth  Edition. 
Published  by  McKesson  and  Robbins.     New  York.    1897. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

Philadelphia,  February  17,  1897. 

The  fifth  of  the  present  series  of  Pharmaceutical  Meetings  was  held  in  the 
Museum  of  the  College  at  3.30  p.m.  Mr.  J.  W.  England  presided.  The  minutes 
of  the  last  meeting  were  allowed  to  stand  as  published. 

The  presentation  of  specimens  was  next  in  order,  and  the  registrar  called 
attention  to  the  following,  which  were  sent  by  Mr,  E.  M,  Holmes,  Curator  of 
the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain  :  False  Buchu,  False  Maranham 
Jaborandi,  Drimys  Granatensis  (pepper  bark).  Adulterated  Hellebore,  Aracati 
Jaborandi,  Ceylon  Nux  Vomica,  Pilocarpus  Microphyllus  and  Chinese  Colo- 
cynth.  On  motion,  it  was  ordered  that  an  expression  of  thanks  be  sent  Mr. 
Holmes  for  his  donation. 

Prof.  Remington  reported  the  results  of  a  large  number  of  experiments  in  a 
paper  entitled  "  Acetic  Acid  as  a  Menstruum  and  Solvent  "  (see  p.    121).    The 


Am.  Jour.  Pl)arm. 
March.  18tC. 


Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 


165 


paper  was  accompanied  by  samples  of  liquid  preparations  of  various  drugs, 
and  in  calling  attention  to  these,  Prof.  Remington  said  that  acetic  acid  as  a 
menstruum  was  unsuited  for  some  drugs,  but  that  it  could  be  used  to  replace 
alcohol  in  a  number  of  instances. 

He  also  remarked  upon  the  question  of  the  cost  of  these  solvents,  and  stated 
that  an  extract  made  with  alcohol  was  six  times  as  expensive  as  one  made  with 
acetic  acid. 

The  subject  proved  to  be  of  special  interest  to  the  retail  pharmacists  present, 
and  several  of  them  reported  favorably  upon  its  use  in  making  preparations  of 
such  drugs  as  sanguinaria,  ergot  and  gentian. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  Professor  Remington  showed  a  convenient 
device  for  controlling  the  flow  of  percolates,  which  he  recommended  as  much 
superior  to  the  rubber  tubing  directed  by  the  Pharmacopceia.  The  principle 
embodied  was  that  of  a  valve  regulated  by  a  screw  adjustment. 


The  Micrometer  Balance. 


A  paper  on  "-Vnimoiiol  "  was  ])resented  by  Mr.  Geo.  M.  Reringer  (see  p.  150). 
Samples  of  ammonol  from  an  original  jxickage  and  ammonol  made  according 
to  a  formula,  which  the  author  proposed  for  the  compound  after  examination 
of  the  manufacturer's  product,  were  exhibited,  and  attention  directed  to  the 
complete  similarity  in  appearance  of  the  two  products  The  paper  elicited 
considerable  discussion,  during  which  the  frequency  with  which  physicians 
directed  ammoniated  acetanilid  was  remarked  upon. 

"A  Chemical  Analysis  of  Sage  Hrush,  .Artemisia  Triilentata,  Nutt."  was  the 
subject  of  a  contribution,  by  Mr.  (irifiith  II.  Maghee  (see  p.  1521.  The  flo>*cis 
and  leaves  were  the  parts  examined,  and  in  addition  to  the  usual  plant  con- 
stituents, a  bitter  glucosidal  principle  was  obtained,  which  was  found  diflicult 
to  separate. 

The  last  paper  on  the  programme  was  presented  by  Mr.  Chas.  II.  LaWall, 
and  was  entitled,  "  I^stimalion  of  -Ash  in  Various  Drugs"  1  see  p.  n;).  This 
was  the  fust  of  a  series  of  papers  on   this  subject  which  the  author  inieuds  to 


1 66  Obituary.  {''^i^^S.-Xm^'^- 

present.  Results  of  examinatious  of  more  than  loo  samples,  official  and  unoffi- 
cial, were  tabulated.  If  completeness  in  the  analysis  of  plants  is  at  all  desir- 
able, then  the  importance  of  such  work  is  at  once  apparent,  and  to  the 
future  collaborators  of  materia  medica  such  knowledge  will  prove  extremely 
valuable. 

Professor  Remington  called  attention  to  a  new  form  of  prescription  balance, 
which  is  manufactured  by  the  Micrometer  Balance  Scale  Company,  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  and  is  illustrated  by  the  accompanying  engraving.  The  arms  are  of 
unequal  length  and  there  is  but  one  pan.  The  knife  edges  are  delicately 
adjusted  and  the  ordinary  weights  are  discarded.  The  principal  feature  of  the 
device  is  embodied  in  two  graduated  cylinders,  in  combination  with  a  screw. 
The  inner  cylinder  is  rigidly  attached  to  the  arm,  and  by  moving  the  outer 
cylinder  either  to  or  from  the  fulcrum,  weighing  is  accomplished,  the  weight 
being  read  on  the  index. 

There  being  no  further  business,  a  motion  to  adjourn  was  affirmed. 

T.    S.    WlKGAND, 

Registrar. 


OBITUARY. 

Auguste  Tread,  the  eminent  French  plant  anatomist,  died  in  Paris,  October 
1 6,  1896.  His  most  noteworthy  papers  pertained  to  the  vascular  system  of 
plants.  Under  the  auspices  of  the  French  Government  he  explored  various 
regions  of  North  America  in  1848  and  1849,  and  many  of  the  cactus  species  of 
European  gardens,  as  well  as  the  Yucca,  which  bears  his  name,  were  introduced 
by  him. 

On  August  9,  1896, /<9/z7^  C.  Allen  died  at  his  home,  335  South  Fifth  Street, 
this  city,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  educated  as  a  druggist, 
having  graduated  with  honor  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  in 
1829,  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  College  in  1829,  and  for  many  years 
was  noted  as  being  the  oldest  living  alumnus.  He  was  a  direct  descendant  of 
Nathaniel  Allen,  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Penn,  for  laying  out  Phila- 
delphia. 

Henry  Bower,  a  well-known  business  man  of  this  city,  died  at  his  late  resi- 
dence, 130  South  Twenty-third  Street,  March  26,  1896,  aged  sixty -three  years. 
He  graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  in  1854,  and  after 
graduation,  entered  business  as  a  chemical  broker.  Subsequently,  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  chemicals.  Glycerin  was  one  of  the  products  made,  and 
several  years  ago  he  received  the  Elliott-Cresson  Medal  from  the  Franklin 
Institute  for  the  process  for  the  utilization  of  crude  glycerin.  He  was  con- 
si  lered  an  authority  on  subjects  relating  to  the  manufacture  of  chemicals,  and 
was  the  author  of  a  number  of  articles  on  these  subjects.  He  was  one  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  Franklin  Institute  and  a  member  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association. 

IleJiry  Trimen,  M.B.,  F,RS.,  F.L.S.,  died  at  Peradeniya,  Ceylon,  October 
i6th,  in  his  nfty-third  year.     He  was  appointed  Director  of  the  Botanical  Gar- 


All).  Jour, Pharm.1  (Ihitunrv  \f\n 

March,  1897.      /  UUllUar).  lO/ 

den,  Ceylon,  in  1879,  ^"^  held  that  position  until  July  last,  when  he  retired, 
on  account  of  serious  ill  health.  Dr.  Trimen's  administration  was  signalized 
by  great  success,  for  not  only  did  the  gardens  at  Peradeniya  take  front  rank 
among  the  great  botanical  establishments  of  the  world,  but  three  volumes  of 
the  "  Hand-book  of  the  Flora  of  Ceylon  "  were  completed,  and  the  fourth  and 
last  volume  was  in  course  of  preparation.  The  work  entitled,  "  Medicinal 
Plants,"  he  prepared  in  conjunction  with  Professor  Bentley,  while  he  was  an  as- 
sistant in  the  botanical  department  of  the  British  Museum.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  authors  of  Trimen  and  Dyer's  "  Flora  of  Middlesex,"  and  for  a  number  of 
years  editor  of  the  Journal  of  Botany. 

Alfred  Henry  Mason ^  Ph.C,  F.C.S.y  F.R.M.S.,  died  at  his  home  in  New 
York  City,  November  2,  1896.  His  illness  was  only  of  short  duration,  and  by 
his  death  pharmacy  lost  one  of  its  most  active  and  efficient  representatives. 
Mr.  Mason  was  identified  with  a  large  number  of  societies  and  scientific  bodies, 
and  had  served  in  many  of  these  in  an  official  capacity,  and  was  equallv  well 
known  in  professional  and  trade  circles,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  abroad 
as  well.  He  was  born  at  Newcastle-Under-Lyme,  England,  fifty-three  years 
ago,  and  at  an  early  age  began  his  pharmaceutical  career.  In  1866,  he  became 
identified  with  the  wholesale  trade,  and  had  been  actively  interested  in  this 
branch  of  business  ever  since.  In  1892,  he  began  his  residence  in  New  York, 
when  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  firm  of  Seabury  ^i  Johnson,  of  that 
city.  About  a  year  ago  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  College  of  Pharmacy, 
and  for  five  months  previous  to  his  death  had  been  editor  of  the  Alumni 
Journal. 

George  Frederick  Schacht,  a  pharmaceutical  chemist  of  Clifton,  Bristol,  Eng- 
land, died  at  his  home,  December  26,  1896,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Schacht  was  one  of  the  best-known  pharmacists  in  England,  and,  by  his 
death,  the  cause  of  pharmacy  has  sustained  a  distinct  loss,  for  he  was  not  only 
an  accom])lished  practical  pharmacist,  but  was  earnestly  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
pharmaceutical  education. 

We  quote  the  following  from  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  of  January  2,  1897 : 
"Asa  pioneer  of  pharmaceutical  advancement,  Schacht  will  long  be  remem- 
bered as  having  originated  the  idea  which  led  to  the  foundation  of  the  British 
Pharmaceutical  Conference,  for  his  advocacy  of  provision  being  made  for  pro- 
vincial education,  and  of  a  compulsory  curriculum. 

"  He  joined  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Society  in  1S42,  shortly  after  its  organi- 
zation, and  served  it  officially  in  one  capacity  or  another  during  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Bristol  Pharmaceutical  Association,  and 
had  long  l>een  actively  engaged  in  connection  with  the  University  College  of 
Bristol,  of  which  institution  he  was  treasurer  at  the  time  of  his  death."  He 
was  a  corresponding  member  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 

Aionzo  Robhins,  Ph.M.,  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy, 
died  suddenly  at  his  home  in  this  city,  December  i,  i.S9h.  The  decease<l  had 
been  in  ill  health  for  more  than  a  year,  but  the  immediate  cause  of  his  deatli 
was  an  acute  attack  of  pneumonia. 

Mr.    Robbins  was  lK>rn   in    Pottstown,  Pa.,  about  sixty-three  years  ago.     He 


^o  r)U:*^,^^A,  /  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

1 68  Ubltuary.  \        March,  I897. 

graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  in  1855,  was  elected  a 
member  in  1868,  and  in  1878  became  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Trustees. 

After  graduation  he  was  engaged  for  the  most  part  as  a  drug  clerk  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  engaged  in  the  retail  drug  business  for  himself 
at  Eleventh  and  Vine  Streets,  this  city,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Robbins  took  an  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  pharmacy,  and  was 
an  occasional  contributor  to  this  Journai..  He  did  considerable  work  in  con. 
nection  with  the  formation  of  the  pharmaceutical  laws  of  this  State,  and  when 
the  Board  of  Pharmacy  was  appointed,  became,  on  June  23,  1887,  its  first  presi- 
dent.    This  position  he  held  until  May,  1895,  when  he  resigned. 

No  small  share  of  credit  was  due  him  for  his  efiforts  in  helping  to  found  the 
Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy for  carrying  on  work  for  the  Revision  Committee  of  the  1880  Pharma- 
copoeia. His  subject  was  fluid  extracts,  and  he  performed  a  large  number  of 
experiments  for  determining  the  most  satisfactory  formulae  for  these  prepa- 
rations. 

Theodore  George  Wormley,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  a  member  of  the  Faculty 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  died  at  his  home,  in  this  city,  January  3d, 
1897,  after  an  illness  of  about  two  months. 

Prof.  Wormley  was  born  at  Wormleysburg,  Pa.,  in  1826.  His  collegiate 
training  began  at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  where  he  spent  several 
years,  but  left  before  the  completion  of  his  course  in  order  to  enter  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Medicine,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1849. 

After  graduation  Dr.  Wormley  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
first  in  Carlisle  and  then  in  Columbus,  O.,  until  1852,  when  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  chemistry  and  the  natural  sciences  in  Capital  University  of  that 
city,  which  position  he  held  until  July,  1865.  In  1854  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  professor  of  chemistry  and  toxicology  in  Starling  Medical  College,  of 
the  same  city,  and  retained  the  position  until  1877,  when,  in  June  of  the  latter 
year,  he  was  chosen  successor  of  Dr.  Robert  E.  Rogers  as  professor  of  chemis- 
try and  toxicology,  in  the  department  of  medicine  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, which  position  he  held  until  his  decease. 

During  his  professional  career  Dr.  Wormley  held  many  other  positions  of 
honor  and  trust,  calling  into  account  his  abilities  as  a  chemist  and  scientist. 
He  was  a  member  of  a  number  of  scientific  bodies  in  this  country  and  a  Fellow 
of  the  Chemical  Society  of  Ivoudon. 

His  scientific  papers  were  numerous,  and  quite  a  number  of  these  were  pub- 
lished in  the  American  Journai,  of  Pharmacy.  As  long  ago  as  1870  a  very 
valuable  article  of  his,  entitled  "A  Contribution  to  Our  Knowledge  of  the 
Chemical  Composition  of  Gelsemium  Sempervirens,"  appeared  in  its  columns. 
His  last  contribution  to  its  pages  was  in  1894,  on  the  subject  of  "Some  Tests 
for  Quinine." 

His  most  notable  work  was  his  book,  "  Micro-Chemistry  of  Poisons,"  which 
was  extensively  reviewed  by  Professor  Maisch  in  the  September,  1867,  number  of 
this  Journal  and  needs  no  comment  here,  other  than  to  say  that  its  value 
as  a  standard  authority  is  recognized  throughout  the  world. 


Parthenium  Hysterophorous.     Flowering  branch,  three-quarters  natural  size. 
At  side,  flower  heads  about  twice  natural  size. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


APRIL,  1897. 


PARTHENIUM  HYSTEROPHOROUS. 
By  H.  V.  Arxy,  Ph.G.,  Ph.D. 

The  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transactions,  in  its  issue  of  May 
30,  1885,  called  the  attention  of  the  pharmaceutical  world  to  this 
♦'  common  weed  of  Jamaica,"  quoting  from  La  Cronica  Medico-Qui- 
rurgica,  of  Havana,  the  physiological  experiments  of  Dr.  Jose  R. 
Tovar  with  a  so-called  alkaloid,  which  he  named  parthenine,  ob- 
tained from  the  plant.  Another  reference  to  the  body  parthenine 
is  found  in  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  June  26,  1886,  where  the  inves- 
tigations of  M.  Guyet,  as  reported  to  the  Societe  de  Thcrapeutique  of 
Paris,  are  set  forth.  The  next  reference  to  the  plant  is  found  in 
Merck s  Bulletin,  October,  1888,  where  an  alkaloid,  discovered  in 
the  plant  by  Dr.  Carlos  Ulrici,  and  called  parthenicine,  is  described. 

At  this  point  the  writer  undertook  an  investigation  of  the  plant 
as  a  graduation  thesis,  and  as  reported  in  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  (1890, 
p.  121)  no  evidences  of  an  alkaloid  were  found.  The  alcoholic  ex- 
tract, however,  yielded  a  body  which  was  supposed  to  be  a  glucoside. 

Believing  that  the  plant,  one  of  the  most  common  weeds  of 
Louisiana,  may  have  a  future,  and  realizing  that  its  active  princi- 
ple might  prove  interesting  chemically,  investigations  were  resumed 
with  general  results  herein  stated. 

BOTANICAL   CHARACTERISTICS. 

Parthenium  hysteroi)horous  is  a  composite  plant,  sub-order 
Tubulifcra,  with  radiate  heads,  pistillate  rays  and  sterile  disc  florets. 
It  is  a  pubescent  annual,  having  diffuse  stem,  pinnatifid  leaves,  with 
linear  toothed  lobes  and  {)r()minent  nervature  (Prontisf>iece). 

(169) 


I/O  Parthenium  Hysterophorous.  {^^' llxiiXm^."^' 

Its  heads  are  loosely  panicled  with  involucre  of  five  ovate  scales, 
arranged  in  two  rows,  (Fig.  i).  There  are  in  each  head  five  ray 
florets  in  a  single  row,  each  resting  within  an  oval  chaffy  scale  which 
is  hairy  above,  and  which,  on  separating,  usually  divide  in  three 
portions.  The  ray  florets  are  short,  pistillate,  ripening  to  smooth, 
compressed  achenia,  with  pappus   composed   of  oval  scales  {Fig.  2). 

The  disc  florets  are  tubular,  five-toothed  and  sterile,  having  syn- 
genesious  anthers  producing  pollen  grains,  which  are  prickled  simi- 
larly to  those  of  malva.  Those  nearest  the  ray  florets  are  attached  in 
pairs  to  each  of  the  chaffy  scales  mentioned  above  {Fig.  j).     Each 


Fig.   I.     Parthenium  Hysterophorous.     Outer  involucre,   magnified  twenty 
diameters. 

inner  floret  has  its  own  chaffy  scale,  which  is  more  narrow  than 
those  on  the  outer  rim.  The  receptacle  is  conical  and  not  very 
prominent. 

The  plant  commonly  called  Bastard  Feverfew  grows  in  the  West 
Indies  (where  it  is  known  as  Escoba  amargo),  in  Florida  and  in 
Louisiana.  It  has  been  introduced  in  Europe  as  Absinthe  sauvage 
des  Antilles.  It  attains  the  height  of  three  feet,  possesses  a  peculiar 
heavy  odor,  while  the  leaves  and  flowers  have  an  intensely  bitter 
taste. 

The  anatomy  of  the  active  part  of  Parthenium  hysterophorous  is 
simple.     The  chaff  is  composed  of  longitudinally  elongated  cells  in 


Am.  Jour.  Pharnj. 

April,  18OT. 


Partheniu  m  Hysterophoroiis. 


171 


single  layers,  through  which  pass  branching  fibro-vascular  bundles, 
the  prominent  constituent  of  which  are  spiral  ducts.  The  scales 
terminate  in  a  mass  of  hairs  composed  of  two  to  four  cells,  of  which 
the  terminal  one  is  the  largest.  The  cells  of  the  corolla  of  the 
disc  florets  are  more  symmetrical  than  those  of  the  chaff,  the 
vascular  system  is  identified  by  the  spiral  ducts.     The  walls  of  the 


Fig.  2.     Ray  floret,  magnified  about  forty-eight  diameters. 

anther  cells  possess  reticulate  markings  which  are  quite  character- 
istic. The  pollen  grains,  as  mentioned  above,  are  prickled  {^Ftg.  ./). 
A  cross- section  of  a  leaf  lobe  shows  the  prominence  of  even  the 
secondary  veins.  These  project  chiefly  on  the  under  side.  The 
closed  fibro-vascular  bundle  is  bi- collateral.  The  lower  half  of  the 
leaf  is  of  spongy  parenchyma,  while  the  upper  consists  of  a  palisade 
layer  {Fig.  5).     The  epidermis  of  the  under  side  is  interrupted  by 


172 


Parthenmm  Hysterophoroits.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1897. 


stomata  and  beset  with  several-celled  tapering  hairs  {^Fig.  (5).^;  The 
important  characteristics   of  the  powder  are  the    prickled   pollen 


di^^etfrs.  ^''^''   '^'''   ^''''^'  ^"^"^^"^  ^^   '^^^'   magnified  about  forty-eight 

grains,  the  hairs  and  longitudinally  striate  tissue  of  the  chaff,  the 
tapenng  hairs  of  the  leaves,  the  reticulated  anther  walls  and  numer- 
ous spiral  cells  of  various  sizes  {Fig  7) 


ApXS^'"}  Parthenium  Hysterophorous.  173 


CHEMICAL   COMPOSITION. 


The  writer's  analysis  of  the  plant  in  1889  showed,  beside  such 
normal  plant  constituents  as  starch,  wax,  gum  and  mineral  salts,  the 
presence  of  an  active  principle  to  which  the  bitterness  of  the  plant 
is  due.     It  was  obtained  from  the  alcoholic  extract  of  the  drug  by 


Fig.  4.     United  anthers,  magnified  about  150  diameters. 

evaporation  to  dryness,  solution  in  water  and  extraction  by  agitation 
of  the  aqueous  liquid  with  chloroform,  and  is  supposed  to  corres- 
pond to  the  parthcnine  of  Tovar,  as  well  as  to  Uirici's  parthenicine, 
all  the  products  being  in  a  more  or  less  impure  form.  Tovar's  origi- 
nal article  has  not  yet  been  procured,  despite  efforts  in  that  direction, 
and   the   reference  in  tlie  Pkarniaccutical  journal  gives   no   inkling 


Fig.  5.     Cross  section  of  leaf,  magnified  about  600  diameters,    p.  /.,  palisade 
layer ;  s.  p.,  spongy  parenchyma  ;  s,  stomata  ;  x,  xylem  ;  p,  phloem. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April.  1897. 


}  Parthenunn  HysteropJiorous. 


175 


of  the  mode  of  preparation.  Guyet's  paper,  as  reported  in  full  in 
La  Cronica  Medico- Qtiirurgica,  of  Havana,  is  a  resume  of  the  chemi- 
cal researches  of  Ulrici,  with  an  account  of  the  therapeutical  proper- 
ties of  the  drug,  as  deduced  by  the  author  of  the  article.  Ulrici 
obtained  from  the  plant  black  shining  scales,  from  an  alcoholic  solu- 
tion of  which  he  separated,  by  means  not  stated,  a  white  amorphous 
residue  which  crystallized  in  fine  needles. 


Fif^.  6.  Under  surface  of  leaf,  magnified  about  600  diameters,  s,  stomata  ; 
/j,  hairs  ;  d,  spiral  ducts. 

He  then  dissolved  another  portion  of  the  black  scales  in  water, 
cleared  of  coloring  matter  by  slight  excess  of  potassa  and  extracted, 
with  chloroform,  a  substance  to  which  he  assigned  the  formula 
C„H^NO.. 

Aferck's  Builetiu,  October,  1888,  describes,  without  method  of 
manufacture,  the  alkaloid  parthenicine  of  Ulrici,  without  reference 
to  the  original  article.     As  this  statement  is  two  years  older  than 


1/6 


PartJienhnn  Hysterophorous. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1897. 


the  researches  of  Ulrici  published  in  Guyet's  paper,  it  is  presumed 
that  the  substance  is  a  purified  form  of  that  to  which  was  assigned 
the  formula  CjgHogNOg.  It  is  described  as  follows  :  *'  Large  rectan- 
gular prisms,  with  pyramids  on  four  lateral  sides.  It  is  odorless, 
very  bitter,  quite  readily  soluble  in  water — still  more  so,  however, 
in  hot  water — in  alcohol,  ether  and  chloroform.  It  gives  colored 
identity-reactions  with  sulphuric  acid  and  with  potassium  bichro- 
mate." 


Fig.  7.  Particles  from  powder,  magnified  about  200  diameters,  c.  h.,  chaff 
hairs;  c,  fragment  of  chaff;  a,  fragment  of  anther  wall  ;  p,  pollen  grain  ;  d, 
spiral  ducts. 

Such  is  the  scanty  knowledge  of  Tovar's  parthenine  and  Ulrici's 
parthenicine.  In  neither  case  is  that  very  important  means  of 
identity — the  melting  point — nor  the  color  of  stated  reactions 
given. 

So  the  means  of  identification  of  the  active  principle  isolated 
by  the  writer  with  the  so-called  parthenine  and  parthenicine  are 
almost  missing. 

On  resuming  the  study  of  the  plant,  the  first  efforts  were  in 
estimating  the  loss  of  water  in  desiccation. 


^VpXiSr""'}  Parthemum  Hysterophorous.  i77 

The  following  figures  were  obtained  : 

Weight  in  Weight  in 

Month  of  Grammes.  C.rammes.  Percentage 

Collection.  Fresh.  Dried.  of  Loss. 

April I34'66  30-3  77*49 

May      737-  150-5  79*5 

June 552*8  127-6  76*91 

July 885-9  177-2  79'99 

August 680-4  106-3  8437 

September 538*65  I55"9  7i'50 

In  each  case  the  sample  was  dried  by  hanging  in  a  room  ac- 
cessible to  draughts  of  air  for  six  to  eight  weeks.  While,  of 
course,  owing  to  the  complex  structure  of  the  drug  and  the  vary- 
ing proportion  of  cellular  and  ligneous  tissue,  such  data  cannot 
be  exact,  it  is,  nevertheless,  useful  in  establishing  the  fact  that 
the  amount  of  water  in  the  fresh  herb  is  somewhere  between  70  and 
80  per  cent. 

The  average  percentage  of  active  principle  was  the  next  problem, 
and  its  extraction  was  performed  by  exhausting  the  drug  with 
diluted  alcohol ;  distilling  off  the  alcohol ;  filtering  the  aqueous 
residue  ;  washing  the  filter  with  water  until  the  filtrate  was  tasteless, 
and  extracting  the  aqueous  liquid  by  agitation  with  chloroform.  In 
this  way  a  slightly  impure  yellow  amorphous  mass  was  obtained, 
and  the  yield  was  as  follows  : 


25  grammes  air-dried  drug,  collected  in  April,         yielded  . 


100 
100 
100 

75 
100 


"  May, 
"  June, 
"  July, 
"  August, 
"  September, 


Per  Cent. 

.  0-31 

.  0-84 

•  I  03 

•  i*I3 
.  066 

•  053 


It  will  be  seen  that  the  quantity  of  active  principle  in  the  plant 
gradually  increases  to  the  maximum  in  July,  when  it  diminishes 
with  the  length  of  days  until  in  October  the  plant  is  almost  free 
from  bitterness. 

The  process  of  extraction  described  above  was  not  satisfactory, 
as  the  product  was  invariably  contaminated  with  coloring  matter  ; 
so  other  methods  were  tried.  That  used  in  the  preparation  of 
salicin — treatment  of  a  decoction  with  lead  oxide,  removal  of  excess 
with  sulphuric  acid  and  neutralization  of  free  acid  with  barium  sul- 
phide— did  not  prove  .satisfactory,  as  the  lead  oxide  failed  to  remove 
all  the  coloring  matter. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


178  Parthe7iium  Hysterophorous.  {^"aphusJ? 

The  process  followed  with  best  results  was  treating  an  infusion 
with  lead  acetate,  filtering  and  agitating  the  filtrate  with  chloroform, 
distillation  of  the  chloroformic  extract,  thereby  recovering  the  sol- 
vent. The  residue,  by  crystallization  once  or  twice  from  alcohol,  to 
which  a  small  quantity  of  water  had  been  added,  was  obtained  pure 
in  well-formed  crystals — some  5  centimeters  long — melting  at  i68°- 
169°  C.  The  yield  of  pure  substance  from  drug  collected  in  June 
and  July  was  about  I  per  cent. 

It  proved  soluble  in  160  parts  water,  at  20°  C;  5  parts  95  per 
cent,  alcohol ;  2^  parts  boihng  alcohol;  no  parts  ether,  and  in 
chloroform  and  acetic  ether.  It  was  soluble  both  in  solution  of  soda 
and  in  ammonia  water,  the  former  solution  turning  red-brown  on 
standing,  the  latter  remaining  colorless.  It  dissolved  in  concen- 
trated sulphuric  acid  without  change  of  color,  but  the  solution 
became  green  on  the  addition  of  a  crystal  of  potassium  bichro- 
mate. 

The  aqueous  solution  was  neutral  to  litmus  paper. 

That  it  is  not  an  alkaloid  was  shown  by  the  non-appearance  of  a 
precipitate  on  addition  of  Mayer's  reagent  to  its  aqueous  solution, 
as  well  as  by  its  solubility  in  solution  of  soda. 

It  failed  to  respond  to  tests  for  nitrogen,  namely,  heating  with 
soda-lime  and  also  heating  with  metallic  potassium,  and  attempted 
conversion  of  the  fused  mass  into  Prussian  blue  by  treatment  with 
alkali,  ferrous  sulphate,  ferric  chloride  and  hydrochloric  acid  ;  while 
Schonn's  test  for  sulphur  gave  negative  results. 

The  substance  has  been  analyzed  and  the  empirical  formula  de- 
duced therefrom,  but  this  will  not  be  stated  until  confirmed  by  an 
estimation  of  molecular  weight  and  by  analysis  of  derivatives. 

The  substance  not  being  an  alkaloid,  the  name  parthenin  can  be 
safely  bestowed  upon  it. 

The  rather  superficial  examination  made  by  the  writer  in  1889 
suggested  the  glucosidal  character  of  parthenin.  Careful  investiga- 
tion does  not,  however,  confirm  this  surmise.  As  a  glucoside,  par- 
thenin should,  under  the  action  of  a  diluted  acid,  be  converted  into 
glucose  and  some  other  body.  This,  as  experiment  showed,  does  not 
occur,  although  the  reaction  was  atternpted  in  two  different  ways.  In 
the  first  method,  several  portions  of  parthenin  were  heated  with 
diluted  sulphuric  acid  for  periods  varying  from  boilingfor  one  minute 
to  heating;  on  water-bath  for  four  hours.  The  liquid  in  each  case,  after 


^"apXi^*'"'}  Partheniiun   Hysterophorous.  179 

its  special  method  of  heating,  was  agitated  with  successive  portions 
of  ether  until  the  last  ethereal  portion  possessed  no  bitter  taste. 
The  aqueous  liquid  after  such  extraction  was  carefully  examined  for 
glucose.  Trommer's,  Bottger's  and  the  picric  acid  test  were  applied 
in  each  case  with  negative  result. 

The  ethereal  extract  on  evaporation  yielded  a  brown  syrupy  mass. 
Crystallization  from  alcohol  and  acetic  ether  was  attempted  without 
success.  By  treatment  with  a  small  quantity  of  water,  the  substance 
solidified  to  an  amorphous  mass,  which  was  still  yellow  from  con- 
tamination with  a  resinous  substance  that  reddened  with  solution 
of  soda.  This  body  melted  at  about  1 70°  C.  and  is  supposed  to  be  the 
original  substance.  Other  portions  of  the  residue,  after  careful 
washing  with  ether,  melted  at  170°. 

The  second  method  was  in  boiling  an  alcoholic  solution  of  parthenin 
with  a  small  quantity  of  diluted  sulphuric  acid,  addition  of  water, 
evaporation  of  the  alcohol  and  extraction  with  ether.  The  aqueous 
residue  gave  no  indication  of  glucose. 

Since  not  a  glucoside,  parthenin  was  expected  to  possess  reactions 
similar  to  some  of  the  proximate  principles.  Its  solubility  in  solu- 
tion of  soda  suggested  an  analogy  to  santonin,  and  in  that  case  a 
sodium  compound,  similar  to  sodium  santoninate,  might  be  produced. 

To  this  end,  parthenin  was  treated  with  a  diluted  solution  of  soda, 
carbon  dioxide  passed  in  until  saturated  and  the  solution  evaporated 
to  dryness,  the  passage  of  carbon  dioxide  being  continued  to  the 
end  of  the  heating.  The  perfectly  dry  residue  was  treated  with 
absolute  alcohol,  when  the  filtered  alcoholic  extract  yielded  on  spon- 
taneous evaporation  a  yellow  syrup,  which,  on  addition  of  a  small 
quantity  of  water,  solidified  to  a  brownish  yellow  mass,  which  gave 
the  sodium  flame  and  charred  on  heating,  melting  irregularly  but 
not  completely,  until  at  red  heat.  This  was  sparingly  soluble  in 
water,  and  the  aqueous  solution,  which  was  neutral,  yielded  a  pre- 
cipitate with  silver  nitrate. 

An  effort  to  obtain  the  product  after  the  method  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  sodium  santoninate,  dissolving  in  solution  of  soda 
and  crystallizing  the  resulting  product  by  concentration  of  the  solu- 
tion, has  not  yet  met  with  success. 

This  somewhat  sup)erficial  effort  seems  to  indicate  rather  clearly 
the  formation  of  a  sodium  compound  of  parthenin,  which  can  be 
converted  into  a  silver  salt.  The  investigation  of  this  sodium  com- 
f)Oun(l  is  still  continued. 


i8o  Parthenium  Hysterophorous.  {^"^- l^rl-Jm^"^' 

The  fact  being  clearly  established  that  parthenin  is  not  a  gluco- 
side,  but  rather  a  proximate  principle  somewhat  akin  to  santonin, 
suggests  a  more  practical  method  of  preparation  than  by  extraction 
with  chloroform.  A  process  in  which  the  lead  acetate  dissolved  in 
the  cleared  decoction  was  dissociated  by  addition  of  sulphuric  acid, 
which  would  precipitate  the  lead  as  sulphate,  was  not  attempted 
lest  the  acetic  acid  set  free  would  react  with  the  parthenin.  This 
fear  is  groundless,  and  a  practical  process  of  extraction  on  these 
lines  will  be  devised. 

On  distillation  of  the  drug  with  steam  there  passed  over  a  minute 
quantity  of  volatile  oil  possessing  the  distinctive  odor  of  the  plant, 
and  from  which,  on  standing,  there  separated  a  stearopten  possessing 
camphoraceous  taste.  As  yet  the  quantities  won  have  been  too 
small  for  investigation,  but  attention  will  be  turned  to  it  during  the 
coming  summer. 

In  conclusion,  a  few  words  as  to  the  medical  properties  of 
parthenin.  Tovar  reported  it  as  a  remedy  in  facial  neuralgia, 
and  it  also  proved  beneficial  in  a  case  of  fever  and  anaemia 
where  quinine  failed.  Guyet  confirmed  its  efficiency  in  neuralgia, 
especially  the  cranial  variety ;  but  he  found  it  utterly  without  effect 
as  antipyretic.  In  Jamaica  the  plant  is  used  as  a  remedy  for 
ulcerated  sores  and  certain  skin  diseases,  especially  such  as  are  of  a 
herpetic  or  pustular  character.  The  dose  of  Ulrici's  parthenicine  is 
stated  as  0-05  gramme  every  hour  in  neuralgia,  while  gramme 
doses  are  used  in  intermittent  fever. 

The  subject  is  worthy  of  further  consideration  on  the  part  of 
therapeutists,  and  to  this  end  the  writer  proposes  preparing  during 
the  summer  considerable  parthenin,  which  will  be  furnished  in 
limited  quantities  to  those  physicians  who  will  agree  to  conscien- 
tiously test  its  merits  and  publish  the  results,  whatever  they  may 
be. 

The  writer's  thanks  are  due  Miss  S.  E.  Bres  for  the  artistic  sketch 
of  the  flowering  branch. 

New  Orleans,  March  8,  1897. 


Formaldehyde  is  detected  by  dissolving  o"!  gramme  of  morphine  hydrochlo- 
ride in  I  c.c.  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  and  adding  an  equal  volume  of 
the  solution  to  be  tested,  without  mixing ;  in  the  presence  of  formaldehyde 
I  I  :    ous  solution  will  become  a  clear  red-violet  color  in  a  few  minutes. 


^VpXi^^'""}  Vie  Shaddock  or  Grape  Fruit.  i8i 

THE  SHADDOCK  OR  GRAPE  FRUIT. 

By  J.  H.  Hart, 
Superintendent  of  Botanical  Department,  Trinidad. 

The  March,  1896,  number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy 
is  especially  interesting  to  me,  and  as  I  am  a  twenty-one-years  resi- 
dent (constantly  employed  in  botanical  matters  in  the  West  Indies), 
I  venture  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  it.  As  a  rule  we  look  at  pict- 
ures before  the  readin^^  matter,  and  I  did  so  in  the  case  of  the  shad- 
dock paper.  Now,  as  I  know  the  plant,  the  illustration  No.  i  is 
certainly  not  a  shaddock,  but  a  grape  fruit,  or  forbidden  fruit, 
and  as  I  find,  page  123,  paragraph  4,  that  the  terms  grape  fruit  and 
shaddock  are  interchangeable,  this  may  explain. 

It  is  quite  true  that  "  no  reliance  ca?t  be  placed  upon  the  cojnnion 
jiames  of  plafits  or  flowers,  etc.,  etc.,''  and  this  sentence  contains  the 
gist  of  the  whole  controversy  as  to  names. 

I  know  Jamaica  well,  having  resided  there  eleven  years,  and  know 
the  districts  of  Macfadyen  well,  and  the  fruits  in  them. 

The  home  (English)  botanist,  however,  makes  the  citron,  lemon 
and  lime  one  species.  Macfadyen  made  them  three  ;  and  various 
other  changes,  etc.  The  true  fact  is,  no  two  men  can  see  alike.  If 
asked  to  classify  the  citrus  tribe,  I  should  make  Citrus  inedica  in- 
clude all  the  lemons  and  limes  and  their  hybrids,  which  are  legion. 

I  should  let  Citrus  aurantium  represent  the  orange  of  the  St. 
Michael's  type  (sweet  orange),  with  all  its  varieties,  and  I  would  let 
Citrus  deciimana  cover  all  the  shaddocks,  grape  fruit,  or  pumelows, 
etc.,  and  their  varieties,  which  are  also  very  numerous.  Citrus  nobilis, 
or  the  tangerine  and  mandarin  (also  interchangeable  names),  appear 
to  maintain  themselves  fairly  distinct.  These  oranges  are  sometimes 
called  "Portugal  oranges"  in  Trinidad.  We  have  one,  however, 
imported  from  Grenada,  W.  I.,  that  approaches  the  grape  fruit  in 
size ;  at  the  same  time,  I  recognize  intermediate  varieties  between 
many  of  those  mentioned. 

We  have  a  sweet  lime,  a  fruit  with  an  orange  skin,  with  a  lime 
flesh,  but  with  a  distinct  mixture  of  orange  and  lime  in  flavor.  We 
have  a  lime,  larger  than  a  lemon,  with  none  of  the  characters  of  a 
lemon.  There  is  a  sweet  orange  called  the  bergamot  in  Jamaica, 
which  is  very  clear  and  distinct  from  that  I  recently  received  from 
Italy  as  bergamot ;  and  unless  we  agree   to  adopt  special  Horticul- 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


182  Hermann  Hager.  {^^pTuiisJr 

tiira!  names,  I  do  not  really  see  how  the  botanists  can  help  out  of 
the  muddle,  for  muddle  indeed  is  the  classification  of  citrus.  I  had 
lately  one  of  the  finest  shaddocks  sent  me  I  ever  saw  ;  it  was  deli- 
cious in  flavor  and  of  a  bright  red.  I  have  grafted  plants  on  lemon 
and  orange  stocks,  and  have  two  fine  unions  growing  freely. 

In  Jamaica,  shaddock  is  shaddock  and  nothing  else ;  although  an 
old  "  nigger,"  to  please  a  questioner,  if  asked  :  Is  that  shaddock  ? 
pointing  to  a  grape  fruit,  would  say  :  yes,  massa  !  Shaddock,  sa  ' !  or 
vice  versa.  Shaddock,  however,  in  the  market,  is  shaddock,  or  the 
largest  fruit  of  the  citrus  tribe.  Grape  fruit,  or  forbidden  fruit,  pre- 
sents as  many  characters  as  other  varieties  of  citrus.  Red  flesh,  white 
flesh  ;  sour,  bitter,  sweet ;  but  the  one  called  grape  fruit  hangs  in 
clusters  like  grapes  (6  to  10  together),  hence  the  name  ;  and  there  is 
evidence  that  the  larger  kind  comes  from  the  smaller. — "  The  Shad- 
dock from  the  Grape  Fruit"  (see  Bulletin  No.  9  of  this  department, 

p.  19). 

I  must  take  exception  to  the  statement,  p.  126,  <<  which  are  ex- 
tremely acid."  The  author  should  have  stated  that  Jamaica 
oranges  were  extremely  acid.  Trinidad  oranges  and  Grenada  oranges 
are  extremely  sweet;  but  while  you  can  get  good  oranges  in  Jamaica, 
there  are  truly  many  sour  ones  there.  In  both  Jamaica  and  Trinidad, 
the  wisdom  of  planting  seedlings  is  being  almost  universally  doubted, 
and  my  article  225,  Bulletin,  was  especially  directed  to  this  point. 

Trinidad,  January  26,  1897. 


HERMANN    HAGER. 

By  Fred.  Hoffmann. 


On  the  gloomy  afternoon  of  the  29th  of  January,  1897,  ^  small 
company,  consisting  of  a  few  relatives,  of  some  townspeople,  includ- 
ing several  local  pharmacists,  and  of  the  representatives  of  two 
pharmaceutical  papers,  followed  a  plain  hearse  to  the  graveyard  of 
the  town  of  Neu  Ruppin,  located  a  few  miles  northwest  of  the  Ger- 
man capital.  Such  was  the  funeral  of  the  Nestor  of  German  phar- 
macy of  our  generation,  Dr,  Hermann  Hager.  Flowers  and  palms 
sent  as  a  last  tribute  of  gratitude  and  respect  by  his  publishers,  and 
by  the  editors  of  the  Pharmaceutische  Zeitung,  and  of  the  Pharma- 
ceutische  Wochenschrift,  in  Berlin,  covered  the  coffin  and  the  grave, 


Am.  Jour.  FbariD. 
April,  1897. 


Herinaiin  Ilager. 


183 


and  a  wreath  of  flowers  had  been  sent  by  the  President  of  the  Ger- 
man Apothecaries'  Association,  Although  less  than  two  hours  by 
rail  from  the  German  capital,  not  one  representative  pharmacist,  no 
delegate  from  any  of  the  national  or  metropolitan  pharmaceutical 
societies,  nor  from  the  journal  founded  by  Dr.  Hager  in  1859,  and 
graced  by  his  famous  name  ever  since,  attended  his  funeral. 

What  a  representative  gathering  would  the  funeral  of  such  a  man 
of  national,  nay,  of  world-wide  reputation,  have  drawn  together  any- 
where in  the  United  States !  The  foremost  representative  men  of 
American  pharmacy  hastened  to  Philadelphia  to  pay  a  last  respect 
to  Procter  at  his  funeral  in  February,  1874,  and  to  MaiscJi  in  Sep- 


tember, 1893.  No  such  tender  sense  of  gratitude  and  veneration 
seems  to  pulsate  in  the  hearts  and  among  the  ranks  of  the  repre- 
sentative men  and  members  of  pharmaceutical  associations  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic.  A  profession  as  well  as  a  country  honor  them- 
selves by  honoring  the  life  work  and  the  memory  of  their  great  men 
during  their  lifetime  as  well  as  at  their  demise,  even  if  the  saying 
should  apply :  "  a  man  lives  by  his  excellencies  and  not  by  his 
faults."  It  is  the  more  gratifying  that  the  Continental  pharmaceuti- 
cal press  has  promptly  and  nobly  offset  this  apparent  show  of  a 
want  of  veneration  for  the  departed  master  of  German  pharmacy  by 
unanimous  and  warm-hearted  obituaries. 


1 84  Hermmtn  Hager.  {'''^•l^tXm^'^' 

Hans  Hermann  Julius  Hager  was  born  in  Berlin  on  January  3, 
1 8 16,  where  his  father  was  an  army  surgeon.  After  having  passed 
the  elementary  schools,  he  attended  the  high  schools  at  Torgan  and 
Brandenburg,  and  in  April,  1832,  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  in 
the  pharmacy  of  the  town  of  Salzwedel.  Then  apprenticeship  in 
German  pharmacies  included  the  performance  of  all  the  common 
handiwork,  of  keeping  the  store,  the  laboratory  and  the  storage 
rooms  in  proper  order,  of  cleansing  and  dusting  counters,  shelves, 
containers,  utensils,  oil-lamps,  etc.,  of  delivering  medicines  to 
customers,  etc.  Young  Hager  was  by  no  means  spared  this  hard 
ordeal.  Little  leisure  time  was  left  for  study,  and  but  very  few 
pharmaceutical  books  were  placed  at  his  disposal,  while  his  means 
were  insufficient  to  purchase  any.  But  bent  upon  study,  and  of  an 
inquisitive  mind,  young  Hager  made  good  use  of  the  few  text-books 
of  pharmacy  accessible  to  him,  among  them,  "  Hagen's  Treatise  on 
the  Art  of  Pharmacy,"  as  well  as  of  his  old  school-books.  During 
the  four  years  of  apprenticeship  he  perfected  his  knowledge  of  Latin 
so  much  that  he  retained  for  life  the  ability  to  write  fluently  in 
Latin.  He  also  closely  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  French,  of 
history  and  of  natural  philosophy.  Incidentally  he  obtained  a 
small  treatise  on  chemical  stoichiometry,  which  induced  him  during 
the  last  year  of  apprenticeship  to  elaborate  a  text-book  of  stoichi- 
ometry for  pharmacists,  which,  however,  never  has  been  published. 

At  the  close  of  his  apprenticeship  Hager  passed  the  obligatory 
examination  with  much  credit,  and  subsequently  served  as  assistant 
for  some  years  in  pharmacies  in  several  towns.  During  these  years 
he  read  all  books  accessible  to  him,  and  applied  himself  with  much 
interest  and  assiduity  to  becoming  familiar  with  the  flora  of  the 
diluvial  plains  of  Northern  Germany.  He  then  served  for  one  year 
as  army  pharmacist  in  the  garrison  hospital  in  the  capital  of  Silesia, 
Breslau,  whither  his  father  had  been  removed  as  army  surgeon. 
Here  young  Hager  found  time  and  opportunity  to  attend  lectures  at 
the  University  on  natural  philosophy,  chemistry  and  botany.  After 
having  passed  his  one  year  of  army  service,  he  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  obtain  a  place  as  assistant  with  an  apothecary  in  the  town 
of  Perleberg,  who  was  an  accomplished  pharmacist,  a  sympathetic 
man  and  the  possessor  of  a  good  pharmaceutical  library.  Of  this 
Hager  made  good  use,  so  much  so  that  in  1841  he  ventured  to 
apply  to  the  highest  examination  board  in  medicine  and  pharmacy 


^VpXiST""'}  Hermann  Hager.  185 

in  Prussia  for  permission  to  pass  his  State  examination  as  apothecary 
without  the  customary  preceding  attendance  of  at  least  one  year 
of  university  lectures.  He  was  admitted  and  passed  this  ordeal 
with  credit. 

Hager  subsequently  served  two  more  years  as  assistant,  always 
applying  his  leisure  time  to  study  in  almost  every  branch  of  natural 
science.  He  also  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy  at  the  University  of  Jena,  and,  in  1843,  he  managed  to 
purchase  a  pharmacy  in  the  town  of  Fraustadt  in  the  Prussian  pro- 
vince of  Posen.  Here  he  attended  to  his  comparatively  small  busi- 
ness most  of  the  time  with  but  one  apprentice,  married,  raised  a 
family  and  passed  seventeen  of  the  most  studious  and  well-applied, 
and,  perhaps,  also  happiest  years  of  his  life. 

Besides  a  good  prescription  business,  Dr.  Hager  attended,  with 
his  apprentices,  to  the  preparation  of  all  galenicals  and  most  phar- 
maceutical chemicals,  including  all  metallic  salts  and  solutions,  even 
to  the  preparation  of  the  few  alkaloids  then  in  use.  With  his  sense 
of  practical  application  and  great  skill  he  attained  to  perfect  master- 
ship in  the  art  and  practice  of  pharmacy  in  every  direction,  as  also 
in  the  performance  of  analytical  and  microscopical  work  and  exam- 
inations, and  accumulated  a  vast  amount  of  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience in  all  branches  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  pharmacy  and 
of  related  application. 

While,  during  the  years  of  assistanceship.  Dr.  Hager  had  occa- 
sionally contributed  miscellaneous  writings  and  some  poetical  efforts 
to  local  papers,  he  seems  to  have  abstained  from  any  contribution 
from  the  wealth  of  his  knowledge  and  experience  to  pharmaceutical 
periodicals  during  the  years  of  his  activity  as  apothecary  in  Frau- 
stadt. Hut  there  he  soon  entered  upon  his  successful  career  as  a 
writer  and  author.  His  first  publications  of  repute  seem  to  have 
been  an  essay  on  *'  Weather  and  Its  Considerations,"  in  1845  ;  his 
"  Handbook  of  the  Art  of  Dispensing,"  •*  Cosmos  Diluvialis,"  or  the 
deluge,  an  historical  study;  "Treatise  on  the  Manufacture  of  Min- 
eral Waters;"  ••  Commentary  on  the  Pharmacopujias  of  Northern 
Germany"  (1854);  ••  Manuale  Pharmaceuticum  ;"  "  Adjumcnta 
Varia  ;"  •*  PharmacopoL-ia  HomcLopatica." 

The  success  of  several  of  these  works,  and  the  want  of  incitement 
as  well  a%  of  literary  and  scientific  resources  in  the  small  town,  in- 
duced Dr.  Hager  the  more  to  dispose  of  his  pharmacy,  as  he,  in 


1 86  Hermann  Hager.  {^"Aprn/S""" 

1859,  had  commenced  the  pubhcation  of  a  strictly  scientific  periodi- 
cal, the  Pharmacculischc  Centralhallc.  Early  in  i860  he  removed 
to  Berlin,  with  a  view  to  applying  his  entire  time  and  labors  to  sci- 
entific and  literary  work.  Henceforth  his  little  private  laboratory 
became  the  prolific  starting  point  for  the  solution  of  many  a  scien- 
tific or  technical  problem  in  the  practice  of  pharmacy,  and  of  a  vast 
amount  of  analytical  and  microscopical  work.  In  1864  Dr.  Hager 
established,  with  his  friend,  Dr.  E.  Jacobsen,  of  Berlin,  the  Industrie 
Blatter,  in  which  he  inaugurated  a  fearless  exposure  of  the  nostrum 
fraud.  Of  these  specialties  he  analyzed  in  the  course  of  years  more 
than  any  contemporary.  He  provided  his  two  journals  largely  with 
material  from  his  own  pen  and  laboratory  work. 

In  Berlin  Dr.  Hager  contracted  the  friendship  of  the  brothers, 
Ferdinand  and  Fritz  Springer,  of  the  eminent  publishing  firm  of 
Julius  Springer,  who  henceforth  became  his  publishers  and  life-long 
friends.  Here  he  elaborated  and  published  "  First  Lessons  in  the 
Practice  of  Pharmacy,"  *'  First  Lessons  in  Pharmaceutical  Botany," 
"The  Microscope,"  ''Commentary  on  the  Prussian  Pharmacopoeia," 
«'  Latin-German  Vocabulary  to  the  Pharmacopoeia,"  and  revised 
some  of  his  former  books  for  republication  in  new  editions.  In 
Berlin  he  also  commenced  the  elaboration  of  his  greatest  and  most 
enduring  work,  the  "  Handbook  of  the  Practice  of  Pharmacy." 

Dr.  Hager's  increasing  reputation  drew  more  and  more  callers  to 
his  quiet  home  and  study  in  the  German  capital.  Being  of  a  retir- 
ing disposition,  and  carefully  estimating  the  value  of  time,  he  gradu- 
ally longed  for  a  refuge  Vv^here  he  could  attend  to  and  accomplish  his 
life  work  in  less  disturbed  solitude.  He  acquired  a  modest  farmer's 
home,  located  m  a  rather  isolated  and  unattractive  place,  called  Pul- 
vermiihle,  near  the  village  of  Fijrstenberg,  a  few  miles  distant  from 
the  old  university  city  of  Frankfort,  on  the  Oder  River.  He  re- 
moved thither  in  October,  1871.  Here  Dr.  Hager  enjoyed,  for  ten 
years  in  full  retirement,  a  studious  and  active  life,  applying  all  his 
time  and  interests  to  research  and  literary  work.  During  these 
busy  years  he  continued  his  analytical  work,  edited  his  two  journals, 
one  in  Berlin,  the  other  in  Dresden,  translated  the  first  Pharmaco- 
poeia of  the  newly  consolidated  German  Empire,  and  in  1872  and 
1873  wrote  a  comprehensive  commentary  on  this  work. 

In  1876  he  completed  and  published  his  "  Handbook  of  the  Prac- 
tice of  Pharmacy,"  in  two  large  volumes,  to  which  he  added  a  third 


"^""ApXiJ^t!"""}  Hermann  Hager.  187 

volume  in  1 880.  This  master  work  fully  represented  the  accumu- 
lated knowledge  of  the  past,  largely  enriched  by  his  own  vast  stock 
of  theoretical  knowledge  and  practical  experience  in  all  branches  of 
pharmacy,  and  of  analytical  and  microscopical  application,  and  of 
the  examination  and  estimation  of  drugs,  chemicals  and  of  foods. 
It  at  once  superseded  all  similar  older  works  and  became  the 
standard  text  and  guide  book,  as  well  as  an  almost  never-failing 
reference  work  for  pharmacists  and  druggists  far  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  Fatherland.  It  made  the  name  of  Hager  a  household  word  in  phar- 
macy and  the  drug  trade  all  over  the  world,  and,  at  least  abroad,  is 
still  a  widely  used  pharmaceutical  reference  book. 

During  the  remaining  years  of  his  residence  in  Pulvermijhle, 
Dr.  Hager  accomplished  a  great  deal  of  analytical  work  for  revis- 
ion and  verification,  elaborated  a  study  on  oil  of  turpentine  and  its 
detection  as  an  adulterant  of  essential  oils,  and  revised  a  number  of 
his  works  for  republication  in  new  editions.  In  1881  Dr.  Hager  re- 
moved, after  the  death  of  his  only  friend  in  his  lonely  retirement,  a 
physician,  to  Frankfort-on-the-Oder,  where  he  lived  in  strict  retire- 
ment until  1896.  Here  he  continued  his  customary  laboratory  and 
literary  work,  completed  several  revisions  of  his  larger  books  and 
furnished  various  periodicals  with  occasional  contributions.  From 
the  editorship  of  the  Centrallialle  and  the  Industrie  Blatter  \\^  had 
retired  in  1879,  allowing  his  name  to  be  retained  on  the  title-pages. 

Until  1890  Dr.  Hager  enjoyed  excellent  health  and  the  full  powers 
of  his  inquisitive  and  prolific  mind  and  activity,  always  occupying 
himself  with  literary  work  or  study,  and  in  later  years  collecting 
minerals  and  conchyts ;  but  in  this  year  he  became  a  victim  to  influ- 
enza, and  since  then  his  health  failed  in  consequence  of  occasional 
relapses  of  this  malady.  In  anticipation  of  the  approach  of  the  end 
of  his  struggles,  the  octogenarian  resorted,  with  the  most  sympa- 
thetic  and  affectionate  companion  of  his  life,  his  wife,  in  July,  1896, 
to  the  home  of  one  of  their  sons,  living  in  the  town  of  Neu  Rup- 
pin,  near  Berlin.  Here  he  spent  the  last  few  months  of  his  earthly 
life  in  peaceful  meditation,  kindly  remembered  by  a  few  noble  friemls. 
In  December,  Dr.  Hager  suffered  a  severe  relapse  of  influenza  from 
which  he  did  not  recover.  On  the  24th  of  January  he  (juietly  tell 
asleep  to  eternal  rest,  from  an  active  and  most  useful  life,  replete 
with  superior  work  and  generous  efforts  for  his  fellow-men,  but 
devoid   of  public   recognition  and   honors  at  home.     His  devoted 


1 88  Hermann  Hager.  {^'^•l^^llm''^' 

wife,  who  also  suffered  from  influenza,  on  being  informed,  on  the 
day  of  her  husband's  funeral,  of  his  death,  closed  her  eyes  forever 
on  the  very  same  day. 

More  than  any  other  of  his  German  contemporaries,  Dr,  Hager 
was,  in  the  American  sense,  a  self-made  man.  The  stamp  of  the 
autodidact  remained  impressed  upon  his  character,  his  labors  and 
his  .writings  and  imparted  to  them  the  charm  and  the  force  of  orig- 
inality. He  was  a  man  of  rare  talents,  with  a  keen  and  discrimi- 
nating intellect  and  an  excellent  memory.  The  style  of  his  writings 
was  lucid  and  attractive  ;  he  also  was  a  clever  draughtsman,  drawing 
with  his  own  pen  nearly  all  the  sketches  for  the  abundant  illustra- 
tions of  his  works.  Intense  work  was  to  him  always  a  labor  of  love. 
Like  most  men  of  originality  and  genius.  Dr.  Hager  was  also  bent 
upon  critical  reflection  and  upon  an  unreserved  candid  expression  of 
his  opinion.  However  stern  and  straightforward  his  intellectual 
powers  and  the  courage  of  his  honest  conviction  made  him,  his 
mind  was  as  gentle  and  forbearing  as  that  of  a  child.  In  his  long 
and  active  career,  by  no  means  free  from  cares  and  disappointments, 
and  in  a  profession  replete  with  antagonistic  and  uncharitable 
elements,  Dr.  Hager  has  not  been  spared  the  cruel  stings  and  even 
the  calumnies  of  adversaries,  particularly  of  those  more  fortunate  in 
inheritance  and  patronage,  and  more  successful  in  public  position 
and  honors,  which  favors  he  never  sought  by  submission  or  flattery. 
Although  a  recognized  master  of  his  profession,  a  prolific  and  excel- 
lent writer,  and  expert  in  pharmacopceial  work  and  a  man  of  world- 
wide fame.  Dr.  Hager  has  never  been  called  upon  to  participate  in 
the  elaboration  or  the  revision  of  a  pharmacopoeia  ;  nor  has  he  ever 
received,  from  the  Government  or  the  State  authorities,  any  public 
recognition  or  distinction  for  his  eminent  merits  for  the  advance- 
ment and  the  reputation  of  German  pharmacy ;  whereas  the  pro- 
fession of  many  countries  has  paid  its  respects  to  the  great  master 
by  enrolling  his  famous  name  in  the  lists  of  honorary  member- 
ship in  their  national  associations — first  among  them  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association  and  several  colleges  of  pharmacy  in  the 
United  States. 

As  long  as  pharmacy  remains  a  distinct  profession  and  retains  its 
glorious  history,  the  names  oi  Hermann  Hager  and  F.  A.  Fliickiger^ 


»Amkr.  Jour,  of  Phar.  (1895),  Vol.  67,  p.  65. 


''"Vprn'iS}"'"}  Estimation  of  Merit  ho  1 .  189 

will  stand  foremost  among  the  few  bright  stars  in  the  galaxy  of 
pharmaceutical  master  minds  during  the  second  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  Hager  has  set  himself  the  most  enduring  monu- 
ment by  his  life  work  and  writings,  and  should  the  present  or  the 
succeeding  generation  of  pharmacists  erect  some  worthy  memorial  to 
the  most  deserving  pharmaceutical  author  and  mentor  of  his  time, 
these  words  might  well  be  inscribed  with  particular  application  and 

truth  : 

•'  Das  Edle  in  der  Menschenwelt, 
Es  lebt  im  nienschlichen  Geniiithe. 
Es  ist  nicht  Macht,  nicht  Gut  uud  Geld, 
Es  ist  ein  Herz  voll  Lieb'  und  Giite, 
Es  ist  ein  Sinn  voll  Thatenkraft, 
Der  zielbewusst  das  Hochste  schafft." 

Leipzig,  March,  1897. 


A    BRIEF    RfeSUME    0¥    ACETIC    ANHYDRIDE    IN    OIL 

ANALYSIS,  AND    A    MODIFICATION   OF    THE 

METHOD   FOR  ESTIMATING  MENTHOL 

IN  OIL  OF  PEPPERMINT. 

By  Lyman  F.  Kebler. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  official  requirements  for  some  of  the 
essential  oils  are  not  rigid  enough,  on  the  one  hand,  to  detect  all  forms 
of  adulterations  or  manipulated  products,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
some  of  the  qualitative  tests  are  so  exacting  as  frequently  to  dis- 
criminate very  unfavorably  against  genuine  oils  produced  in  large 
quantities  in  the  United  States.  Just  where  to  draw  the  line  at 
present  is,  in  many  cases,  a  difficult  problem — a  problem  which 
will  probably  never  be  solved  in  some  cases,  for  the  ingenious  adul- 
terator always  aims  to  debase  his  goods  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make 
the  fraud  difficult  of  detection. 

The  chemical  investigations  of  essential  oils,  during  recent  years, 
are  contributing  much  toward  laying  the  foundation  on  which  to 
base  analytical  methods.  In  some  cases  simple  and  efficient  pro- 
cesses for  estimating  certain  valuable  constituents  have  already  been, 
formulated.  Methods  that  are  no  more  difficult  of  application  than 
those  commonly  employed  for  determining  the  quality  of  fixed  oils. 
In  fact,  some  methods  are  common  to  both,  as  the  one  in  which 
acetic  anhydride  is  used. 


I90  Estimation  of  Menthol,  {^""apSSt^'""- 

The  value  of  acetic  anhydride  as  a  chemical  reagent  has  long 
been  known  to  organic  chemists.  But  it  was  left  for  the  genius  of 
the  late  Dr.  R.  Benedikt^  to  formulate  a  qualitative  method  embody- 
ing the  well-known  property  of  acetic  anhydride. 

The  method  is  based  on  the  principle  that  alcohols  and  hydroxy 
acids  on  being  heated  with  acetic  anhydride,  have  the  hydrogen 
atom  of  the  hydroxyl  group  replaced  by  the  acetyl  group,  thus  form- 
ing compound  ethers. 

The  process,  according  to  Benedikt  and  to  Benedikt^  and  Ulzer, 
is  briefly  as  follows :  from  20  to  50  grammes  of  the  fatty  acids  are 
boiled  with  an  equal  weight  of  the  acetic  anhydride  for  two  hours 
in  a  flask  provided  with  an  inverted  condenser.  The  mixture  is 
then  transferred  to  a  suitable  vessel,  about  600  c.c.  of  hot  water 
added  and  boiled  for  half  an  hour.  The  mixture  is  then  allowed  to 
separate  into  two  layers,  the  aqueous  portion  withdrawn  and  the  oily 
layer  treated  thrice  more  in  the  same  manner.  The  acetylized  pro- 
ducts are  then  filtered  in  a  drying  oven  to  eliminate  all  moisture. 
From  3  to  5  grammes  are  carefully  weighed  off  and  dissolved  in  pure 
alcohol.  In  this  alcoholic  solution  the  acid  and  the  ether  values 
are  determined  as  usual.  The  former  is  called  the  acetyl  acid  value^ 
the  latter  the  acetyl  value  and  the  sum  of  both  is  termed  the  acetyl 
saponification  value. 

The  theory  of  the  process  can  readily  be  seen  from  the  following 
equations  : 

C„H330H  +  (C,H30),0  =  QeH3,O.QH30  +   HQH3O2. 

Cetyl  Acetic  Cetyl  Acetic 

Alcohol.  Anhydride.  Acetate.  Acid. 

Q6H33O.QH3O   +   KOH  ^  QeH330H    +    KQH3O2 

Cetyl  Potassium  Cetyl  Potassium 

Acetate.  Hydroxide.  Alcohol.  Acetate. 

Q7H32(OH)C02H-f  (C2H30)20=^C,7H320.C2H30.C02H  +  HC2H3O2 

Ricinoleic  Acetic  Acetyl  Acetic 

Acid.  Anhydride.  Ricinoleic  Acid.  Acid. 

C17H32O.C2H3O.CO2H  ^     KOH     =  C17H32O.C2H3O.CO2K  -L  H2O 

Acetyl  Potassium  Acetyl 

Ricinoleic  Acid.  Hydroxide.  Ricinoleate  of  Potassium. 


*i887,  Ztschr.f.d.  Chem.  Ind.,  i,  149,  communicated  Feb.  26,  1886. 

21887,  Mojiatshefte  fur  Chemie,  8,  47;  1892,  Die  Analyse  der  Fette  und 
Wachsarten,  zweite  Auf ,  p.  113;  1895,  Chemical  Analysis  of  Oils,  Fats, 
Waxes,  etc.,  by  Benedikt  and  Lewkowitsch,  p.  127. 


^'VpXiSt"'"}  Estimation  of  Menthol.  191 

CnH320.C2H30.CO,K  -f-     KOH  =  C,7H3,(OH)COoK   +  KQHjO, 

Acetyl  Potassium  Potassium  Potassium 

Ricinoleate  of  Potassium.  Hydroxide.  Ricinoleate.  Acetate. 

J.  Lewkowitsch*  has  studied  the  above  process  very  thoroughly, 
and  is  continuinfj  his  work  at  present. 

In  1894  F.  B.  Power-  and  C.  Kleber  proposed  an  analoj^ous 
method  for  estimating  menthol  in  oil  of  peppermint.  The  method 
is  briefly  as  follows :  About  20  grammes  of  the  oil  are  mixed  with 
30  c.c.  of  normal  alcoholic  sodium  hydroxide,  in  a  flask  provided 
with  a  reflux  condenser  and  heated  to  boiling  for  one  hour.  The 
uncombined  alkali  is  estimated  by  means  of  normal  sulphuric  acid, 
using  phenolphthalein  as  indicator.  F^ach  cubic  centimeter  of  the 
standard  alkaline  solution  consumed  represents  0156  gramme  of 
menthol  in  the  form  of  ethers. 

The  contents  of  the  above  flask  are  repeatedly  washed  with 
water,  to  remove  the  alcohol  present  and  the  oily  portion  boiled  one 
hour  with  an  equal  volume  of  acetic  anhydride  and  2  grammes  of 
fused  sodium  acetate  in  a  flask  provided  with  an  inverted  condenser, 
the  end  of  the  condenser  tube  being  so  ground  as  to  fit  accurately 
into  the  neck  of  the  flask.  On  cooling,  the  contents  of  the  flask 
are  washed  with  ample  water,  then  with  a  dilute  alkaline  solution, 
the  alkalinity  removed  by  washing  with  water  again,  and  the  oily 
portion  ultimately  dried  with  calcium  chloride  and  filtered.  From 
8  to  10  grammes  of  the  acetylized  oil  are  treated  as  above  for  esti- 
mating the  combined  menthol. 

From  the  data  obtained  by  the  above  procedure  the  total  per 
cent,  of  menthol,  free  and  in  the  form  of  ethers,  may  be  calculated 
by  the  following  formula  : 


y^  = 


fl  X  15*6 


.9 — {a  —  0042) 


/^equals  total  menthol ;  .S" equals  grammes  of  acetylated  oil  used  ;  a 
equals  the  number  of  cubic  centimeters  of  normal  sodium  hydroxide 
required    for  saponification  ;  and   0042    is   a  constant  obtained  by 


'1890,  Proc.  Chem.  ^Ktety,  72  and  91;  /.  Soc.  Chem.  fnd.,  9,  660. 

1890,  y.  Soc.  Chem.  InJ.,  e,  846;  Chemical  .Vualysis  of  Oils,  Fats.  Waxes, 
etc.,  1895,  by  Bene<likt  and  Lewkowitsch,  p.  129. 

'1S91,  Pharm.  h'uudsihau,  !'»•  157;  Circular  of  Infotmativu^  .\,'  ,-,  by 
Fritzsche  Brothers,  p.  1 1. 


192  Estimation  of  Menthol.  {  ^'"aS'S^''"'' 

subtracting^  the  normal  factor  of  menthol  (0156)   from  the  normal 
factor  of  menthyl  acetate  (0-198). 

The  two  following  equations  form  the  basis  of  the  process : 

C,<,H„OH  +  (QH,0),0  =  QoHi,O.QH,0  +  HQH,©. 

Menthol.  Acetic  Anhydride.  Menthyl  Acetate.  Acetic  Acid. 

C.<,H„O.QH,0  +  KOH  =  C,oH„OH  +  KaH30, 

Potassium  Potassium 

Menthyl  Acetate.  Hydroxide.  Menthol.  Acetate. 

Being  frequently  requested  to  estimate  the  amount  of  menthol  in 
peppermint  oils  on  short  notice,  the  writer  has  modified  the  above 
procedure  so  that  the  per  cent,  of  this  constituent  can  readily  be 
estimated  in  three  hours,  while  the  original  method  requires  the 
greater  part  of  a  day  for  execution. 

For  Estimating  the  Combined  Menthol. — Place  from  10  to  12 
grammes  (accurately  weighed)  of  the  oil  into  a  suitable  flask,  add 
about  12  c.c.  of  normal  alcoholic  sodium  hydroxide,  connect  the 
flask  with  an  inverted  condenser  and  boil  for  one  hour.  Retitrate 
the  excess  of  alkali  by  means  of  standard  sulphuric  acid,  using  phenol- 
phthalein  as  indicator.  Each  cubic  centimeter  of  standardized  alkali 
consumed  corresponds  to  0-156  gramme  of  menthol  as  esters.  This 
part  of  the  process  embodies  the  well-known  principle  of  Koettstorfer. 

To  Estimate  the  Total  Menthol. — Place  from  12  to  1 5  grammes 
(accurately  weighed)  of  the  oil  into  a  suitable  flask  (the  writer  uses 
an  ordinary  Kjeldahl  digesting  flask),  add  an  equal  weight  of  acetic 
anhydride,  2  grammes  of  anhydrous  sodium  acetate,  attach  to  a  reflux 
condenser  and  boil  the  contents  of  the  flask  one  hour.  Allow  the 
mixture  to  cool  somewhat,  transfer  to  a  250  c.c.  separatory  funnel, 
with  successive  portions  of  distilled  water,  using  about  1 50  c.c.  Agi- 
tate the  funnel  and  contents  well,  set  aside  a  few  minutes,  so  that 
the  mixture  will  separate  into  two  layers.  Withdraw  the  aqueous 
layer  and  wash  again  with  150  c.c.  of  water  as  above.  Having  re- 
moved the  second  wash  water,  add  50  c.c.  of  water,  a  few  drops  of 
phenolphthalein  solution,  and  just  enough  of  a  5  per  cent,  aqueous 
sodium  hydroxide  solution  to  render  the  contents  of  the  funnel 
pinkish,  after  thoroughly  agitating  ;  then  add  enough  water  so  that 
the  aqueous  portion  will  amount  to  about  150  c.c;  agitate  well, 
allow  the  mixture  to  separate  and  withdraw  the  alkaline  aqueous 
solution.  Wash  the  oily  layer  again  with  150  c.c.  of  water  as  above. 
Remove  the  water  as  completely  as  possible  and  transfer  the  acety- 


^"kSiS^^""}  Estimation  of  Menthol.  193 

lized  oil  to  a  suitable  flask,  using  a  small  amount  of  alcohol  to 
transfer  the  last  portions.  To  the  oil  in  the  flask  add  from  50  to  60 
c.c.  of  normal  alcoholic  sodium  hydroxide,  connect  the  flask  to  an 
inverted  condenser  and  boil  for  one  hour.  Retirrate  the  excess  of 
the  alkaline  solution  by  means  of  normal  sulphuric  acid.  Each  cubic 
centimeter  of  normal  alkali  combined  corresponds  to  0-156  gramme 
of  menthol. 

On  deducting  the  amount  of  menthol  contained  in  the  oil  in  the 
form  of  esters  from  the  total  menthol  found,  we  have  the  amount  of 
free  menthol. 

The  table  on  next  page  contains  the  results  obtained  by  the 
above  process  for  commercial  menthol  and  a  number  of  samples  of 
oil  of  peppermint  in  connection  with  the  specific  gravities,  boiling 
points  and  residues.  The  boiling  points  were  determined  with 
metallic  bath. 

It  requires  only  a  casual  review  of  the  contents  of  the  table 
to  show  that  oil  of  peppermint  is  a  most  variable  product.  Then 
when  we  call  to  mind  that  normal  Japanese  oil  generall)'  con- 
tains about  75  per  cent,  of  menthol,  the  variation  is  still  greater. 
But  it  must  also  be  remembered  that  an  oil  containing  a  high  per- 
centage of  menthol  frequently  does  not  possess  the  desired  fine 
aroma  so  valuable  in  essential  oils.  The  quality  of  the  aroma  is 
generally  indicated  by  the  amount  of  menthol  esters.  Yet,  there 
may  be  some  disturbing  elements  present,  such  as  the  sulphur  com- 
pound, recently  discovered,^  which  will  vitiate  an  otherwise  fine 
aroma  very  materially. 

The  writer  has  every  reason  to  think  that  the  oils  examined 
above  are  genuine,  excepting,  of  course,  the  sample  marked  "  Un- 
known." This  was  highly  adulterated  with  turpentine,  as  the  boil- 
ing points  clearly  show. 

In  e.xamining  oil  of  peppermint  it  is  necessary  to  determine:  (i) 
the  specific  gravity,  although  this  is  only  an  indication  ;  (2)  the 
boiling  point,  varying  from  a  few  degrees  below  200^  C.  to  about 
230°  C.  (uncorrected),  with  some  residue  ;  (3)  the  amount  of  men- 
thol. The  combined  menthol  varies  from  3  to  16  per  cent.  The 
total  menthol  may  vary  from  30  to  80  per  cent.  These  data,  in 
connection  with  the  aroma  and  identity  tests,  will  undoubtedly  show 
the  character  of  any  oil  of  peppermint. 

'1896,  C.  Klcbcr,  Phann.  Kciiciv,  14,  269  ;  Schimmci  cV  Lo.  s  :^ifHt-anttudl 
Report,  October,  p.  48. 


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^"AiXiS:"'"}      Observations  on  Acacia  of  Commerce.  195 

It  is  hoped  that  the  Pharmacopceial  Committee  will  find  it  desir- 
able to  introduce  the  boiling  point  of  this  oil,  at  least,  into  the  next 
revision  of  the  Pharmacopouia,  if  they  do  not  see  their  way  clear  to 
admit  a  method  for  determining  the  per  cent,  of  menthol.  But  the 
writer  cannot  see  any  reason  why  a  simple  method  like  the  above 
should  not  be  made  serviceable,  seeing  that  good  acetic  anhydride 
can  be  so  reasonably  secured. 

305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


SOME   OBSERVATIONS   ON    ACACIA  OF   COMMERCE. 
Bv  J.  Henry  Schroeder,  Ph.G. 

Of  all  the  drugs  sent  forth  into  the  commerce  of  the  world,  there 
is,  perhaps,  no  single  one  of  which  there  exist  so  many  varieties  as 
of  acacia.  A  difference  in  the  source  of  production  is  one  cause 
for  the  variableness  in  quality  of  the  commercial  article.  In  some  cases 
the  quality  of  the  gum  is  lowered  by  the  season  of  collection,  and 
a  secondary  grade  is  obtained  by  assorting  the  other  varieties. 

The  chemical  literature  relating  to  the  exact  nature  of  the 
gums  of  different  species  of  acacia  is  only  limited,  and  they  have, 
so  far,  been  subjected  to  little  thorough  stud\'. 

As  their  habitats  vary  greatly,  they  are  usually  known  by  the 
names  of  the  localities  where  they  are  collected,  or  by  the  names  of 
the  ports  from  which  they  are  shipped. 

For  pharmaceutical  uses  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  directs  that  the 
gum  of  Acacia  Senegal  be  employed. 

It  was  with  a  view  of  determining  the  presence  of  dextrin  in  the 
powdered  commercial  "  gum  arabic,"  that  an  examination  of  differ- 
ent samples  was  undertaken. 

It  has  been  alleged  that  the  high  price  of  a  good  quality  of  gum 
has  tempted  those  who  handle  the  product,  and  that  many  of  them 
have  resorted  to  adulteration  for  pecuniary  gain,  dextrin  being  the 
substance  usually  employed  for  the  purpose.  While  for  merely 
technical  purposes  an  addition  of  dextrin  might  not  be  a  disadvan- 
tage, such  adulterated  gum  is,  of  course,  unfit  for  pharmaceutical 
purposes,  especially  for  the  preparation  of  emulsions. 

Observations  were  made  during  the  work,  which  I  think  of  suffi- 
cient interest  to  the  pharmacist  to  report. 

Before  submitting  in  detail  the  results  of  the  examination,  I  desire 


196  Observatmis  on  Acacia  of  Commerce.      {^"^'l^xiXm^^' 

to  state  that  they  are  presented  solely  on  account  of  the  interest 
which  they  seem  to  possess  for  the  practical  pharmacist,  with  the 
consciousness  that,  considered  as  a  scientific  investigation,  the 
important  factor,  completeness,  is  lacking. 

According  to  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  acacia  is  <*  a  gummy  exu- 
dation from  Acacia  Senegal,  Willdenow  (nat.  ord.  LeguminoscB). 
Besides  the  description  of  the  physical  appearance  of  the  gum,  the 
following  tests  are  also  given : 

{a)  Acacia  should  be  soluble  in  2  parts  of  water;  it  should  yield  a 
gelatinous  precipitate  with  basic  lead  acetate,  T.  S.,  ferric  chloride, 
T.  S.,  or  concentrated  solution  of  sodium  borate,  and  does  not 
reduce  alkaline  cupric  tartrate,  V.  S. 

(b)  The  powder  is  not  colored  blue  (absence  of  starch),  or  red 
(absence  of  dextrin),  by  iodine,  T.  S. 

In  addition  to  these  tests,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  refer  to  two 
others  for  the  presence  of  dextrin. 

One,  which  is  from  Hager,  Hartwich  and  Fischer's  Commentar 
zur  Pharm.,  B.  II,  p.  44,  is  as  follows : 

"Three  c.c.  of  a  solution  composed  of  15  drops  of  solution  of  fer- 
ric chloride,  15  drops  of  saturated  solution  of  potassium  ferricyan- 
ide,  5  drops  of  diluted  hydrochloric  acid  (sp.  gr.  1-165)  ^"<^  60  c.c. 
of  distilled  water,  are  added  to  6  c.c.  of  a  solution  of  the  suspected 
gum  (strength  of  solution  should  be  20  per  cent).  If  the  gum  be 
devoid  of  dextrin,  it  will  be  colored  a  pure  yellowish-brown  tinge, 
this  color  remaining  permanent  during  eight  to  ten  hours.  If  dex- 
trin be  present,  the  color  will  change  in  about  one  hour  to  blue." 

The  other  test,  which  is  evidently  a  modification  of  the  above 
method,  is  described  in  El  Memorandum} 

It  seems  to  be  erroneous,  inasmuch  as  it  contains  potassium /^rr^- 
cyanide  instead  of  potassium  /^mcyanide,  in  presence  of  ferric 
chloride.  Tlie  sulphuric  acid  present  in  the  solution  does  not 
prevent  the  precipitation  of  ferric  ferrocyanide.  This  test  seems, 
therefore,  inapplicable. 

The  foregoing  are  the  tests  upon  which  the  examination  of  sam- 
ples of  commercial  gum  arabic  was  based. 

While  I  was  examining  samples  of  the  powdered  gum  in  regard 
to  their  action  upon  alkaline  cupric  tartrate,  V.  S.,  I  noticed  that, 


^ Pharm.  Jour.,  October  12,  1895,  p.  322,  and  Proc.  Am.  Pharm.  Assoc.,^o\ 
44,  p.  625. 


'^"aIj'hi'.'iSt"™}      Observations  on  Acacia  of  Commerce.  197 

in  every  instance,  a  marked  reduction  was  taking  place.  A  ref>e- 
tition  of  the  experiments  verified  this  observation,  I  decided  to 
apply  the  test  to  a  sample  of  the  whole  gum.  For  this  purpose  the 
best  gum  (answering  the  Pharmacopaial  description  in  physical 
appearance)  obtainable  was  employed.  One  gramme  was  pulver- 
ized in  a  clean  mortar,  and  dissolved  in  10  c.c.  of  recentl}'  distilled 
water. 

Just  sufficient  potassium  hydrate  solution  wasadded  to  give  an  al- 
kaline reaction,  and  this  solution  heated  with  alkaline  cupric  tartrate, 
V.  S.,  in  a  water-bath  (boiling  temperature),  during  twenty  minutes. 
Here,  too,  a  well-defined  reduction  was  observed,  though  seemingly 
less  prominent  than  that  produced  by  an  equal  amount  of  the  pow- 
dcred  substance.  When  the  test  solution  was  heated,  without  the  so- 
lution of  gum,  for  an  equal  length  of  time,  it  remained  clear.  A  like 
behavior  of  acacia  is  described  in  Hager,  Hartwich  and  Fischer's  C^;//- 
w/^;//fzr,  as  follows :  "Acacia  does  not  reduce  Fehling's  solution  at 
6o°-70°,  but  has  a  i educing  action  after  being  boiled  with  the  rea- 
gent," and  "  dried  gum  in  solution  reduces  Fehling's  solution  at 
temperature  of  water  bath."  I  have  observed,  however,  that  gum, 
not  otherwise  than  air-dried,  reduces  Fehling's  solution  without 
being  boiled,  upon  heating  a  solution  for  some  time  at  watei  bath 
temperature. 

The  increased  reduction  by  the  powdered  gum  is  probabl}'  due  to 
drying  previous  to  powdering  it. 

The  iodine  test  for  dextrin  and  starch  was  applied  to  each 
sample  in  powder  and  in  the  form  of  solution.  When  applied  to  the 
same  powder  it  imparts  to  the  powder  only  a  light  yellowish  color 
of  the  iodine.  If  only  traces  of  dextrin  are  present  a  dark  red  tint 
is  produced.  When  a  larger  quantity  of  dextrin  is  present,  the  color 
produced  by  a  few  drops  of  the  reagent  is  almost  black.  If  starch 
and  dextrin  be  present  in  the  same  sample,  the}'  can  hardly  be  dis- 
tinguished. One  minim  of  the  official  T.  S.  of  iodine  will  produce  a 
decisive  tint  in  solution  of  dextrin  in  distilled  water,  in  proportion 
of  I  of  the  former  to  2,000  of  the  latter.  The  presence  of  gum 
does  not  interfere  with  this  reaction. 

As  commercial  dextrin  is  not  a  product  of  definite  comjxjsition 
and  constant  proportions,  the  delicacy  of  the  iodine  test  may,  of 
course,  vary  accordingly. 

As  all  the    samples  of  gum    gave   negative    results  with    iodine. 


Am.  Jour.  Pliarm. 


198  Observations  on  Acacia  of  Commerce.      { '^'^Aprii." S 

traces  of  dextrin  and  starch  were  added  to  the  sample  under  exam- 
ination ;  the  reagent  in  all  cases  gave  prompt  indication  of  their 
presence,  showing  that  there  was  present  in  the  original  sample 
nothing  to  mask  the  reaction. 

The  potassium  ferricyanide  reaction  did  not  give  satisfactory 
results.  The  test  solution  was  prepared  as  above  described  from 
clear  crystals  of  potassium  ferricyanide,  previously  washed  with 
distilled  water  to  free  it  from  any  adherent  ferrous  salt,  which  might 
have  formed  by  exposure  to  light.  By  reduction  with  the  ferric 
chloride  it  produced  a  pure  yellowish  brown  color,  without  a  bluish 
shade,  proving  the  absence  of  ferrous  salt. 

(a)  When  diluted  with  distilled  water,  it  remained  unchanged 
during  twelve  hours. 

{b)  A  I  per  cent,  solution  of  dextrin  in  distilled  water  caused 
almost  immediate  reduction  and  consequently  a  blue  color. 

{c)  The  reaction  with  finely  powdered  gum  arabic  proved  some- 
what less  rapid  than  that  with  pure  dextrin,  but  the  blue  color  was 
produced  within  twenty  minutes  (powder  free  from  dextrin  by  iodine 
test). 

{d)  Powdered  gum  arabic,  adulterated  with  dextrin,  reduced  the 
solution  after  a  few  minutes'  time. 

[e)  When  a  tear  of  the  gum  was  dropped  into  the  solution  of 
potassium  ferricyanide,  the  solution  did  not  acquire  a  blue  color 
within  two  hours;  but  after  standing  a  few  minutes  the  outer  sur- 
face of  the  tear  of  gum  was  colored  a  decidedly  bluish  tinge.  When 
a  tear  of  the  gum  was  powdered,  and  then  some  of  the  potassium 
ferricyanide  solution  added,  reduction  with  formation  of  a  blue  color 
took  place  more  rapidly,  agitation  increasing  the  action. 

Is  it  not  possible  that  the  drying  of  the  gum  or  that  other  influ- 
ences cause  a  change  to  take  place  in  the  gum  acacia,  which  might 
account  for  the  reaction  with  alkaline  cupric  tartrate  and  potassium 
ferricyanide  solutions  ? 

In  order  to  determine  the  quality  of  the  commercial  powdered 
acacia,  the  samples  were  obtained,  as  far  as  possible,  from  the  source 
of  supply  of  the  market,  though  the  majority  were  obtained  in  phar- 
macies in  Ohio,  Indiana,  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey. 

All  the  samples  were  tasteless,  and  all  reduced  Fehling's  solution, 
as  described  in  the  first  part  of  this  contribution. 


^'"kp^riiViSL"''  !      Proximate  Analysis  of  Orris  Root, 


199 


TABULATHD  RESULTS  OF  EXAMINA TKJN. 


Sample. 

( 
Color  of 
Sample. 

Color  of 
Solution. 

Ver>'  light. 

Dextrin. 
Nont 

Starch 

Color,  when 

Heated  with 

KUH. 

U.  S.  P 

Almost  white. 

Amber. 

Gran,  gum 

White. 

Very  light. 

Nont 

Amber. 

Powder  a      ■    . 

White. 

Yellow. 

Xont-. 

\    i;i. 

.\mber. 

b.   .   . 

White. 

Yellow. 

None 

Nour. 

.\mber. 

c 

Gray. 

Dark  brown. 

None. 

N..1U 

Yellowish-brown. 

1 

White. 

Very  light. 

None. 

N  ■  .  I ,  ■ 

.\mber. 

e     .  . 

Yellowish. 

Yellow. 

None. 

None 

Amber. 

•'        /•   .   . 

White. 

Light. 

Noue. 

None. 

— 

S  •   '   • 

White. 

Light. 

None. 

None. 

Amber. 

h  .   .   . 

White. 

Yellow. 

None. 

None. 

.\mber. 

White. 

Light. 

None. 

None. 

— 

White. 

Light. 

None. 

None. 

— 

I     . 

White. 

Light. 

None. 

None. 

— 

m  .  . 

White. 

Very  light. 

None. 

None. 

Amber. 

These  results  seem  to  indicate  that  the  cheaper  grades  of  gum 
are  most  frequently  employed  in  the  preparation  of  the  powdered 
article,  and  that  adulteration  with  dextrine  is  not  generally  prac- 
tised. 

Of  course,  the  samples  examined  were  only  such  as  are  used  in 
pharmacies ;  and,  no  doubt,  for  technical  purposes,  one  might  be 
able  to  purchase  gum  wherein  dextrin  might  be  revealed. 

To  all  who  have  favored  me  with  samples  of  the  gum,  ni)'  sincere 
thanks  are  due. 

Cincinnati.  O  ,  March,  1897. 


PROXIMATE  ANALYSIS  OF  ORRIS  ROOT. 
Hy  S.  Allen  Ticker. 

Coutribulion  from  the    Chemical  Laboratory  of    the  Philadelphia  Colle>^e  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  162. 

What  is  known  in  commerce  as  orris  root  is  the  rhizome  of  Iris 
florentina,  which  has  been  deprived  of  its  cortex  and  dried  by  expo- 
sure to  sunlight.  Orris  root  has  a  delicate  aroma,  and  for  this  rea- 
son it  finds  extensive  use  in  the  manufacture  of  perfumes,  floral  ex- 
tracts and  tooth-powders.    F*or  these  purposes  the  prepared  rhizome 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


2CX)  Proximate  Analysis  of  Orris  Root.      {^™aSi897 

is  reduced  to  a  granular  form  or  a  fine  powder.  It  was  on  account 
of  the  extensive  use  of  orris  root,  and  because  no  statement  of  the 
effect  of  solvents  on  the  article  is  given,  that  the  writer  undertook 
this  proximate  analysis.  It  is  well  known,  however,  that  some  of  the 
proximate  principles  have  been  pretty  thoroughly  investigated  by 
Dumas,  Landerer,  Fliickiger  and  Hager ;  especially  is  this  true  of 
the  volatile  oil  and  its  stearopten. 

A  sample  of  the  granular  form  of  the  prepared  rhizome  was 
ground  to  a  very  fine  powder.  Petroleum  ether  extracted  wax  and 
fat  to  the  extent  of  1-34  per  cent.  Ethyl  ether  afterward  dissolved 
1-83  percent,  of  substances  which  were  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ben- 
zole, but  not  soluble  in  acidulated  water.  This  extract  had  a  strong 
odor  of  orris  root.  The  substances  to  which  this  odor  was  due 
were  not  soluble  in  water.  The  alcoholic  solution  of  the  extract 
gave  precipitates  with  alcoholic  solutions  of  ferric  chloride  and  lead 
acetate. 

Absolute  alcohol  removed  4-13  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the 
rhizome.  About  three-fourths  of  the  extract  were  soluble  in  water- 
This  solution  contained  small  amounts  of  glucose  and  sucrose.  It 
gave  a  precipitate  with  lead  acetate  solution. 

The  distilled  water  extract  amounted  to  14-02  per  cent.  This  in- 
cluded 831  per  cent,  of  glucose,  1-27  per  cent,  of  sucrose  and  a 
small  amount  of  substances  precipitable  by  alcohol.  The  total  or- 
ganic solids  dissolved  by  water  made  alkaline  with  sodium  hydrate 
were  found  to  be  30-30  per  cent.  This  extract  consisted  almost  en- 
tirely of  mucilaginous  and  albuminous  substances  which  were  pre- 
cipitated by  acidifying  with  acetic  acid  and  adding  a  large  volume 
of  alcohol.  Water  acidulated  with  hydrochloric  acid  extracted 
10-30  per  cent,  of  organic  matter.  Starch  was  present  to  the  extent 
of  16-85  P^^  cent.  A  cold  infusion  of  the  rhizome  gave  no  precip- 
itate with  gelatin  for  tannin.  The  sample  of  orris  root  examined 
contained  8-74  per  cent,  of  moisture  and  2-12  per  cent  of  ash.  The 
ash  contained  calcium,  magnesium  and  potassium  as  carbonates* 
chlorides  and  phosphates. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  percentages  representing  the  extracts, 
starch,  moisture  and  ash,  10-37  per  cent,  of  cellulose  and  undeter- 
mined  substances  were  present. 


"^"AiXiac"""-;      Marrubiin  and  its  Dichlorine  Derivative,  201 

MARRUBIIN  AND  ITS  DICHLORINE  DERIVATIVE. 

By  Harry  Matusow. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical   Laboratory  of  the    Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  163. 

This  crystallizable  principle,  obtained  from  Marrubium  vulgare, 
a  plant  belonging  to  the  natural  order  Labiata;,  was  first  isolated  by 
Mein  in  1855,  and  investigated  by  Harms,  to  whom  the  former  pre- 
sented it  for  investigation. 

Harms  (Archiv  dcr  PJiannacie,  No.  ^^i,  p.  144,  August,  1855), 
then,  upon  investigation,  ascribed  to  marrubiin  the  following  prop- 
erties : 

"  Marrubiin  forms  stellate  groups  of  colorless  needles  ;  it  melts 
at  148^  C,  and  at  a  higher  temperature  it  breaks  up  with  the 
development  of  an  unbearable  odor ;  it  is  almost  insoluble  in  water, 
easily  soluble  in  alcohol — particularly  in  hot  alcohol — and  soluble 
in  ether.  Its  taste  is  persistently  bitter  ;  and  it  possesses  a  tend- 
ency to  become  colored  when  exposed  to  the  air." 

The  next  investigator  to  take  up  the  subject  was  Kromayer 
[Archiv  der  Pharmacic,  No.  108,  p.  258,  1861),  who  extracted  the 
plant  with  boiling  water  precipitated  the  infusion  with  lead 
acetate,  removed  the  excess  of  lead  with  hydrogen  sulphide,  and 
then  concentrated  the  infusion  to  a  syrupy  consistence.  He  then 
obtained  the  crystals  from  the  infusion  by  means  of  alcohol  and 
purified  them  by  treating  with  animal  charcoal. 

Kromayer's  results,  which  were  published  simultaneously  with 
the  process  of  extraction  briefly  described   above,  were  as  follows  : 

"  F'rom  ethereal  solutions  it  crystallizes  in  colorless  rhombic 
plates,  or  thick,  four-sided,  double,  gypsum-like  crystals. 

"  From  alcoholic  solutions  it  crystallizes  in  needles. 

'•  The  crystals  are  gritty  between  the  teeth.  On  account  of  their 
sparing  solubility  in  water,  their  bitter  taste  is  not  perceived  until 
after  being  kept  in  the  mouth  for  some  time. 

"  Alcohol  or  ether  dissolves  it  readily. 

"  The  alcoholic  solution  tastes  intensely  bitter,  and  has  a  some- 
what acrid  after-taste. 

"  The  alcoholic  solution  reacts  perfectly  neutral.  Almost  com- 
pletely insoluble  in  cold  water  and  only  sparingly  soluble  in  hot 
water. 

"The  hot-water  solution  of  marrubiin  tastes  strongly  bitter. 


202  Marriibiin  and  its  Dichlorine  Derivative.      {'^'^Apri'ialG?""*' 

**  On  the  addition  of  water  to  the  alcoholic  solution,  the  marru- 
biin  separates  as  an  oily  liquid, and  the  mixture  becomes  milky;  on 
adding  some  alcohol  and  allowing  the  solution  to  rest,  the  marrubiin 
crystallizes  out  in  needles. 

**When  heated  on  platinum  foil,  marrubiin  melts  to  a  colorless 
liquid ;  more  strongly  heated,  it  gives  off  white  fumes  of  a  biting 
and  irritating  odor,  and  finally  burns  away  completely  without  leav- 
ing any  ash. 

♦*  When  heated  in  a  glass  tube  closed  at  one  end  it  distills  over  in 
oily  drops  without  leaving  a  residue,  developing  at  the  same  time 
mustard-oil-like,  piercing  fumes. 

"  The  melting  point  of  marrubiin  lies  at  i6o°  C;  on  cooling  it 
solidifies  to  a  beautiful,  radiating,  crystalline  mass. 

"  Marrubiin  is  not  a  glucoside.  Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  dis- 
solves it  rapidly,  with  a  brown-yellow  color.  On  the  addition  of 
water  the  color  disappears  with  the  separation  of  gray  flakes. 

''  Concentrated  hydrochloric  acid,  whether  hot  or  cold,  has  no  effect 
on  marrubiin. 

"  Cold  concentrated  nitric  acid  does  not  affect  it,  but  on  heating 
dissolves  it  with  a  yellow  color. 

"  Tannin  does  not  precipitate  a  solution  of  marrubiin. 

"  By  the  action  of  alkalies,  cold  or  warm,  marrubiin  is  not  per- 
ceptibly affected. 

"  Ammoniacal  silver  nitrate  solution,  on  being  boiled  with  mar- 
rubiin, is  only  slightly  reduced.  Marrubiin,  consequently,  is  not  an 
aldehyde-like  body. 

"  Marrubiin  is  not  precipitated  by  metallic  salts,  namely,  ferric 
chloride,  when  applied,  did  not  produce  any  change. 

"In  its  properties  marrubiin  stands  nearest  to  coumarin,  C^gHgO^; 
to  cinnamein  (meta-cinnamein)  =  CgaHj^O^  =  Q^^^O,  C^gH^Og 
(benzoyl-cinnamate);  and  to  styracin  =  C36H16O4  =  CjgHgO,  CigH^Og 
(cinnamyl-cinnamate)." 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  results  quoted  from  him,  Kromayer 
remarks  that  marrubiin  is  the  first  instance  of  a  crystalline  separated 
bitter  principle  from  a  plant  belonging  to  the  Labiatae,  a  family 
which  is  so  rich  in  ethereal  oils,  and  that  all  the  characters  of  mar- 
rubiin indicate  its  intimate  relation  to  the  ethereal  oils. 

In  1863  Harms  published  a  second  communication  on  the  prop- 
erties of  marrubiin,  in  Archiv  der  Pharmacie,  No.  1 16,  p.  141. 


Am.  Joar.  Pharm 


ApXi^"'"' }     Marrubiin  and  its  Dichlorine  Derivative.  203 

In  this  case  Harms  obtained  the  bitter  principle  by  treating  the 
herb  with  three  successive  portions  of  hot  water,  evaporating  the 
water  extractions  to  a  syrupy  consistence,  and  treating  them  with 
alcohol;  to  the  alcoholic  solution  he  added  a  large  quantity  of 
sodium  chloride  and  about  one-third  its  volume  of  ether ;  the  whole 
was  then  agitated  and  the  separated  ethereal  layer,  when  drawn  off 
and  allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously,  left  tabular  crystals  of 
marrubiin,  which,  after  two  re-crystallizations  from  alcohol,  appeared 
pure.  From  25  pounds  of  herb  Harms  obtained  2  grammes  of  the 
crystalline  bitter  principle. 

With  reference  to  the  properties  of  marrubiin,  Harms  says  he 
found  them,  in  general,  to  agree  with  those  given  by  Kromayer. 

An  elementary  analysis,  which  Harms  made  on  a  portion  of  the 
crystals  presented  to  him  by  Mein,  yielded  from  0-3  13  gramme  of  the 
principle,  dried  at  90°-ioo°  C,  0240  gramme  of  H2O,  or  8.52  per  cent, 
of  H.  The  carbon  estimation,  unfortunately,  was  lost,  but  it  showed 
that  the  marrubiin  contained  more  than  69  per  cent,  of  carbon. 
Harms  also  stated  that  on  recrystallizing  marrubiin  from  hot  solutions 
a  portion  of  it  assumes  an  amorphous  form.  On  dissolving  the  amor- 
phous bitter  principle  in  alcohol,  and  allowing  the  solution  to  stand 
at  the  ordinary  temperature  in  the  air,  it  goes  over  into  its  original 
form,  and  separates  in  a  crystalline,  wart-shaped  mass.  Marrubiin 
crystallizes  easily — best  when  to  a  boiling  alcoholic  solution  boiling 
water  is  added  until  it  begins  to  become  turbid,  and  the  solution 
allowed  to  cool  slowly. 

In  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  for  June,  1890,  Hertel 
published  the  following  experience  : 

On  making  a  fluid  extract  of  marrubium,  using  diluted  alcohol  as 
a  menstruum,  it  was  noticed  that,  after  standing  for  a  week,  a  de- 
posit of  well-defined  crystals  separated  from  the  extract.  The  de- 
posit from  10  pounds  of  herb  was  nearly  I  ounce,  the  extract, 
however,  still  being  as  bitter  as  before.  The  slight  yellow 
color  of  the  needle-shaped  crystals  was  removed  by  several  recrys- 
tallizations  from  alcohol.  The  crystals  still  retained  their  slowly- 
developing  but  persistently  bitter  taste.  When  heated  on  platinum 
foil  the  crystals  melted,  then  charred  and  finally  volatilized  without 
leaving  any  residue.  They  were  quite  soluble  in  chloroform,  alco- 
hol and  ether,  and  slightly  soluble  in  water.  The  princijile  is  insolu- 
ble in  benzin,  is  not  colored  by  acids,  docs  not  respond  to  I'^ehling's 


204  Marrnbiin  and  its  Dichlorine  Derivative.      {^^'llx\iXm!^' 

test  for  sugar,  nor  to  the  alkaloidal  group-reagents,  and  from  its 
alcoholic  solution  is  not  precipitated  by  lead  subacetate.  It  crystal- 
lizes best  from  cold  alcohol. 

A  menstruum  prepared  from  2  parts  of  alcohol  and  i  part  of 
water,  with  5  per  cent,  of  glycerin,  yielded  a  fluid  extract  remain- 
ing free  from  crystalline  deposit. 

The  investigation  of  marrubiin  was  next  taken  up  by  Morrison, 
who  published  his  results  in  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
July,  1890.  Morrison  obtained  the  marrubiin  by  extracting  the 
herb  with  ether,  and  purified  it  by  repeated  crystallization  from  hot 
95  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  subsequent  treatment  with  animal  char- 
coal.    Morrison  describes  the  properties  of  marrubiin  as  follows : 

The  crystals  were  insoluble  in  water  and  in  solution  of  potassium 
hydrate,  very  sparingly  soluble  in  boiling  water  and  in  cold  alcohol. 

It  is  soluble  in  hot  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  also  in  ether  and  chloro- 
form. The  crystals  melt  at  152°-!  5  3°  C.  They  were  at  first  taste- 
less, but  developed,  when  held  on  the  tongue,  a  decided  bitterness. 
The  alcoholic  solution  was  very  bitter.  Sulphuric  or  nitric  acid 
gave  a  dark  brown  color ;  hydrochloric  acid  produced  no  change, 
and  ferric  chloride  produced  no  change.  This  principle  reduced 
Fehling's  solution  by  boiling  in  a  water-bath,  without  first  heating 
with  an  acid.  On  boiling  it  first  with  acidulated  water,  a  peculiar 
aromatic  odor  was  developed ;  then  on  heating  with  Fehling's  solu- 
tion, an  abundant  precipitate  of  cuprous  oxide  was  produced,  thus 
showing  it  to  be  an  easily  decomposable  glucoside. 

The  average  of  two  combustions  was : 

Calculated  for 
Found.  (C40H58O9.) 

Per  Cent.  Per  Cent. 

C 70*25  70-38 

H 8-42  8-50 

O 21*33  21*12 

The  melting  point  of  the  marrubiin,  obtained  by  Hertel,  was  also 
determined  by  Morrison  and  found  to  be  i53-5°-i54-5°  C.  Morrison 
remarks  that  this  marrubiin  was  evidently  nearly  pure,  and  states 
that  the  average  ot  three  combustions  made  by  him  was : 

Per  Cent. 

C       70-54 

H 9-08 

O      20*38 


^"'AiXi^*'''"*}      Marrubiin  and  its  Dichlorinc  Derivative.  205 

Morrison  further  states  that  his  results  indicate  the  composition 
of  marrubiin  to  be  very  close  to  that  of  absinthiin,  C4yH;^^09.  a  crys- 
talline bitter  principle  obtained  from  wormwood,  and  described  by 
Kromayer  in  Arcliiv  dcr  Pharmacie,  No.  108,  p.  120,  but  that  it  does 
not  af^ree  with  all  the  properties  described  by  Kromayer,  who  states 
that  absinthiin  melts  at  120°  to  125°  C. 

Thus  far  I  have  reviewed  the  history  of  marrubiin,  and  described 
the  investif^ations  and  results  of  preceding  workers.  I  shall  now 
detail  my  own  experience  with  the  extraction  of  marrubium,  for  the 
isolation  and  purification  of  marrubiin,  and  describe  the  properties 
of  that  substance  as  observed  by  myself. 

The  herb  was  collected  by  the  writer  at  Lawnside,  N.  J.,  in  the 
months  of  July,  August  and  September,  1896.  It  was  carefully 
dried  in  a  room,  without  exposure  to  direct  sunlight.  The  herb 
was  then  finely  ground,  and  trial  extractions  made  with  alcohol, 
benzol  and  acetone  as  menstrua,  500  grammes  of  the  herb 
being  subjected  to  the  solvent  action  of  each  of  the  solvents  named. 
Of  the  three  different  menstrua  mentioned,  acetone  was  found  to  be 
the  most  satisfactory  one,  extracting  the  largest  quantity  of  the 
bitter  principle  and  the  least  amount  of  foreign  matter,  with 
smallest  quantity  of  menstruum. 

Two  and  a  half  kilogrammes  of  the  herb  were  now 
extracted  with  acetone,  the  acetone  being,  from  time  to  time,  recov- 
ered from  the  extract,  and  used  again  as  menstruum.  When  the 
herb  was  practically  exhausted,  the  acetone  was  recovered  from  the 
extract,  by  distillation,  and  the  thick,  syrupy  mass  which  was  left 
was  treated  repeatedly  with  hot  benzol.  The  benzol  solution  was 
allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours  for  marrubiin  and  resinous 
matter  to  separate.  The  mother  liquid  was  then  poured  off,  and 
the  residue  treated  with  a  fresh  portion  of  hot  benzol  and  allowed 
^to  stand  as  before.  This  treatment  was  continued  until  relatively 
pure  crystals  of  a  yellowish  color  were  obtained.  The  crystals  were 
then  repeatedly  crystallized  from  hot  alcohol,  by  solution  and  chill- 
ing, which,  owing  to  the  prevalent  cool  weather,  afforded  a  rapid 
means  of  crystallization.  They  still  retained  a  slight  yellow  tinge, 
which,  however,  was  removed  by  treating  them  with  animal  char- 
coal. A  portion  of  the  syrupy  mass  obtained  above,  on  distilling 
off  the  acetone,  was  treated  repeatedly  with  hot  alcohol,  and  allowed 
to  stand  ft)r  twenty-four  hours  after  each  treatment,  without  previous 


2o6  Mamibim  and  its  Dichlorine  Derivative.      {^^'l^xxXm^^' 

treatment  with  benzol,  but  without  success  ;  the  reason  for  this,  I 
think,  is  the  following :  the  crystals  are  accompanied  in  the  extract, 
besides  the  coloring  and  other  foreign  matter,  by  what  seemed  to 
be  a  resinous  substance,  which  was  dissolved  along  with  them  by  the 
alcohol,  and  separated  with  them  from  its  solution,  thus  rendering  it 
difficult  for  the  bitter  principle  to  crystallize ;  hot  benzol,  on  the  other 
hand  dissolved  the  crystals  and  the  resinous  substance  at  first,  but 
when  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours,  retained  the  greater  part 
of  the  resinous  substance  in  solution,  and  deposited  the  crystals  with 
only  a  small  quantity  of  the  resinous  substance  adhering.  When 
these  impure  crystals  were  treated  with  a  fresh  portion  of  hot 
benzol,  the  marrubiin  was  dissolved,  but  the  contaminating  resin, 
for  the  most  part,  did  not  go  into  solution.  From  the  2J^  kilo- 
grammes of  herb  extracted  about  20  grammes  of  purified  crystals 
were  obtained. 

These  crystals  melted  at  154°-! 5 5°  C,  and  on  cooling  solidified  to 
a  crystalline  mass. 

When  treated  with  strong  sulphuric  acid  a  dark  brown  color  was 
produced. 

Strong  nitric  acid  produced  a  similar  reaction. 

Strong  hydrochloric  acid  produced  no  change,  even  on  heating. 

When  Fehling's  solution  was  heated  with  a  hot-water  solution  of 
marrubiin  on  a  water-bath  for  thirty  minutes,  it  was  not  reduced. 

Fehling's  solution,  when  heated  on  a  water-bath  for  thirty  minutes 
with  a  hot-water  solution  of  marrubiin,  which  had  previously  been 
boiled  with  hydrochloric  acid,  was  not  reduced. 

The  alcoholic  solution  of  marrubiin  has  a  neutral  reaction. 

The  alcoholic  solution  of  marrubiin,  when  treated  with  alcoholic 
ferric  chloride,  was  not  changed  ;  alcoholic  lead  acetate  produced  no 
change  ;  alcoholic  tannin  solution  produced  no  change  ;  ammoniacal 
silver  nitrate  solution,  in  the  cold,  was  not  reduced  by  a  hot  aqueous 
solution  of  marrubiin ;  the  same  reagent  when  heated  in  a  water- 
bath  was  not  reduced ;  but  as  the  solution  became  more  concen- 
trated, the  marrubiin  gradually  separated  from  solution  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  tube. 

The  alcoholic  solution,  as  well  as  the  crystals,  had  a  persistently 
bitter  taste.  On  the  addition  of  water,  the  alcoholic  solution  be- 
comes turbid  white.  Marrubiin  crystallizes  in  lustrous  needles  ar- 
ranged in  star- shaped  groups,  from  hot  alcohol  when  not  concen- 


'^''^Aprii".'!^"™'}      Marrubiin  and  its  Die Jilorinc  Derivative.  207 

trated.  From  concentrated  hot  alcoholic  solutions,  it  crystallizes 
in  dull-white  plates. 

It  is  soluble  in  acetone,  ether,  alcohol,  chloroform,  but  most  readily 
in  hot  benzol. 

It  is  insoluble  in  petroleum  benzin  and  cold  water,  and  only  spar- 
ingly soluble  in  hot  water. 

Marrubiin,  when  tested  for  nitrogen,  by  fusing  a  small  quantity  of 
it  with  a  fragment  of  metallic  sodium,  agitating  the  heated  mass 
with  water  filtering,  and  adding  ferrous  sulphate,  ferric  chloride  and 
hydrochloric  acid  in  excess,  did  not  give  the  characteristic  blue 
precipitate  or  color  of  ferric  ferrocyanide,  (Fejj  (F^  (CN)g)3,  thus 
indicating  the  absence  of  nitrogen. 

The  crystals  obtained  by  recrystallization  from  hot  alcohol,  pre- 
vious to  being  treated  with  animal  charcoal,  melted  at  158°-!  59°  C. 
They  were  subjected  to  ultimate  analysis  ;  the  combustions  were 
made  in  an  open  tube  with  copper  oxide  and  a  current  of  oxygen, 
the  substance  being,  in  all  cases  of  combustion,  previously  dried  in 
a  desiccator  over  sulphuric  acid  for  twenty-four  hours. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  two  combustions : 

(0  '^93'  gramme  of  the  substance  yielded: 

•5113  gramme  of  COj  =    72-19  per  cent,  of  C. 
•1500         "         "  H20=      8-59    "       "       "  H. 

19-22   "        "       "  O. 


lOO'OO 


(2)  -1659  gramme  of  the  substance  yielded  : 

•4414  gramme  of  CO,  =    72*57  per  cent,  of  C. 
•1293         "         '•  HjO=      8-68    "       "       '*  H. 

1875  ••     •'.    ••  O. 


lOO'OO 


The  crystals  were  then  recrystallized  six  times  from  hot  alcohol, 
and  a  second  determination  of  the  melting  point  gave  the  same 
result  as  that  obtained  in  the  previous  case,  viz.:  158^-159°  C. 

They  were,  therefore,  treated  with  animal  charcoal  in  several  suc- 
cessive applications,  and  the  melting  point,  as  proven  by  several 
trials,  was  found  to  be  154°-!  55°  C.  A  combustion  of  the  purified 
substance  showed   the  following  to  be    its   percentage  composition. 


2oS  Marrnbiin  and  its  Dichlorine  Derivative.     {^'^i^'^^^Xm^'^' 

which  is  practically  the  same  as   that  previously  obtained;   -1654 
gramme  of  the  substance  yielded  : 

•4372  gramme  of  CO.,  =    72*07  per  cent,  of  C. 
•1305        "         "  H2O  =      877    "       "       "  H. 

19-16    "       "       "  O. 


100 '00 

The  average  of  the  three  combustions  was  : 

Calculated  for 

Found.  (C30H43O6). 

Per  Cent.  Per  Cent. 

C 72*28  72'14 

H   . 8-68  8-62 

O 19*04  I9'24 


lOO'OO  lOO'OO 


My  results  confirm  Kromayer's,  in  general,  excepting  the  melting 
point,  which  he  determined  to  be  160°  C.  They  also  differ  from 
the  melting  point  stated  by  Harms  to  be  148°  C. 

The  melting  point  obtained  by  myself  is  nearest  to  the  one  ob- 
tained by  Morrison. 

My  results  show  that  marrubiin  is  not  a  glucoside  ;  so  they  also 
differ  in  that  respect,  as  well  as  in  the  matter  of  its  formula  from  the 
results  obtained  by  Morrison. 

Dichlorine  Derivative  of  Marrnbiin. — A  small  quantity  of  marru- 
biin was  dissolved  in  ether  and  dry  chlorine  gas  passed  into  the 
ethereal  solution,  until  no  more  of  the  gas  was  absorbed. 

The  ethereal  solution,  which  was  of  a  yellow  color,  was  divided 
into  two  portions,  one  portion  being  allowed  to  evaporate  and  the 
other  poured  into  an  excess  of  water.  The  portion  poured  into  the 
water  was  stirred,  the  water  poured  off  and  the  precipitated  sub- 
stance washed  with  successive  portions  of  water  and  carefully  dried. 
When  dry,  it  was  found  in  the  form  of  a  yellowish-white,  hard,  wax- 
like mass,  adhering  to  the  sides  of  the  beaker.  The  portion  of  the 
ethereal  solution  which  was  allowed  to  evaporate  left  a  thick,  oily, 
yellowish-brown  substance,  which,  when  redissolved  in  ether  and 
allowed  to  evaporate  several  times  and  then  washed  repeatedly  with 
water,  assumed  a  form  similar  to  the  substance  obtained  by  pouring 
a  portion  of  the  ethereal  solution  into  water. 

A  preliminary  test  for  chlorine  was  made  by  heating  a  small  por- 


'*^'"Ai,ri'i':iS^*'""*}      ^^ote  on  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate.  209 

tion  of  the  thoroughly  washed  substance  with  chlorine-free  calcium 
carbonate  on  platinum  foil.  The  mass  was  allowed  to  cool,  then 
dissolved  in  water  by  the  aid  of  nitric  acid,  and  silver  nitrate,  T.  S., 
added.  This  reagent  produced  a  white,  curdy  precipitate  of  silver 
chloride  insoluble  in  nitric  acid. 

To  estimate  the  chlorine  quantitatively,  0813  gramme  of  the 
chlorine  derivative  was  intimately  mixed  with  chlorine-free  calcium 
carbonate,  and  heated  in  a  glass  tube,  closed  at  one  end,  until  the 
carbon  was  completely  burned  off.  The  tube  was  then  broken,  and 
it  and  the  contents  were  introduced  into  a  beaker.  Water  was 
added,  and  the  whole  warmed  and  complete  solution  of  contents 
effected  by  the  aid  of  nitric  acid.  The  solution  was  filtered  clear, 
the  filter  carefully  washed,  adding  the  washings  to  the  filtrate,  and 
then  precipitated  with  silver  nitrate.  The  precipitate  was  collected, 
washed  with  hot  water  and  dried  at  130°  C.  to  constant  weight. 
The  weight  of  silver  chloride  so  produced  was  -0425  gramme, 
which  corresponds  to  0105  gramme  of  chlorine,  or  12-91  per  cent, 
of  the  weight  of  the  derivative  taken.  Assuming  that  one  hydro- 
gen atom  is  replaced  by  every  chlorine  atom  introduced,  the  for- 
mula of  the  derivative — admitting  the  formula  for  marrubiin  to  be 
CjoH^Og — would  be  CaoH^iCloOg.  the  theoretical  amount  of  chlorine 
in  which  is  12-47  per  cent. 

Marrubiin  dichloride  is  a  yellowish-white,  hard,  wax-like  sub- 
stance, soluble  in  ether  and  alcohol,  from  which  solvents,  however, 
it  could  not  be  obtained  in  crystalline  form,  even  after  repeated  at- 
tempts at  crystallization. 

When  heated  it  becomes  transparent  at  63°  C. 


NOTK  ON  ointmp:nt  of  mkrcuric  nitrate. 

By  Josp:ph  W.  England. 

Probably  no  official  ointment  has  been  more  carefully  studied 
than  has  the  familiar  citrine  ointment.  To  the  physician  its  medi- 
cinal action  is  peculiar  and  full  of  interest.  Through  its  free  nitric 
acid,  when  applied  to  an  epidermis  more  or  less  altered  by  patho- 
logical change,  it  rapidly  penetrates  the  superficial  tissue,  and 
sharply  stimulates  the  subdcrmal  tissue  to  absorb  the  soluble  mer- 
curic .salt,  thus  inducing  a  local,  and  possibly,  to  some  extent,  a  con- 
stitutional alterative  action.      The  danger  of  salivation  from  a  too 


f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 


2IO  Note  on  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate.     {^'^•llr\imi. 

speedy  absorption  is  such  that  many  physicians  dilute  the  ointment 
with  fatty  diluents  in  all  cases,  save  those  requiring  strong  stimula- 
tion. Whether  the  elaidin  of  the  ointment  is  of  any  value  in  pro- 
moting absorption  or  not  has  not  been  determined. 

Not  alone  from  the  medical  standpoint,  however,  has  the  ointment 
been  of  interest,  but  its  making  has  been  the  fruitful  source  of  much 
study  by  pharmacists.  Under  the  title  of  **  Unguentum  Hydrargyri 
Nitratis,"  an  able  paper  by  P.  W.  Squire,  has  been  published  in  the 
PJiarmaceutical  jfournal  of  London  (February  27,  1897,  172),  in 
which  are  given  the  results  of  experiments  upon  the  nature  of  the 
fat,  the  relative  quantity  of  nitric  acid,  and  the  manipulation  used 
in  making  the  ointment.  Especial  attention  is  paid  to  the  differ- 
ences between  the  processes  of  the  British  and  United  States  Phar- 
macopoeias. It  is  not  necessary  to  here  dwell  upon  these,  save  only 
in  a  general  way. 

Regarding  the  fat  to  be  used,  Mr.  Squire  prefers  the  British 
Pharmacopoeia  mixture  of  lard  and  olive  oil,  rather  than  the  lard  oil 
of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia.  He  says  that  with  lard  oil  the 
oxidation  takes  place  at  a  lower  temperature  than  with  lard  and 
olive  oil,  the  resulting  product  being  somewhat  darker;  otherwise, 
he  frankly  adds,  there  is  not  much  to  choose  between  the  two  fatty 
bases. 

The  relative  quantity  of  nitric  acid  used  in  the  B.P.  process  is 
considerably  more  than  in  the  U.S.?.,  and  while  the  U.S.P.  treats  the 
lard  oil  with  a  part  of  the  nitric  acid  previous  to  the  addition  of  the 
solution  of  mercuric  nitrate,  the  B.P.  directs  that  the  acid  solution  of 
mercuric  nitrate  be  added  to  the  ointment  base  without  any  previous 
treatment  with  acid.  The  advantage  of  the  first  procedure  over  the 
second  Mr.  Squire  admits,  giving  an  alternative  formula  based  on  the 
B.P.  formula,  in  which  the  fatty  base  is  treated  with  half  the  nitric 
acid  before  the  mercurial  solution  is  added. 

Mr.  Squire  finds  that  the  temperature  at  which  effervesence  takes 
place  varies  with  the  nature  of  the  mixture  of  acid  and  fat.  With 
nitric  acid  and  lard  oil  the  reaction  is  slight  at  100°  C.  (212°  F.)  and 
brisk  at  110°  C.  (230°  F.) ;  with  nitric  acid,  lard  and  olive  oil,  the 
reaction  takes  place  at  120°  0.(248°  F.)  ;  with  acid  solution  of 
mercuric  nitrate  and  lard  oil  it  occurs  at  about  90°  C.  (194°  F.),  and 
with  acid  solution  of  mercuric  nitrate,  lard  and  olive  oil,  at  95°  C. 
(203°  F.).     The  relatively  higher  temperatures  of  the  first  two  in- 


^"^ April;  Sr™  }      ^ote  on  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate.  21 1 

stances  have  no  practical  bearing  if  there  be  no  mercuric  salt 
present. 

The  important  practical  point  to  observe  is  that  the  temperature 
be  kept  low  after  the  addition  of  the  mercuric  solution,  when  the 
tendency  to  blacken  increases  as  the  temperature  rises.  This  change 
will  occur  even  if  the  ointment  be  kept  at  100°  C.  (212°  F.)  for  any- 
thing like  an  hour,  and  possibly  in  much  less  time. 

The  interesting  nature  of  Mr.  Squire's  communication  suggested 
to  the  writer  the  advisability  of  reporting  its  data  to  American 
pharmacists,  and  also  of  making  a  few  practical  suggestions  regard- 
ing the  present  U.S. P.  process. 

The  following  formula  is  suggested  for  trial : 

Grammes. 

Red  mercuric  oxide 755 

Nitric  acid 175" 

Lard  oil 760' 

Heat  the  lard  oil  in  a  glass  or  porcelain  vessel  to  100°  C.  (212°  F.), 
withdraw  heat,  and  gradually  add  75  grammes  of  nitric  acid.  When 
the  reaction  moderates,  reapply  the  heat  until  brisk  effervescence 
takes  place,  and  then  withdraw  heat  until  active  effervescence  sub- 
sides. Then  gently  heat  until  effervescence  ceases.  (During  the 
effervescence  stir  the  mixture  with  a  wooden  spatula  or  paddle.) 
Allow  the  mixture  to  cool  to  about  60°  C.  (140°  F.).  Having  dis- 
solved the  red  oxide  of  mercury  in  100  grammes  of  nitric  acid,  with 
the  aid  of  sufficient  heat,  add  the  solution  gradually  to  the  oxidized 
fat,  and  stir  the  product  until  cold.  When  nearly  cold,  add  50 
grammes  of  glycerin,  and  admix  thoroughly. 

The  advantage  in  using  red  mercuric  oxide  over  mercury  rests  in 
the  fact  that  small  quantities  of  it  are  more  easily  weighed,  and  it  is 
probably  purer  than  commercial  mercury.  If  it  be  desirable  to  employ 
red  mercuric  oxide  for  making  the  official  solution  of  mercuric  nitrate, 
it  should  be  equally  useful  in  making  the  ointment.  The  small 
quantity  of  water  formed  in  the  reaction  is  of  no  practical 
moment. 

In  the  U.S. P.  process,  no  directions  are  given  for  stirring  the 
fatty  mixture  during  oxidation,  and  the  inference  is  that  such  a 
practice  is  to  be  tabooed.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  diligent  stirring  of  fat 
and  oxidizing  material  facilitates  oxidation,  and  in  the  writer's  opin- 
ion is  of  decided  advantage  in  hastening  the  end- reaction.     If  the 


212  Aqua  Pur  a.  {'"'^■iSrnJmi"'^- 

ingredients  be  not  stirred  during  effervescence,  there  is  a  danger 
that  the  contents  may  be  thrown  from  the  container. 

The  reaction  between  the  fat  and  acid  is  sometimes  slow  in  re- 
sponding, and  when  it  responds  it  does  so  very  quickly.  For  this 
reason  the  writer  prefers  to  withdraw  the  heat  on  active  effervescence, 
and  then  after  the  reaction  is  in  operation,  to  heat  gently  until  effer- 
vescence ceases,  rather  than  to  follow  the  official  directions  of  heat- 
ing until  effervescence  ceases  after  the  addition  of  acid  with 
primary  reaction. 

There  is  no  apparent  need  of  waiting  until  the  temperature  of  the 
oxidized  fat  falls  to  40°  C.  (104°  F.)  before  adding  the  mercurial  so- 
lution. Squire  cools  his  product  to  60°  C.  (140°  F.),  and  this  would 
seem  to  be  a  low  enough  temperature. 

The  red  oxide  of  mercury  "  lumps  "  slightly  on  adding  it  to  the 
acid,  but  heat  soon  brings  it  into  solution. 

Objection  may  be  made  to  the  addition  of  glycerin  to  ointment  of 
mercuric  nitrate,  on  the  ground  that  nitro-glycerin  may  be  formed. 
The  objection  is  not  well  founded.  The  production  of  nitro-glycerin 
requires  a  large  excess  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  over  the 
quantity  of  nitric  acid  used  in  order  probably  to  absorb  rapidly  the ' 
water  formed  in  the  reaction,  as  follows  : 

C3H,  (0H)3  +  sNO^-OH  .^  C3H,  (N03)3  +  3H2O 

This  condition  does  not  obtain  in  this  ointment.  In  addition, 
the  fat  present  doubtless  inhibits  such  a  change.  Further,  the 
writer  has  followed  the  practice  of  adding  glycerin  to  the  ointment 
for  three  years  past,  and  there  has  been  no  complaint  of  untoward 
therapeutic  effects,  as  there  would  have  been  had  any  nitro-glycerin 
been  present ;  the  latter  is  rapidly'absorbed  by  the  skin. 


AQUA  PURA. 
Bdilor  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 

Dear  Sir  : — In  consideration  of  the  condition  of  the  drinking 
water  supplied  to  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  and  some  other  cities, 
too,  by  their  public  works,  it  seems  to  me  there  is  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  the  pharmacist  to  do  a  stroke  of  business  as  well  as 
to  assist  his  suffering  fellow-beings  to  preserve  their  lives  and  en- 
joy a  drink  of  pure  water  while  still  living.      My  suggestion  is  that 


^"aSiSt*""'*}     Common  Sense  on  the  AlcoJiol  Question.  213 

he  constitute  himself  a  purveyor  of  pure  drinkinf^  water  to  his  cus- 
tomers and  neighbors  by  supplying  them  with  filtered  water.  He 
can  either  sell  this  pure  filtered  water  at  a  merely  nominal  price, 
say,  4  or  5  cents  a  gallon  at  his  store,  not  delivered,  or  else  give  it 
away  as  an  advertisement,  and  which,  I  think,  would  be  more  pro- 
fitable than  the  selling  of  postage  stamps  for  a  similar  purpose. 

There  are  several  good  filters  on  the  market  that  can  be  attached 
to  the  hydrant  in  the  store,  and  need  no  attention  except  for  clean- 
ing every  two  or  three  days,  and  a  proper  receptacle  for  the  filtrate ; 
they  will  work  on  day  and  night  alone.  From  this  arrangement 
down  to  simple  filtration  through  paper  with  a  little  magnesia,  many 
ways  of  filtration  will  occur  to  the  competent  and  skilful  gentlemen 
for  whose  information  and  ultimate  benefit  this  hint  is  intended. 

I  fancy  I  can  see  an  extensive  and  profitable  application  of  this 
hint  to  the  business  of  many  pharmacists. 

A  little  admixture  of  plain  carbonated  water  added  to  the  filtrate 
would  make  it  sparkle  and  be  an  improvement  possibly. 

The  highest-priced  filter  on  the  market  that  I  know  of,  filtering 
about  10  gallons  an  hour  when  clean,  can  be  put  up  for  $25,  per- 
haps less,  and  from  this  through  an  endless  variety  of  filters  and 
methods,  home-made  or  otherwise,  the  outfit  can  be  reduced  to  a 
very  small  sum,  according  to  quantity  of  filtered  water  required  or 
attention  needed  to  keep  the  work  continuously  going  on. 

Yours  truly. 

Pro  Hono  Publico. 


COMMON  SENSE  ON  THE  ALCOHOL  QUESTION.^ 

However  temperate  a  man's  own  views  may  be  on  any  such  question 
as  that  of  the  use  of  alcohol,  he  is  tempted  to  lean  in  his  public 
utterances  toward  the  contention  of  fanatics.  He  may  not  go  to  the 
extremes  that  they  contend  for ;  indeed,  he  is  almost  sure  not  to. 
Hut  he  is  apt  to  make  statements  by  which  they  can  strengthen 
their  case  with  the  public  and  especially  with  the  legislators.  It  is 
refreshing  to  notice  a  recent  exception  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Pellcw,  of 
the  department  of  chemistry  of  Columbia  University,  who  recently 


^Editorial  in  New  York  Afedical  Journal,  March  8,  1897. 


214  Common  Sense  on  the  Alcohol  Question.     {^"Aj?ii?i897^™* 

concluded  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  on 
the  subject  of  the  good  and  bad  effects  of  alcohol. 

Mr.  Pellew  stated  without  reserve,  and  backed  up  his  statement 
by  citing  the  most  careful  observations  and  experiments  of  well- 
known  investigators,  that  "  there  was  no  doubt  that,  even  in  health, 
a  small  amount  of  alcohol,  if  given  in  divided  doses,  could  be 
burned  up  in  the  blood  and  serve  as  food,  without  producing  any 
injurious  effects."  We  are  quoting  from  the  Sun's  report  of  Mr. 
Pellew's  last  lecture.  He  went  on  to  say  that  in  diseased  condi- 
tions, where  nutrition  was  impaired,  alcohol  could  be  given  in 
greatly  increased  amounts  without  any  intoxicating  effect,  and  was 
then  of  enormous  value.  An  ounce  of  it,  he  said,  gave  as  much 
heat  as  seven  or  eight  ounces  of  beef,  and  that  without  having  to 
undergo  the  process  of  digestion  and  assimilation.  In  other  words, 
it  burned,  "  as  in  a  lamp,  without  wasting  the  wick." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  popular  notion  that  alcohol  will  keep  up 
the  heat  of  the  body  under  exposure  to  great  cold  was  declared  to 
be  a  mistake.  Alcohol,  said  Mr.  Pellew,  actually  reduced  the  tem- 
perature of  the  blood,  but  it  was  ot  service  to  restore  equilibrium 
after  the  exposure  was  over.  The  lecturer  was  not  backward  in 
depicting  the  horrors  of  drunkenness,  to  which,  of  course,  no  rea- 
sonable man  can  shut  his  eyes.  He  spoke  of  the  dram-drinking 
habit  as  a  nervous  disease  rather  than  a  vice.  He  properly  insisted 
that,  in  health,  the  only  good  effects  of  alcohol,  **  except,  indeed,  its 
action  as  a  '  scavenger  of  mankind,'  "  came  from  its  moderate  use. 

To  show  the  astonishing  amount  of  intemperance  in  the  so-called 
temperance  doctrines  at  present  promulgated,  Mr.  Pellew  read  pas- 
sages from  the  books  on  "  physiology  "  to  which  the  law  now  re- 
quires the  teachers  and  pupils  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of 
New  York  to  devote  a  large  proportion  of  their  time.  He  pointed 
out  the  "  absurd  doctrines,  not  to  say  absolute  falsehoods,"  which 
in  many  cases  were  thus  crammed  into  the  children's  heads.  The 
Sun's  account  concludes  as  follows  :  "  In  his  opinion  it  is  confusing 
to  a  child  to  learn  that  it  is  a  sin  to  pick  a  pocket  and  to  drink  a 
glass  of  wine,  and  he  suggested  the  state  of  mind  of  a  Teutonic 
father  or  grandfather,  when  his  young  hopeful  would  read  to  him, 
from  his  school  books,  how  the  '  use  of  beer,  more  than  of  any 
other  liquid,  tends  to  make  the  drinker  selfish,  cruel  and  brutal.'  " 


t^Airti'i^*^"''}      Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  215 

RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

SOME    COLOR    REACTIONS    OF    TARTARIC,    CITRIC    AND    MALIC    ACIDS. 

According  to  E.  Pinerua  [Annates  de  Chimie  Aiialytique,  2,  66),  the 
reagent  for  producing  these  color  reactions  is  made  by  dissolving 
0'02  gramme  of  ^9-naphthol  in  i  c.c.  of  sulphuric  acid,  specific  grav- 
ity 1-83. 

The  test  is  made  by  warming  cautiously  in  a  porcelain  capsule 
005  gramme  of  the  organic  acid  with  10  to  15  drops  of  the  reagent. 

Tartaric  acid,  when  thus  treated,  produces  a  blue  color,  which, 
under  the  gradual  action  of  heat,  becomes  a  pure  green.  If  to  the 
cooled  mixture  15  to  20  times  its  volume  of  water  are  added,  the 
green  coloration  passes  to  a  reddish-yellow. 

With  citric  acid  the  color  at  first  produced  is  an  intense  blue, 
which  does  not  become  green  on  the  further  application  of  heat,  and 
the  mixture  becomes  colorless  or  only  slightly  yellow  on  the  addi- 
tion of  1 5  to  20  times  its  volume  of  water.  If  the  citric  acid  contain 
only  a  small  quantity  of  tartaric  acid,  the  green  color  is  produced 
by  the  latter. 

Malic  acid,  when  treated  like  the  others,  produces  a  greenish-yel- 
low, quickly  passing  to  yellow.  The  addition  of  water  furnishes  an 
orange  color.  All  the  reactions  are  produced  quickly,  and  care  and 
judgment  must  be  used  in  applying  heat. 

THE    ALLEGED    CONVERSION    OF    CINCHONINE    INTO    CINCHONIDINE. 

Messrs.  B.  H.  Paul  and  A.  J.  Cownley  [Pharmaceutical  Journal, 
February  20,  1897)  have  investigated  the  alleged  conversion  of  cin- 
chonine  into  cinchonidine  and  reached  the  following  conclusions 
with  reference  to  their  experiments :  An  endeavor  to  corroborate 
Koenig  and  Hussmann's  statement  as  to  the  possibility  of  convert- 
ing cinchonine  into  cinchonidine  by  the  action  of  dilute  potash  was 
unsuccessful.  The  authors  stated  that  if  the  supposition  be  made 
that  the  base  obtained  was  really  cinchonidine,  it  must  be  presumed 
that  the  cinchonine  operated  upon  had  not  been  sufficiently  puri- 
fied. It  is  well  known  to  quinologists  that  the  cinchona  alkaloids 
are  very  prone  to  form  double  compounds  with  each  other,  either  as 
alkaloids  when  separating  from  various  solvents,  such  as  ether  and 
alcohol — the  latter  having  been  used  by  the  authors — or  as  salts 
from  aqueous  solutions.  Cupreine,  for  instance,  which  they  isolated 
from  Remijia  pedunculata,  forms  a  compound  with  quinine,  viz.:  homo- 


Am.  Jour.  Pharui, 


2i6         Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,      {^^'l^xii 


1897 


quinine,  which  reacts  whether  as  an  alkaloid  or  as  a  salt,  differing 
in  many  respects  from  either  cupreine  or  quinine. 

ESTIMATION  OF  MORPHINE    IN    OPIUM  AND  ITS   PRINCIPAL    PREPARATIONS. 

Al.  Grandval  and  H.  Lajoux  {Jour,  de  Pharui.  et  de  Chini.  [6],  5, 
153)  recommend  a  process  for  the  estimation  of  morphine  which 
they  claim  is  easy  and  rapid  of  execution,  and  yields  a  pure  white 
morphine. 

Opium  is  estimated  by  taking  10  grammes,  triturating  in  a  glass 
mortar  with  40  grammes  of  distilled  water,  until  the  drug  is  finely 
divided,  throwing  on  a  folded  filter  and  washing  the  mortar  with  40 
grammes  of  water,  which  are  also  poured  on  the  filter.     The  mass  is 
allowed  to  drain  well,  the  filter  and  its  contents  are  then  returned  to 
the  mortar  and  triturated  with  40  grammes  of  water  added  in  seve- 
ral portions.   The  whole  is  then  poured  on  a  plain  filter  and  washed 
with  water  until  the  washings  are  free  from  color  and  taste.     The 
filtered  liquid  and  washings  are  then  evaporated  on  a  water-bath  to 
13  grammes;  to  this  residue  are  added  13  grammes  of  95°  alcohol, 
and  the   mixture  is  allowed  to  stand  a  half  hour  for  the  sulphate 
and   meconate  of  calcium  to  deposit ;  it   is  then  filtered   through  a 
small  filter  moistened  with  60°  alcohol,  and  the  filter  and  precipitate 
are  washed  with  alcohol  applied  drop  by  drop,  so  that  not  more  than  10 
grammes  of  alcohol  have  been  used  when  the  washing  is  complete. 
The  edges  of  the  filter  are  kept  from  drying  during  the  washing  by 
covering  the  funnel  with  a  watch  crystal.     Ammonia  is  next  added, 
drop  by  drop,  to  the  liquid  until  the  odor  is  just  apparent,  and  the 
whole  is  agitated  for  some  minutes,  then  set  aside  for  twelve  hours 
in  a  cool  place.     The  precipitate  of  morphine  and  narcotine  is  col- 
lected on  a  plain  filter,  previously  dried  at  100°,  tared  and  moistened 
with  alcohol  of  60°.    When  the  liquid  has  run  through,  the  precipi- 
tate is  washed  with  alcohol  of  40°  until  the  filtrate  runs  colorless, 
when  not  more  than  25  c.c.  should  have  been  used.     The  filter  and 
its  contents  are   then  dried  at  100°,  weighed   and  returned   to  the 
funnel,  where  5  c.c.  of  ether  are  added  in  order  to  permit  the  mor- 
phine  being   moistened   by  the   chloroform;  then    10  grammes  of 
chloroform  are  added,  which  dissolve   the   narcotine.     Finally  the 
morphine  and  filter  are  dried  at  100^  and  weighed.     The  morphine, 
being  in  the  state  of  hydrate  and  crystalline,  is  not  dissolved  by  the 
chloroform,  which  only  dissolves  morphine   when  in  the   state  of 
anhydride. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. )  Fditorinl  -t  i  -- 

April.  1897.         /  CilUUTiai.  21/ 

Extract  of  opium  is  assayed  by  dissolving:  5  grammes  of  the 
extract  in  5  grammes  of  water,  adding  5  grammes  of  alcohol  of  95°, 
allowing  to  stand,  and  then  transferring  to  a  plain  filter  moistened 
with  alcohol  of  60°.  The  precipitate  is  washed  with  alcohol  of  40^, 
there  being  required  about  10  c.c;  the  operation  is  then  conducted 
in  the  same  manner  as  under  opium. 

The  liquid  preparations  of  opium  are  assayed  by  slight  modifi- 
cations of  the  process  which  readily  suggest  themselves. 


EDITORIAL. 

SUBSTITUTION. 


There  has  been  a  great  deal  said  at  the  Natioual  and  the  various  State  Pharma- 
ceutical .Associations  about  substitution,  and  it  is  probable  that  much  more  will 
be  said  this  year  than  ever  before.  It  is  scarcely  necessary,  however,  to  waste 
nmch  time  on  a  subject  in  which  the  plain  line  of  duty  is  so  clearly  marked 
out  for  the  pharmacist.  Certainly,  every  physician  has  a  right  to  specify  any 
particular  manufacturer's  preparation,  and  the  patient  has  a  right  to  receive  it. 
If  the  pharmacist  to  whom  the  prescription  is  presented  for  compounding  does 
not  care  to  furnish  the  pro<luct  of  the  specified  manufacturer,  he  has  a  right 
to  decline  and  to  return  the  prescription.  He  has  no  right,  however,  to  sub- 
stitute his  own  or  anybody  else's  preparation  for  the  one  specified,  even  if  he 
is  sure  the  substitute  is  as  good  or,  as  he  may  think,  better. 

It  is  only  justice  to  Fairchild  Brothers  6c  Foster  to  give  them  credit  for  going 
to  considerable  expense  to  bring  certain  guilty  parties  to  justice,  who  have  been 
palming  off,  not  only  substitutes  but  poor  substitutes,  in  prescription  for  their 
essence  of  pepsin.  The  pharmacist  who  does  not  wish  to  <lispense  anybody's 
preparation  but  his  own  has  a  remedy  ;  he  can  visit  the  physicians  in  his  local- 
ity, load  them  up  with  samples  of  his  own  manufacture,  and  perhaps  convince 
them  that  they  are  the  best.  \i  the  same  time  it  will  pay  him,  morally,  legally 
and  financially,  to  supply  just  what  is  ordered. 

THE    EVOLUTION    OF   THE    NOSTRUM. 

We  sincerely  trust  that  certain  nostrum  manufacturers  will  not  garble  the 
preceding  remarks  and  publish  them  as  reading  matter  (i)aid  for  at  double  the 
advertising  rates)  in  the  newspapers;  they  are  not  intended  for  the  patent 
medicine  nabobs. 

Substitution,  as  already  defined,  is  almost  impossible  in  the  sale  of  patent 
medicines,  but  at  the  same  time  the  pro<lucts  of  the  retail  druggist  are  in  many 
localities  taking  the  place  of  nostrums.  This  has  l)eeu  l>rought  about  by  the 
e<lucation  of  the  public  by  the  pharmacist  as  to  the  real  nature  of  the  numerous 
patent  remedies  whose  virtues  lie  more  in  printers'  ink  than  in  intrinsic  merit. 
To  offset  this  disastrous  warfare  against  their  remedies,  the  nostrum  manufac- 
turers resort  fre<|uently  to  paragraphs  like  the  following,  which  start  in  the  city 
pai>ers  and  gradually  find  their  way  into  those  of  ihc  smallest  country  towns 


o  n ^^-f/^vt/yJ  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

2l8  naitortaL.  \      Aprii,i897. 

GET  WHAT  YOU  ASK  FOR. 

Certain  Druggists  Who  Bring  Keproacli 
Upon  Tlieir  Business  by  tlie  Practice  of 
Palming  Oft"  "  Substitutes  "  on  tlie  Public. 

When  a  person  goes  to  a  drug  store  for  a 
standard  remedy  and  the  druggist  tries  to  palm 
off  some  other  preparation  of  a  pretended  simi- 
lar nature,  urging  the  customer  to  buy  the  latter 
concoction  on  the  plea  that  "  it  is  just  as  good  " 
or  "really  better"  than  the  standard  remedy 
called  for,  it  is  proper  to  avoid  that  drug  store 
ever  afterwards. 

The  profit  to  the  druggist  on  the  standard 
preparations  is  not  large.  The  few  remedies 
that  the  whole  world  recognizes  as  meritorious 
are  prepared  by  able  phj-sicians  and  chemists, 
with  every  facility  of  modern  science  at  their 
command,  from  the  formulas  of  the  most  learned 
physicians  that  this  generation  has  produced. 
A  tremendous  amount  of  capital  is  invested  in 
the  laboratories  where  these  remedies  are  made. 
They  have  gained  their  reputations  by  the  great 
good  they  have  done  in  curing  disease  and  reliev- 
ing pain.  It  costs  a  great  deal  to  keep  up  their 
necessary  excellence. 

The  unscrupulous  and  generally  ignorant  drug- 
gist referred  to  sees  a  chance  to  make  a  big  profit 
by  mixing  together  a  number  of  cheap  ingredi- 
ents, giving  the  mixture  a  name,  and  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  gullibility  of  some  people,  who 
seem  to  like  to  experiment  with  their  health. 
These  preparations  are  frauds,  and  are  never 
advertised,  because  they  will  not  bear  the  light 
of  any  public  investigation. 

This  appeared  as  reading  matter  in  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger^  and 
claimed  to  have  been  taken  from  the  Boston  Globe. 

What  is  the  "  standard  remedy  "  spoken  of? 

Evidently,  from  what  follows,  it  is  one  which  has  been  advertised. 

When  a  customer  asks  for  one  of  these  so-called  standard  remedies,  the 
pharmacist  will  not  go  far  astray  if  he  undertakes  a  little  missionary  work,  and 
either  sends  the  patient  to  a  physician  or  supplies  him  (after  due  recommenda- 
tion) with  a  standard  preparation  of  his  own  manufacture,  which,  perhaps,  has 
not  been  so  extensively  advertised,  but  which  has  real  merit.  The  editor  who 
admits  such  "stuff"  and  calls  it  reading  matter  should  be  waited  on  by  the 
druggists  of  his  locality  and  be  enlightened  as  to  the  real  facts  of  the  case. 
Such  notices  have  appeared  quite  frequently  of  late,  and,  no  doubt,  will  con- 
tinue to  appear  unless  some  active  measures  are  taken  by  pharmacists.  They 
indicate  the  desperate  efforts  of  the  nostrum  manufacturers  to  neutralize  the 
warfare  which  is  being  waged  by  druggists  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  country 
against  the  patent  medicine  ;  but  sooner  or  later  the  persistent  aggressiveness 
of  the  40,000  druggists  in  the  United  States  will  win.  It  is  nonsense  to  talk  of 
going  back  to  the  day  of  33  or  50  per  cent,  profits  on  "  patents, "  nothing  moves 
that  way  in  this  world,  the  process  of  evolution  is  seen  in  everything,  and  this 


^""aSiS^""""-  }  Reineivs.  2 1 9 

miserable  patent  medicine  traffic  cannot  go  backward,  it  must  gradually  grow 
into  something  which  we  trust  will  be  better. 

A    TESTIMONIAL  TO    PROFESSOR   ATTFIELD. 

The  retirement  of  Dr.  Attfield  from  professional  life  is  an  event  in  the  history 
of  pharmacy  which  should  be  marked  by  an  acknowledgment  of  his  long 
labors  and  important  services. 

Now  some  of  his  past  pupils,  who  have  been  students  personally,  or  students 
of  one  or  more  of  the  fifteen  editions  of  his  Manual  of  Chemistrj*,  also  a  few 
of  his  public  friends,  have  decided  that  the  time  has  arrived  for  them  to  show, 
in  some  appropriate  manner,  the  esteem  and  warm  regard  they  have  for  him, 
and  to  ask  fellow-students  and  their  friends  to  join  them  in  a  scheme  for  this 
purpose. 

Just  what  form  the  recognition  will  take  has  not  been  settled.  Those  who 
are  willing  to  join  in  this  testimonial  should  address  Mr.  John  Moss,  39  Tres- 
sillian  Road,  London,  S.  E.,  for  circulars  and  other  information.  The  cash 
contribution,  if  any,  is  not  to  exceed  ten  shillings. 

OHIO   PHARMACEUTICAL   ASSOCIATION. 

The  pharmacists  of  Ohio  have  decided  to  hold  their  annual  meeting  this 
year  in  Cleveland,  during  the  second  week  of  June.  Detailed  information  can 
be  had  of  Lewis  C.  Hopp,  Secretary,  19S  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

North  Carolina  and  Its  Resources.  Illustrated.  Issued  by  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture,  Raleigh,  N.  C,  1S96.     8vo.,  pp.  413. 

This  handsomely  illustrated  volume  opens  with  a  historical  and  general 
sketch  of  the  State,  and  then  treats  of  climate,  forests,  flora,  fauna,  geology, 
economic  minerals,  gems  and  gem  stones,  agriculture,  horticulture,  education, 
etc.,  etc.  North  Carolina  has  long  been  known  as  a  State  rich  in  economic 
products,  and  this  lx)ok  will  do  much  to  extend  the  knowledge  of  these  pro- 
ducts. The  flora  is  especially  rich  in  medicinal  plants,  and  the  supply  of  many 
native  vegetable  drugs  has  for  years  come  from  this  State.  The  Welsl)ach  and 
other  incandescent  lamps  are  dependent  on  the  supply  of  monazite  from 
McDowell  and  adjoining  counties. 

Hiltmore,  the  famous  estate  of  the  Vanderbilts,  receives  careful  consideration 
in  this  book,  and  it  is  shown  to  be  a  superior  educator  in  agricultural  matters 
to  the  farmers  of  the  State. 

I/eaving  the  mountainous  districts,  as  we  approach  the  coast  we  find  the 
turpentine  industry  of  great  importance.  The  annual  value  of  the  resinous 
products  sold  from  the  State  aggregates  over  |i, 500 ,000,  being,  in  fact, 
about  one-third  of  the  entire  product  of  these  commodities  in  the  world. 
On  the  coast  the  fish  industry  is  of  considerable  magnitude.  On  reading 
this  book  one  is  almost  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  North  Carolina  is  able  to 
produce,  within  her  boundaries,  everything  necessary  for  the  comfort  and 
well-being  of  the  human  race,  and  therefore  is  capable  of  being  a  small  world 
within  herself. 


2  20 


,-,        •  ( A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 

Kevieivs,  \      April,  1897 


DIE  Fabrication  der  Kunsti.ichen  Minerawasser  und  anderer 
Moi-ssiRKXDER  Getranke.  Voii  Dr.  B.  Hirsch  uud  Dr.  P.  Siedler.  Dritte 
ueu-bearbeitete  Auflage.  Druck  uud  Verlag  vou  Friedrich  Vieweg  uud  Sohn, 
Braunschweig.      1S97. 

The  whole  subject  of  miueral  waters  is  comprehensively  treated  under  the 
following  titles  :  A,  Mineral  waters  in  general  ;  B,  half-natural  mineral  waters  ; 
C  artificial  mineral  waters  ;  D,  mineral-water  ingredients  ;  E,  apparatus  ;  F, 
preparation  of  mineral  waters  ;  G,  calculation  of  analyses  ;  H,  artificial  medi- 
cinal waters  not  occurring  in  nature  ;  7,  testing  of  artificial  mineral  waters  ;  K, 
beverages  ;  L,  laws,  etc.  In  the  first  chapter  the  general  subject  is  concisely 
and  iuterestiuglv  stated.  The  half-natural  mineral  waters  are  those  which,  on 
account  of  their'agreeable  taste,  are  desirable  for  table  waters,  but  it  is  found 
necessary  to  fortify  them  by  a  further  proportion  of  carbon  dioxide,  and,  in 
some  cases,  also  by  the  addition  of  common  salt. 

Much  valuable  information  is  given  concerning  the  composition  of  natural 
mineral  waters,  and  how  the  various  acids  and  bases  are  combined  with  one 
another.  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  many  of  these  bases  and  acids  do 
not  ordinarily  occur  together  in  solution,  but  that  their  presence  in  the  same 
mineral  waters  is  made  possible  by  carbon  dioxide,  and,  in  some  cases,  heat 
and  pressure. 

That  portion  of  the  book  devoted  to  mineral  water  apparatus  and  the  prep- 
aration of  artificial  waters  is  very  full.  Much  of  the  apparatus  is  figured  in 
the  beautiful  manner  of  Vieweg  &  Son,  and  for  which  they  have  a  world-wide 

reputation. 

The  manufacture  of  carbonated  waters  is  described  in  detail  and  fully  illus- 
trated. The  manufacturer,  chemist  and  pharmacist  will  all  find  this  book  one 
of  value. 

The  Year-Book  of  Treatment  for  1897.  A  critical  review  for  practi- 
tioners of  medicine  and  surgery.  Lea  Brothers  &  Co. ,  Philadelphia  and  New 
York,   1S97. 

The  thirteenth  issue  of  the  "  Year-Book  of  Treatment  "  has  appeared,  with 
but  few  changes  in  the  staff"  of  contributors.  Every  branch  of  medicine  has 
received  careful  attention  in  this  summary.  The  conclusions  regarding 
antitoxine  are  quite  full,  and  the  weight  of  evidence  in  favor  of  it  as  a  remedial 
agent  is  overwhelmingly  in  the  affirmative.  The  chapter  on  therapeutics  of  the 
year  is  chiefly  in  reference  to  new  remedies,  and  contains  much  information  of 
especial  value  to  pharmacists. 

AnnuaIv  of  the  Medical  Sciences  and  Analytical  Index.  A  yearly 
report  of  the  progress  of  the  general  sanitary  sciences  throughout  the  world. 
Tvdited  by  Charles  E.  Sajous,  M.D.,  Paris,  and  seventy  associate  editors.  Five 
volumes.  The  V.  A.  Davis  Company,  publishers,  Philadelphia,  New  York  and 
Chicago. 

The  editor  states  in  the  preface  to  Volume  I  that  his  aim  has  been  to  add  to 
the  practical  value  possessed  by  the  previous  issues.  From  a  general  examin- 
ation of  the  work,  we  can  say  that  he  has  fully  accomplished  his  purpose. 

Rapport  dk  Mis.sion  a  la  Martinique  ET  a  Guyane.  Par  Emmanuel 
Gcoffroy.     Macon,  France,  1897. 


J 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. )  Revitin C  ->  ->  i 

April,  1897.        /  ixiuuiv:^.  221 

On  account  of  the  death  of  the  author,  the  introduction  to  this  report  was 
written  by  Dr.  E.  Heckel,  who  clearly  sets  forth  the  object  of  the  journey  of 
exploration  to  Martinique  and  French  Guiana  ;  this  object  was  to  find,  if  possible, 
in  the  French  colonies,  trees  yielding  caoutchouc  or  other  substance  that 
would  take  its  place,  and  to  determine  if  the  Araucarias  of  Brazil  were  to  be 
found  in  French  Guiana.  The  author  himself  answered  these  questions  in  his 
conclusions,  by  stating  that  the  search  for  the  forests  of  Araucarias  was  com- 
pletely fruitless,  and  he  did  not  believe  they  existed  in  that  colony,  as  they  are 
ver)-  conspicuous  trees,  and  could  not  have  escaped  the  observations  of  Aublet, 
Guisan  and  others.  On  the  other  hand,  the  trees  yielding  milky  juice  coagu- 
lable  by  alcohol,  the  Balatas,  were  found  in  great  abundance.  They  were,  how- 
ever, in  difficultly  accessible  regions,  covered  by  water  for  two-thirds  of  the  year. 
The  most  favorable  time  for  collecting  the  product  was  thought  to  be  the  com- 
paratively short  season  while  the  ground  was  dry. 

Les  Plantes  Medicinales  et  ToxiguES  DE  LA  GuYANE  Fran^aise.  Par 
le  Dr.  Kdouard  Heckel.     Macon,  1897. 

The  I-'rench  nation  is  giving  more  attention  than  formerly  to  its  colonies  and 
their  products  :  and  this  volume  of  ninety-three  pages  is  evidence  of  an  effort 
to  render  available  the  medicinal  plants  of  French  Guiana. 

The  descriptions  of  the  various  plants  are  arranged  alphabetically,  each 
having  one  or  more  common  names,  followed  by  the  botanical  name,  natural 
order,  part  employed,  its  use  and  method  of  administration.  Among  those 
described  are  to  be  found  some  well-known  representatives  of  our  own  materia 
medica,  as  for  example,  Phytolacca  decandra  and  Ricinus  communis ;  the 
former  is  given  as  an  introduced  plant. 

No  one  interested  in  the  science  of  applied  botany  can  read  this  contribution 
without  being  greatly  benefited  thereby,  and  the  author,  who  has  published  it 
with  the  sole  object  of  rendering  some  service  to  this  branch  of  science  deserves 
the  gratitude  of  many  outside  of  his  own  country. 

Digest  of  Criticisms  on  the  United  States  Pharmacopckia.  Seventh 
decennial  revision  (1890).  Published  by  the  Committee.  Part  I,  pp.  183. 
New  York,  1897. 

The  Committee  has  again  been  fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of  Mr.  Hans 
M.  Wilder  in  compiling  this  Digest.  It  is  a  valuable  summary  of  nearly  all 
the  papers  on  the  preparations  of  the  Phannacopci.*ia  to  July  i,  1S96.  The  book 
is  not  for  sale,  but  copies  may  be  obtained  by  remitting  seven  cents  in  postage 
stamps  to  Dr.  Charles  Rice,  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York. 

A  Rkcaixii.ation  of  the  Atomic  Weioiits.  By  I'rank  Wigjik-sworth 
Clarke.  New  edition,  revised  and  enlarged.  Published  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  1897. 

The  first  edition  of  this  work  was  j)ublishe<i  in  1882.  Since  then,  new  matter 
has  been  constantly  accumulating,  and  the  result  in  most  cases  has  been  a 
slight  lowering  of  the  figures  representing  the  atomic  weights  of  the  elements. 
Clarke's  figures  are  in  nearly  every  case  lower  than  those  of  Meyer  and  Seul^erl, 
which  was  published  in  the  I'.S.P.  1890.  With  hydrogen  as  1,000,  oxygen  is 
given  as  1588. 


222  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  \^^' p^^x\\ml^' 

CoNTRim-TION     II    TO    THE    COASTAL    AND     PLAIN    FLORA     OF     YUCATAN. 

Hy  Charles  Frederick  Millspaugh,  M.D.  Field  Columbian  Museum,  publica- 
tion 15.     Botanical  series,  Vol.  i,  No.  3.     Chicago,  December,  1896. 

This  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  botanical  knowledge  of  the  almost 
unknown  country  of  which  it  treats. 

Proceedings  ok  the  Fifteenth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Virginia 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  held  at  Hampton,  Va.,  July  21  to  23,  1896. 

Several  interesting  papers  add  to  the  value  of  these  proceedings.  One  paper, 
bv  Geo.  R.  Barksdale,  is  devoted  to  a  description  of  a  new  form  of  percolator, 
to  which  a  stirrer  is  attached. 

Complete  Price  List  and  Catalogue  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  Detroit, 
Mich.,  1897. 

MI^JUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

Philadelphia,  March  17,  1897. 

The  sixth  of  the  present  series  of  Pharmaceutical  Meetings  was  held  in  the 
College  Museum  at  3.30  P.M.  J.  W.  England  presided.  The  minutes  of  the 
last  meeting  were  allowed  to  stand  as  published. 

The  chairman  called  for  the  presentation  of  specimens  and  the  following 
were  exhibited  :  A  sample  of  'the  matrix  of  the  diamond,  which  is  a  kind  of 
blue  clay,  from  Kimberly  Mine,  South  Africa,  presented  by  Mr.  Chas.  Bullock  ; 
and  two  photographs,  one  of  two  beech  trees  which  had  grown  together  in 
several  places,  and  the  other  of  a  birch  tree,  which  was  17  feet  in  circumference, 
4  feet  from  the  ground.  The  trees  grew  in  Sullivan  County,  Pa.,  and  the  photo- 
graphs were  presented  by  Mr.  Chas.  H.  LaWall. 

The  first  paper,  which  was  on  the  subject  of  "  Parthenium  Hysterophorous," 
by  Dr.  H.  V.  Arny,  was  read  by  Professor  Trimble  (see  p.  169).  The  active 
principle,  or  principles,  of  this  plant  have  heretofore  generally  been  regarded 
as  an  alkaloid  by  investigators.  However,  an  examination  of  the  plant,  in  1889 
by  the  author,  gave  no  evidences  of  an  alkaloid,  but  a  substance  was  isolated 
which  was  then  believed  to  be  a  glucoside.  It  was,  therefore,  with  a  view  of 
clearing  up  the  chemistry  of  the  bitter  principle  of  the  plant  that  the  present 
investigation  was  undertaken. 

The  second  paper  presented  was  on  a  '*  Proximate  Analysis  of  Orris  Root," 
by  S.  Allen  Tucker  (see  p.  199).  This  analysis  was  undertaken  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  the  effects  of  solvents  on  orris  root,  as  it  was  believed  that  such 
knowledge  would  be  found  of  service  in  determining  the  percentage  of  this 
root  in  tooth  powders  and  like  preparations.  An  interesting  result  of  the 
analysis  was  the  large  amount  of  starch  which  was  i6"85  per  cent. 

A  paper  entitled  "A  Brief  R6sum^.  of  Acetic  Anhydride  in  Oil  Analysis, 
and  a  Modification  of  the  Method  for  Estimating  Menthol  in  Oil  of  Pepper- 
mint" was  read  by  Lyman  F.  Kebler  (see  p.  189).  The  author  referred  to 
the  difficulties  which  have  attended  the  examination  of  essential  oils,  but  said 
that  methods  are  being  established  which  will  render  their  analysis  quite  easy. 
Among  other  factors  to  be  considered,  he  emphasized  the  importance  of  the 
boiling  point. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharoj. 
April.  1897. 


Pharmacejitical  Meeting. 


223 


uscocs  roRMAiaeiYoc 

£^<J«ZSHB)E 


Replying  to  an  inquiry  in  reference  to  the  production  of  the  esters  of  essen- 
tial oils,  Professor  Sadtler  referred  to  a  recent  report  of  Schimmel  and  Co.  on 
this  subject,  and  mentioned  some  of  the  compound  ethers  which  are  being 
sold  in  concentrated  form  by  that  firm, 

"Some  Observations  on  Acacia 
of  Commerce  "  was  the  subject  of  a 
contribution  by  J.  Henry  Schroe- 
der  (see  p.  195).  The  chairman  re- 
marked upon  the  great  change  in 
the  character  of  acacia,  and  said 
that  it  did  not  possess  the  ad- 
hesiveness that  it  formerly  had. 

Professor  Ryan  said  that  twenty 
years  ago  no  gum  but  that  of  Acacia 
Senegal  was  sold,  while  the  pres- 
ent supply  is  obtained  from  a  va- 
riety of  sources,  and  as  a  result 
much  of  it  is  of  inferior  quality. 
He  advised  care  in  buying  the 
powdered  or  granulated  gum,  and 
said  that  he  had  examined  a  sam- 
ple of  powder  which  contained  40 
per  cent,  of  starch. 

Messrs.  Boring  and  Procter  also 
remarked  on  the  unsatisfactory 
quality  of  the  drug. 

The  last  paper  on  the  pro- 
gramme was  read  by  Harry  Matu- 
sow,  the  subject  being  *•  Marru- 
biin  and  its  Chlorine  Derivative" 
(see  p.  201 ).  This  paper  gave  evi- 
dence of  much  careful  work  on  the 
part  of  its  author,  and  the  import- 
ance of  the  study  and  classification 
of  the  active  constituents  of  vari- 
ous plants  cannot  be  overesti- 
mated. 

At  the  close  of  the  consideration 
of  the  papers,  a  lamp,  which  was 
presented  ))y  Messrs.  I'll  Lilly  & 
Co.,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and 
which  is  known  as  the  Moffatt 
I'ormaldehyde  (".cnerator,  was  cx- 
liibited.  Professor  Trimble  de- 
scribed the  method  of  using  it,  and 
its  general  coiislrurtion  is  illustrated  by  the  accompanying  drawing.  The 
device  is  recommcndeil  for  disinfecting  purposes,  its  usefulness  in  this  respect 
Ijeing  due  to  the  conversion  of  methyl  alcohol  into  formaldehyde  gas.  The 
amount  of  gas  generated  from  one  pint  of  alcohol  is  said  to  effectually  disin- 


Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 


224  Notes  and  News.— Obituary.  {""^vrixSm. 

feet   a  capacity  of  3,000  cubic  feet.      A  photograph  of  a  battery   of  twelve 

generators  was  also  exhibited.     The  generators  are   all  connected  with  one 

large  reservoir  for  containing  the  alcohol,  and  this  form  of  the  apparatus  may 

be  used  for  the  disinfection  of  large  spaces. 

An  expression  of  thanks  was  voted  Messrs.  Bli  Lilly  &  Co.  for  their  present, 

and  those  who  furnished  papers. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

Thos.  S.  WieGand, 

Registrar. 

NOTES  AND  NEWS. 

Wild  Garlic. —SXywvcQ.  vineale  is  the  most  injurious  weed  at  the  present  time 
in  the  INIiddle  Atlantic  States.  From  Pennsylvania  to  South  Carolina  and 
Tennessee,  it  is  known  to  townspeople  as  disfiguring  lawns  ;  to  farmers  and 
millers  as  a  pest  in  wheat,  and  to  dairymen  and  their  customers  as  ruining 
dairy  products  when  eaten  by  cows  in  the  pastures.  It  is  not  native  in  this 
country,  but  was  introduced  at  an  early  date  from  the  Old  World.  One  of  the 
earliest  authentic  records  of  its  presence  in  America  is  contained  in  Pursh's 
American  Flora,  published  in  1814,  in  which  it  is  said  to  be  "in  old  fields  ; 
common." — Circular  No.  p,  U^iited  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Divisiofi 
of  Botany. 

Sandahvood  oil  should  not  have  a  specific  gravity  less  than  0*975  at  15°,  and 
it  should  dissolve  in  5  parts  of  alcohol  of  70  per  cent,  by  volume.  The  follow- 
ing process  for  its  examination  has  been  devised  by  A.  J.  Hendrix  {four,  de 
Pharm.  et  de  Chim.  [6]  4,  499)  :  Weigh  into  a  flask  of  10  c.c.  capacity  2 
grammes  of  a  solution  of  3  parts  crystallized  phenol  in  i  part  of  alcohol,  add 
o"5  gramme  of  the  oil  and  mix  perfectly.  Add  0*5  gramme-  concentrated 
hydrochloric  acid  without  shaking.  At  the  intersection  of  the  liquids  there  is 
formed  in  pure  sandalwood  oil  a  yellow  coloration,  changing  to  a  bright  red  in 
a  few  minutes.  With  oil  of  copaiba  the  upper  quickly  becomes  mauve -colored. 
With  oil  of  cedar  the  upper  liquid  becomes  cloudy,  and  a  brownish  color  is 
developed  at  the  intersection. 


OBITUARY. 


William  Kline  Mattern,  M.D.,  Ph.C,  died  suddenly  April  16,  1896,  at  the 
Coroner's  private  office,  No.  632  Chestnut  Street,  this  city.  Death  was  caused 
by  rupture  of  the  pulmonary  artery  as  a  result  of  blood-poisoning. 

Dr.  Mattern  was  in  the  forty -ninth  year  of  his  age,  having  been  born  at  Here- 
ford, Jvehigh  County,  Pa.,  August  5,  1847. 

He  came  to  this  city  in  1870,  and  graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy  in  1874.  Since  1886  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  retail  drug  business 
at  2602  (iermantown  Avenue. 

After  having  taken  a  course  at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  he  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1882.  Dr.  Mattern  was  officially  connected 
with  the  Twenty-eighth  Sectional  School  Board  for  several  years,  and,  in  1895, 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

In  1892  he  received  the  appointment  of  Coroner's  Physician,  which  position 
he  had  held  since  that  time. 


\_/2^^^^^^-t:^:^t^---^:^-*r  c:^^^^^^ 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


MA]\  i8gj. 


MEMOIR  OF  ROBERT  SHOEMAKER. 

Robert  Shoemaker  deceased  on  the  17th  day  of  December.  1896, 
at  his  residence,  1 736  Green  Street,  in  this  city,  at  the  age  of  80  years. 

Notwithstanding^  the  bodily  infirmities  which  attend  advanced 
aj^e,  he  continued  his  attention  to  business  until  November,  when 
serious  illness  obliged  him  to  retire.  He  was  the  oldest  druggist  in 
Philadelphia  who  continued  actively  in  business  up  to  the  time  of 
his  decease. 

The  ancestors  of  Robert  Shoemaker  came  from  Kriegsheim,a  vil- 
lage on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine,  about  eight  miles  from  the 
town  of  Worms.  The  family  name  was  Schumacher,  anglicized  to 
Shoemaker  after  their  arrival  in  America. 

In  1677  William  Penn  visited  Kriegsheim,  attracted  by  the  rclig- 
ous  persecution  of  Dissenters,  whose  religious  views  were  somewhat 
in  accord  with  those  of  the  Friends,  or  Quakers  as  they  were  then 
called. 

Penn  tendered  to  them  an  invitation  to  join  his  colony  in  Pennsyl- 
vania.     In  1683  a  part   of  the   family  emigrated,  and  were  followed 
by  others  in  the  next  three  years.     They  settled   near  Philadelphia 
in  the  locality  known  as  Germantown.and  their  names  are  associated 
with  the  early  history  of  Germantown  and  the  adjacent  districts. 

Robert  Shoemaker  was  the  son  of  Richard  M.  and  Sarah  Shoe- 
maker. His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarali  Clever.  He  was 
born  in  Shoemakertown,  Montgomery  County,  Pa.,  February  2. 
1817  ;  his  father  conducted  a  country  store  at  that  place.  His  early 
education  was  acquired  at  Abington  school,  and  at  the  school  of 
Solomon  Jones,  in  Cheltenham  township. 

(225) 


Am.  .Tour.  Pharm, 


226  Memoir  of  Robert  Shoemaker.         {"""^-^^^l-xm: 

In  1 83 1  Robert  was  apprenticed  to  William  Scattergood,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  to  learn  the  drug  business.  Many  of 
the  prominent  apothecaries  of  this  city  were,  at  that  period,  mem- 
bers of  this  religious  society. 

The  store  of  Wm.  Scattergood  was  at  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Green  Streets,  Philadelphia. 

Tiie  aptitude  and  ability  of  the  young  apprentice  was  shown  by 
his  purchase  of  the  store  in  1*837,  when  only  twenty  years  of  age. 

In  1837  Robert  commenced  the  preparation  of  the  plasters  of  the 
U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.  While  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  plasters, 
his  attention  was  directed  by  the  late  Prof.  William  Procter  to  the 
value  of  the  residuum  liquid  which  had  been  allowed  to  run  to  waste. 
By  his  request  and  advice  he  prepared  for  him  some  glycerine  from 
this  waste  liquor,  which  was  presented  by  Prof.  Procter  as  the  first 
glycerine  made  in  this  city,  if  not  in  America  (1846). 

Glycerine  had  not  then  come  into  use,  medicinally  or  in  the  arts, 
and  there  was  no  demand  for  it.  In  1848  the  French  medical  jour- 
nals called  attention  to  its  use  in  pulmonary  complaints.  This  notice 
of  its  use  created  a  demand  among  the  medical  profession,  and  in 

1848  Mr.  Shoemaker  made  the  first  glycerine  that  was  sold  in  this 
market ;  the  quantity  was  small  and  the  price  was  ^^4.00  per  pound. 
The  entire  product  sold  in  1848  was  15  pounds.  As  the  demand  in- 
creased, importation  of  glycerine  commenced,  and  the  price  fell.    In 

1849  Mr.  Shoemaker  made  about  200  pounds,  the  price  averaging 
about  $2.70  per  pound.^ 

In  1852  his  brother,  l^enjamin  H.  Shoemaker,  was  taken  into 
partnership  with  him,  A  specialty  of  the  firm  was  the  manufacture 
of  spread  plasters,  which  acquired  a  high  reputation  in  the  trade ; 
they  were  the  first  in  this  city  to  engage  in  this  specialty.  Adhesive 
plasters,  spread  on  muslin,  had  been  in  use  many  years,  but  the 
apothecary  had  been  obliged  to  spread  all  other  plasters  on  sheep- 
skin, as  the  occasion  required. 

During  his  apprenticeship  Robert  Shoemaker  was  denied  the 
advantages  of  attending  the  instruction  given  by  the  College  of 
Pharmacy. 

The  lecture  course  was  in  the  evenings,  generally  the  most  busy 
time  with  the  apothecary.  He  was  obliged  to  make  good,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  loss  of  this  opportunity  by  self-instruction,  and  in  con- 


'  All  interesting  paper,  by  Mr.  Shoemaker,  on  this  subject  will  be  found  in 
the  American  Journai,  of  Pharm-acy,  June,  1879. 


"""•May'iSj*""'}         Memoir  of  Robert  Shoemaker.  227 

sequence  was  not  a  graduate  of  the  Collefre,  a  circumstance  which  he 
often  spoke  of  with  regret. 

After  entering  into  business  on  his  own  account,  he  became  a 
member  of  the  College,  and  was  made  a  member  of  its  Board  of 
Trustees  March  27,  1843,  and  first  vice-president  1869,  continuing 
in  that  office  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  1S94  the  degree  of 
Master  in  Pharmacy  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  College. 

After  conducting  business  for  nearly  twenty  years  at  Second  and 
Green  Streets,  the  firm  removed,  in  1856,  to  Fourth  and  Race 
Streets,  and  greatly  enlarged  their  business. 

In  1864  two  sons  of  Robert,  Wm.  M.  and  Richard  M.,  were  taken 
into  partnership.  In  Januar)%  1866,  Benjamin  H.  Shoemaker  with- 
drew from  the  firm,  and,  taking  an  adjoining  store,  gave  his  atten- 
tion exclusively  to  plate  and  window  glass,  a  branch  of  the  business 
whith  had  grown  to  such  large  proportions  as  to  make  its  separa- 
tion from  the  drug  business  of  the  firm  desirable.  The  firm  now 
consists  of  Richard  M.,  Thomas  E.  and  Benjamin  H.  Shoemaker,  jr. 

His  experience  in  business  convinced  Robert  Shoemaker  of  the 
advantage  to  be  derived  from  a  meeting  of  those  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  drug  and  manufacturing  business,  and  on  January  22, 
1861,  he  signed  the  call  for  such  a  meeting,  which  eventuated  in 
the  founding  of  the  Drug  F^xchange  of  Philadeljjhia. 

He  was  president  of  this  body  from  1867  to  1870,  and  in  1890 
was  made  an  honorary  member,  in  recognition  of  his  valuable 
services. 

He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Consolidation  Bank,  and 
one  of  its  directors  from  the  time  of  its  founding. 

For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Fire  Insurance  Associa- 
tion of  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  Delaware  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company. 

After  the  failure  of  Jay  Cooke,  in  1873,  he  was  appointed  one  of 
the  trustees  for  the  settlement  of  their  affairs. 

He  took  great  interest  in  public  school  education,  was  a  director 
in  the  Cheltenham  District,  Montgomery  County,  for  over  fifteen 
years,  giving  active  service  in  every  detail  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
of  the  scholars  and  teachers,  the  school  at  Shoemakertown  being 
named  after  him. 

Robert  Shoemaker  was  married  to  hlizabcth  Moore,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  William  Moore,  of  Philadelphia,  November  25,  1837. 


/^    J  •        /I     -J  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

228  Gelseniic  Acid.  \      May,  1897. 

She  died  February  26,  1857,  leaving  the  following  children: 
William  M..  Richard  M.,  Sarah  C,  Joseph  M.,  Thomas  E.  and  Ben- 
jamin H.  Shoemaker,  Jr. 

He  was  again  married  to  Ann  Summers,  of  Alexandria,  Va.,  to 
whom  were  born  the  following  children  :  James,  Roberta,  Mary  and 
Ellis  C.  Shoemaker,  and  who  survive  him. 

Robert  Shoemaker  was  a  representative  man  in  the  drug  trade  of 
Philadelphia;  conservative,  yet  progressive,  he  conducted  business 
for  sixty  years  with  skill  and  good  judgment,  and  with  a  conscien- 
tious regard  to  its  close  connection  with  the  public  welfare. 

The  sharp  competition  in  trade  in  his  latter  years  did  not  disturb 
his  broad  views  of  honorable  business  methods. 

The  benefit  of  his  long  experience  and  good  judgment  was  often 
sought  for  by  younger  men,  and  the  kindly  manner  in  which  he 
received  such  applicants  gained  for  him  their  confidence  and  respect. 

As  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  congregation  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Chelten  Hills,  near  which 
he  resided  for  many  years.  For  a  long  time  he  was  accounting 
warden  of  the  church,  and  continued  as  such  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  In  the  ground  adjoining  this  church  his  mortal  remains 
were  consigned  to  rest. 

A  life  extending  to  four  score  years  may  not  be  marked  by  great 
events;  but  measured  by  the  quiet  and  steady  pursuit  of  duties  well 
performed,  and  with  a  just  regard  of  the  interests  of  his  fellow-men, 
and  continuing  to  the  end  of  his  sojourn  here,  erects  a  monument 
to  his  memory  in  the  esteem  and  affection  of  all  who  knew  him. 

C.  B. 

GELSEMIC  ACID. 
By  Virgil  Coblentz. 

The  following  notes  are  intended  to  serve  as  a  preliminary  notice 
concerning  investigations  on  the  above  subject,  which  have  been 
carried  on  at  intervals  for  some  years. 

The  subject  was  taken  up  at  the  suggestion  of  Professor  Lloyd, 
who  al.so  kindly  supplied  the  author  with  about  50  grammes  of  an 
unusually  fine  crystalline  sample  of  undoubted  purity. 

This  principle  was  first  isolated  by  Professor  Maisch  in  1869,  named 
and  fully  described  by  Professor  Wormley  in  1870.  Professor  Worm- 
ley,  in  his  investigation,  simply  restricted  himself  to  applying  various 


^'^MayViS;^''"''}  Gelscmic  Acid.  229 

color  tests  for  the  purpose  of  identifying:;  the  principle  from  the 
standpoint  of  a  toxicologist. 

Dr.  Chas.  Robbins,  in  his  work  on  "  Ueber  die  wesentlichen 
Bestandtheile  von  Gelsemium  sempervirens "  (1876),  published 
analyses  and  claimed  that  this  so-called  gelsemic  acid  of  VVormley 
was  not  a  distinctive  new  principle,  but  simply  a,*sculin.  This 
assumption  was  later  contradicted  by  Wormley  (Am.  Jour.  Phak., 
1872). 

At  present,  attention  will  be  directed  to  Dr.  Robbins'  analyses  of 
this  substance,  but  two  having  been  made,  the  results  being  as 
follows : 

(I)  C  =  5204  percent.  H  :=  5  189  per  cent. 

(II)  C=  51-82       "  H  =  4-9S 

Dr.  Robbins  carried  on  his  combustions  in  a  s'mple  bayonet  tube 
with  copper  oxide,  as  was  customary  at  that  time.  This  being  the 
case,  the  author  questions  the  value  of  the  analyses  and  formula 
deducted  therefrom,  even  though  the  figures  correspond  within  a 
reasonably  close  limit. 

Gelsemic  acid  is  one  of  those  few  organic  substances  which,  upon 
heating  with  copper  oxide  or  any  oxidizing  agent,  gives  up  only  a 
portion  of  its  carbon  as  carbonic  oxide,  the  rest  separating  as  a 
graphitic-like  deposit  on  the  sides  of  the  combustion-tube,  which 
cannot  be  removed  even  at  the  highest  possible  temperature.  Some 
twenty  combustions  of  gelsemic  acid  were  made  after  various 
methods;  in  several  instances  two  of  these  corresponded  closely,  but 
subsequent  results  did  not  justify  that  any  reliance  should  be  placed 
upon  them.  The  various  methods  employed  were :  first,  combus- 
tion with  copper  oxide  in  a  bayonet  tube;  second,  with  copper 
oxide  in  an  open  tube  with  a  current  of  oxygen;  in  the  third 
method  of  combustion,  lead  chromate  was  employed  ;  the  fourth 
method  attempted  consisted  in  mixing  the  gelsemic  acid  with 
powdered  fused  potassium  bichromate  in  a  platinum  boat,  and 
then  burning  in  an  open  tube  with  copper  oxide  in  a  current  of 
oxygen. 

In  each  of  the  above  cases  every  possible  device  was  attempted 
to  avoid  the  separation  of  carbon  in  the  tube,  but  without  success. 
Finally,  the  well-known  method  of  wet  combustion  with  a  mixture 
of  chromic  anhydride  and  sulphuric  acid  was  attempted,  a  number 


230 


Ge hemic  Acid. 


(  .A.m.Jour.  Pharm. 
I         Ma> ,  1897. 


of  analyses  beinsr  made  with  no  better  success  than  before.  A 
description  of  this  latter  method  with  apparatus  is  given  here,  since 
it  has  answered  admirably  in  the  analyses  of  various  derivatives  of 
gelsemic  acid. 

In  the  combination  flask  (Fto^,  i)  from  lo  to  20  grammes  of  chro- 
mic anhydride  are  introduced,  followed  by  the  gelsemic  acid  which 
has  been  accurately  weighed  off  in  a  small  thin  glass  tube,  this  is 
placed  in  a  nearly  upright  position  in  the  flask,  in  order  to  avoid 
contact  with  the  CrOg  before  the  proper  time.  After  securing  all 
the  joints  of  the  apparatus,  a  slow  current  of  pure  oxygen  gas  is 
passed  through  the  entire  apparatus  until  practically  all  of  the  air 
has  been  removed,  after  which  the  current  is  regulated  to  about  20 


Pe.Oa. 


O      ^ 


"■^ 
w^ 


Fig.  t. 

bubbles  a  minute,  which  is  continued  throughout  the  entire  combus- 
tion, unless  the  reaction  becomes  violent,  when  the  current  should 
be  temporarily  closed.  By  slightly  shaking  the  flash  the  gelsemic 
acid  is  caused  to  spill  out,  and  is  distributed  through  the  chromic 
oxide,  then  the  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  which  is  contained  in 
the  separation  funnel  is  allowed  to  trickle  over  the  mixture  very 
slowly,  regulating  the  flow  according  to  the  energy  of  the  reaction. 
Finally,  when  the  reaction  is  over,  sufficient  acid  is  added  to  make 
a  bulk  of  about  20  to  30  c.c.  The  flask  and  contents  are  then  cau- 
tiously heated,  increasing  gradually  till  just  short  of  boiling  tem- 
perature, which  is  kept  up  for  a  period  of  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes. 
The  gases  given  off  pass  up  through  a  well-cooled  condenser  into  a 
tube  which  is  filled  with  spun  glass,  well  covered  with  lead  peroxide, 


^"-May'ia!^^"}  Gelsemic  Acid.  231 

which  serves  to  retain  any  sulphur  dioxide  which  is  carried  over 
with  the  mixed  oxygen  and  carbonic  oxide.  After  passing  this  tube, 
and  before  the  latter  is  absorbed  by  the  potash  bulb,  the  gases  are 
dried  by  passing  through  two  calcium  chloride  tubes.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  note  that  in  carrying  out  an  analysis  by  this  method, 
the  greatest  of  care  must  be  exercised  in  regulating  the  current  to 
as  slow  a  degree  as  possible.  The  analysis  of  acetyl  and  bromo 
derivatives  of  gelsemic  acid  by  this  method  gave  very  close  concord- 
ant results,  whereas,  as  already  mentioned,  no  reliable  data  could  be 
obtained  from  the  mother  substance,  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  small 
portion  of  the  carbon  escapes  combustion. 

The  complete  analyses  of  the  acetyl  and  brom  gelsemic  acid  are 
not  given  here,  as  the  author  desires  to  complete  some  molecular 
weight  determinations  before  assigning  a  definite  formula.  In  this 
connection  attention  is  called  to  the  differences  in  the  melting-points 
of  gelsemic  acid,  and  some  of  its  derivations,  and  the  same  of 
icsculin: 

Melting-point  of  gelsemic  acid  is  between  .  ...  .  206  and  205*5^  C. 
"  "  iL-sculiu  is 160°  C. 

"  acetyl  gels,  acid  is iSo°  C. 

"  '*        **      iesculin  is .    .  130-  C. 

"  "  bromo  gels,  acid  is  250^  C. 

"        *'       cesculin  is   .    .  .    .  193-195^  C. 

Gelsemic  acid  readily  neutralizes  solutions  of  sodium  and  potas- 
sium hydrate,  but  fails  to  yield  any  definite  crystalline  salts.  Vari- 
ous attempts  were  made  to  prepare  salts  with  barium  and  magne- 
sium with  no  success. 

Attention  is  here  directed  to  a  peculiarity  of  the  potassium  gel- 
semium  mixture,  which,  upon  heating  or  igniting,  becomes  very 
voluminous,  exhibiting  the  same  phenomena  as  the  *•  Pliaroah's 
Serpent,"  which  results  on  heating  the  sulphocyanate  of  mer- 
cury. 

From  the  various  data  obtained  in  the  course  of  my  investiga- 
tions, I  hope,  at  a  near  future  date,  to  be  able  to  shed  some  light 
upon  the  constitution  of  this  interesting  substance,  as  well  as  to 
prove  my  surmise  that  gelsemic  acid  is  a  principle  distinct  from 
arsculin. 

New  York,  April  20,  1.S97. 


232  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate.         { '"'•.Aia^y'is^T."'"- 

CONSIDERATION  OF  SOME  RECENT  SUGGESTIONS 

CONCERNING  OINTMENT  OF  MERCURIC 

NITRATE. 

Bv  Charlies  H.  La  Wali.. 

The  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  of  February  27,  1897,  page  172, 
contained  an  article  by  P.  W.  Squire,  upon  the  processes  now  offi- 
cial for  the  preparation  of  ointment  of  mercuric  nitrate,  commonly 
called  citrine  ointment. 

Mr.  Squire's  experiments  were  mainly  devoted  to  the  considera- 
tion of  the  differences  now  existing  between  the  quantities  and 
manipulations  directed  by  the  U.S.P.  and  B.P. 

While  he  slightly  favored  the  use  of  a  combination  of  lard  and 
olive  oil  (as  is  authorized  in  the  B.P.)  instead  of  lard  oil  (directed  by 
the  U.S.P.),  Mr.  Squire  acknowledged  the  superiority  of  our  process 
in  previously  acting  on  the  fatty  base  with  a  portion  of  the  nitric 
acid,  instead  of  adding  the  mercury  dissolved  in  the  whole  quantity 
of  nitric  acid,  as  the  B.P.  directs.  His  observations  on  the  varia 
tions  produced  by  the  influence  of  different  temperatures  show  the 
necessity  of  guarding  against  over-heating  the  compound  after  the 
addition  of  the  mercuric  nitrate  solution. 

In  commenting  upon  Mr.  Squire's  paper  in  the  last  number  of 
The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  (Vol  69,  p.  209),  Mr.  J.  W. 
England  suggests  some  improvements  on  the  present  officinal  pro- 
cess, which  are  offered  for  trial  and  discussion. 

Mr.  England's  improvements  consist  in  (i)  using  a  proportionate 
amount  of  red  oxide  of  mercury  in  place  of  the  metal ;  (2)  chang- 
ing the  temperature  to  which  the  mixture  should  be  permitted  to 
cool  before  adding  the  mercuric  nitrate  solution  ;  (3)  incorporating 
about  5  percent,  of  glycerin  with  the  finished  product  when  nearly 
cold. 

The  reasons  given  for  the  substitution  of  red  mercuric  oxide  for 
metallic  mercury  are:  (i)  because  small  quantities  of  the  oxide 
are  more  easily  weighed;  and  (2)  because  the  oxide  is  probably 
purer  than  the  commercial  mercury. 

There  are  altogether  six  official  preparations  in  which  metallic 
mercury  is  directed  by  the  U.S.R,  so  that  a  certain  amount  of 
dexterity  ought  to  be  acquired  in  the  weighing  of  this  elusive  sub- 
stance by  a  pharmacist  who  does  his  own  manufacturing.     As  to 


Am.jo^ur.pharm.j         Oiutmoit  of  Mcrciiric  Nitnitc.  233 

the  relative  purity  of  the  two  substances,  the  experience  of  a  lar^e 
manufacturing  establishment  shows  that  the  commercial  metallic 
mercury  is  of  far  f^reater  uniformity  and  purity  than  the  "  red 
oxide "  of  commerce.  Many  samples  of  the  red  mercuric  oxide 
have  been  encountered,  which  yielded  a  brownish  colored  nitric 
acid  solution  and  left  an  insoluble  residue  resemblin^^  brick-dust ;  so 
that  it  would  be  better  to  use  the  metallic  mercury  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  official  solution  of  mercuric  nitrate,  in  order  to  ensure  a 
satisfactory  product.  The  purity  of  commercial  mercury  was,  in  all 
cases  noticed,  very  good;  'in  purifying  156  pounds  only  y^ 
pound  of  impurity  was  obtained,  or  less  than  i/<  per  cent.  The 
use  of  the  red  oxide  of  mercury  was  suggested  first  in  i862\  and 
more  recently  in  1886,  by  R.  Rother,  who  "  finds  advantages  in  the 
use  of  mercuric  oxide  "  without  explaining  what  these  advantages 
are. 

The  suggestion  as  regards  temperature  is  one  of  great  importance, 
as  experience  has  shown  in  the  manufacture  of  a  total  of  hundreds 
of  pounds  by  the  process  outlined  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Pharm.xcv,  1894,  p.  523,  that  careful  observance  and  control  of 
temperature  is  essential  for  the  production  of  a  satisfactory  product. 
The  directions  might  be  supplemented  by  advising  the  maintenance 
of  the  temperature  at  60°  C.  until  all  reaction  ceases,  in  order  to 
obviate  the  development  of  the  spongy  condition  so  often  noticed 
in  this  product. 

The  addition  of  glycerin  may  be  advantageous  in  some  respects, 
but  in  the  formula  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Kngland,  the  addition  of  50 
grammes  of  glycerin  to  1,000  grammes  of  ointment  of  officinal 
strength,  reduces  the  percentage  of  mercuric  nitrate  below  that 
required  by  the  U.S. P.;  this,  however,  could  be  easily  remedied  by 
diminishing  the  quantity  of  lard  oil  by  50  grammes. 

It  is  well  for  those  who  have  difficulty  with  officinal  ])rocesses  to 
suggest  improvements  for  the  same ;  but  in  the  case  of  citrine  oint- 
ment, it  is  extremely  likely  that  those  who  fail  to  produce  a  satis- 
factory preparation  by  the  U.S.P.  process  would  not  succeed  with 
any  method. 

A  final  consideration,  not  to  be  altogether  ignored,  is  the  raising 
of  the  cost  of  manufacture  of  the  preparation,  which  would  happen 


*  Am.  Jour.  Piiar..  34,  p.  344. 


/-    7  •       ^  /  Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 

2:^1  (jClSejmUin.  \         May.lSg?. 

were  the  oxide  of  mercury  used  in  place  of  the  metal.     Calculations 
show  that  the  finished  product  would  cost  about  one  and  one-sixth 
times  as  much  as  it  does  by  the  present  process. 
305  Cherrv  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


GELSEMIUM. 

analysis  of  root,  rhizome  and  stem. 
By  L.  E.  Sayre. 

In  the  January  issue  of  this  journal,  af^ention  was  called  to  the  fact 
that  in  the  commercial  drug  gelsemium,  which  should  consist  of 
rhizome  and  root,  were  frequently  found  portions  of  the  stem  in 
varying  proportions.  It  was  stated  on  the  authority  of  Gerald 
McCarthy,  botanist  of  the  North  Carolina  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  that  the  stem  was  apparently  collected  and  used  ta 
adulterate  the  drug. 

It  was  further  stated  that  the  stem  probably  had  no  medicinal  value^ 
but  of  this  no  definite  statement  could  be  made  until  an  analysis, 
then  in  progress,  was  completed.  Mr.  W.  V.  Ingham,  a  pharmacy 
student  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  has  made  this  analysis,  and 
also  made  a  comparison  of  the  active  constituents  in  the  three 
parts  of  the  plant  mentioned. 

Since  the  time  above  referred  to,  gelsemium  root  has  been  ob- 
tained from  different  quarters,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the  quality 
of  the  market's  supply.  As  a  result,  it  is  safe  to  state  that  there  is 
no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  drug  free  from  stem  from  houses  hav- 
ing an  established  reputation  as  dealers  in  crude  drugs.  The  article 
supplied  from  several  quarters  was  remarkably  free  from  fragments 
of  stem. 

For  analytical  purposes  a  supply  of  the  stem  was  obtained,  not 
only  from  the  commercial  drug,  but  from  a  living  plant  of  six  years' 
growth,  cultivated  in  a  nursery. 

Mr.  Ingham,  in  order  to  perfect  himself  in  the  work,  made  a 
number  of  trial  analyses  of  reliable  powders  of  gelsemium,  and  thor- 
oughly studied  the  process  of  isolation  and  quantitative  determina- 
tion of  the  active  constituents. 

The  report  of  his  analysis  is  briefly  stated  as  follows  : 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Ma.v,  1897. 


}  The  Structure  of  Lcptandra. 


23s 


Constituents. 


Ingrredient         Ing^redient  Ingredient 

Percentage  in    Percentage  in     Percentage  in 
Rhizome.  Root.  Stem. 


Moisture 

Volatile  oil 

Fixed  oil 

Resins 

Gums 

Gelsemine  alkaloid    .   .    . 

Gelsemic  acid 

Starch    

Ash     

Other  organic  acids    ... 

Inert  material,  cellulose,  etc. 
Total 


3'i 

5' 

3-S 

0-5 

04 

Trace. 

5-6 

74 

3'2 

4'4 

24 

3-8 

0-8 

07 

\\ 

0-2 

017 

— 

0-37               j 

i              03 

— 

6-8             ' 

7-6 

6-3 

26 

2'2 

2-7 

27 

2-8 

19 

27-17 

26-97 

22-S 

7283 
100' 

7303 

77-2 

i        *''®*            i 

lOQ- 

Dragendorffs  method  was  followed  except  in  the  case  of  the  ^else- 
mine  and  gelsemic  acid,  where  a  modified  method  was  used.  (See 
p.  332,  Blyth,  "  Poisons;  Effects  and  Detection,"  1884.) 

The  gelsemic  acid  was  obtained  in  transparent  needle-shaped  crys- 
tals. The  alkaloid  was  obtained  only  in  the  amorphous  state,  and 
in  that  state  estimated. 

It  would  seem  from  the  above  analysis  that  the  principles  upon 
which  the  drug  depends  for  its  activit)'  are  absent  or  present  only  in 
small  quantities  in  the  stem,  so  that  the  admixture  of  any  apprecia- 
ble amount  of  stem  must  correspondingly  reduce  the  value  of  the 
drug  as  a  medicine. 


THE  STRUCTURE  OF  LEPTANDRA. 
By  a.  I».   Hrhithaipt,  Ph.G. 

Contribution  from  the  Botanical    Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College   of 

Pharmacy. 

The  official  Leptandra  consists  of  the  rhizome  and  roots  of 
Veronica  virginica,  Linne,  belonging  to  the  natural  order  Scrophu- 
lariacese,  growing  throughout  the  United  States  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, being  found  in  mountainous  meadows  in  the  South  and  rich 
woods  in  the  North. 


Fig.  /.     Rhizome  aud  roots  of  Veronica  virginica,  L.,  natural  size. 
The  plant   is  an  herbaceous  perennial,  having   a  simple,   erect 
stem,  from  2  to  6  feet  high,  bearing  leaves  in  whorls,  and  termin- 
ated by  a  long-panicled  spike  of  whitish  flowers. 


Fig.  2.     Cross-section   of  the  root,   magniaed    lo  diameters  ;   a,  cortex  ;  b, 
central  cylinder. 


^^S-  3'  Cross-section  \a\  of  rhizome,  magnified  lo  diameters;  a,  outer 
layer  of  bark  ;  b,  middle  layer  of  bark  ;  c,  interrupted  circle  of  sclerenchyma 
fibres  ;  d,  inner  layer  of  bark  ;  e,  wood  ;  /,  pith. 


Fi^,  f.  Cross-section  (/>.  ol  rhi/ou.c.  inaKuitit'l  ii>  «lianielcrs;  a,  outer 
layer  of  bark  ;  b,  middle  layer  of  bark  ;  <.  internit.tfd  rinlr  <.f  scU-riiu'hvnia 
fibres  ;  d,  inner  layer  of  bark  ;  e,  wood  ;  J\  pith 


Fig.  5.  Cross-section  of  rhizome,  magnified  500  diameters  ;  a,  epidermis  ; 
b,  cork  or  periderm  ;  c,  hypoderma  of  collenchyma  ;  d,  cortical  parenchyma  ; 
e,  endoderniis  ;  /,  sclerenchymatous  pericycle  ;  g,  phloem  or  bast ;  //,  xylem 
or  wood  ;  i,  parenchyma  of  pith. 


^^ 


Fig.  6.  Cross-section  of  the  root,  magnified  500  diameters  ;  <;,  epiblema  or 
ej)i«lermis  of  the  root  ;  b,  exo<lermis  or  hypo<lernia  of  the  root  ;  <*,  cortical 
parenchyma  ;  </,  endo<lermis  ;  f,  parenchymatous  ]HTicvcle  ;  /'.  phUcni  of  the 
vasal  bundles  ;  g^  xylem  of  the  vasal  bundles. 


240  Liquor  Poiassce  and  Liquor  SodcB.      {^^Mayjg^?.^'"' 

The  leaves,  from  four  to  seven  in  each  whorl,  are  short-peti- 
oled,  lanceolate  and  minutely  serrate. 

The  flowers  are  small  and  white,  having  a  four-parted  calyx  and 
a  tubular  corolla,  with  two  exserted  stamens. 

The  fruit  is  an  ovate,  two-celled  and  many-seeded  capsule. 

The  plant  flowers  in  July  and  August. 

The  rhizome,  from  4  to  6  inches  in  length  and  i<(  inch  in  thick- 
ness, is  horizontal,  somewhat  bent  and  branched  with  short  stem 
remnants  or  cup-shaped  scars  on  the  upper  side,  and  beset  with 
numerous  long,  straight  and  brittle  rootlets.  The  rhizome  is  hard 
and  breaks  with  a  woody  fracture,  is  almost  inodorous,  and  has  a 
bitter  and  feebly  acrid  taste.  Internally  it  shows  a  blackish  bark, 
and  a  hard,  yellowish  circle  of  wood  enclosing  a  three-  to  six-rayed 
purplish  pith. 

The  roots,  which  may  be  several  inches  in  length,  are  about 
y2  inch  in  diameter,  somewhat  longitudinally  wrinkled,  pur- 
plish-brown,  and  break  with  a  short  fracture. 

A  transverse  section  of  the  rhizome  shows  a  relatively  thick  bark, 
consisting  of  ordinary  parenchyma,  covered  by  a  hypoderma  of  col- 
lenchyma  and  a  thin  cork,  the  whole  being  enclosed  by  a  persistent 
epidermis.  The  inner  layer  of  the  bark  shows  a  distinct  endoder- 
mis,  beneath  which  is  found  an  interrupted  circle  of  lignified  fibres, 
constituting  a  sclerenchymatous  pericycle.  The  wood  is  disposed 
in  a  single  circle,  and  consists  of  ducts  and  lignified  fibres  arranged 
in  more  or  less  distinct  radial  rows.  The  pith  is  large,  from  three- 
to  six-rayed,  consisting  of  ordinary  parenchyma. 

A  cross-section  of  the  root  shows  a  very  thick  cortex,  sharply 
marked  off  from  the  woody  cylinder  by  a  distinct  endodermis.  The 
cortical  tissues  consist  of  ordinary  parenchyma  covered  by  a  strongly 
cutinized  epidermis,  beneath  which  is  seen  a  single  layer  of  exoder- 
mal  cells.  Immediately  beneath  the  endodermis  is  found  a  single- 
layered  parenchymatous  pericvcle  which  encloses  the  wood  bundles. 


LIQUOR  POTASS^  AND  LIQUOR  SOD^. 

Bv  John  P.  Batks,  Ph.G. 

Coutribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  164. 
According  to  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  liquor  potassse  is 
"an  aqueous  solution  of  potassium  hydrate  [KOH=55-99],  contain- 


Am.Joar.  Pbarm 


May'iS:""'}       Liquor  Fotasscd  and  Liquor  SodcB.  241 

ing  about  5  per  cent,  of  the  hydrate."  The  same  authority  de- 
scribes it  as  "a  clear,  colorless  liquid,  odorless;  having  a  very  acrid 
and  caustic  taste,  and  a  strongly  alkaline  reaction." 

**  To  neutralize  28  grammes  of  solution  of  potassa  should 
require  about  25  c.c.  of  normal  sulphuric  acid  (each  c.c.  of  the 
volumetric  solution  indicating  02  per  cent,  of  absolute  potassium 
hydrate),  phenolphthalein  being  used  as  indicator." 

The  Pharmacopoeia  also  says  :  ••  Solution  of  potassa  should  be  kept 
in  bottles  made  of  green  glass,  and  provided  with  glass  stoppers, 
coated  with  paraffin  or  petrolatum."  Desiring  to  ascertain  the 
strength  and  purity  of  the  preparation,  as  dispensed  by  wholesale 
and  retail  drug  firms,  six  samples  were  procured  and  examined,  two 
being  purchased  from  the  former  and  four  from  the  latter ;  all  of 
the  houses  were  in  Philadelphia. 

Samples  2,  3  and  5  were  colorless,  while  I,  4  and  6  had  straw- 
colors.  Sample  4  was  translucent ;  all  the  other  samples  were  clear. 
All  contained  insoluble  foreign  matter  except  sample  2. 

All  of  the  samples  were  odorless  and  decidedly  alkaline  to  litmus 
paper.  All  gave  a  violet  color  to  the  non-luminous  flame.  Two 
pharmacists  took  the  precaution  to  dispense  the  solution  in  colored 
glass  bottles,  and  labelled  poison. 

The  writer  also  examined  the  samples  for  potassium,  by  acidifying 
the  solution  with  acetic  acid  and  adding  sodium  cobaltic  nitrite. 
All  of  the  solutions  showed  this  base.  Number  3  showed  a  small 
amount  of  calcium,  when  some  of  it  was  acidulated  with  acetic  acid 
and  mixed  with  ammonium  oxalate;  the  other  samples  were  free 
from  it.     Carbonate  was  found  in  samples  i,  2,  3  and  5. 

By  titrating  with  decinormal  sulphuric  acid  volumetric  solution, 
the  samples  were  found  to  contain,  respectively,  318,  8-74,  4- 10, 
374,  018  and  4-38  per  cent,  of  absolute  potassium  hydrate. 

Attention  is  directed  to  sample  No.  5,  which  showed  about 
•018  j)er  cent,  of  potassium  hydrate  as  calculated  from  the  acid  used. 
But  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  sample  showed  much  carbonate,  it  is 
likely  that  the  solution  owed  its  alkalinity  almost  entirely,  if  not 
altogether,  to  potassium  carbonate. 

Liquor  sodit,  or  solution  of  soda,  should  be,  in  order  to  comply 
with  the  requirements  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopcria  *•  an 
aqueous  solution  of  sodium  hydrate  (NaOH  =^  3996),  containing 
about  5  per  cent,  of  the  hydrate."     The  Pharmacopoeia  also  dcsig- 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1897. 


242  Valuation  of  Liquor  lodi  Compositus.     {^"^Mly! 

nates  it  as  "  a  clear,  colorless  liquid,  odorless,  having  a  very  acrid 
and  caustic  taste,  and  a  strongly  alkaline  reaction."  "  To  neutral- 
ize 20  grammes  of  solution  of  soda  should  require  about  25  c.c.  of 
normal  sulphuric  acid  (each  c.c.  of  the  volumetric  solution  indicating 
0-2  per  cent,  of  absolute  sodium  hydrate),  phenolphthalein  being 
used  as  indicator." 

The  Pharmacopoeia  recommends  the  solution  to  be  dispensed  in 
the  manner  ordered  for  liquor  potassae.  In  order  to  determine  the 
exact  quality  of  the  article  as  sold  by  manufacturing  pharmacists, 
six  samples  were  purchased  and  examined.  Four  of  these  were  ob- 
tained at  retail  stores  and  two  at  wholesale  houses.  When  the 
samples  were  subjected  to  the  flame  test  for  sodium,  samples  I, 
3  and  6  gave  evidence  of  potassium.  These  behaviors  were  after- 
wards confirmed  by  means  of  the  sodium  cobaltic  nitrite  test. 
Sample  3  was  translucent,  the  other  samples  were  clear.  Samples 
I,  3  and  4  had  straw  or  yellow  colors;  the  others  were  colorless. 
Sample  3  was  the  only  one  containing  insoluble  foreign  matter. 
All  were  odorless  and  strongly  alkaline  to  litmus  paper.  No.  3 
contained  calcium.  Carbonate  was  present  in  samples  I,  2,  3  and 
5.  Three  pharmacists  dispensed  the  samples  in  colored  vials.  Two 
of  these  vials  bore  poison  labels. 

Upon  titrating  the  samples  with  decinormal    sulphuric  acid  volu 
metric  solution,  they  were  found  to  range  from  one-half  to  twice  the 
official  strength, as  follows: 

1000,  4*47,  2-31,  5-25,  4-21  and  4-93  percent. 


VALUATION  OF  LIQUOR  lODI  COMPOSITUS. 
By  Richard  Hai.  Compton,  Ph.G. 

Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory   of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  165. 

Lugol's  solution  is  required  by  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia 
to  be  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  iodine,  dissolved  in  water  by  the 
addition  of  10  per  cent,  of  potassium  iodide.  The  same  authority 
directs  that  if  "  1266  grammes  of  the  solution  be  mixed  with  a  few 
drops  of  starch  test  solution,  it  should  require  for  complete  decol- 
oration from  49  3  c.c.  to  50  c.c.  of  sodium  hyposulphite  decinormal 
volumetric  solution  (each  cubic  centimeter  of  the  volumetric  solu- 
tion corresponding  to  o-i  per  cent,  of  iodine)." 


^"^'yilV.'i^'^}      Valuation  of  Liquor  lodi  Compositus.  243 

Being  desirous  of  knowing  to  what  degree  the  retail  dispensers 
were  governed  by  the  Pharmacopojial  requirements  for  liquor  iodi 
compositus,  I  obtained  a  few  samples  at  different  ])harmacies  and 
estimated  the  per  cent,  of  iodine  by  the  official  method.  The 
results  of  my  titrations  indicated  the  following  percentages  for  the 
samples:  496,  482,  4-72  and  4-17. 

As  there  is  no  test  given  under  Lugol's  solution  for  estimating  the 
potassium  iodide  present,  I  have  made  some  experiments  for  the  j)ur- 
pose  of  devising  one.  The  following  was  found  to  be  the  best  of  sev- 
eral methods  tried,  and  can  be  recommended  on  the  concordant 
results  which  it  furnished  : 

Take  a  definite  amount  (12-66  grammes)  of  the  solution  and 
titrate  it  according  to  the  official  method  of  estimating  the  iodine. 
The  amount  of  the  latter  is  thus  obtained.  Now  titrate  the  residual 
liquid  with  decinormal  silver  nitrate  volumetric  solution,  using  potas- 
sium chromate  as  an  indicator  if  desired,  until  all  of  the  iodides 
which  the  solution  contains  have  reacted  with  the  silver  nitrate  and 
formed  insoluble  silver  iodide. 

The  iodides  of  the  solution  consist  of  the  potassium  iodide 
originally  present  and  the  sodium  iodide  produced  in  the  reaction 
between  the  sodium  thiosulphate  and  the  free  iodine  of  the  sample. 
The  volume  of  the  solution  of  sodium  hyposulphite  is  the  measure 
of  the  free  iodine  of  the  sample,  and  therefore  the  equivalent  of  the 
volume  of  silver  nitrate  required  to  react  with  the  sodium  iodide 
which  it  forms.  Hence,  if  the  volume  of  sodium  hyposulphite 
required  to  decolorize  the  iodine  of  the  sample  be  deducted  from 
the  volume  of  silver  nitrate  required  to  completely  precipitate  the 
decolorized  liquid,  the  remainder  will  be  the  volume  of  decinormal 
silver  nitrate  volumetric  solution  required  for  the  potassium  iodide 
that  was  present.  Multiply  the  number  of  cubic  centimeters  so 
found  by  00 1 65 56,  the  value  of  I  c.c.  of  the  silver  nitrate  solution  in 
potassium  iodide,  to  find  the  amount  of  potassium  iodide.  Then 
by  proportion  calculate  the  percentage  amount  of  it. 

It  was  also  found  that  practical  results  could  be  gotten  by  boiling 
the  Lugol's  solution  after  dilution  with  water  until  all  the  free 
iodine  was  expelled,  and  then  titrating  with  standard  silver  nitrate 
solution,  which  indicated  at  once  the  amount  of  potassium  iodide 
present. 


244  Starch  and  Strontium  in   Opium,      {'''^£jri£?f'""* 

THE    PRESENCE    OF  STARCH     AND    STRONTIUM    SUL- 
PHATE IN  OPIUM  AND  THEIR    INFLU- 
ENCE ON  ASSAYING. 
By  Lyman  F.  Kebi^ER  and  Chari.ES  H.  LaWai,!.. 

Although  poppy  juice  does  not  contain  any  starchy  matter,  yet 
the  presence  of  this  article  in  opium  has  been  reported  in  a  number 
of  instances.  According  to  the  Pharmacographia,  p.  47,  Egyptian 
opium  sometimes  contains  an  abundance  of  starch.  Mr.  Mjoen,^ 
who  has  probably  made  the  most  exhaustive  microscopic  study  of 
opium  on  record,  reports  that  Persian  opium  is  abundantly  contam- 
inated with  wheat  and  leguminous  starch.  More  recently  Mr.  Jel- 
liffe,-  in  a  report  at  the  regular  meeting  of  the  New  York  College  of 
Pharmacy,  stated  that  from  5  to  10  per  cent,  of  starch  was  found  in 
the  samples  examined. 

We  ourselves  have  found  wheat  starch  in  opium  assayed  dur- 
ing the  past  two  years.  Mr.  Moerk  kindly  sent  us  six  samples 
of  opium  from  three  to  five  or  six  years  old  and  every  one  con- 
tained wheat  starch.  The  amount  varied  from  a  trace  to  8 
per  cent.,  but  it  was  always  present.  Why  the  starch  is  there 
and  how  it  came  to  be  there  we  can  only  surmise.  In  some 
cases  it  may  have  been  added  for  gain,  but  from  the  small 
quantity  present  in  some  samples  its  presence  may  be  accidental. 
Persian  opium  is  exported  to  Constantinople,  by  way  of  Trebizond, 
and  is  there  worked  up  into  forms  to  imitate  the  Asia  Minor  opium. 
Here  is  probably  the  source  of  contamination  with  starch,  since  Per- 
sian opium  contains  much  of  this. 

Before  leaving  the  question  of  starch,  a  few  words  about  its  esti- 
mation in  this  connection  may  not  be  out  of  place.  There  are  two 
ways  of  arriving  at  approximate  results — microscopically  and  chem- 
ically.    The  one  is  probably  as  accurate  as  the  other. 

Microscopically,  dry  the  opium,  note  moisture  and  reduce  to  a 
fine  powder.  Weigh  out  i  gramme  of  the  powder,  introduce  it 
into  a  mortar  containing  2  c.c.  of  alcohol;  with  a  pestle  rub  up  the 
opium  well,  add  8  c.c.  of  simple  syrup  and  mix  intimately.  Of  this 
mixture  prepare  a  slide  and  by  means  of  an  ocular  micrometer, 
divided  into  square  millimeters,  count  the  number  of  granules  in  a 


'  1895,  Arch.  d.  Pharm.,  233»  533. 
'  1897,  Am.  Drug.,  30,  41. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


Ma""!^*"'"}       Starch  and  Strontium  in   Opium.  245 

square  of  100  square  millimeters.  Should  any  worker  be  without 
a  micrometer,  the  total  number  of  granules  in  a  field  may  be 
counted.  Repeat  the  counting  with  successive  drops  three  or 
four  times,  and  take  the  average  of  the  several  countings.  Having 
approximated  the  number  of  starch  granules  in  the  above  mix- 
ture, prepare  a  syrupy  mixture  of  the  same  starch  as  that  con- 
tained in  the  opium,  say  a  I  per  cent,  mixture,  and  deter- 
mine the  number  of  starch  granules  as  above.  If  the  number  of 
starch  granules  is  greater  or  less  than  those  contained  in  the  opium 
mixture,  dilute  the  mixture  or  make  a  more  concentrated  one,  as 
the  case  in  hand  requires.  If  the  number  of  granules  is  the  same 
in  both  mixtures,  the  per  cent,  of  adulterant  is  readily  calculated. 

When  more  than  one  kind  of  starch  is  present,   the   per  cent,  of 
adulterant  is  more  difficult  to  determine. 


Fig.  I.     Epidermis  of  capsule,  magnified  500  diameters. 

Chemically,  the  starch  can  be  estimated  as  follows:  PLxhaust  10 
grammes  of  the  opium  with  cold  water,  place  the  residue  into  a  flask, 
add  200  c.c.  of  alcohol  containing  5  per  cent,  of  potassium  hydrox- 
ide, and  boil  vigorously  on  the  water  bath  for  about  fifteen  minutes. 
Filter  while  hot  and  wash  the  residue  with  hot  alcohol,  until  the 
filtrate  is  nearly  colorless.  Dissii)ate  the  alcohol  from  the  residue 
and  introduce  the  latter  into  a  suitable  flask,  add  200  c  c.  of  water, 
16  c  c.  of  hydrochloric  acid  (specific  gravity  ri6),  attach  to  a  reflux 
condenser  and  boil  gently  for  three  hours.  Cool  the  contents  of 
the  flask,  neutralize  with  sodium  carbonate,  filter  and  make  up  to  a 
definite  volume.  In  this  estimate  the  reducing  sugar  by  Fehling's 
solution,  either  volumetrically  or  gravimctrically.  The  weight  of 
reducing  sugar  multiplied  by  09  equals  the  amount  of  starch  con- 
tained in  10  grammes  of  opium. 


246 


Starch  and  Strontium  in   Opium. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
1         May,  1897. 


By  this  process  there  is  estimated  as  starch,  the  pentosans  and 
other  carbohydrate  bodies,  which  will  undergo  hydrolysis  when 
boiled  with  hydrochloric  acid.  We  have  reasons  for  thinking  that 
starch  estimations  made  in  plant  analysis  by  means  of  hydrochloric 
acid  are  frequently  wide  from  the  truth. 


Fig.  2.     Epidermal  tissue  of  leaf,  magnified  500  diameters. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  general  microscopical  appear- 
ance of  the  opium.  On  clarifying  some  opium  with  chloral  hydrate 
the  structure  of  the  pericarp  of  the  poppy  was  clearly  brought 
out,  as  shown  in  Fig.  i.  In  the  same  clarified  material  were 
found  scalariform   and   spiral   vessels.      An  abundance   of  calcium 


O&o-  o 


G 


®  c& 


& 


Fig'  3'    Wheat  starch  granules,  magnified  500  diameters. 

oxalate  crystals  and  some  wheat  brand  were  found  in  several  cases. 
Leafy  epidermal  tissue  was  also  abundant  on  every  slide.  Fig.  2. 
The  starch  was  brought  out  by  the  usual  iodine  reaction.  Fig.  j. 

All  these  substances  that  do  not  increase  the  yield  of  morphine, 
by  our  present  methods  of  assay,  must,  in  our  opinion,  be  considered 


^'"'iay'".'!^""'}       StarciL  and  Strontium  in   Opium.  247 

of  minor  importance,  so  long  as  it  is  only  required  of  opium  to  con- 
tain a  certain  amount  of  morphine.  Substances  that  do  increase 
the  yield  of  morphine  are  the  ones  that  annoy  the  analyst. 

About  a  year  ago^  one  of  us  (K.)  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  amount  of  impurity  associated  with  the  crystallized  morphine, 
as  obtained  by  the  U.S. P.  process,  was  abnormally  great.  The 
situation  has  not  changed  for  the  better,  at  this  writing.  During  the 
past  few  months  some  of  the  opium  assayed,  yielded  unusually  high 
results.  The  perplexing  part  in  some  cases  was  the  fact  that  one 
duplicate  contained  a  much  larger  amount  of  impurity  associated 
with  the  morphine  than  that  of  the  other  duplicate.  The  amount 
of  impurity  was  estimated  by  the  ash  method.  This,  of  course, 
indicated  that  some  inorganic  substance  or  substances  were  influenc- 


Fig .  4.     Crystals  from  alcohol-ether  precipitate,  magnified  500  diameters. 

ing  the   results.     The  ash   was   repeatedly  examined,  and  in  every 
case  strontium  was  indicated. 

It  has  frequently  been  observed,  and  commented  on,-  that  when 
the  10  grammes  of  alcohol  are  added  to  the  20  grammes  of  opium 
extractive,  a  turbidity  frequently  results.  We  now  extracted  40 
grammes  of  opium,  preparatory  to  making  a  40  gramme,  instead  of 
the  usual  lO-gramme,  assay.  The  customary  proportions  of  alcohol 
and  ether  were  added  and  the  assay  allowed  to  stand  over  night.  In 
the  morning,  it  was  found  that  16  per  cent,  of  material  had  precipi- 
tated out.  On  igniting  this  precipitate,  193  per  cent,  was  volatil- 
ized.     The    residue   consisted  of   strontium,  Fig,  ^,  calcium  and 

*  1896,  Am.  J.  PiiARM.,  68,  257. 
'  1895,/.  Soc.  Chcm.  Itid.,  14.  464. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


248  Starch  and  Strontium  in  Opium.      {^"MajsiS? 

pota.ssium  sulphates.  Since  no  effervescing  was  produced  when  the 
ash  was  treated  with  acid,  there  was  probably  no  calcium  meconate 
present  in  the  original  precipitate. 

Several  experiments  were  now  undertaken  to  ascertain  the  cause 
of  the  variation  of  the  amount  of  impurity  contained  in  the  crystal- 
lized morphine.  One  case  was  sampled  tv/ice,  by  two  persons,  each 
using  different  lumps.  These  samples  were  assayed  in  the  usual 
manner  with  the  following  results ;  average  of  duplicates : 

Morphine.         Morphine,  Crude  Morphine  Pure  Morphine 

Crude.  Pure.  Moisture.      in  Dry  Opium,      in  Dry  Opium. 

Sample  I    .    .    .11-48  io-68  22-68  14-86  13-81 

Sample  2    .    .    .  10-83  10-43  i9"52  13*48  12-97 

The  variation  in  the  crude  morphine  is  chiefly  due  to  the  impurity 
present,  as  is  clearly  shown  from  the  fairly  uniform  results  obtained 
for  the  pure  morphine. 

These  same  samples  were  now  assayed  by  both  of  us,  varying  the 
conditions  of  precipitation,  such  as  temperature,  time  of  shaking, 
etc.,  with  results  as  follows  : 


Sample  i  .    .  -^  L. 

iK. 

.K. 
Sample  2  .    .  ^^  K. 

U. 

The  above  results  are  average  of  duplicates.  They  show  that 
ordinary  variations  in  assaying  influence  the  results  very  little, 
when  referred  to  pure  morphine.  The  greatest  variations  appear 
to  be  due  to  the  sampling,  and  to  the  impurity  associated  with  the 
morphine  as  obtained  by  the  U.S. P.,  method  of  assay.  The 
impurity  contained  in  the  crude  morphine  was  estimated  by  the  ash 
method.  This  method  probably  gives  higher  results  than  any  other, 
and  is  perhaps  the  best,  considering  the  present  impurities  in 
opium. 

In  order  to  ascertain  whether  or  no  we  had  unconsciously  lapsed 
into  a  trend,  Dr.  Squibb's  chemist,  Mr.  Smith,  kindly  checked  our 
work,  and  with  his  permission  we  append  his  results  below  in  con- 
nection with  our  own.  Mr.  Smith  employed  Dr.  Squibb's  process 
as  Joutlined  in  the  Ephemeris,  3,  p.  1 152,  and  the  U.S.P.  method 
with  the  lime  water  correction.     We  used  the  U.S.P.  process  and 


Crude 
orphine. 

Pure 
Morphine. 

Moisture. 

Crude  Morphine 
in  Dry  Opium. 

11-48 

IO-68 

22-68 

14-86 

11-56 

I0-8I 

22-68 

14-96 

10-94 

1058 

22-68 

14-16 

10-96 

10-58 

19-52 

13*63 

10-90 

10-35 

19-52 

13*54 

10-84 

10-43 

19-52 

13*48 

Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1897. 


}      Starch  and  Strontium  in   Opium. 


249 


applied  a  correction  by  means  of  the  ash  method.     The  results  are 
given  below : 


Crude 
Morphine 


Smith [  ^7-27 

\  1678 


LaWall 


f  17-11 
I  17-04 


Pure 
Morphine. 

Sqiiibb's  process    ....  1613 

U.S.P.  process i6i9 

16-09 

1603 


Ten  cases  of  opium  from  one  consignment  were  assayed  under 
most  favorable  conditions,  in  reference  to  temperature,  amount  of 
washinfTs  and  time  of  shakin^r  out  the  morphine.  The  first  five  cases 
were  assayed  one  day,  and  the  remaining  five,  two  days  later.  The 
results  were  as  follows  : — 


No.        Crude                        Pure 

Morphine.           Morphine. 

Moisture. 

Crude  Morphine 
in  Dry  Opium. 

I 

12-34" 

2052 

1553 

2 

1238 

20-35 

15-55 

3 

12-39 

11-36 

20-81 

15.65 

4 

12-33 

20*04 

15-35 

5 
6 

1234. 
12-65' 

19-58 
20-32 

15-34 
15-88 

7 
8 

12-78 
12-74 

1 1  64 

19-55 
I951 

15-89 
1583 

9 

1279 
1248, 

19-17 

15-82 

TO 

2079 

T5-75 

A  glance  at  the  above  figures  shows  a  uniformity  in  the  quality  of 
opium  hitherto  unnoticed  in  assaying  large  consignments.  The 
additional  circumstances  of  the  presence  of  wheat  starch  in  the 
opium,  and  strontium  in  the  ash,  would  indicate  a  previous  manipu- 
lation of  a  large  quantity  of  opium,  before  packing  it  into  cases  for 
shipment. 

The  perplexing  part  of  this  view  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  yield  of 
morphine  is  still  .several  per  cent,  higher  than  the  hmit  rec|uired  by 
the  custom  house ;  since  it  would  be  just  as  easy  to  reduce  the  mor- 
phine to  10  per  cent.,  thus  making  an  additional  profit  and  still  be 
above  the  legal  standard. 

The  question  naturally  arises,  can  starch  or  epidermal  tissue,  or 
rumex  seed,  or  strontium  sulphate,  or  the  calcareous  salts  found  in 
Turkey  opium  be  classed  as  adulterants  of  opium  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word  ?  We  all  know  that  the  opium  as  it  comes  into  the 
market  is  the  concrete  juice  of  the  poppy,  mixed  with  various  and 
sundry  substances,  and  to  say  that  this  or   that   is  an  adulterant   of 


250  Pharmacopmal  Preparations,  {^""May^iso?*'""* 

opium,  would  require  an  explicit  and  comprehensive  description  of 
what  is,  and  what  is  not,  an  adulterant.  For  an  analyst  to  condemn 
a  case  of  opium,  on  the  ground  that  it  contained  starch,  when  the 
only  requirement  is  a  certain  amount  of  morphine,  would  lay  himself 
open  to  criticism.  We,  however,  do  think  that  a  substance  like 
strontium  sulphate,  which  increases  the  apparent  yield  of  morphine, 
oueht  to  be  looked  on  as  an  adulterant  of  a  fraudulent  nature. 
305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia. 


ON  THE  PRESERVATIVES  OF  PHARMACOPGEIAL 
PREPARATIONS.! 

By  WiIvIvIAM  Martindai^e. 

In  the  work  of  compiling  formulae  for  the  use  of  medical  prac- 
titioners and  pharmacists,  care  is  necessary  to  test  the  keeping  prop- 
erties of  the  various  solutions  and  preparations,  and  having  prepared 
and  kept  a  number  of  these  preparations,  I  thought  a  few  notes  on 
them  might  prove  interesting.  They  are  purely  pharmaceutical, 
and  must  not  be  considered  as  having  bacteriological  importance. 

The  vehicle  mostly  used  for  the  internal  administration  of  medi- 
cines, of  course,  is  water  in  some  form  or  other,  but  distilled  water 
alone  is  recognized  by  the  Pharmacopoeia,  and  probably  this,  as 
frequently  met  with,  is  more  defective  from  a  standard  of  purity 
than  most  preparations  in  the  Pharmacopoeia.  It  is  even  more 
prone  to  develop  minute  organisms  than  many  of  the  spring  waters 
that  are  to  be  met  with,  although  these  may  contain  inorganic  salts, 
which  render  them  unsuitable  as  solvents  and  vehicles  in  which  to 
administer  medicinal  preparations.  So  much  has  distilled  water  ob- 
tained this  evil  reputation  that  a  bacteriologist  of  eminence  is 
reported  to  have  said  that  one  of  the  best  incubating  fluids  was  a 
certain  manufacturer's  distilled  water. 

Various  means  have,  therefore,  been  adopted  for  sterilizing  it  and 
rendering  it  aseptic  for  pharmaceutical  use,  such  as  keeping  it  in  a 
cool  place,  and,  of  course,  free  from  dust,  and  having  it  recently  well 
boiled  and  cooled.  The  best  and  only  method  to  be  depended  upon, 
however,  care  having  been  taken  to  select  a  good  water  for  distilla- 
tion, as  well  as  to  refuse  the  first  and  last  products,  and   to  ensure 


^  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  March,  13,  1897. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 


Ma^ri^T.*''™'}  Pharmacopaial  Preparations.  25 1 

freedom  from  contamination  afterwards,  is  to  have  it  freshly  dis- 
tilled ;  in  fact  as  regards  the  whole  of  the  preparations  of  the  Phar- 
macopoeia, they  should  be  as  freshly  prepared  as  possible,  and  the 
use  of  preservatives  should  be  avoided  unless  absolutely  necessary, 
but  from  a  practical  point  of  view  we  cannot  do  without  them.  For 
example,  the  public  demand  for  pills  is  now  that  they  must  be  well 
preserved  and  look  nice,  although  they  may  be  insoluble. 

Alcohol — The  most  common  preservative  used  officially  is  alcohol 
in  one  form  or  another ;  it  is  true  that  it  is  not  used  solely  as  a  pre- 
servative, but  as  a  solvent ;  it  enters  more  or  less  into  the  composi- 
tion of  nearly  all  our  tinctures,  liquid  extracts,  wines,  and  many  of 
our  official  solutions.  The  germination  of  most  of  the  micro-organ- 
isms occurring  in  aqueous  solutions  of  vegetable  and  animal  sub- 
stances is  inhibited  by  the  presence  of  20  per  cent,  by  volume  of 
absolute  alcohol,  but  it  is  inhibitory  only,  and  in  this  proportion  or  up- 
wards ;  it  is  in  no  way  germicidal,  as  on  evaporation  the  anaesthetized 
germs,  if  I  may  so  term  them,  readily  take  up  life  and  propagate. 
This  applies  to  most  of  the  volatile  antiseptics,  in  fact,  for  organic 
tissues,  such  as  strong  mineral  acids,  alkalies  and  halogens.  K.xcep- 
tions  to  this  are  carbolic  acid,  creosote,  and  weak  solutions  of  corro- 
sive sublimate,  which  act  probably  by  coagulating  the  albuminous 
substance  of  the  microbe.  Wines  I  have  mentioned ;  unless  forti- 
fied, from  their  very  origin,  that  of  fermentation,  they  are  too  weak 
to  prove  of  useful  service  in  pharmacy,  and  in  lact  medical  wines  are 
anachronisms. 

Glycerin. — The  abuse  of  alcohol  has  led  those  who  take  extreme 
views  on  this  subject  to  endeavor  to  use  other  solvents  and  pre- 
servatives for  pharmaceutical  preparations.  Among  these,  avoiding 
ethylic  alcohol,  whose  physiological  properties  are  too  well  known, 
they  have  selected  glycerin,  which  is  but  another  alcohol  whose 
action  physiologically  is  not  so  well  ascertained,  nor  is  it  so  inhibi- 
tory to  the  development  of  micro-organisms.  Its  strong  solvent 
action  on  vegetable  extractives,  its  non-volatility,  and  its  stability  in 
other  respects  would  have  rendered  glycerin  a  useful  pharmacopcL-ial 
solvent,  but  although  it  has  been  tried  again  and  again  and  was 
made  official,  more  especially  in  i)reparing  some  of  the  liquid 
extracts  of  the  United  States  I'harmacopcL-ia,  it  has  not  met  with 
general  acceptance.  It  nevertheless  has  a  curious  preservative 
action  over   some   inorganic  compounds  in   preventing    oxidation. 


252  Pharmacopoeial  Preparations,  {'^'^•I^Sa^^"'^' 

For  example,  black  mercurial  lotion  can  be  preserved  in  its  normal 
black  color  by  the  addition  of  5  per  cent,  by  volume  of  glycerin,  but 
I  find  that  10  per  cent,  of  mucilage  of  tragacanth  will  produce  the 
same  result,  and  have  the  advantage,  from  its  viscosity,  of  holding 
mercurous  oxide  well  suspended  ;  the  addition  of  both  these  to  the 
preparation  would  be  an  advantage.  It  has  further  been  suggested 
that  glycerin  should  be  used  to  preserve  sublimate  solution,  espec- 
ially the  official  liquor  hydrargyri  perchloridi,  as  it  has  been  thought 
necessary  that  this  solution  requires  preserving,  from  the  chemical, 
not,  of  course,  from  the  biological  point  of  view.  But  both  glycerin 
and  alcohol  added  to  this  solution,  especially  if  exposed  to  light, 
cause  a  reduction  of  the  salt  and  deposition  of  mercurous  chloride, 
as  in  the  official  solution  of  the  Codex,  which  contains  10  per  cent, 
of  alcohol.  Notwithstanding  statements  to  the  contrary,  I  find  that 
a  simple  solution  of  mercuric  chloride  in  distilled  water,  or  even  in 
spring  waters  containing  supercarbonate  of  lime  in  solution,  is  more 
stable  than  it  is  with  a  preservative  added,  especially  one  of  such  a 
nature  as  chloride  of  ammonium  in  the  official  solution.  This,  as 
I  showed  so  long  ago  as  1870,^  instead  of  being  a  preservative,  forms 
a  double  salt  in  solution  (sal  alembroth  plus  an  excess  of  chloride  of 
ammonium),  and  the  solution,  if  prepared  with  common  water  in 
place  of  distilled  water,  or  even  if  prepared  with  distilled  water  and 
diluted,  throws  down  a  quantity  of  one  of  the  white  precipitates  of 
mercury.  To  such  an  extent  is  this  the  case  that  I  found  in  pre- 
paring a  pint  of  the  official  solution  with  new  river  water  in  place 
of  distilled  water,  that  27  grains  of  this  precipitete  was  deposited, 
thus  about  one-fourth  of  the  mercurial  salt  was  rendered  insoluble 
in  preparing  the  solution,  and  more  deposited  on  further  dilution 
with  the  water.  In  fact,  a  time  arrived  when  there  was  scarcely  a 
trace  of  mercury  salt  in  solution,  and  as  this  preparation  is  most 
largely  used  in  hospitals  where  common  water  is  always  used  to 
dilute  the  medicines,  it  leads  to  very  discrepant  results  therapeu- 
tically. It  has  also  been  suggested  that  chloride  of  sodium  should 
replace  chloride  of  ammonium  in  the  official  solution,  as  this  salt  is 
largely  used  in  making  the  sublimate  tablets  for  the  convenience  of 
surgeon's  use,  but  I  have  found  that  although  sodium  chloride  helps 
these  tablets  to  disintegrate  readily  it  has  no  advantage,  in  fact  it  is 
detrimental  to  the  keeping  properties  of  the  solution.     I  have  here 

^  Pharuiaceutical  Journal,  [2]  Vol.  XI.  p.  544. 


Am.  Jour.  Phariu. 


May'iw?^'"'"}  Pharmacopixial  Preparations.  253 

two  specimens  prepared  in  November,  1895,  with  water  from  the 
Brighton  constant  supply,  which  is  a  very  calcareous  water ;  one  is 
a  simple  solution  of  the  perchloride,  and  the  other  has  an  equal 
weight  of  pure  chloride  of  sodium  added.  The  latter  you  will 
observe  has  deposited  much  more  than  the  former,  in  which  there 
is  hardly  a  trace  of  deposit.  This  strongly  illustrates  ihe  undesira- 
bility  of  tampering  with  solutions  in  order  to  make  them,  as  we 
consider,  more  stable  ;  in  fact,  with  few  exceptions  no  preservative 
should  be  added  to  a  pharmacopoeia  preparation  unless  the  label 
indicates  boldly  that  it  is  there.  While  on  the  subject  of  mercuric 
salts,  I  should  like  to  illustrate  the  importance  of  having  our  lime 
water  of  full  strength,  and  well  preserved. 

In  making  the  yellow  mercurial  lotion  of  the  B.P.,  which  has  18 
grains  of  sublimate  to  10  ounces  of  lime  water  ;  if  the  lime  water  be 
only  three-fourths,  or  from  keeping,  so  low  as  one-half  the  pharma- 
copotial  strength,  a  brick-red  preparation,  an  oxychloride  is  pro- 
duced, rather  than  the  yellow  mercuric  oxide. 

Acetic  Acid. — Of  other  preservatives,  which  are  also  solvents  used 
officially,  acetic  acid  of  varying  strengths  is  employed,  as  in  acetum 
cantharidis  and  acetum  scillar.  This,  as  I  notice  Prof.  Remington 
recently  points  out,'  was  much  employed  in  the  pharmacy  of  the 
ancients,  sometimes  combined  with  honey  to  form  oxymels,  of  which 
we  have  inherited  both  the  vinegar  and  the  oxymel  of  squill.  Acetic 
acid  has  the  disadvantage,  however,  unless  in  a  very  concentrated 
form,  of  growing  micro-organisms  abundantly,  and  the  fungi  and 
animalcula;  developed  in  brown  vinegar  must  be  well  known  to  all 
of  you.  Acetic  acid,  therefore,  besides  being  incompatible  with 
alkalies,  is  not  a  good  preservative,  although  in  some  cases  it  may 
be  a  useful  solvent. 

Sugar. — Of  the  preservatives  used  officially  which  are  not  sol- 
vents, this  is  employed  most  extensively,  not  only  with  us,  but  in 
France  and  in  the  United  States ;  in  fact,  so  much  is  this  the  case  in 
I'Vance,  that  Mr.  Ince  once  remarked  in  this  room  that  French 
pharmacy  might  be  summed  up  in  one  word,  "sugar."  On  account 
of  its  palatability  it  of  course  meets  with  favor,  especially  among 
children.  It  enters  into  the  composition  of  all  the  syrups  and 
lozenges,  and  most  of  the  confections  and  powders,  and  is  a  useful 
preservative  from  oxidation  of  the  ferrous  preparations,  such  as  the 

^American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  March,  1897,  p.  121. 


Am.  Jour,  Pharm. 


254  Pharniacopmal  Preparations.  {^'^•i^^y:mi\ 

saccharated  carbonate  of  iron,  mixture  of  iron,  Blaud's  pill,  and 
iodide  of  iron  pill.  It  also  preserves  lime  in  solution,  as  in  the 
well-known  liquor  calcis  saccharatus,  of  a  strength  about  sixteen 
times  that  of  the  official  lime  water ;  if  a  pure  marble  lime  be  used, 
I  find  as  much  as  177  per  cent,  is  dissolved,  or  816  grains  in  a  fluid 
ounce.  This  preparation  is  more  conveniently  made  by  using  an 
equivalent  weight  of  syrup,  i.e.,  three  ounces  in  place  of  two  of 
sugar,  and  adding  it  to  nineteen  ounces  of  distilled  water  containing 
the  lime  in  suspension.  The  «'  caking  "  which  is  apt  to  occur  is  thus 
avoided. 

Salicylic  Acid. — The  well-known  uses  antiseptically  of  this  for  sur- 
gical purposes,  although  prohibited  from  being  used  for  preserving 
wines  in  France,  have  rendered  it  servicable  in  preserving  the  offi- 
cial solution  of  hydrochlorate  of  cocaine,  which  contains  ij^  per 
mille  of  the  acid,  with  10  per  cent,  of  the  cocaine  salt.  I  find  that 
this  solution,  even  if  diluted  with  four  times  its  volume  of  water,  still 
keeps  free  from  fungoid  growths.  The  use  of  this  acid  might  be 
objected  to  in  the  solution,  because  salicylic  acid  forms  with  cocaine 
an  indefinite  compound  rather  than  a  salt,  the  so-called  salicylate  of 
cocaine ;  but  it  appears  not  to  throw  the  hydrochloric  acid  out  of 
combination,  and  has  proved  very  serviceable  in  preserving  the  solu- 
tion of  this  cocaine  salt,  which  has  a  great  tendency  to  develop 
fungoid  growths.  The  salicylic  compound  appears  to  be  allied  to 
the  benzoic  compound,  benzoyl-ecgonine.  It  forms  a  pasty  mass 
which  has  not,  that  I  am  aware  of,  been  studied.  If  any  defence 
were  needed  for  using  a  preservative,  perhaps  this  official  solution  of 
cocaine  is  a  typical  case.  The  use  of  this  solution  of  salicylic  acid, 
11^  per  mille,  which  is  nearly  saturated,  as  a  vehicle,  might  be  ex- 
tended to  other  solutions,  for  example,  the  official  solution  of  sul- 
phate of  atropine,  but  I  have  not  found  this  solution,  if  made  with  a 
well-crystallized  salt,  prone  to  grow  fungi.  Its  use,  however,  cannot 
be  extended  to  the  hypodermic  injection  of  morphine ;  if  a  solution 
of  tartrate  of  morphine,  I  in  12,  or  even  i  in  20,  be  prepared  in  it,  a 
crystallized  salicylate  of  morphine  separates;  16^  tartrate  keeps 
well  alone. 

Of  the  salts  of  morphine  suitable  for  hypodermic  injection,  the 
tartrate  seems  to  be  now  favored ;  the  acetate  solution,  prepared 
by  dissolving  pure  morphine  in  just  enough  acetic  acid,  has  till 
lately  been   mostly  used,  but  it   has   the   objection  of  possessing  a 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 


MajyiS?*'''"'}  Pharmacopmal  Preparations.  255 

tendency  to  decomposition  and  becoming  muddy  and  dark-colored. 
Still  I  have  two  solutions  here  over  18  years  old,  no  extra  sterilizing 
precautions  were  taken  when  made  ;  they  are  well  preserved  and 
are  perfectly  transparent,  although  they  have  slightly  changed  color. 
One  is  of  the  strength  of  i  grain  in  6  minims,  which  I  advocated 
in  a  paper  in  1870,^  the  other  is  I  grain  in  12  minims.  A  small 
dose  is  generally  preferred  for  hypodermic  injection,  but  the  strength 
of  I  grain  in  6  minims  is  considered  now  to  be  dangerously  strong 
in  the  hands  of  an  unskilled  operator.  The  more  nearly  saturated, 
however,  the  aqueous  solution  of  any  salt  or  crystalline  principle  is, 
the  better  it  will  keep  ;  in  fact,  it  was  a  curious  argument  of  an 
advocate  for  spontaneous  generation  that  there  was  a  debatable  land 
between  that  of  crystallization  and  the  germination  of  organisms  in 
these  solutions — that  is,  between  the  growth  of  crystals  and  of 
organisms ;  this  applies  widely  in  pharmacy,  as  we  well  know,  in 
keeping  syrups  for  example.  A  nearly  perfect  syrup  consists  of  two 
parts  of  sugar  and  one  of  distilled  water  ;  kept  at  a  uniform  temperate 
heat,  this  neither  crystallizes  nor  grows  fungi ;  and  our  solid  medici- 
nal extracts  are  preserved  if  they  contain  no  excess  of  moisture. 

Further,  these  remarks  especially  apply  to  the  official  solutions  of 
acetate  and  citrate  of  ammonium,  which  are  much  better  kept  in  a 
concentrated  form. 

The  salicylic  acid  solution  cannot  either  be  used  for  preparing  the 
hypodermic  injection  of  apomorphine ;  a  I  per  cent,  solution  of  the 
hydrochlorate  of  apomorphine  prepared  in  it  gives  a  quantity  of  a 
crystalline  deposit. 

Hydrochlorate  of  apomorphine  in  aqueous  solution  rapidly  devel- 
ops a  green  color;  this  has  been  attributed  to  the  influence  of 
ammonia  in  the  atmosphere,  but  although  a  drop  of  solution  of 
ammonia  does  develop  the  green  color  immediately,  it  is  apparently 
not  due  to  this  alone.  This  salt  is  now  prepared  much  purer  than 
formerly,  and  it  is  also  not  so  soluble.  The  official  strength  of  the 
hypodermic  injection,  I  grain  in  50  minims,  i.e.,  \  in  45.5  parts,  of 
camphor  water  is  not  held  in  solution  at  60°  F.  Dott  gives  the 
solubility  in  water  as  I  in  50.89,  Squire  as  I  in  56  to  60.  I  find 
I  part  in  60  of  boiled  and  cooled  distilled  water  dissolves, 
but  turns  green  within  a  few  hours,  but  if  acidulated  with  a  trace  of 
hydrochloric  acid,  say  an  equal  weight  of  the  official  diluted  hydro- 

^ Pharmaceutical  Journal,  [2]  Vol.  XI,  p.  480. 


256  Pharmacopmal  Preparations,  {^'"mT/.-iIq'?^"'^' 

chloric  acid,  the  color  is  preserved,  but  it  is  rendered  less  soluble. 
More  than  i  per  cent,  solution,  if  acidulated,  is  not  certain  to  keep 
free  from  crystals  at  the  variable  temperatures  to  which  it  may  be 
exposed,  and  less  than  the  quantity  of  acid  I  have  named  does  not 
keep  it  free  from  color. 

Sulphurous  Acid. — A  trace  of  sulphurous  acid,  say  one-quarter 
per  cent.,  added  to  a  2  per  cent,  solution  of  the  apomorphine  salt, 
keeps  the  solution  for  a  moderate  time,  but  not  indefinitely,  and  the 
use  of  such  a  deoxidizing  agent  is  not  desirable,  as  its  action  on  the 
apomorphine  salt  is  not  clearly  understood.  Nevertheless,  sulphur- 
ous acid  is  largely  used  as  a  preservative  of  such  preparation  as 
orange  wine. 

Boric  Acid. — Of  the  preservatives  suggested  for  keeping  apomor- 
phine injection,  boric  acid  has  been  mentioned,  but  this  I  find,  in  a 
solution  containing  2  per  cent,  of  each,  boric  acid  and  hydrochlorate 
of  apomorphine,  forms  an  opaque  white  jelly,  and  even  with  i  per 
cent,  of  each,  a  curious  translucent  jelly  is  formed,  quite  unsuitable 
for  hypodermic  injection.  Boric  acid  has  been  recommended  and  is 
used  largely  for  preserving  solutions  for  hypodermic  injection,  but 
as  a  solution  of  it,  i  in  30  parts  of  water,  which  is  nearly  saturated, 
will  itself  develop  some  peculiar  fungi,  I  can  see  little  advantage  in 
employing  such  a  preservative  pharmaceutically.  Mr.  Lee  has 
mounted  a  specimen  of  a  torula  which  has  been  grown  in  a  satur- 
ated solution  of  boric  acid  in  distilled  water. 

Camphor  Water. — The  same  remarks  apply  to  camphor  water, 
the  favorite  of  Raspail,  as  to  boric  acid.  It  is  a  weak  inhibitor,  and 
it  further  has  the  disadvantage  of  the  camphor  being  volatile. 
Camphor  water  is  official  as  the  solvent  of  atropine  in  the  solution 
of  sulphate  of  atropine,  but  oculists  complain  of  the  irritating  action 
of  camphor  in  the  eye. 

Chloroform. — The  addition  of  chloroform  to  vegetable  infusions 
and  other  aqueous  preparations  of  vegetable  and  animal  substances 
was  recommended  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Barnes^  in  the  proportion  of  from 
one  eighth  to  one-half  per  cent,  by  volume.  The  addition  of  chloro- 
form as  an  inhibitory  in  suspended  pharmaceutical  operations  is  of 
great  service,  and  it  has  the  advantage  that  by  gently  warming  the 
solution  for  a  short  time  it  can  be  easily  dissipated,  but  it  has  also 
the  disadvantage  that  the  chloroform  evaporates  too  easily  for  pro- 
*  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  [3],  Vol.  V.,  p.  441. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm 


MayriS:.*''"}  Pharmacopaial  Preparations.  257 

longed  preservation,  yet  I  have  tried  the  experiment  of  preserving 
fruit  (damsons)  in  stoppered  bottles,  adding  about  one  three- 
hundredth  part  of  their  weight  of  chloroform  to  them.  The  preser- 
vation was  complete,  but  the  flavor  of  the  chloroform  was  not  dis- 
sipated by  even  baking  the  fruit  in  pies. 

Hydrate  of  Chloral  has  been  used  as  possessing  similar  prop)erties 
to  chloroform,  being  more  readily  soluble  and  less  volatile,  but  its 
taste  is  nauseous. 

Carbolic  Acid. — The  odor  and  flavor  of  this  most  powerful  anti- 
septic is  against  its  use  for  internal  administration,  excepting  for 
hypodermic  injections ;  it  is  the  best  preservative  for  ergotin  in 
aqueous  solution.  Boric  acid  in  this  solution  fails ;  Mr.  Severn 
kindly  infected  for  me  three  solutions  of  ergotin  with  Pcnicillium 
glaucum\  No.  I,  without  preservative  added,  developed  in  forty- 
eight  hours  ;  No.  2,  with  I  per  cent,  of  phenol  added,  is  undeveloped 
yet,  after  five  days ;  No.  3,  with  2  per  cent,  of  boric  acid,  developed 
on  the  side  of  the  bottle,  just  above  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  in 
seventy-two  hours.  Creosote  also,  although  one  of  the  best  preserva- 
tives, as  its  name  indicates,  is  not  admissable,  on  account  of  its  odor. 

Cherry  Laurel  Water. — This  is  recommended  in  France  for  pre- 
serving hypodermic  injections.  So,  also,  are  the  distilled  waters  of 
meadow  sweet  and  eucalyptus.     I  am  not  aware  that 

Formaldehyde  has  been  much  used  pharmaceutically,  although  it 
has,  I  understand,  been  used  for  milk  preserving  for  some  time.  Its 
peculiar  action  on  gelatin  in  rendering  it  insoluble  would  tend  to 
prove  that  it  was  not  desirable  for  internal  administration,  as  it 
might  seriously  interfere  with  digestion. 

Ilvpophosphorus  Acid. — This  and  citric  acid  tLte  employed  com. 
mercially  to  prevent  the  change  of  color  of  the  ferrous  syrups ;  as 
traces  only  are  needed,  it  may  be  considered  a  venial  offense.  But 
preservatives  are  sometimes  used,  or  are  added  even  officially,  which 
are  often  disadvantageous.  For  example  we  have  two  arsenical 
solutions  official,  one  acid  and  the  other  alkaline.  A  simple  solution 
of  arsenic  anhydride  in  water  of  the  same  strength,  colored  if  desired, 
is  perfectly  stable.  It  would  be  compatible  with  both  acids  and 
alkalies,  and  might  take  the  place  of  both  the  official  solutions. 

Carbonic  Acid. — This  in  solution  in  water  is  inhibitory  to  organic 
growths,  and  is  largely  used  in  preparing  carbonatetl  waters  and 
"  Fluid  Magnesia,'"  but  otherwise  it  is  not  of  much  service. 


258  Pharmacopceial  Preparations.  {'^'^i^^l?^^''^' 

Benzoic  Acid. — For  preserving  lard  and  some  official  ointments, 
the  melted  fats  are  macerated  with  powdered  benzoin,  by  which 
means  they  obtain  an  agreeable  odor  and  become  impregnated  with 
benzoic  acid.  Both  these  tend  to  preserve  the  fats  from  becoming 
rancid.  But  in  using  these  fats  for  preparing  the  ointments  of  the 
alkaloids,  apparently  some  change  takes  place ;  they  become  dis- 
colored, and  in  the  case  of  cocaine  we  know,  as  I  have  before  men- 
tioned, a  comparatively  inert  compound  of  benzoyl-ecgonine,  etc., 
is  formed,  so  that  the  use  of  benzoated  lard  is  to  be  avoided  for  pre- 
paring these  ointments. 

Paraffin  Basis. — Where  quick  absorption  is  not  required,  the  pre- 
servative action  of  the  soft  paraffins  renders  them  all  that  can  be 
desired,  as  also  is  oil  of  theobroma  for  suppositories. 

Aromatic  Waters  and  Essential  Oils. — The  oils  of  clove,  cinnamon, 
peppermint,  and  many  others  are  preservatives;  so  are  their  aqueous 
solutions,  but  I  can  only  mention  them. 

Heat  and  Cold. — A  gentle  heat  assists  the  incubation  of  nearly  all 
micro-organisms ;  a  greater  heat,  that  of  boiling  water  for  example, 
is  a  sterilizer;  whereas  a  still  higher  temperature  is  a  disorganizer, 
and  is  destructive  to  all  organic  growths.  Cold,  on  the  contrary, 
the  freezing  point  of  water  and  below,  as  a  rule,  is  only  inhibitory 
to  the  development  of  the  lower  organisms,  their  vitality  is  but  sus- 
pended, and  they  spring  into  life  again  with  the  first  application  of 
a  gentle  warmth.  It  may  appear  irrelevant  to  my  subject,  but  the 
important  bearing  preservatives  have  on  our  food  supplies,  including 
frozen  meat,  makes  them  of  great  importance  commercially.  In 
fact,  in  viewing  the  pharmaceutical  aspect  of  preservatives,  I  have 
but  touched  the  fringe  of  the  subject  of  their  utility.  Without  the 
aid  of  boric  acid  and  other  preservative,  many  of  our  articles  of  daily 
food  would  be  at  famine  prices.  In  such  a  condensed  population  as 
that  of  London,  it  would  now  be  almost  impossible  to  supply  the 
necessary  quantities  of  butter,  milk  and  fish  in  a  fresh  condition. 
We  have  long  been  dependent  to  a  great  extent  on  the  importation 
of  flour  and  corn.  The  same  has  now  become  the  case  in  regard  to 
our  animal  food  products. 


"^"■ia"/;!^"™}  Camphor  in  China.  259 

THE  PRODUCTION  OF  CAMPHOR  IN  CHINA.^ 

By  Augustine  Henry. 

The  camphor  tree,  Cinnamomum  camphora,  Nees  et  eberm,  is 
indigenous  to  Japan,  Formosa  and  the  central  and  southern  provin- 
ces of  China.  It  has  been  known  to  the  Chinese  from  ancient  times, 
but  apparently  until  300  or  400  years  ago  only  as  a  valuable  timber 
tree. 

The  camphor  first  in  use  was  undoubtedly  the  Malay  camphor, 
and  as  Hanbury  says  (**  Pharmacographia,"  p.  51 1),  "  at  what  period 
and  at  whose  instigation  the  Chinese  began  to  manufacture  camphor 
from  the  camphor  laurel  is  not  known."  Hanbury  further  states 
that  •'  The  camphor  of  European  commerce  is  produced  in  Formosa 
and  in  Japan,  and  we  have  no  evidence  that  any  is  now  manufactured 
in  China,  although  very  large  trees,  often  from  8  to  9  feet  in 
diameter,  are  common  ;  for  instance,  in  Kiangsi,  a  camphor  wood  is 
an  important  timber  in  the  Hankow  market."  The  latest  references 
to  camphor  production  ("  Index  Flora:  Sinensis  "  II.,  p.  371)  further 
would  confirm  this,  viz.,  '•  Kwangtung,  common  around  Pakhoi,  but 
not  utilized"  (Playfair).  Again,  "  Dr.  Henry  states  that  the  wood 
is  much  used  in  Central  China,  but  no  camphor  is  extracted." 

Until  a  few  years  ago,  then,  no  camphor  was  produced  on  the 
mainland  of  China,  but  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  camphor 
industry  has  been  started  in  China,  and  that  there  are  signs  that  it 
will  become  important.  This  is  all  the  more  noteworthy,  as  For- 
mosa has  become  Japanese  territory,  and  it  seemed  likely  that 
camphor  would  become  an  entirely  Japanese  article,  not  a  desirable 
contingency  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  Government  is 
striving  to  establish  a  monopoly  in  the  production  of  camphor  in 
P'ormosa,  and  has  no  doubt  in  contemplation  the  creation  of  a  large 
revenue  by  enhanced  prices  in  the  future. 

For  a  history  of  the  vicissitudes  of  the  camphor  trade  in  For- 
mosa itself  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  ••  Chinese  I.  M.  Custom, 
Decennial  Reports''  for  1882-91,  pp.  439,  466.  hn  passant,  this  is 
a  most  valuable  work  for  all  questions  connected  with  Chinese  com- 
merce, the  history  of  the  treaty  ports,  etc.  It  is  replete  with  infor- 
mation of  all  kinds,  and  is  illustrated  with  maps,  plans,  and  diagrams. 

*  Pharmaceutical  Journal^  March  6,  ii>97. 


26o  Camphor  in  China,  { ^'"•£y?il?7"'""'- 

GROWTH    OF   THE   CHINESE   CAMPHOR    INDUSTRY. 

The  growth  of  the  camphor  industry  on  the  mainland  of  China 
is  shown  by  the  following  facts  taken  from  various  China  Customs' 
Yellow-books.  From  the  **  List  of  Chinese  Medicines,"  miscel- 
laneous series,  No.  17,  which  gives  details  of  the  trade  in  drugs  of 
all  kinds  for  the  year  1885,  it  appears  that  camphor  was  unknown 
as  a  product  of  the  mainland,  except  in  the  single  province  of 
Chekiang,  there  being  the  small  export  that  year  from  Ningpo  of 
25  piculs.  Ningpo  exported  32  piculs  in  1889,  40  piculs  in  1890, 
and  none  since,  apparently.  The  Customs'  "Trade  Reports,"  for 
the  different  years  show  the  gradual  appearance  of  camphor  pro- 
duction in  other  parts.  Kowloon  exported  88  piculs  in  1888,  106 
piculs  in  1892,  87  piculs  in  1893.  This  was  conveyed  in  junks,  and 
its  provenance  is  doubtful,  but  it  was  perhaps  from  the  province  of 
Kwangsi.  Canton  exported  122  piculs  in  1893,  37  piculs  in  1894, 
and  237  piculs  in  1895.  This  is  Kwangsi  camphor.  The  Pakhoi 
Trade  Report  for  1894  states  that  the  first  record  of  the  article  was 
in  1892;  in  1893  ^^^^  export  was  23  piculs,  which  increased  to  128 
piculs  in  1894,  and  '*  it  comes  from  Lu-chuan,  near  Yii-linchow,  and 
is  likely  to  grow  in  importance,  as  plantations  in  that  and  other 
places  in  the  neighborhood  are  coming  to  the  bearing  age."  In 
the  Pakhoi  Trade  Report  for  1895,  the  export  is  given  as  596 
piculs,  and  the  writer  says  that  this  gratifying  increase  is  due  to  the 
extended  cultivation  in  Kwangsi.  In  Formosa,  only  old  and 
enormous  camphor  trees  are  utilized,  and  I  am  inclined  to  doubt 
the  existence  of  camphor  plantations  in  Kwangsi ;  the  camphor 
produced  is  more  likely  to  be  from  old  forest  trees.  The  Chinese, 
at  any  rate,  did  not  plant  any  trees  with  a  view  to  the  manufacture 
of  camphor. 

EXPORT    OF   CAMPHOR    FROM    CHINA. 

In  1895  the  exports  of  camphor  from  different  Chinese  ports  was : 
Foochow,  187  piculs  ;  Amoy,  668  piculs ;  Canton,  237  piculs  ;  Kow- 
loon, 68  piculs,  and  Pakhoi,  596  piculs.  In  the  Fukien  province 
there  are  large  forests  and  camphor  trees  abound.  Some  years  ago, 
a  party  of  Japanese  went  into  the  interior  of  Fukien  to  manufacture 
camphor,  but  nothing  came  of  this  attempt.  The  Foochow  export 
is  probably  the  product  of  this  province,  but  that  of  Amoy  is  doubt- 
ful, as  it  maybe  Formosan  camphor  smuggled  over  to  the  mainland 
in  junks.     The  export  of  the  other  three  ports  is  produced  in  the 


"""-Ma^iS^""- }  Editorial-  Reviews.  26 1 

Kwangsi  province,  and  this  will  probably  grow  into  large  figures,  if 
camphor  continues  high  enough  in  price  to  encourage  the  Chinese 
in  its  manufacture. 

To  sum  up,  the  production  of  camphor  on  the  mainland  of  China 
is  an  affair  of  the  last  few  years.  It  began  in  Chekiang,  but  has 
practically  ceased  in  that  province.  In  Kwangsi  it  commenced  a 
short  time  ago,  and  promises  to  develop  irto  importance.  The 
Fukein  product  is  only  trifling  so  far. 


EDITORIAL. 

EDSON    SEWELL   BASTIN. 

On  the  morning  of  April  6,  1897,  Edson  S.  Bastin  passed  away,  after  an  ill- 
ness of  several  months.  His  funeral  took  place  at  Merchantville.  on  the  9th, 
and  was  largely  attended  by  members  of  the  College  and  students. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  was  in  session  when  the  sad  news  reached  them,  and  a 
series  of  resolutions  were  directed  to  be  drawn  up  for  approval  at  a  subsequent 
meeting.  Two  days  later  a  special  meeting  of  the  College  was  held,  and 
appropriate  resolutions  were  directed  to  be  drawn  up  to  express  the  sentiments 
of  that  body. 

It  is  merely  desired  to  record  the  foregoing  facts  at  the  present  time  ;  a 
memorial  will  be  prepared  and  published  in  a  subsequent  number  of  this  JouR- 
N.\L.  It  is  but  justice  to  say,  at  this  time,  that  while  Professor  Bastin's  occu- 
pation of  the  Chair  of  Botany  and  Materia  Medica  in  this  College  was  short  in 
duration,  it  was  long  when  measured  by  results  accomplished.  More  than  that, 
he  won  the  respect,  confidence  and  admiration  of  every  one  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact  during  the  short  four  years  he  was  with  us. 

THE    AMERICAN    MKDICAI.    ASSOCIATION. 

The  fiftieth  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  will  be  held  this  year  in 
Philadelphia,  during  the  first  week  in  June.  As  the  Association  originated  in 
this  city  fifty  years  ago,  more  than  ordinary  efforts  will  be  made  to  have  a 
notable  meeting.  Elaborate  preparations  have  already  been  made  by  the  Com- 
mittee of  Arrangements  for  the  extraordinary  attendance  which  is  anticipated. 
The  section  on  Materia  Medica  ind  Therapeutics  has  been  invited  to  hold  its 
sessions  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 

REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

DBS  ACANTHACKES  Medicinales.  Par  Georges  Dethan.  Deuxieme  Edi- 
tion.    Paris  :  A.  Malone,  1897.     Pp.  192. 

Two  months  ago  we  briefly  reviewed  the  first  edition  of  this  work,  which  was 
issued  as  a  thesis  which  had  been  presente<l  to  the  Ecolc  Sup<^rieure  de  Phar- 
macie  dc  Paris.     The  present  edition  has  been  revised,  corrected  and  enlarged. 

Oh  NERVATIONS     ET     E.KPERIENCKS     SUR      l/OUVERTL'RK     DKS      FI.El'RS      OS 

I/(EvoTHERA  LAMARKiANA.  SKR .  Par  M.  Louis  PlanchoH.  Reprint  from  the 
/>'w//<7/n  de  la  Sjci<5t<5  botanifjue  de  I'rance,  November,  1H96.  This  is  a  close 
study  of  the  process  of  opening  of  the  flowers  of  renothera,  and  it  throws  much 
light  on  the  subject  in  general. 


262  Examination   Questions,  {^'^•yLZ]\l^^''^' 

Viola  tricolor,  L.,  in  morphilogischer,  anatomischer  und  biolo- 
GISCHER  Beziehung.  Vou  Henry  Kraemer.  Universitats-Buchdurckere's 
von  Jh.  Aug.  Koch,  Marburg,  Germany,  1897. 

Professor  Kraemer  has  carefully  worked  out  the  life  history  of  this  interest- 
ing plant,  and  at  the  same  time  has  added  to  the  value  of  the  work  by  an  elab- 
orate series  of  illustrations.  The  results  are  presented  in  twelve  sections,  the 
last  being  a  short  account  of  what  is  known  at  the  present  time  of  the  chem- 
istry of  the  plant.  As  pointed  out  by  earlier  investigations,  salicylic  acid  is 
the  most  interesting  compound  ;  it  exists  partly  as  a  methyl  salicylate,  and 
partly  in  combination  with  various  inorganic  salts.  A  valuable  biblio- 
graphical index  completes  the  work. 

On  the  Constituents  of  the  Sap  of  the  "Silky  Oak,"  Grevillea 
RoBUSTA,  R.  Br.,  and  the  presence  of  Butyric  Acid  therein.  By  Henry 
G.  Smith,  F.C.S.  Read  before  the  Royal  Society  of  New  South  Wales,  October 
7,  1896.  In  a  previous  communication  on  the  timber  of  this  tree,  the  author, 
in  conjunction  with  J.  H.  Maiden,  has  pointed  out  the  presence  of  a  deposit  of 
aluminum  succinate.  Now,  having  demonstrated  the  presence  of  butyric  acid 
in  the  sap,  he  is  led  to  believe  that  the  succinic  acid  is  derived  from  butyric 
acid  by  natural  oxidation  in  the  tree. 

The  Dyeing  Properties  of  Aromadendrin  and  of  the  Tannins  of 
Eucalyptus  kinos.  By  Henry  G.  Smith,  F.C.S.  Reprint  from  the  Journal 
0/ the  Society  0/  Chemical  Industry,  November  30,  1896. 

Ueber  Flechtenstoffe.  Von  Dr.  O.  Hesse.  Reprint  from  Berichte  d. 
dent.  chem.  Gesellschaft,  30,  357. 


EXAMINATION    QUESTIONS    OF    THE    PHILADEL- 
PHIA COLLEGE  OF  PHARMACY,  1896-97. 
first  y'ear  examination, 
pharmacy. 
A — Crystallization,     (i)  Describe  the  method  of  obtaining  crystals  by  depo- 
sition from   supersaturated  solution.     (2)  Define  pellicle.     (3)  Water  of  crys- 
tallization.    (4)  Interstitial  water.     (5)  Efflorescence.     (6)  Deliquescence.  (7) 
Mother  liquor.     (8)  What  is  intermediate  crystallization  ? 

B— Syrups,  (i)  Define  syrups.  (2)  Name  five  methods  for  official  syrups. 
(3)  What  kind  of  sugar  is  best  adapted  for  making  syrups,  and  give  the  reasons 
for  preferring  this  kind  of  sugar.  (4)  Describe  a  method  of  preserving  fruit 
juices  in  bottles,  and  state  the  causes  which  lead  to  the  decomposition  of  solu- 
tions containing  organic  matter,  if  not  protected. 

chemistry. 

C—Hnlo^ren  Group,  (i)  Enumerate  the  elements  belonging  to  the  Halogen 
group,  and  briefly  describe  the  physical  appearance  of  each  of  them.  (2)  Give 
the  formulas  of  their  hydrogen  compounds,  and  state  which  of  them  are  official 
compounds.  (3)  Write  a  chemical  reaction  for  the  production  of  one  of  these 
elements  and  a  chemical  reaction  for  the  production  of  one  of  the  hydrogen 
compounds  above  mentioned. 

D— Phosphorus,     (i)  Describe  the  element  phosphorus  in  its  several  forms 


'^"'■MayViS:^'"}  Examination   Questions.  263 

(2)  From  what  sources  do  we  obtain  it,  and  what  are  its  practical  uses?  (3) 
Give  the  chemical  formula  for  hydrogen  phosphide,  and  state  how  it  is  obtained. 

BOTANY. 

E—y\)  In  what  group  of  plants  are  the  sporophyte  and  gametophyte  gen- 
erations nearly  equal  in  development  ?  (  2)  In  flowering  plants,  what  two 
kinds  of  spores  are  produced,  and  in  what  organs  are  they  borne  respectively? 

(3)  In  most  of  the  higher  plants,  into  what  organs  are  root  and  shoot  differen- 
tiated? (4)  Define  the  terms  sporophyll  and  hypsophyll,  and  give  examples 
of  each  as  they  occur  in  the  flowering  plant.  (  5)  What  are  the  microsporangia 
and  macrosporangia  commonly  called,  respectively,  in  the  flowering-plant? 
(6)  What  peculiarities  in  the  leaf  venation  and  in  the  numerical  plan  of  the 
flowers  enable  us,  usually,  to  distinguish  a  monocotyl  from  a  dicotyl  ?  (7) 
Name  examples  of  each  of  the  following  kinds  of  fruits  :  a  syconium,  a  drupe» 
a  legume,  a  pepo,  and  an  akene. 

F^Materia  Medica.  (8)  Describe  Uva-ursi  as  to  the  following  points: 
length,  shape,  surfaces,  venation,  margin,  texture,  taste,  a  medicinal  constitu- 
ent, and  the  chief  use  of  the  drug.  (9)  Name  two  official  leaves  which  possess 
internal  glands.  (10)  State  the  important  structural  diff"erences  between  Ger- 
man and  Roman  chamomile. 

COMMITTEE. 

G — Glyurifi.  1  n  Name  three  principal  reasons  showing  its  value  in  phar- 
macy. (2  1  What  official  class  of  preparations  contains  glycerin  as  a  base  ?  (3) 
What  is  glycerin,  and  what  is  its  principal  use? 

H — Chctnical  Terms.  Write  concise  definitions  of  each  of  the  following 
chemical  terms  :  ( i )  matter  ;  (2  )  elements  ;  (  3 )  atoms  ;  (  4)  atomic  weight ;  (5) 
equivalence  or  valence;  (6)  molecules;  (7)  molecular  weight;  (S)  equation  ; 
(9)  chemical  reaction  ;  ( 10)  acids. 

/ — Prohlem.  A  laboratory  formula  called  for  85  kilos  of  50  f)er  cent,  ortho- 
phosphoric  acid.  How  much  of  the  U.^^.P.  phosphoric  acid  (85  per  cent.) 
would  be  required  to  take  its  place  in  the  formula?  Show  the  figures  used  to 
obtain  your  result. 

K—The  Flower,  (i)  Define  the  term  sporophyll.  (  2  )  State  what  tvo  kinds 
of  sporophylls  occur  in  the  flowers  of  most  of  the  higher  plants.  (3)  State 
what  they  are  commonly  called,  respectively,  and  what  is  the  function  of  each. 
•  4 ;  State,  also,  what  other  modified  leaves  the  flower  may  possess. 

OPERATIVE   PHARMACY. 

(/)  Specific  Gravity. 
Determine  the  specific  gravity  of  the  licjuid   contained  in   the   four-ounce 
bottle  ;  put  all  calculations  on  the  ^^heet  of  paprr,  with    v«)ur   iiaine  and  exam- 
ination numl>er. 

'-')  I'ercolation. 

Percolate  100  grammes  of  gentian,  with  500  c.c.  of  water.     Label  the  per- 
colator with  your  name  and  examination  number. 

(j)  Granulated  Salt. 
Aci<l  Salicylic        ...  .  7  gni. 

Soiiiura  Carlx)nate  C.  I'         .  .       6*5  gni. 

Distilled  Water  q.  s 

Make  Sotlium  Salicylate.     Put  in  the  widc-nioulh  bolllc. 


264  Examination  Questions.  {'"'"May.'ifQ?.^'"'' 

PHARMACOGNOSY. 

In  this  branch  each  student  was  given  specimens  of  ten  official  vegetable 
drugs,  and  was  required  to  give  the  official  name  and  common  names,  if  any, 
and  also  describe  the  chief  characteristics  of  each  specimen. 

SECOND   YEAR   EXAMINATION. 
PHARMACY. 

A—^i)  What  is  the  official  name  for  Solution  of  Hydrogen  Dioxide?  (2) 
What  is  the  synonym  ?  (3)  What  is  the  official  description  ?  (4)  Give  a  brief 
outline  of  the  process  for  preparing  it.     (5)  What  are  its  uses? 

^_(i)  What  is  the  official  name  for  Solution  of  Ferric  Chloride  ?  (2)  What 
is  the  official  description  ?  (3)  Give  a  brief  outline  of  the  process  for  preparing 
it.  (4)  If  the  finished  solution  has  a  blackish  tint,  what  is  it  due  to  ?  (5)  How 
may  this  be  removed  ? 

C—{\)  What  is  the  official  name  for  Ether?  (2)  What  is  its  specific  gravity  ? 
(3)  How  is  it  made  on  the  large  scale?  (4)  What  are  its  physical  properties 
and  uses  ?     (5)  Is  Ether  vapor  heavier  or  lighter  than  air  ? 

D—{i)  Explain  the  natural  changes  which  occur  in  the  pulpy  constituents 
of  unripe  fruits  during  ripening.  (2)  Have  fleshy  roots  any  of  the  constituents 
of  unripe  fruits?  If  so,  name  them.  (3)  Explain  the  reasons  for  adding 
ammonia-water  to  preparations  of  glycyrrhiza  and  senega.  (4)  How  do  acids 
and  heat  affect  the  constituents  of  fleshy  roots  ? 

^_\Vhat  are  the  essential  points  of  diff"erence  between  a  volatile  oil  and  a 
fixed  oil  ?  By  what  test  may  one  be  distinguished  from  the  other  ?  What  is 
oleic  acid  ?  How  is  it  prepared  ?  What  are  its  uses  in  pharmacy  and  medicine  ? 
Describe  the  manufacture  of  Soap  ?  What  is  Sapo  Mollis  ?  How  is  it  prepared  ? 
What  is  Castile  Soap  chemically  ?  And  what  useful  by-product  results  from 
the  manufacture  of  Soap  ? 

CHEMISTRY. 

-F— (i)  Give  the  reactions  for  the  production  of  Sodium  Carbonate  by  the 
Leblanc  process?  (2)  Give  the  reactions  for  the  production  by  the  Ammonia- 
Soda  and  Cryolite  processes?  (3)  State  what  are  the  by-products  in  each  of 
these  processes  and  which  of  them  are  of  value. 

G — (i)  Describe  the  metal  Copper  and  state  from  what  ores  it  is  obtained. 
(2)  Describe  Cupri  Sulphas  U.S. P.  What  is  the  change  of  appearance  effected 
in  it  by  prolonged  heating?  What  is  the  result  of  the  addition  of  aqua  ammo- 
nia to  copper  sulphate  solution  ?  (3)  Mention  the  more  important  alloys  of 
copper,  stating  the  several  components  of  each. 

H—{i)  How  is  the  metal  Aluminum  obtained?  (2}  Give  the  chemical 
{ormula.  of  A  lumen  U.S. P.  (3)  Describe  silicate  of  aluminum  and  state  its  uses. 

/ — (i)  Describe  the  more  important  tests  for  the  detection  of  Arsenic.  (2) 
How  would  you  distinguish  Arsenic  from  Antimony  in  these  tests  ?  (3)  Describe 
Acidum  Arsenosum  U.S. P.;  give  its  chemical  formula  and  its  common  name. 

K — (r)  Enumerate  the  several  varieties  of  glass  and  state  their  approximate 
chemical  composition.  (2)  What  is  "  soluble  glass  ?  "  (3)  Mention  some  of  the 
materials  used  in  coloring  glass  ? 

MATERIA    MEDICA  AND  BOTANY. 

J^ — Tissues,  (i)  Enumerate  the  different  kinds  of  tissues  found  in  plants. 
(2)  Define  meristem  and  state  how  its  cells  differ  from  ordinary  parenchyma 


^""May?!^!^}  Exaviitiat  10)1  Questions.  265 

cells.  (3)  In  what  parts  of  an  ordinary'  tree,  such  as  the  elm,  for  example,  does 
meristem  occur?  (4)  State  how  the  wall  of  an  ordinary  parenchyma  cell, 
that  of  an  ordinary  epidermal  cell,  and  that  of  an  ordinary  wood  fibre  differ 
from  each  other  in  their  chemical  and  physical  properties. 

M—The  Structure  0/  Stetns,  Roots  and  Leaves.  (5)  In  what  respect  does 
the  growing  tip  of  a  Fern  stem  differ  from  that  of  a  Dicotyl  stem?  (6) 
What  three  layers  are  recognizable  at  the  growing  tip  of  a  Dicotyl  stem,  and 
into  what  regions  do  these  layers  develop,  respectively,  as  the  stem  matures? 
(7)  What  kind  or  kinds  of  vasal  bundles  are  characteristic  in  each  of  the  follow- 
ing organs  :  the  root  of  vSarsaparilla.  the  trunk  of  a  Pine,  the  stem  of  Lyco- 
podium,  the  rhizome  of  Aspidium,  and  the  stem  of  the  Pumpkin.  (8)  Define 
the  terms  centric,  bifacial,  and  iso-bilateral  as  applied  to  leaves. 

A — Root  and  Rhizome  Drugs.  1  9  1  Write  the  official  name,  the  comtnon 
name,  the  natural  order,  botanical  name,  the  name  of  the  country  from  ichich 
derived,  the  most  iviportant  chemical  constituent,  and  the  most  itnportaut 
medicinal  property  of  each  of  four  official  root-drugs.  ( 10^  Write  the  oflficial 
names  of  two  root-drugs  which  contain  milk-tissue.  (11)  Name  two  official 
root-drugs  that  owe  their  activity  to  poisonous  alkaloids,  giving  also  the  name 
of  the  alkaloid  in  each  case.  112^  Name  two  root  drugs  and  one  rhizome  drug, 
all  of  which  are  official  and  all  characterized  by  an  intensely  bitter  taste. 

O — Root  and  Rhizome  Drugs.  (13)  State  the  sources  of  each  of  the  follow- 
ing principles,  giving  the  official  name  of  the  drug  in  each  case  :  Leontin, 
Cheleryihrine,  Sylvacrol,  Atropine,  Chrysophan,  Ilmetine,  Pelosine,  Filicic 
Acid,  Jervine,  and  Aristolochine.  (14)  Name  four  official  drugs  belonging  to 
the  groups  of  Roots  and  Rhizomes  that  are  powerful  narcotic  poisons.  (15) 
Describe  the  structure  of  Belladonna  Root.  (16)  Write  the  official  names  of 
each  of  the  following  drugs  :  Pinkroot,  Blue  Cohosh,  Mayapple,  Cranesbill 
and  Marshmallow. 

P— Barks,  Woods,  etc.  (17)  Name  three  official  barks,  each  of  which 
possesses  three  layers,  and  three  others,  each  of  which  consists  of  the  inner 
layer  only.  (18)  What  official  bark  is  very  tough  and  flexible,  has  silky  bast- 
fibers,  is  very  sternutatory  when  powdered,  is  acrid  to  the  taste,  and  is  capable 
of  producing  a  blister  when  moistened  and  applied  to  the  skin?  (19  Name 
two  official  barks  which  have  short  and  rigid  bast-fibers,  two  which  possess 
long  and  flexible  ones,  and  two  that  possess  none.  (20)  Name  an  official  bark 
that  '\%  febrifuge,  one  that  is  pectoral,  one  that  is  taenifuge,  one  that  is  cathartic, 
and  one  that  is  demulcent. 

SPECIMENS    FOR    RECOGNITION. 

(I)  Acidum  sulphurosum.  (2)  Plumbi  oxidum.  (3)  Sodii  hyposulphis. 
(4)  Alumen.  (5)  Plumbi  .\cetas.  (6)  BelladonniL-  radix.  (7)  Podophyllum. 
IS)  Aspidosperma  I  (Quebracho).  (9I  Eriodict} on  (Verba  Santa),  i  loi  Stroph- 
anthus.  (11)  Pulvis  rhei  compositus.  112)  Aqua  chloroformi.  (13)  Spiritus 
juniperi    compositus.      (14)  Emulsum    chloroformi.     (15)  Tinclura  calumb;i;. 

SENIOR    EXAMINATION. 
THEORY    AND    PRACTICE   OP   PHARMACY. 

Put  down  on  your  paper  all  the  figures  used  in  making  your  calculations. 
A — How  many  fluid  ounces  are  there  in  a  kilogramme  of  each  of  the  follow- 


266  Examination  Questions.  {^'"Ma?!"i£?.*''""* 

ing  official  liquids?  (i)  Water.  (2)  Hydrochloric  acid.  (3)  Ether.  (4) 
Syrup.     (5)  Diluted  Alcohol. 

^_Give  the  unabbreviated  official  name  ;  ingredients  in  preparing  ;  describe 
the  appearance  of— (i)  Compound  Infusion  of  Gentian.  (2)  Fluid  Extract  of 
Ginger.  (3)  Soap  lyiuiment.  (4)  Compound  Syrup  of  Rhubarb.  (5)  Spirit 
of  Peppermint.  (6)  Emulsion  of  Chloroform.  (7)  Compound  Extract  of 
Colocyuth.     (8)  Plummer's  Pills. 

(f__Give  the  English  name,  ingredients,  and  brief  outline  of  process  of  the 
following  :  (i )  Calx  Sulphurata:  (2)  Argenti  Nitras  Fusus.  (3)  Ferri  et  Strych- 
nin^e  Citras.  (4)  Emplastrum  Plumbi.  (5)  Pilulse  Ferri  Carbonatis.  (6) 
Unguentum  Aquae  Rosae.     ( 7)  Pulvis  Purgans.     (8)  Spiritus  Glonoini. 

D—{\)  What  is  Monsel's  Solution?  (2)  How  is  it  prepared?  (3)  What 
are  its  uses?  (4)  What  antidote  is  prepared  from  it?  (5)  How  is  the  anti- 
dote made?     (6)  How  is  the  antidote  administered ? 

E—{\)  How  is  Chloroform  prepared?  (2)  What  is  its  specific  gravity? 
(3)  What  are  its  uses?  (4)  What  is  the  official  test  for  purity?  (5)  How  is  it 
preserved?  (6)  Is  its  vapor  inflammable?  (7)  Name  three  official  prepara- 
tions in  which  Chloroform  is  used. 

F—{\)  What  is  Copaiba?  (2)  What  are  its  constituents?  (3)  What  official 
preparation  is  made  from  Copaiba  ?  (4)  Give  the  process  for  this  preparation. 
(5)  How  is  this  preparation  administered  ?  (6)  What  is  the  dose  ? 

G—{\)  What  is  Chocolate?  (2)  How  is  it  made?  (3)  What  is  the  official 
name  of  the  fatty  constituent  ?  (4)  What  is  the  English  name  of  this  con- 
stituent? (5)  How  is  this  constituent  prepared?  (6)  What  are  the  pharma- 
ceutical uses  of  this  constituent  ?  (7)  What  is  its  melting  point? 

H — ( I )  Describe  the  apparatus  for  making  Compressed  Pills.  (2)  What  are 
the  advantages  of  Compressed  Pills  ?  (3)  What  are  the  disadvantages  ?  (4)  How 
are  Tablet  Triturates  made  ?  (5 )  How  are  Tablet  Saturates  made  ? 

/—Criticise  the  following  prescriptions.  Write  out  the  English  name  of 
each  ingredient ;  state  how  you  would  compound  each,  and  if  any  incompati- 
bility would  be  developed  in  either  ;  state  what  it  is,  and  what  would  be  the 
proper  procedure. 

R     Chloral   Hyd gr.  xl 

Camph.  Pulv gr.  x 

Syr.  Zingib •  f  ^ij 

AquiE  ad f  ^ij 

M.  ft.  Solutio. 

S.  A  teaspoonful  every  three  hours. 

R     Ferri  et  Quin.  Cit 

Amnion.    Carb. aa^j 

Sp.  Ammon.  Arom ^iv 

Tinct.  Opii ^ij 

Aqu£e  ad ^  viij 

M.  ft.  S.  One  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day.  A. 

A'— Criticise  the  following  prescriptions.  Write  out  the  English  names, 
with  ingredients  and  quantities  ;  state  whether  you  would  compound  them  as 
written,  or  what  course  you  would  pursue  upon  receiving  them. 


^^Miy'i^*'"'"'}  Examination  Questions.  267 

R     Quinin.  Sulph ■    •    •  gr.  j 

Ext.  Xucis  Vomicae gr.  v 

Morph.  Sulph gr.  viij 

M.  ft.  pil.  No.  X. 

Sig.  One  pill  every  three  hours. 

R     Potass.  Permang • •  .tJ 

Alcohol •  oj 

Glycerin     ...        •  oU 

M.  ft. 

Sig.  Use  as  directed.  X. 

CHEMISTRY. 

A — (i)  What  are  the  native  sources  of  Borax  ?  Give  the  chemical  formulas 
for  Sod  a  Boras  and  for  Acidum  Boricum.  (2)  How  would  you  prepare  Borax 
from  Boric  Acid  ?  13)  How  would  you  prepare  Boric  Acid  from  Borax?  (4) 
Give  the  most  characteristic  tests,  both  physical  and  chemical,  for  both  these 
compounds. 

B — (i)  Describe  the  metal  Sodium.  (2)  Give  two  of  the  methods  used  for 
its  production.  (  3 )  Give  the  formulas  of  Sodii  Chloridum,  Sodii  C/itoras,  Sodii 
Hyposulphis,  Sodii  Phosphas,  and  Sodii  Ilypophosphis.  (4)  What  are  the 
analytical  tests  for  vSodium  and  its  Salts? 

C — ( i)  What  are  the  chief  ores  of  Zinc,  and  how  is  the  metal  obtained  from 
them  ?  Describe  the  metal,  and  enumerate  its  properties,  both  physical  and 
chemical.  (31  Mention  the  uses  of  Zinc,  and  state  which  alloys  of  it  are  of 
practical  value.  (4)  Give  the  names  and  formulas  of  the  official  Salts  of 
Zinc. 

D — (i)  Give  the  formula  of  ^r/^/«;//  Chromicum.  '2)  Give  the  formula  of 
Potaasii  Bichtotnas,  and  of  the  normal  Potassium  Chromate,  and  explain  the 
chemical  difference  between  these  formulas.  (3)  What  takes  place  when  an 
excess  of  Sulphuric  .\cid  is  added  to  a  concentrated  aqueous  solution  of  Potassium 
Bichromate  ?  (4)  What  takes  place  when  an  alkaline  hydrate  solution  is  added 
to  a  solution  of  Potasii  Bichroinas  ?  (5)  What  pigments  may  be  formed 
from  Potassium  Bichromate  ? 

E — (1)  Write  the  chemical  formulas  o{—Ferri  Chloridum,  Ferri  Oxidum 
Hydralum,  Ferri  Sulphas,  Ferri  Ilypophosphis,  Potassii  Ferrocyaniduni,  Frrri 
Lactas.  (2)  Slate  by  what  tests  Ferrous  Salts  can  be  distinguished  from  Ferric 
Salts?  (3)  State  how  a  Ferrous  Compound  can  be  converted  into  a  Ferric 
one? 

/*— (i)  Give  the  general  formulas  for  the  Paraffin,  the  Olefine,  and  the  Ben- 
zene series  of  Hydrocarbons.  (2  1  State  the  occurrence  in  nature  or  conditions 
of  artificial  formation  of  each  of  these  series.  (3)  How  could  you  distinguish, 
by  chemical  tests,  between  these  three  series? 

G — (I)  Name  an  official  compound  belonging  to  the  class  of  Triatomic 
Alcohols.  (2)  State  the  source  of  the  compound  and  how  it  is  prepared  from 
the  naturally  occurring  products,  i  3  1  Write  the  reaction  for  its  production 
from  one  of  these  snl>stance8.  (4)  Name  the  other  products  of  the  reaction 
just  referred  to. 

//— <i)  Write  the  graphic  formulas  of  Alcohol,  Chloral,  Acidum  Car- 
bolicum,  Acidum  Bcnzoicum,  and  Acidum  (,'allicum. 


268  Examination  Questions.  {^"""Mayyis^T.*''"'- 

/__(!)  What  is  Phenol?  (2)  Name  such  ofi&cial  compounds  as  belong 
to  the  class  of  Phenols,  and  write  their  graphic  formulas.  (3)  What  is  a  Phenol- 
Acid?  (4)  Name  such  official  compounds  as  belong  to  the  class  of  Phenol- 
Acids,  and  write  their  graphic  formulas. 

A'— (i)  Name  the  compounds  indicated  by  graphic  formulas,  and  where 
official  give  both  chemical  and  official  names.    . 

(I)  (2)  (3)  (4)  (5) 

CO  OH  CH,  CH,  C.NH.C2H3O  C.NH.C2H3O 

I  I  I     '  ^\  //\ 

CH  OH  CO  CH  OH      HC       CH  HC       CH 

I  II  I        II  I  II 

CH  OH  CH.,  CO  OH       HC       CH  HC       CH 

I  "  %/  %/ 

CO  OH  CH  C.OC2H5 

MATKRIA   MEDIC  A. 

(i)  Name  and  describe  the  different  forms  of  Proteid  that  may  exist  in  a 
cell. 

(2)  State  how  a  wall  of  a  cell  may  vary  in  composition. 

(3)  What  are  the  distinctive  characteristics  of  Meristem  Tissue? 

(4)  Describe  the  characteristics  of  Epidermal  Tissue  and  name  its  varieties. 

(5)  Under  what  circumstances  is  the  Epidermis  not  cutinized  ? 

(6)  Describe  the  structure  and  state  the  use  of  a  Stoma.  How  are  Stomata 
distributed  on  the  plant  ? 

(7)  Describe  the  usual  form  or  shape  of  Chloroplast  and  their  mode  of 
increase. 

(8)  What  relation  does  Chlorophyll  bear  to  Chlorophyll-Bodies,  and  of  what 
use  to  the  plant  is  Chlorophyll  ? 

(9)  What  are  Conjoint  Fibro -Vascular  Bundles  ? 

(10)  What  kind  of  bundles  are  characteristic  of  the  following  stems:  The 
Fern,  the  Lycopodium,  the  Equisetum,  the  Monocotyl,  and  the  Dicotyl? 

(11)  Write  such  a  description  of  Aconitum  as  would  serve  for  its  certain 
identification. 

(12)  Name  one  of  the  most  important  structural  characteristics  of  each  of 
the  following  drugs  :  Taraxacum,  Senega,  Rheum,  Cimicifuga,  and  Cinchona 
Calisaya. 

(13)  How,  without  aid  from  the  senses  of  taste  and  smell,  may  Serpentaria  be 
distinguished  from  Spigelia  ? 

(14)  By  what  chemical  test  may  Guaiac  Wood  be  readily  recognized  ? 

(15)  By  what  simple  test  may  chips  of  Red  Saunders  be  readily  distinguished 
from  those  of  Logwood  ? 

(16)  By  what  s  mple  means  may  Granatum  be  easily  distinguished  from  other 
drugs? 

(17)  Name  three  official  barks  which  are  destitute  of  bast-fibers. 

(18)  Name  three  official  barks  that  consist  of  the  inner  layer  only. 

(19)  In  the  botanical  classification  of  fr aits,  to  what  group  do  each  of  the 
following  belong  :  Colocynth,  Prunum,  Foeniculum,  Piper  Nigrum,  and  Car- 
dauiomum  ? 

( 20)  Name  three  official  seeds  that  are  albuminous  and  three  that  are  exal- 
buuiiuous. 


^"'May?ir97*'"*}  Examination   Questions.  269 

(21)  Write  the  botanical  name  and  natural  order  of  Crocus,  and  state  what 
part  of  the  plant  is  official. 

(22)  Name  an  acid  and  three  important  alkaloids  found  in  Opium.  Name  au 
acid  and  three  important  alkaloids  found  in  Cinchona. 

( 23)  Write  the  botanical  name  and  natural  order  of  the  plants  from  which  each 
of  the  following  drugs  is  derived  :  Elaterium,  Manna,  Opium,  Guarana,  and  Zea, 

(24)  Name  the  source  of  each  of  the  following  alkaloids  :  Thebaine,  Emetine. 
Pelosine,  Chelerythrine,  Cornutine,  Menispine,  and  Hygrine, 

(25)  Name  the  source  of  each  of  the  following  non-alkaloidal  principles  : 
Meconic  Acid,  Rottlerin,  Chrysophau,  Cathartic  Acid,  Saponin, ^Elaterin,  and 
Rhamnoxanthin. 

(261  Name  five  official  drugs  that  are  powerful  hydragogue  cathartics. 

(27)  Name  three  powerful  drugs  that  act  as  tonics  to  the  heart,  strengthen- 
ing its  beat ;  and  three  that  powerfully  depress  the  heart's  action. 

(28  I  Define  the  terms  Cholagogue,  -Antiseptic,  Antiperiodic,  Mydriatic,  and 
Anthelmintic. 

(29)  What  are  the  most  marked  symptoms  of  opium  poisoning,  and  what 
treatment  is  indicated  ? 

(30)  Name  two  powerful  official  drugs  which,  in  medicinal  doses,  stimulate 
the  respiratory  function. 

COMMITTEE. 

A — ( I  )  A  solid  body  weighs  50  ounces  in  the  air  and  30  ounces  in  water. 
What  is  its  specific  gravity?  (2)  What  is  the  volume  of  the  body?  (3)  What 
is  the  weight  of  an  equal  volume  of  water?  (4)  What  would  it  weigh  if  it 
were  immersed  in  official  Glycerin  ?  (5)  If  two  avoirdupois  pounds  of  official 
Sulphuric  Acid  were  poured  into  a  measure  graduated  to  show  fluid  ounces, 
to  what  number  would  it  be  filled? 

B — Asii/utida.  (i)  Give  botanical  name,  natural  order,  and  habitat  of  the 
plant  which  yields  Asaftetida.  (2)  Describe  the  characteristics  of  the  natural 
order  to  which  the  plant  l>elongs.  (3)  What  appearance  does  the  drug  present 
in  commerce?  (4)  Why  does  it  form  an  emulsion  when  mixed  with  water? 
(5)  What  are  its  chief  constituents,  and  to  what  is  its  odor  due?  (6)  Name 
three  official  preparations  of  Asafcctida.     (7)  Give  the  dose  of  Asafcutida. 

C— Materia  Medica. — Belladonna  Root,  (i)  Enumerate  the  characters  by 
means  of  which  Belladonna  Root  may  be  distinguished  from  any  other  official 
root.  (2)  What  is  the  important  alkaloid  of  Belladonna?  (3)  What  is  the 
most  characteristic  constitutional  effect  of  Belladonna  or  of  its  alkaloid  ?  (4) 
What  is  the  dose  of  Belladonna  Root?  (5)  Name  the  official  drugs  which  in 
physiological  action  are  closely  related  to  Belladonna.  16)  Why  is  the  official 
name  Belladonna  Radix  and  not  Belladonna  ? 

D—{i)  Name  five  official  Tixexl  Oils,  giving  the  Latin  and  English  titles. 
(2)  Describe  briefly  the  processes  for  making  the  fixe<l  oils  of  commerce  used 
medicinally.  (3)  Name  five  official  volatile  oils,  giving  both  Latin  and  I-inglish 
titles.     (4)  Descrilje  briefly  three  processes  by  which  volatile  oils  are  procured. 

/t — (I)  Give  Symbol,  Ivcjuivalence  and  Atomic  Weight  of  the  metal  .M.ignc- 
sium.  (2)  What  two  kinds  of  Magnesium  Oxide  are  official,  and  how  is  each 
made?  Whatistheessentialdifl"ercnccin  chemical  reaction  with  watert>et ween  the 
two?  (3)  Which  variety  of  Magnesium  Carbonate  is  the  official?  (4)  Give 
the  chemical  reactions  that  take  place  in  making  Liquor  Magnesii  Citratis. 


270  Examiyiation  Questions.  {^'^•i^^S^^^'^' 

F—{  I )  Give  the  antidotes  for  the  following  poisons :  Arsenic,  Corrosive 
Sublimate,  Oxalic  Acid.  (2)  What  antidote  would  you  administer  for  a  corro- 
sive liquid  of  unknown  identity  ?  (3)  For  what  class  of  poisons  are  antidotes 
usually  unavailing  ?     In  such  cases  how  may  the  patient's  life  be  saved  ? 

G—Strophanthus.  (i)  Give  its  official  name  ;  botanical  name.  (2)  To  what 
region  is  it  indigenous?  (3)  What  is  the  active  principle  of  Strophanthus ? 
(4)  What  is  the  dose  of  Strophanthus  ?  (5)  What  preparation  of  Strophan- 
thus is  official?  (6)  Give  the  dose  of  this  preparation.  (7)  What  are  the 
medical  properties  of  Strophanthus  ? 

H — The  molecular  weight  of  Crystallized  Alum  is  946.46,  and  that  of  abso- 
lutely dry  Sodium  Carbonate  is  105*85.  How  much  of  the  Sodium  Carbonate 
would  be  required  for  one  kilogramme  of  Alum  in  the  manufacture  of  Alum- 
inum Hydrate? 

/—Complete  prescription  No.  i  by  inserting  the  quantities  of  the  several 
ingredients,  the  patient  being  an  adult  and  suffering  from  a  mild  dropsical 
condition. 

Write  out,  in  an  unabbreviated  form,  what  you  would  dispense  in  prescrip- 
tion No.  2. 

I. 

JR     Potass.  Acetat 

Infus.  Digitalis     . 

Ext.  Tritici  Fluid 

Spt.  ^ther  Nit 

Infus.  Buchu 

M.  Sig.  Take  a  tablespoonful  three  times  a  day  for  four  days. 

2. 

B     Pot  Chlor 5j 

Aq.  Chlor f^iv 

Spt.  Syr.  Nig f^^ij 

Syr.  Zingib q.  s.  ad  ^  viij 

M.  Sig.  Tablespoonful  every  two  hours  until  relieved. 

A%- (i )  Write  a  metric  prescription  for  100  pills,  each  to  contain  one-eighth 
grain  Morphine  Sulphate,   one-sixtieth  grain  Strychnine  Sulphate,  and  one 
twelfth  grain  Arsenous  Acid,  with  the  quantity  of  a  suitable  excipient,  expressed 
metrically,  to  make  one-grain  pills. 

(2)  Translate  the  following  prescription,  giving  the  equivalents  in  apothe- 
cary's system  : 

GERMAN   PRESCRIPTION. 

H     Chloroform ^o. 

-i?£theris 5o' 

01.  Sesami i^o* 

M.  ft.  Iviniment. 
S.  Use  externally. 

SPECIMENS. 

The  following  specimens  were  placed  before  the  senior  students  for  recogni- 
tion during  the  several  examinations  : 


^'"May'i?^*'''"}  Examination  Questions.  271 

Pharmacy.  Chemistry. 

Aqua  creosoti,  Aqua  destillata, 

Spiritus  £etheris  nitrosi,  Aniylum, 

Spiritus  a;theris  compositus,  Sodii  salicylas, 

Ceratum  plumbi  subacetatis,  Naphtaliuum, 

Pulvis  ipecacuanhiE  et  opii,  Sodii  bicarbonas, 

Extractum  sennae  fluidum,  Sodii  acetas, 

Tinctura  benzoini  composita,  Saccbaruni  lactis, 

Syrupus  ferri  iodidi,  Mangani  dioxidum, 

Extractum  cinchonae  fluidum,  Potassii  nitras, 

Tinctura  calumbae.  Benzinum. 

Materia  Medica.  Committee. 

Bryonia,  Tinctura  cardamomi  composita, 

Stillingia,  Linimentum  chloroformi, 

Geranium,  Extractum  ergotae  fluidum, 

Calamus,  Extractum  gentianae  fluidum, 

Euonymus,  Potassii  bicarlx)nas, 

Salvia,  Zinci  acetas, 

Cheuopodium,  Ammonii  chloridum, 

Conium,  Senega, 

Pbysostigma,  Guaiaci  lignum, 

Colchici  semen.  Cascarilla. 

OPERATIVE    PHARMACY. 

(/)  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate. 

Mercury 25  gm. 

Nitric  Acid 2*     c.c. 

Nitric  Acid 3'     c.c. 

Lard  Oil 30*     cc. 

Make  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate  by  the  official  process. 

{2)  Pills. 

Ferric  Citrate 3.         gni. 

Cinchonine  Sulph i.         gni. 

Oil  of  Caraway 15  Drops. 

Mix;  make  15  pills. 

Write  in  English,  upon  the  label,  all  the  ingredients  and  quantities  used  in 
making  the  pills,  and  put  the  lal>el  on  the  bottom  of  the  1k)x. 

(j)  Suppositories. 

Ext.  Belladonna  Leaves .50  gm. 

Tannic  Acid "50  gm. 

Oil  of  Theobroma 6  00  gm. 

Make  6  suppositories,  by  rolling. 

{4)  Prescription. 
Put  up  a  prescription,  secundum  artem,  each  teaspoonful  dose  of  which  shall 
contain  five  minims  each  of  Tincture  of  Guaiac  and  Spirit  of  Nitrous  Ether, with 
sufficient  water  to  make  two  fluid  ounces.     Write  upon  a  separate  label  the 
contents  of  the  bottle,  and  attach  it. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


272  Commencement  Exercises.  {^^'-^ty,^'. 

(5)  Plaster. 

Spread  a  breast-plaster,  about  6  inches  in  diameter.     Soap  plaster  will  be 

found  in  the  dipper. 

ANALYTICAI.   CHEMISTRY. 

{Students  of  the  second-year  class  were  also  given  this  examination.') 
The  examination  in  this  branch  consisted  in  the  examination  of  a  compound 
powder  for  metals  and  inorganic  and  organic  acids. 

VEGETABLE   HISTOLOGY. 

{Students  of  the  second-year  class  were  also  given  this  examination.) 
(i)  To  which  of  the  following  plant  types  does  the  specimen  belong  :  The 
Fern,  the  Monocotyl,  the  Gymnosperm,  or  the  Dicotyl  ?  (2)  Which  of  the 
following  organs  does  it  represent :  a  root,  the  petiole  of  a  leaf,  or  a  stem  ? 
Give  the  reason  for  your  conclusion.  (3)  Make  a  diagram  of  the  cross-section 
and  locate  such  of  the  following  parts  as  are  represented  :  the  epidermis,  the 
periderm,  the  pith,  the  cambium  zone,  a  medullary  ray,  the  xylem  of  a  bundle, 
the  endodermis  and  the  pericycle.  (4)  Enumerate  the  tissues  which  you  find 
present.  (5  )  Is  starch  present  ?  What  test  did  you  employ  to  determine?  In 
what  parts  of  the  section  is  it  most  abundant  ?  (6)  What  tissues  are  lignified  ? 
In  what  part  of  the  section  were  the  lignified  tissues  most  abundant  ?  Describe 
your  method  of  testing  for  lignified  structures.  (7)  What  varieties  of  secretion 
tissue  do  you  find,  and  how  are  they  distributed  ?  (8)  If  milk  tissue  is  present, 
state  which  variety  it  represents  and  how  it  is  distributed.  (9)  For  clearing 
sections  of  starch  and  proteid  matters,  what  reagents  may  be  employed  ?  (10) 
Suppose  you  find  crystals  in  a  cell,  bv  what  means  could  you  tell  whether  they 
are  protein  crystals  or  mineral  crystals  ?  Having  determined  that  the  crystals 
are  inorganic,  how  could  you  tell  whether  they  are  composed  of  calcium  car 
bonate  or  of  calcium  oxalate  ? 


SEVENTY-SIXTH  ANNUAL  COMMENCEMENT. 

The  exercises  connected  with  conferring  the  degree  of  Graduate  in  Pharmacy 
were  held  at  the  College  Building,  Wednesday  evening,  April  14,  at  8  o'clock. 
Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  B.  L.  Agnew,  D.D. 
President  Bullock  conferred  the  degree  upon  the  following  : 

Xante.  Subject  of  Thesis.  State. 

Althouse,  Harry  B.,  Pharmacy  journals.,  Pennsylvania. 

Anderson,  Ralph  Samuel  Lloyd,  Progress  in  pharmacy^  Pennsylvania. 

Baker,  Newton  Claire,  Arsenic  and  its  preparations,  Pennsylvania. 

Bartholomew,  Claude  Lafayette,  Antipyrine,  Pennsylvania. 

Bates,  John  Phillips,  Liquor  potasses  et  liquor  sodcs,  Pennsylvania. 

Breithaupt,  Alphons  Peter,    Structure  of  leptandra,  Pennsylvania. 
Brumbaugh,  Albert  Sylvester,  Digestive  value  of  Carica  papaya,  Ohio. 

Clapp,  Samuel  Clarence,        Kola  nut,  Pennsylvania. 

Clark,  Edward  B.,  Glycerinum,  Pennsylvania. 

Cloud,  Norman  Henderson,  Copaiba,  Pennsylvania. 

Codori,  Simon  Jacob,  Jr.,       Cinchona  bark,  Pennsylvania. 
Compton,  Richard  Hal,           Valuation  of  liquor  iodi  cotnpositus,  Texas. 

Cooper,  Morris,  Testing  in  retail  pharmacies,  Pennsylvania. 


All).  Jour,  riiarm.l 
May.  1897.         / 


Covuncncemcnt  Exercises. 


273 


Same.  Subject  0/  Thesis.                                               State. 

Cope,  Edward  Kreidler,  Opium  and  its  us^s,                                Pennsylvania. 

Criswell.  Edward  Ott,  Cascara  sagrada,                                   Pennsylvania. 

Deibert,  William  Henry,  Tasteless  Cascara  sagrada  compounds,  Pennsylvania. 


Eschbach,  Clarence  Derbie,  Syrupus  acidi  hydriodici, 

Farley,  Levi  James,  /  'egetahle  histology. 

Few,  Colin  Spangler,  Olive  oil, 

Garrison,  Joseph  Miller,  Jr.,  Value  of  pharmacognosy, 

Gessford,  Otice  Eugene,  The  pharmacists, 

Godfrey,  Swain  Townsend,     Coal, 

Godshall,  Samuel  R.,  Acidu)n  a'/ticuui  dilutum, 

Goodfellow,  Charles  Rumney,  PhatDiacists  and  their  imitators,  Pennsylvania. 

Gross,  Paul  Herbert,  Oliie  oil  and  its  product  ion,  Pennsjlvania. 

Harry,  Hamilton  Maxwell,    Camphor, 

Heim,  Christian,  Liquor  plumbi  subacetatis, 

Hildebrand,  Howard  Ovid,     Coca, 

Horst,  Harry  Lewis,  The  pharmacy  of  brewings 

Howell,  Harry  Field,  Cocaine^ 

Hukill,  Oscar  K.,  Phartnaceutical  education, 

Ingling,  Howard  Edgar,         Cinchona, 

Opium, 

The  relation  of  the  druggist  to  the 
physician. 

Koumys, 
Kessler,  Lawrence  Anthony,  Assay  of  spirit  us  tether  is  nittosi, 
Kirlin,  Charles  Coleman  Hagenbuch,  Attar  or  otto  of  rose, 
Kramer,  George  Henry,         Syrupus  ferri  iodidi, 

Gossypium  herbaceum. 

Sulphuric  acid. 

Ergot, 

Opium, 


Jefferis,  David  Strode, 
Jennings,  Isaac  Astor, 

Johns,  Frank  James, 


Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

New  Jersey. 

Pennsylvania. 

New  Jersey. 

Pennsvlvania. 


Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

Arkansas. 

New  Jersey. 

Pennsylvania. 


Laughlin,  Albert  Russell, 

Lenhart,  linos  Samuel, 

Levan,  Walter, 

Lewis,  Daniel  William, 

Liebert,  Charles  Frederick,   Concentrated  infusions, 

I^ngshaw,  Thomas  I-Hmer,    Poisons  and  their  antidotes 


Luhr,  Frederick  A., 
Lukens,  Charles  Baker, 
McGehee,  Hanford  Bell, 
McNeil,  Thomas  Hunter, 
Matusow,  Harry, 
Metzlcr,  Claude  Dallas, 
Morgan,  Clayton  ICdward, 
Mueller,  Charles  August, 
Nel)el,  Charles  William, 
Parry,  I'dward, 
Parry,  William  Hough, 
I'earce,  Samuel  Rol>crt, 
Peiffer,  Charles  Oscar, 
Praul,  Walter  I'rancis, 


Cascara  sagrada. 

Hydrogen  dioxide, 

Ointments, 

Kola , 

Kalmia  latifolia, 

/belladonna, 

Adulteration, 

Abstracts, 

Ointments  and  cerates. 

Powdered  extract  of  liiorue. 

Medicated  waters. 

Camphor, 

Acacia, 

Rheum, 


Punt,  Arnold  Anthony  Joseph,  Density  of  solutions, 
Reese,  John  Bull,  Cinchona, 

Riebcn.  Ernest,  Stramonium, 


Virginia. 
Pennsylvania. 
Ohio. 

Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Virginia. 
Pennsylvania. 
Russia 

Pennsvlvania- 
Massachusetts- 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Wales. 

Pennsylvania. 
New  Jersey. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsvlvania. 


274 


Commencement  Exercises, 


f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1.  May,  1897. 


Xamf. 
Roth,  Fraus  Jobau 
Seipel,  Harry  Bertram, 
Smiley,  Laura  Marguerite, 
Stommel,  Henry  Aloysius, 
Streeper,  Austin, 
Tobias,  Isaac  Herbert, 

Troxell,  John  Isaac  Peter, 
Weitzel,  Sue  C, 


Subject  of  Thesis. 

Arsenic  and  its  compounds , 

Zingiber^ 

Podophyllum, 

Liquorice  in  pharmacy, 

Cinchona  barks, 

Preservative  for  syrup  of  ferrous 

iodide. 
Ergot, 


Veratrum  viride, 
Wentzler  Hartman  Gotthard,  Percolation  of  every  tincture  of 

U.S.P, 
Wetzel,  Samuel,  Belladonna, 

Wilson,  Oliver  Fawcett,         Solid  extracts  by  acetic  acid. 
Winger,  John  Bowman,  Gelatin  capsules. 


stale. 
Sweden. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 

Ohio. 

Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 
Pennsylvania. 


STATES  AND  COUNTRIES  REPRESENTED   BY  THE    GRADUATING  CI^ASS. 

Arkansas i  Pennsylvania     ...  58    Virginia 2 

Massachusetts i  Russia i     Wales, i 

New  Jersey 4  Sweden i  — 

Ohio 3  Texas i            Total, 73 

Special  certificates  for  a  two  years'  course  in  general,  applied  and  analytical 
chemistry  were  awarded  to  : 

Bertha  Leon  DeGrafFe,  New  York. 
Freeman  Preston  Stroup,  Pennsylvania. 
S.  Allen  Tucker,  Pennsylvania. 
W^m.  Clements  White,  Pennsylvania. 

The  degree  of  Master  in  Pharmacy  was  conferred  on  the  following  : 

Virgil  Coblentz,  New  York. 
John  Uri  Lloyd,  Ohio. 
Charles  T.  George,  Pennsylvania. 
Jacob  H.  Redsecker,  Pennsylvania. 
Lucius  Elmer  Sayre,  Kansas. 

The  following  members  of  the  class  attained  the  grade  of  Distinguished  : 

Albert  Sylvester  Brumbaugh. 
Harry  Matusow. 
Clayton  Edward  Morgan, 

AWARD   OF   PRIZES. 

The  Maisch  Memorial  Prize  of  a  Zentmayer  microscope,  offered  by  the 
family  of  the  late  Professor  Maisch,  for  original  histological  work  oh  American 
plants,  was  awarded  to  Alphons  Peter  Breithaupt. 

The  William  B.  Webb  Memorial  Prize,  consisting  of  a  gold  medal  and 
certificate,  for  the  highest  general  average  in  operative  pharmac}',  specimens 
and  committee  examinations,  offered  by  Mrs.  Rebecca  T.  Webb,  was  awarded 
to  Albert  Sylvester  Brumbaugh. 

The  Chemical  Prize  of  $25  in  gold,  offered  by  Prof.  Samuel  P.  Sadtler, 
for  original  quantitative  analysis,  was  given  to  Harry  Matusow.     The  following 


'^"■Ma^iS?.^""-}  Alumni  Association,  27^ 

graduate  received  honorable  mention  in  connection  therewith  :  Lawrence 
Anthony  Kessler. 

The  American  Joirnal  of  Pharmacy  Prize  of  ^■2^,  offered  by  Prof. 
Henry  Trimble,  for  a  paper  (not  intended  for  a  thesis)  involving  original  work 
in  the  Chemical  Laboratory,  was  awarded  to  Harr^-  Matusow. 

The  John  M.  Maisch  Prize  of  ^20  in  gold,  offered  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Redsecker,  of 
Lebanon,  Pa.,  for  histological  knowledge  of  drugs,  was  awarded  to  Claude 
Dallas  Metzler,  with  honorable  mention  of  John  Phillips  Bates  and  Albert  Syl- 
vester Brumbaugh. 

The  Operative  Pharmacy  Prize  of  ^25  in  gold,  offered  by  Prof.  Joseph 
P.  Remington,  for  the  best  examination  in  op>erative  pharmacy,  was  awarded 
to  Clayton  Hdward  Morgan,  with  honorable  mention  of  the  following  gradu- 
ates :  Kuos  Samuel  Lenhart,  Alphons  Peter  Breithaupt,  Oliver  1-awcett  Wilson, 
Richard  Hal  Compton  and  Albert  Sylvester  Brumbaugh. 

The  Robinson  Chemical  Prize  of  a  gold  medal  and  certificate,  offered  by  Mr. 
James  S.  Robinson,  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  for  the  best  examination  in  general 
and  analytical  chemistry,  was  awarded  to  Clayton  Hdward  Morgan. 

The  valedictory  address  to  the  graduating  class  was  delivered  by  Professor 
Joseph  P.  Remington. 

The  farewell  supper  of  the  professors  to  the  graduating  class  was  given  in  the 
Museum  of  the  College,  Tuesday  evening,  April  13th.  The  officers  and  trustees 
of  the  College  were  present,  together  with  some  other  invited  guests.  Professor 
Remington,  as  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  was  master  of  ceremonies,  and  after  the 
)netiu  was  disposed  of  speeches  were  made  by  the  President  of  tlie  College, 
members  of  the  faculty,  some  of  the  trustees,  members  ol  the  class  and  invited 
guests. 

ALUMNI    ASSOCIATION    OF    THE    PHILADELPHIA 
COLLEGE   OF   PHARMACY. 

The  Thirty-third  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy  convened  in  the  Auditorium  of  the  College  Build- 
ing, 145  North  Tenth  Street,  on  Monday  afternoon,  April  12,  1S97. 

President  Dr.  J.  Louis  D.  Morison,  '88,  presided,  and  called  the  meeting  to 
order  at  2.30  p.m.,  22  members  being  present. 

The  President  read  his  address,  in  which  he  said  :  "With  the  close  of  the 
exercises  attending  the  reception  to  the  seventy-sixth  graduating  class  lo  night, 
we  shall  have  rounded  out  nearly  a  third  of  a  century  of  existence  as  an  active 
organization  ;  and  while  the  past  year  has  not  shown  any  very  conspicuous  evi- 
tlences  of  activity  beyond  that  of  mere  routine  work,  yet  I  am  happy  to  say  we 
are  still  quite  healthy.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  there  has  been  observcil 
at  times  slight  symptoms  of  inertia  of  the  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Association 
which,  during  the  past  year  has,  at  times, seemed  to  flag,  I  am  by  no  means  con- 
vince<l  that  she  is,  therefore,  losing  her  vitality  as  an  organization. "  I  le  advised 
the  infusion  of  more  new  blood  into  her  veins  by  every  member  giving  to  the 
.Association  a  more  lively  interest,  and  he  did  not  share  with  some  lh«-  n 

that  because  the  .Association  has  relinquished  its  interests  in  the  <Jni//< 
therefore,  no  important  work  to  do.     On  the  contrary,  he  felt  there  never  was 
a  time  in  its  history  when  its  field  for  work  was  larger  and  more  full  of  promise 


2;r)  Alumni  Association.  {^'^ii^ylmi':''^- 

than  it  is  to-day,  and  the  advent  of  the  session  of  1897-98  will  see  our  College 
doors  thrown  open  to  receive  for  the  first  time  in  her  history  three  distinct 

classes. 

He  recommended  the  publishing  of  the  A1.UMNI  Report  twelve  times  a  year, 
and  believed  the  question  was  already  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  very  many  of 
the  active  members,  and  urged  the  advisability  of  giving  to  this  important  mat- 
ter early  and  earnest  consideration. 

He  also  advised  the  holding  of  the  Alumni  Social  Meetings  in  the  future  in 
the  evenings  instead  of  the  afternoons,  as  heretofore. 

In  closing,  he  expressed  what  he  believed  to  be  the  sense  of  the  meeting,  and 
that  was  the  profound  sorrow  felt  by  all  at  the  death  of  Prof.  Edson  S.  Bastin. 
"  By  his  untimely  departure  we  sustain  the  loss  of  an  honored  member  and  the 
College  a  valued  and  distinguished  teacher  ;  and  while  we  lament  the  passing 
away  of  Edson  S.  Bastin,  we,  at  the  same  titne,  rejoice  that  it  was  our  great 
privilege  to  have  had  him  in  Our  midst,  for,  by  his  genius  and  indomitable 
energy,  there  has  been  added  to  our  College  a  microscopical  laboratory  second 
to  none  in  any  teaching  institution  in  the  country— a  work  that  will  ever  remain 
a  glorious  monument  to  his  memory. 

The  Secretary,  Wm.  E.  Krewson,  '69,  presented  his  seventeenth  annual 
report  as  Secretary,  in  which  he  reviewed  the  work  of  the  Association  for  the 
past  year,  but  regretted  that  the  Association  had  not  been  more  active. 

During  the  year  sixty-five  members  have  been  added,  seven  who  paid  the 
required  fee  and  fifty-eight  who  were  members  of  the  College  Review  Quiz 
Classes. 

The  membership  now  numbers  2,749,  after  deducting  those  who  died  during 
the  year,  making  a  net  gain  of  thirty-nine  new  members  for  the  year. 

The  report  of  the  Memorial  Committee  showed  that  twenty-six  of  the  active 
members  had  died  during  the  year  ;  also  eleven  of  our  graduates  who  were  not 
active  members. 

The  Secretary  also  reported  that  two  of  our  honorary  members  had  died,  viz  : 
First  Vice-President  Robert  Shoemaker  and  Prof.  Edson  S.  Bastin. 

Twenty  of  the  members  had  procured  the  Alumni  badges  during  the  year, 
making  a  total  of  285  members  who  had  procured  the  badge. 

The  Secretary  suggested  the  dispensing  of  the  Social  Meetings  altogether 
or  the  holding  them  in  the  evenings  ;  also  to  petition  the  Committee  on  Prop- 
erty of  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  have  the  College  Museum  open  every  day  for 
the  use  of  the  students  and  pharmacists  who  might  wish  to  avail  themselves  of 
visiting  it,  and  have  a  suitable  person  in  charge  to  care  for  the  room  and  its 
valuable  collections. 

He  also  suggested  the  publishing  of  the  Alumni  Report  each  month  in 
the  year. 

The  Treasurer,  Wm.  Lincoln  Cliffe,  '84,  reported  that  he  had  received  from 
all  sources  during  the  year  12,658.83,  which,  added  to  the  balance  in  the  treas- 
ury at  the  commencement  of  the  year,  made  a  total  of  $2,925.77.  The  disburse- 
ments amounted  to  $2,849.37,  leaving  a  balance  in  the  treasury  of  I76.40. 

John  Tri  Lloyd,  of  Cincinnati,  O.;  Dr.  Edward  Robinson  Squibb,  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  and  Dr.  Chas.  Rice,  of  New  York  City,  were  unanimously  elected 
as  liDuorary  members  of  the  Alumni  Association. 


^'"Ma?!"*!^?*'™}  Alumni  Association.  27J 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year,  vi/ 

President,  Harry  L.  Stiles,  'S5  ;  First  Vice-President,  James  L.  I'cirry,  '91  ; 
Second  Vice-President,  F.  Wm.  K.  Stedem,  '82  ;  Treasurer,  Wm.  Lincoln 
Cliffe,  '84  ;  Secretary,  Wm.  ¥,.  Krewson,  '69  ;  Corresponding  Secretary,  Theo- 
dore Campbell,  '93.  Board  of  Directors,  for  three  years  :  Henry  Trimble,  '76  ; 
David  H.  Ross,  '78;  Wm.  N.  Stem,  '73  ;  Dr.  J.  Louis  D.  Morison,  "88. 

John  H.  Hahn,  '81,  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  of  two  years  caused  by  the 
election  of  Theodore  Campbell,  '93,  as  Corresponding  Secretary.  The  present 
Recording  Secretary',  Wm.  E.  Krewson,  was  re-elected  for  the  eighteenth  time. 

The  Thirty-third  Annual  Reception  to  the  seventy -sixth  graduating  class  was 
held  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  in  the  College  Auditorium,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  successful  ever  held.  The  hall  was  beautifully  decorated  with  the 
College  colors  and  the  American  flag. 

An  interesting  concert  programme  was  rendered  by  Bastert's  Parlor  Orchestra. 
The  President,  Dr.  J.  Louis  D.  Morison,  presided,  and  made  a  few  introductory 
remarks  and  welcomed  the  new  members. 

The  Secretary  called  the  roll  of  those  elected  during  the  year. 

The  annual  class  oration  was  delivered  by  Howard  Ovid  Hildebrand  of  York, 
Pa. 

The  reciting  of  the  poem  dedicated  to  the  seventy-sixth  graduating  class  was 
rendered  by  Samuel  R.  Godshall,  of  Soudertown,  Pa. 

Samuel  Clarence  Clapp.  Jr.,  of  Milton,  Pa.,  gave  the  history  of  the  Class  of 
1897,  and  Harry  Lewis  Horst,  of  Lock  Haven,  Pa.,  foretold  the  future  of  the 
Class  of  1S97. 

The  Alumni  gold  medal  was  presented  to  Clayton  Edward  Morgan,  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  a  son  of  our  fellow  member  of  the  Alumni  Association,  Frank  V.. 
Morgan,  of  the  Class  of  '81  ;  and  it  was  presented  in  a  very  pleasing  manner 
by  Dr.  Clement  B.  Lowe,  '84.  The  eight  prize  certificates  for  the  highest 
general  average  in  each  of  the  branches  were  awarded  to  the  following 
students,  viz.  : 

CERTIFICATES. 

Pharmacy —John  Phillips  Bates,  Mansfield,  Pa. 

Chemistry — Walter  Francis  Praul,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Materia  Medica — Harry  Matusow,  Minsk,  Russia. 

General  Pharmacy  (Committee)— Samuel  Robert  Pearce,  Manasquan.  N.  J. 

Operative  Pharmacy — Oliver  Fawcett  Wilson,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Analytical  Chemistry — .Mbert  Sylvester  Bruml)augh,  Mansfield.  (). 

Pharmacognosy  (Specimens)  — Claude  Dallas  Mct/.ler,  Harrisonville,  Pa. 

Microscopy  (Vegetable  Histology  i  -Miss  I^ura  Marguerite  Smiley,  Philadel 
phia.  Pa. 

The  Testimonial  Prize  certificates  to  the  undergraduates  receiving  the  high- 
est general  averages  in  the  first-  and  second-year  class  examinations  were 
awarded  to  Mclvin  William  Bamford,  of  the  first-year  class,  of  Reading.  Pa  . 
and  to  George  Carll  Keen,  of  Vinelaiid,  N.  J.,  of  the  second  year  class. 

The  Lust  named  certificate  was  awarded  for  the  first  time  this  year,  it  l>cing 
the  first  examination  for  second  course  slmlenls  under  the  new  curriculum. 

W.  E.  K. 


278  Minutes  of  College  Meeting.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharin. 
May,  1897. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE 

COLLEGE. 

The  aunual  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  College  was  held  March  29,  1897. 
Wm.  J.  Jenks,  Second  Vice-President,  presided.  Xhe  minutes  of  the  meetings  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  for  January,  February  and  March  were  read  and  adopted. 

The  next  in  order  was  the  presentation  of  the  annual  reports  of  officers  and 
permanent  committees. 

The  following  was  submitted  by  the  Editor  of  the  American  Journai,  of 
Pharmacy: 

This  report  covers  the  issues  from  April  i,  1896,  to  March  i,  1897,  inclusive. 
During  that  time  there  have  been  published  708  pages  of  reading  matter,  an 
increase  over  that  reported  last  year  of  66  pages  ;  the  average  for  each  of  the 
twelve  numbers  being  59  pages  against  an  average  of  53>^  pages  last  year. 
This  is  the  greatest  number  of  pages  ever  issued  by  the  Journai^  in  one  year. 

The  number  of  original  papers  published  during  the  year  was  83,  an  increase 
of  nine  over  last  year  ;  these  occupied  397  pages,  against  374,  297  and  159  in 
each  of  the  immediately  preceding  years.  These  papers  were  prepared 
expressly  for  the  Journal,  and  the  number  given  does  not  include  those  read 
before  other  societies,  abstracts,  translations  or  editorials. 

The  number  of  authors  contributing  were  51,  of  whom  i6  were  members  of 
the  College  and  35  were  non-members. 

Illustrations  were  published  in  every  number  of  the  Journal,  and  amounted 
to  a  total  of  89  during  the  year,  making  an  average  of  7*4  for  each  issue,  against 
a  total  of  76  last  year,  averaging  63  for  each  issue. 

No  difficulty  has  been  experienced  during  the  year  in  securing  original  mat- 
ter for  publication;  in  fact  the  more  serious  question  has  been,  how  to  utilize 
all  that  is  offered  without  considerably  enlarging  the  size  of  the  Journal. 
The  latter  alternative  may  be  better  considered  in  connection  with  the  Report  of 
the  Committee  on  Publication, 

The  Publication  Committee  reported  the  regular   issue    of  the   Journal 
during  the  year.     There  was  a  gain  in  the  number  of  new  subscribers,  and  the 
character  of  these  was  such  as  to  give  decided  encouragement  to  the  committee. 
The  financial  part  of  the  report  was  likewise  gratifying  in  character. 
The  following  was  presented  by  the  Librarian  : 

Philadelphia,  March  29,  1897. 

The  Librarian  respectfully  reports  that,  during  the  past  year,  there  have  been 
added  to  the  library  440  volumes,  besides  the  various  periodicals  which  are 
received  in  exchange  for  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy.  There 
has  been  expended  I430.71  for  books,  and  for  binding,  $68.90. 

The  library  has  been  consulted  by  very  many  of  our  students,  and  by  sev- 
eral parties  who  were  referred  to  our  books  for  information  not  to  be  found 
elsewhere. 

T.  S.  WiEGAND,  Librarian. 
The  Curator  submitted  the  following  : 

Philadelphia,  March  29,  1897, 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 

Gentlkmen  :— Your  Curator  would  respectfully  report  that  the  Museum  is 
in  a  good  condition  and  has  received  a  number  of  valuable  accessions  during 


^"■.Miy'iS?*'"'}  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  279 

the  year.  Among  those  who  contributed  were  Prof.  J.  W.  Tourney,  of  the 
University  of  Arizona  ;  Mr.  J.  H.  Maiden,  of  Sydney,  New  South  Wales  ;  Prof. 
Alfonso  Herrera,  of  Mexico;  Mr.  J.  Bosisto,  of  Melbourne,  Australia,  and  Mr. 
\\.  M.  Holmes,  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. 

The  need  exists  for  more  shelf  room  in  the  Museum,  and  this  will  be  imper- 
atively required,  if  a  certain  promised  collection  of  drug  products — which  is 
extensive  and  valuable — is  secured. 

There  is  another  matter  that  should  be  referred  to.  While  the  College  is 
rich  in  its  splendid  herbarium,  in  its  collection  of  plants  and  plant-products, 
in  its  collection  of  chemical  and  pharmaceutical  products,  it  lacks  one  thing, 
and  that  is  a  collection  of  minerals  representing  the  origin  of  the  elements 
and  of  the  inorganic  chemical  compounds — not  a  geological  collection,  but  a 
collection  of  raw  material — so  to  speak — that  will  exhibit  to  the  pharmaceu- 
tical student  the  primary  source  of  his  elements  and  inorganic  chemical 
compounds.  Such  a  collection  need  not  be  very  expensive,  and  would  add 
much  to  the  value  of  the  Museum.  Your  Curator  would  therefore  respectfully 
suggest  that,  as  soon  as  the  condition  of  the  treasury  will  permit,  that  such 

a  collection  be  bought.    I  am, 

Yours  respectfully, 

J.  W.  England,  Curator. 

The  various  reports  having  been  presented  and  accepted,  the  next  matter  of 
business  was  the  annual  election  of  officers.  The  death  of  Mr.  Robert  Shoe- 
maker having  left  void  the  office  of  First  Vice-President,  the  order  of  succes- 
sion was  accorded  to  Mr.  William  J.  Jenks,  Second  Vice-President,  and  he  was 
thereupon  elected  to  the  position  made  vacant  by  Mr.  Shoemaker's  death.  Mr. 
Howard  B.  French  having  been  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Jenks  as  Second  Vice- 
President,  the  total  number  of  officers  elected  was  as  follows  : 

President,  Charles  Bullock  ;  First  Vice-President,  William  J.  Jenks  ;  Second 
Vice-President,  Howard  B.  French;  Treasurer,  James  T.  vShinn;  Corresponding 
Secretary,  Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  ;  Recording  Secretary,  William  H.  Thomj)son  ; 
Librarian,  Thos.  S.  Wiegand  ;  Curator,  Jos.  W.  luigland  ;  Editor,  Prof.  Henry 
Trimble;  Publication  Committee,  Henry  X.  Rittenhouse,  et.  al.,  Editor  H. 
Trimble,  ex-otf'icio  .  Trustees  for  Three  Years,  Wallace  Procter,  Gustavus  Pile. 
W.  Nelson  Stem  ;  Trustees  for  Unexpired  Terms,  F.  W.  F:.  Stedem,  Richard  M. 
Shoemaker. 

.\s  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Medicil  Associatioti  will  be  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  June,  Professor  Remington  moved  that  an  invitation  be  ex- 
tended to  the  Association  to  hold  the  sessions  of  the  section  on  Materia  Medica 
al  this  College,  and  it  was  so  ordered. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourne<l. 

Wii.i.i AM  B.  Thompson,  Sfcrctaty. 


MINUTES    OF   THE    PHARMACEUTICAL    MEETING. 

Pnii,Ai)Ki,i'HlA,  April  20,  1897. 
The  regular  Pharmaceutical   Meeting  of  the  present  series  was  held  in  the 
Museum  of  the  College  at  3.30  p.m.     Dr.  C.  B.  Ix>we  presided.     The  minutes 
of  the  previous  meeting  were  allowed  to  aland  as  published. 


28o  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  {^^'^i^^y'Jm''^- 

The  first  paper  presented  was  on  "  Observations  on  Some  Recent  Suggestions 
Concerning  Ointment  of  Mercuric  Nitrate,"  by  Charles  H.  lyaWall.  This 
paper  furnished  the  occasion  for  an  interesting  discussion,  during  which  several 
important  practical  points  were  brought  out. 

In  reference  to  the  permanence  of  Citrine  ointment,  Mr.  F.  W.  E.  Stedem 
said  that  he  had  kept  it  for  more  than  six  months  without  any  apparent 
change  having  taken  place.  He  also  remarked  that  by  thorough  oxidation  of 
the  oil  previous  to  the  addition  of  the  mercuric  nitrate  solution,  granulation, 
which  so  often  occurs,  was  prevented. 

Mr.  LaWall  believed  that  the  variability  in  quality  of  this  ointment  was 
largely  due  to  difference  in  manipulation.  He  also  spoke  in  reference  to  its 
keeping  quality,  and  said  that  this  property  was  enhanced  by  heating  the 
mixture  after  addition  of  the  mercuric  nitrate  solution,  until  effervescence 
ceased. 

The  next  paper,  which  was  on  a  comparative  analysis  of  the  root,  rhizome 
and  stem  of  "Gelsemium,"  by  L.  E.  Sayre,  was  read  by  T.  S.  Wiegand. 
The  results  showed  that  the  constituents  upon  which  the  therapeutic  value 
of  the  drug  depends  were  not  present  in  the  stem,  and  the  author,  there- 
fore, concluded  that  an  admixture  of  this  part  of  the  plant  must  reduce  the 
value  of  the  drug. 

With  reference  to  the  use  of  gelsemium  as  a  remedial  agent,  Mr.  W.  L.  Cliffe 
said  that  other  drugs  possessing  similar  properties  appeared  to  be  more  fre- 
quently prescribed. 

Dr.  Lowe  considered  it  valuable  in  cases  of  facial  neuralgia,  but  did  not  favor 
its  use  where  aconite  was  indicated. 

An  interesting  contribution  on  "The  Presence  of  Starch  and  Strontium  Sul- 
phate in  Opium  and  their  Influence  on  Assaying,"  prepared  by  Lyman  F. 
Kebler  and  Charles  H.  LaWall,  was  read  by  the  former. 

The  authors  stated  that  starch  had  been  found  in  opium  in  a  number  of 
instances,  they  themselves  having  found  wheat  starch  in  opium  assayed  during 
the  past  two  years.  The  amount  found  by  them  varied  from  a  trace  to  8  per 
cent.  But  as  this  substance  does  not  influence  the  results  in  assaying  they 
(juestioned  whether  or  not  it  could  be  regarded  as  an  adulterant  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  word,  since  the  only  requirement  for  opium  is  that  it  shall  contain 
a  certain  amount  of  morphine. 

A  matter  for  more  serious  consideration  was  the  presence  of  strontium  sul- 
phate in  opium,  which  substance,  even  in  the  most  carefully  conducted  assays, 
according  to  the  U.S. P.  method,  was  found  to  increase  the  percentage  of 
crude  morphine. 

For  correcting  the  results  the  authors  recommeded  the  ash  method  as  prob- 
ably being  the  best,  considering  the  present  impurities  in  opium. 

In  addition  to  the  consideration  of  the  papers,  a  number  of  subjects  possess- 
ing particular  interest  for  the  retail  pharmacist  were  presented  for  discussion, 
and  altogether  the  meeting  was  one  of  the  most  profitable  of  the  present  series. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

Thos.  S.  Wiegand, 
Registrar. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


JUNE,  iSgj, 

THE   ROOT  OF    PHYTOLACCA    DECANDRA. 
A  Contribution  to  the  Knowledge  of  its  Chemical  Constituents. 

PART    II. 
By  George  B.  Frankfortek  and  Francis  Ramaley. 

This  plant  was  recorded  as  emetic  by  Griffith/  in  1833,  and  as 
cathartic  by  Allen-  the  following  year.  The  latter  writer  remarks 
that  it  is  difficult  to  administer  without  producing  emesis,  and  that 
large  doses  are  followed  by  narcotic  symptoms. 

The  earliest  record  of  chemical  investigation,  fourd  by  the  writers, 
that  would  seem  to  be  of  present  interest,  is  by  C.  Reichel.^  He 
studied  the  pharmacology,  therapeutical  properties  and  chemical 
composition  of  the  root  of  Phytolacca  drastica,  a  Chilean  species, 
but  related  to  our  own.  Of  organic  substances  there  were  found  : 
resin,  wax,  coloring  matter,  proteids  and  malates. 

P2.  Donelly,^  in  1844,  published  an  analysis  of  Phytolacca 
decandra.  This  is  interesting  because  it  is  the  first  analysis  of 
which  any  record  could  be  found.  The  following  is  a  summary  of 
the  results : 


^Griffith,  R.  E.  On  the  Vegetable  Kmctics  of  the  United  States.  Joi  k. 
rini.A.  Com.,  of  Pharm.,4,  276,  1S33. 

'All^n,  John  C.  Remarks  on  the  Vegetal)le  Cathartics  of  the  I'uited  Stairs. 
Jour.  Phila.  Coix.  of  Pharm.,  5,  205,  1834. 

^Keichel,  C.     Phytolacca  Drastica.     Chnn.  Centrbl.,  b&i,  1836. 

^Donelly,  E.     On  Phytolacca  Decandra.  Am.  Joi  r.  Piiarm.,  0.  165,  1S44. 

(28l) 


2Z2  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra.         { '"/une'iSr'"- 

Woody  fibre 66*500 

Starch 20*000 

Tannin,  gum  and  saccharine  matter 5 "375 

Gum  resin 2*625 

Potassa •  2'ooo 

Iron "875 

Fixed  oil "500 

Silica  and  carbonaceous  matter 1  'ooo 

98-875 

In  the  Chem.  Centrbl.  for  1849  a  short  note  states  that,  accord- 
ing to  Landerer,^  all  parts  of  the  Phytolacca  decandra,  when  fresh, 
have  an  emetic  and  purgative  effect,  which  disappears  on  cooking. 
In  Greece  the  young  shoots  and  leaves  are  eaten  as  greens.  They 
are  employed  as  a  vermifuge. 

An  account  by  C.  H.  Cressler^  records  the  fact  that  the  inhalation 
of  the  powdered  root  produces  soreness  of  the  throat  and  chest, 
severe  coughing  and  inflammation  of  the  eyes. 

Terreil,'  in  1880,  described  phytolaccic  acid  which  he  obtained 
from  the  fruit  of  P.  decandra  and  P.  Kaempferi.  The  acid  is  uncrys- 
tallizable  and  dries  without  alteration.  It  forms  a  translucent, 
gummy  syrup,  yellow-brown  in  color,. not  deliquescent;  easily  solu- 
ble in  water  and  alcohol,  scarcely  in  ether.  The  watery  solution 
has  an  acid  reaction.  It  can  be  heated  to  boiling  without  change, 
but  on  addition  of  hydrochloric  or  sulphuric  acid,  is  converted  into 
a  gelatinous  mass,  easily  soluble  in  weak  alkalies,  ammonia,  etc. 

Balland  examined  the  berries  of  P.  dioica.  He  determined  the 
percentages  of  water,  wax,  sugar,  gum,  etc.  There  was  2  6  per 
cent,  of  an  organic  undetermined  acid,  which  was  thought  to  be 
similar  to  the  phytolaccic  acid  of  Terreil. 

\Vm.  F.  Pape^  found  in  the  root  of  P.  decandra  a  dark-brown  fixed 
oil,  tannin,  gum,  starch,  sugar,  resin,  organic  acid  and  coloring  mat- 
ter. The  ash  contained  potassium,  iron,  calcium,  chlorine,  sulphuric 
and  phosphoric  acids.  Crystals  of  potassium  nitrate  were  obtained 
from  an  alcoholic  extract  of  the  root.     Tests  with  iodo-hydrargyrate 


^Landerer.  (Quoted  in  an  editorial  note.)  Phytolacca  Decandra  als  Heil- 
iiiittel.     Chcm.  CentrbL,  831,  1849. 

''Cressler,  Chas.  H.  Poke  Root.  Poisonous  eflfects  from  inhalation  of  the 
powder.     Am.  Jour.  Phakm.,  47.  196,  1875. 

"^Terreil,  A.     Compies  rendus,  91,  S56-58,  1880. 

"Pape    Wm.  F.     On  Phytolaccae  Radix.    Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  53.  597,  1881. 


^'"w.-rsS:""*^}  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra.  283 

of  potassium  and  with  iodine  solutions  indicated  the  probable  pres- 
ence of  an  alkaloid. 

\V.  Cramer'  found  the  juice  of  the  berries  to  contain  gum,  sugar, 
malic  acid  and  coloring  matters. 

An  elaborate  investigation  of  the  root  was  made  by  Edmond 
Preston,  Jr.^"  He  found  traces  of  hydrochloric,  phosphoric  and  sul- 
phuric acids,  with  5-5  per  cent,  of  potassium  hydroxide.  A  small 
amount  of  free  acid  was  found;  this  had  the  characteristic  odor  of 
the  root ;  its  potassium  salt  was  decomposed  with  effervescence  on 
treatment  with  acids.  From  the  purified  aqueous  extract  of  the 
root  there  was  obtained  a  small  quantity  of  nearly  white  crystals, 
which  in  solution  gave  precipitates  with  the  usual  alkaloidal  rea- 
gents. The  crystals  were  entirely  dissipated  when  heated  on  plat- 
inum foil,  and  when  treated  with  strong  mineral  acids  simply  dis- 
solved, giving  no  characteristic  color  test.  "An  alcoholic  solution 
of  the  crystals  neutralized  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  on  concen- 
tration yielded  nearly  colorless  acicular  crystals,  moderately  soluble 
in  alcohol,  quite  soluble  in  water  and  possessing  a  strong,  acrid 
taste."  It  was  concluded  that  the  crystals  were  those  of  an  alka- 
loid and  of  its  hydrochloride.  For  this  alkaloid  the  name  ••  phyto- 
laccine  "  was  proposed. 

Coscera^'  found  that  tender  shoots  and  leaves  show  slight,  and 
the  roots  more,  toxic  qualities.  The  same  parts  of  the  plant,  at  time 
of  fruiting,  have  a  marked  emetic  and  purgative  action.  He 
obtained  what  he  considered  a  glucoside  by  the  following  means  : 
The  root  was  extracted  by  90  per  cent,  alcohol ;  the  filtrate,  on 
cooling,  showed  the  substance  as  a  white  powder,  insoluble  in 
ether,  scarcely  in  absolute  alcohol,  somewhat  in  50  per  cent,  alcohol, 
readily  in  water.  It  was  also  soluble  in  dilute  acids.  The  substance 
reduced  alkaline  copper  sulphate  only  after  heating  with  dilute  sul- 
phuric acid. 

In  an  alcoholic  extract  of  the  root  **  a  fen-  cr)stals  "  were  found  by 
Partee,"  but  these  were  not  investigated.     He  also  obtained  some 

*Cramer,  Walter.     Phytolacca  Bacctt.    Am.  Jour.  Piiakm..  a:».  59H,  1H81. 

^'^Prfslon,  luimomi,  Jr.  The  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra,  I.imu'.  Am.  Toir. 
Pharm.,  fto,  567,  1884. 

^^Coscfra,  .\.  Heitriige  /ur  cliemische-toxischc-K-cntmss  von  I'hylolacca 
nccan<lra.   L.  Review  in  Chem.  C^ntrhl.,  pp.  576,  643,  808,  18S7. 

^^/*arlce,  H'fu.  .1.     Analysis  of  Poke  Root.    Am.   JoiR.    Pharm..  00.    123, 

JSSS. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharn  . 


284  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra.  {^""jSeriS?" 

acicular  crystals  from  the  absolute  alcohol  extract.  The  residue 
from  the  ether  extract  contained  a  wax,  melting  at  109°.  The  other 
substances  found  were :  gum,  glucose  and  tannin,  with  indications 
of  a  possible  glucoside. 

The  investigations  of  Haverland^^  were  directed  to  the  fruit  of 
Phytolacca.  This  investigator  found  phytolaccic  acid,  with  small 
quantities  of  acetic,  citric  and  tartaric  acids.  Phytolaccin,  which  he 
found  in  seeds  on  analysis,  was  found  to  be  a  non-nitrogenous  body 
related  to  the  tannins,  and  containing  65  95  per  cent,  of  carbon, 
28-15  per  cent,  of  hydrogen,  and  5-9  per  cent,  of  oxygen. 

A  substance  obtained  from  the  root,  and  suggested  as  being  a 
saponin,  was  described  by  Trimble^^  in  1893.  It  was  precipitated 
by  water  from  the  alcoholic  percolate.  Solutions  frothed  on 
shaking.  The  taste  was  slightly  bitter  and  acrid.  Analysis  indi- 
cated the  formula  ^^^^f^2%' 

The  latest  contribution  to  a  knowledge  of  the  chemical  properties 
of  the  root  is  by  one^^  of  the  present  authors.  A  complete  quantita- 
tive analysis  of  the  ash  was  made,  and  the  gases  given  off  during 
destructive  distillation  of  the  root  were  investigated.  As  the  results 
have  been  so  lately  published  it  is  unnecessary  to  summarize  them  here. 

In  the  foregoing  account  reference  has  been  made  to  investiga- 
tions on  the  fruit  of  Phytolacca  only  when  it  seemed  that  these 
might  throw  light  upon  the  constituents  of  the  root.  It  will  be 
sufficient  here  to  mention  the  investigations  of  Bischoff^^  and 
Macagno/'  which  were  directed  to  the  coloring  matter  of  the  fruit, 
and  those  of  Claussen^^  on  the  active  principle  of  the  seed  ;  and  of 
Eberhardt,^^  who  examined  the  root  but  made  no  quantitative  analy- 
sis and  whose  work  was  mostly  corroborative  of  previous  results. 

^^Haverland,  Franz.  Beitrage  zur  Kentniss  der  in  den  Friichten  von  Phyto- 
lacca Decandra  euthaltenen  Bestandtheile.  Inaug.  Dissertation.  Erlaugen.  1892. 

'♦  Trimble,  Henry.  A  Proximate  Principle  from  Phytolacca  Decandra.  Am. 
Jour.  Pharm.,  05,  273,  1893. 

^■'Frankforter,  Geo.  B.  A  Chemical  Study  of  Phytolacca  Decandra.  Am. 
Jour.  Pharm.,  go,  134,  1897. 

^^Bischojf.H.  Inaug.  Dissertation.  Tiibingen,  1876.  Ueber  den  Farbstoffe,  etc. 
Ivandwirthsch.  Versuchsst.,  33,  456-61,  1878. 

^^Macagno.J.  In  atti  R.  Stazione  chemico-agraria  di  Palermo,  47,  1886. 
Chem.  Centrbl.,  123,  1886. 

'"^Claussen.     In  Husemann-Hilger's  "  Pflanzenstoffe,"  p.  531,  1882. 

^^Eberhardt,  E.  G.  Chemical  Examination  of  Poke  Root.  Lilly's  Bulletin^ 
No.  23,  p.  3.     1893. 


'""•/unl'iSr'"}  Koot  of  Phytolacca  Dccandra.  285 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  •' phytolaccin "  of  Claussen  was 
described  five  years  before  the  '♦  phytolaccine  "  of  Preston.  Should 
the  latter's  discovery  be  confirmed,  it  would  be  necessary  to  rename 
the  substance  described  by  him. 

The  authors  desire,  at  this  point,  to  express  their  thanks  to  Mr. 
C.  P.  Berkey,  instructor  in  mineralogy  at  this  University,  for  his 
careful  examination  of  the  sugar  crystals,  and  to  Dr.  Wm.  Trelease 
and  Mr.  John  S.  Wright,  for  assistance  in  securing  the  literature  on 
the  subject. 

RECORD    OF    INVESTIGATIONS. 

The  work  of  investigation  was  begun  in  October,  1895,  and  has 
been  carried  on  more  or  less  continuously  since  that  time.  Two 
proximate  analyses  were  made.  Besides  these,  various  quantities  of 
the  root  were  extracted  in  different  ways  for  certain  of  the  constituents. 
Three  partial  analyses  were  also  made.  Air-dried  material  was 
used.  This  was  obtained  from  three  different  wholesale  houses  and 
personally  garbeled  before  grinding.  The  latter  process  is  an 
extremely  unpleasant  task  when  done  with  a  hand-mill,  for  the 
inhalation  of  the  dust  produces,  as  has  been  noted  in  the  historical 
summary,  most  severe  inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the  nose 
and  throat. 

Most  of  the  substances  previously  reported  were  found  in  the 
present  investigation.  Preston's  phytolaccine  was,  however,  not 
obtained,  nor  could  the  presence  of  tannin  or  of  chlorides  be  shown. 
The  crystallized  sugar  which  was  found  is  undoubtedly  the  "  glu- 
coside  "  of  Coscera  and  the  *•  few  crystals  "  of  Partee.  The  "  acicular 
crystals"  of  the  latter  were  probably  potassium  nitrate.  The  large 
amount  of  potassium  in  the  root  is  easily  recognized.  Its  character- 
istic flame  is  observed  when  a  splinter  of  the  root  is  held  in  the 
Hunsen  flime. 

The  percentages  extracted  by  the  various  solvents  were  as  follows  : 

Petroleum  ether    .    .  '627 

Sulphuric  ether  .    .  'loo 

Absolute  alcohol    .  1 1  734 

Cold  water  .  >^^32 

Dilute  sulphuric  acid  .  ^-'^'i^ 

Dilute  alkali      4744 

kemovec!  by  potasftiuin  hypohroiniie  .  r2o6 
Residue  of  cellulose    . 

100*407 


286  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra.  {^'"•/un"e':-i897"'"' 

Great  care  was  taken  that  the  extraction  by  each  solvent  should 
be  complete.  The  petroleum  ether  extract  was  of  light  amber  tint ; 
the  ether  extract  was  of  a  burnt  sienna  color,  and  probably  contained 
little  else  than  coloring  matter.  All  the  other  extracts  were  of 
about  the  same  rich  reddish-brown  tinge.  The  water  extract  showed 
an  acid  reaction. 

A  summary  of  the  analyses  may  be  given  in  tabulated  form. 
When  two  or  more  determinations  have  been  made  the  results  have 
been  averaged : 

Oil  and  wax '627 

Resin I'oio 

Non-reducing  sugar  calculated  as  sucrose 9*457 

Reducing  sugar  calculated  as  dextrose *435 

Proteids i*944 

Amido-compounds  (calculated  as  asparagin) 1*634 

Free  acid  calculated  as  formic '360 

Combined  organic  acid  calculated  as  potassium  formate  ....  1*891 

Starch    11*677 

Calcium  oxalate 6*225 

Nitrates  calculated  as  potassium  nitrate 2*408 

Cellulose 16*378 

Lignin,  etc 3*206 

Gum,  coloring  matter,  ash,  moisture  and  undetermined  ....  42*748 

100  000 
The  oil  is  non-volatile,  of  a  brownish  color  and  readily  saponifi- 
able  with  cold,  fixed  alkalies.     The  wax  is  light  yellow  in  color.     It 
was  not  studied.     The  resin  found  in  the  alcohol  extract  was  dark 
brown  in  color,  and  of  a  very  bitter  taste. 

The  sugar  can  only  be  crystallized  with  great  difficulty  and  best 
from  absolute  alcohol,  as  the  various  other  substances  soluble  in 
alcohols  of  less  concentration  seem  to  interfere  with  the  crystalli- 
zation. In  one  analysis  26  per  cent,  of  crystallized  sugar  was 
obtained.  It  can  generally  be  had  only  in  much  smaller  quantities. 
This  crystallized  sugar  is  completely  soluble  in  large  excess  of 
hot  absolute  alcohol.  From  such  a  solution  it  is  sometimes  obtained 
in  a  very  fine  crystalline  powder.  From  thick,  syrupy  water  solu- 
tions prismatic  crystals  can,  with  difficulty,  be  obtained.  These 
crystals  are  clear,  colorless,  transparent  prisms,  belonging  to  the 
orthorhombic  system.  Their  most  common  forms  are  represented 
in  the  accompanying  figure.  The  longer  lateral  axis  is  in  nearly  all 
cases  cut  by  pinnacoid  planes,  so  that  the  crystals,  when    seen  from 


Am.  Joar.  Pharm. 

June.  1897. 


}  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra, 


287 


above,  are  almost  perfectly  hexagonal  in  outline.  The  lengths  of 
the  lateral  axes  are  i  and  -767.  Since  only  prismatic  crystals  were 
found,  the  length  of  the  vertical  axis  could  not  be  determined. 

The  commonest  forms  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  figure. 

The  sugar  began  to  melt  at  146°,  and  was  completely  melted  at 
153°.  It  boiled  at  from  180°  to  185°,  turning  brown.  Warmed 
with  sodium  hydroxid  solution,  it  turned  yellow.  When  warmed 
with  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  charring  did  not  take  place,  though 
there  was  a  brown  coloration. 


r<- 

> 

^: 

>1 

» 

^ 


Sugar  Cry.stals  from  Phytolacca  Uecaiulra. 

Polarization  of  a  clear  solution  showed  87-6  per  cent,  sucrose. 
The  reaction  with  Fehling's  solution  indicated  4  4  per  cent,  anhydrous 
dextrose.  Polarization  was  not  affected  by  warming  the  solution  nor 
by  allowing  it  to  stand  in  the  tube  for  some  hours. 

Proteids  were  determined  in  the  alkali  extract  by  KJcldahl's 
method. 

Amido-compounds  were  determined  by  the  use  of  potassium  hy- 
pobromite,  the  nitrogen  evolved  measured  and  calculated  to  aspara- 
gin. 

The  water  extract  of  the  root  had  a  decidedly  acid  reaction.    Two 


288  Root  of  Phytolacca  Decandra,  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1897. 


grammes  of  the  drug  were  extracted  with  200  c.c.  of  cold  water, 
and  the  filtered  solution  titrated  against  a  standard  alkali  solution. 
By  this  means  the  percentage  of  free  acid,  calculated  as  formic  acid, 
was  determined. 

On  distilling  a  90  per  cent,  alcohol  extract  of  the  root  a  small 
quantity  of  the  acid  was  obtained.  This  was  exactly  neutralized 
with  fixed  alkali  and  brought  to  dryness  on  the  water  bath.  When 
the  alkali  was  added  the  solution  became  light  yellowish  in  color. 
The  dry  salt  was  distilled  with  phosphoric  acid,  to  obtain  the  organic 
acid  in  the  free  state.     It  distilled  between  98°  and  100°. 

The  acid  responded  to  the  ferric  chloride  test  for  formic  acid. 
Neutralized  solutions  slowly  reduced  silver  nitrate,  but  without  the 
appearance  of  a  mirror.  The  potassium  salt  crystallized  in  beautiful 
stellate  tufts.  The  free  acid  was  found  to  be  soluble  in  water  and 
weak  alcohols,  somewhat  soluble  in  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  almost 
insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol.  It  was  insoluble  in  ether,  benzene, 
petroleum  ether,  etc.  The  taste  and  smell  of  the  acid  were  similar  to 
those  of  formic  acid,  though  not  quite  identical.  It  is,  however, 
possible  that  impurities  were  present. 

When  the  dry  root  was  distilled  with  steam  the  distillate  had 
only  a  very  slight  acid  reaction.  This  may,  perhaps,  be  accounted 
for  on  the  supposition  that  the  acid  was,  in  this  case,  neutralized  by 
carbonates  in  the  root  with  which  it  came  in  contact  in  a  not  too 
dilute  form.  When  the  root  was  distilled  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid 
the  free  acid  was  readily  obtained. 

Careful  examination  of  aqueous  and  alcoholic  extracts  of  the  root 
failed  to  reveal  even  traces  of  the  following  acids :  acetic,  citric, 
malic,  tartaric,  benzoic  and  salicylic.  The  first  four  named  acids 
were  tested  for  with  particular  care,  since  they  have  been  found  by 
various  investigators  in  the  fruit  of  the  same  plant.  Although  cal- 
cium oxalate  was  found  to  the  extent  of  6  per  cent.,  no  free  oxalic 
acid  or  soluble  oxalates  were  discovered.  Phytolaccic  acid  may  or 
may  not  be  present.  From  the  descriptions  given  by  its  discoverer 
it  would  appear  that  the  acid  he  described  was  by  no  means 
pure. 

It  has  seemed  proper  to  calculate  the  acids  in  combination  as 
potassium  salts,  since  such  a  large  amount  of  potassium  is  present. 
It  is  certainly  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  salts  exist  as  such  in 
the  root. 


'"""juii?!^"'"}  Koot  of  Phytolacca  Decandra.  289 

A  portion  of  the  dilute  sulphuric  acid  extract  was  heated  in  a 
closed  tube  at  120°.  The  percentage  of  glucose  was  determined, 
and  from  this  the  amount  of  starch  calculated. 

Potassium  nitrate  crystallized  from  the  alcohol  extracts.  Under 
the  most  favorable  conditions  a  little  less  than  i  per  cent,  was  ob- 
tained by  careful  crystallization. 

After  extracting  the  root  with  90  per  cent,  and  with  60  per  cent, 
alcohol,  an  extract  made  with  cold  water  was,  after  drying,  6-6  per 
cent,  by  weight  of  the  dry  root.  The  extract  has  a  strong  cathartic 
action,  this  property  being  tested  by  two  persons.  It  is  to  be  noted 
that  the  95  per  cent,  and  60  per  cent,  extracts  also  possessed  the 
same  property,  but  to  a  less  extent.  These  extracts,  when  strongly 
heated,  emit  an  odor  of  popping  corn. 

A  quantity  of  the  root,  first  exhausted  with  water,  was  percolated 
with  95  per  cent,  alcohol.  The  tinctures  frothed  on  boiling.  On 
cooling  there  was  deposited  a  whitish  powder,  the  particles  usually 
somewhat  spherical  in  shape,  each  one  with  a  short  appendage. 
This  substance  is  nearly  insoluble  in  water,  but  rather  soluble  in 
alcohol.'  This  may  be  the  proximate  principle  described  by  Trim- 
ble. Only  a  small  quantity  was  obtained.  It  has  not  been  further 
examined. 

Extended  investigations  were  made  to  establish  the  presence  of 
an  alkaloid  or  glucoside.  Although  the  examination  was  quite  thor- 
ough, no  substances  of  this  nature  were  isolated.  Further  investi- 
gations will,  however,  be  made  as  soon  as  fresh  material  is  obtain- 
able. 

Tests  were  made  for  the  alkaloids  and  the  glucosides  commonly 
occurring  in  plants,  but  with  negative  results  in  every  case.  \'ari- 
ous  methods  of  extraction  were  employed;  e.g.,  treatment  of  the 
aqueous  extract  with  alcohol  and  with  metliyl  and  amyl  alcohol  ; 
also  with  acidulated  water  and  acidulated  alcohols. 

In  purified  aqueous  extracts,  precipitates  were  thrown  down  with 
some  of  the  usual  alkaloidal  reagents,  but  not  with  picric  acid  or 
phosphomolybdic  acid. 

Attempts  were  made  at  every  step  to  obtain  the  substance  in 
crystalline  form,  but  always  without  success.  Purified  extracts,  acid 
and  alkaline,  were  shaken  with  various  solvents,  as  ethyl  acetate, 
chloroform,  ether,  petroleum  ether,  and  benzol.  In  many  cases 
tests  applied  to  the  dissolved   residues  indicated  the  presence  of  an 


290  Verba  Del  Polio.  {'^'^i^^l^.T'^- 

alkaloid   from   both  the  acid  and  alkaline  solutions.     From  this  we 
are  led  to  infer  that  the  alkaloid — if  one  and  only  one  be  present — 
exists  in  the  root  as  a  salt,  and  also  in  its  basic  condition. 
University  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


VERBA  DEL  POLLO. 
By  Ai^fonso  Herrera,  of  Mexico. 

Several  plants  of  the  family  Commelinaceae  are  known  in  Mexico^ 
by  this  name,  and  are  to  be  found  in  cold  as  well  as  in  warm  and 
temperate  regions.  They  grow  on  the  sandy  banks  of  rivers  and 
brooks,  and  flourish  from  July  until  September. 

Hernandez  calls  them  Matlaliztic  prima,  secunda,  texcocana,. 
tercia,  asphodelea,  and  coapatli.  According  to  this  author,  the  Aztecs- 
used  this  plant  to  cure  fevers,  headaches,  tumors  and  hemorrhages) 
and  to  give  relief  in  child-birth.  The  hemostatic  properties  of  the- 
Verba  del  Polio  were  therefore  known  to  the  Indians,  but  this- 
precious  plant  was  forgotten,  together  with  many  other  good  andl 
useful  products  of  the  conquered  country. 

Almost  three  centuries  later,  Alzate  made  known  to  his  country- 
men the  remarkable  activity  of  this  plant  in  stopping  the  blood  from* 
wounds,  but  his  efforts  were  useless,  for  the  plant  remained  unnoticed 
until  1863.  at  which  time  we  began  to  read  about  it  in  the  works  of 
Hernandez  and  Alzate ;  we  repeated  the  experiments  of  these  illus- 
trious authors,  induced  physicians  to  use  it,  and  began  to  seek  for 
its  active  principle. 

A  short  time  afterwards,  Mr.  Touraine  read  the  work  of  Padre 
Alzate,  and,  on  trying  the  efficacy  of  the  drug  as  a  hemostatic,  he 
met  with  great  success ;  the  results  of  his  experiments  and  investi- 
gations he  laid  before  the  Academia  de  Medicina  de  Mexico,  on  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1866;  the  paper  was  published  in  the  Gaceta  Medica, 
Vol.  II.  He  asserted  that  nobody  had  studied  the  plant  since 
Alzate's  time,  and  he  suggested  for  it  the  name  Tradescantia  erecta  ;, 
the  president  of  the  Academy,  Dr.  Jimenez,  observed  that  we  had 
attracted  his  attention  to  the  subject  in  the  year  1863,  and  its 
extract  had  been  applied  to  a  number  of  patients  with  success. 

Synonyms. — Commelina  tuberosa,  Linn.  Sp.  PL  Ed.  I,  page  41  ;. 
C.  B.  Clarke,  in  D.  C.  Monogr.  Phanerog.  HI,  page  149  ;  Andr.  Bot. 
Rep.,  t.  399;  Schnizl  Iconogr.,  t.  48.     Commelina  parviflora,  Reichl.. 


^"■j-iT.iS^"'"'}  y^rba  Del  Polio.  291 

Fol.  Exot.  II,  p.  17,  t.  142,  non  Link.      Commelina  undulata,  Lodd. 
Bot.  Cab  ,  t.  1553,  non  R.  Br. 

Matlaliztic,  Coapatli,  Zoyol,  Xochitl,  Yerba  del  Polio,  Rosilla. 

Habitat. — Valle  de  Mexico,  Orizaba. 

Analysis. — The  juice  obtained  by  a  simple  pressure  of  the  fresh 
plant  has  an  acid  reaction  towards  litmus  paper.  We  have  obtained 
some  perfectly  neutral  liquid  of  a  peculiar  odor  by  placing  the  juice 
in  a  retort  and  distilling  by  means  of  a  water  bath,  then  adding  to 
the  bath  calcium  chloride  in  several  portions,  to  increase  the  boiling 
temperature,  and  collecting  the  different  fractions  which  came  over. 
When  but  little  juice  remained  in  the  retort  its  odor  was  found  to 
have  changed,  and  it  possessed  a  strongly  acid  reaction  ;  when  this 
acid  liquid  was  neutralized  with  bases,  salts  were  obtained  which 
were  found  to  be  acetates. 

Another  portion  of  the  juice  was  heated  to  80°,  when  a  precipi- 
tate was  formed  which  was  found  to  be  vegetable  albumin.  The 
liquid,  filtered  from  the  albumin,  was  concentrated  to  half  its 
volume  and  treated  with  alcohol  33°  Cartier,  when  a  cheesy  precipi- 
tate separated,  which  was  found  to  be  of  an  albuminoid  nature. 
The  residual  liquid,  after  separation  of  this  precipitate,  was  concen- 
trated anew  to  remove  alcohol,  reduced  to  a  small  volume,  and  set 
aside  for  a  while;  potassium  chloride  separated  as  a  result  of  this 
treatment,  and  on  further  concentration,  more  of  the  same  salt  sepa- 
rated, mixed  with  e.xtractive  matter. 

An  e.xtract  of  the  juice  was  obtained  by  evaporating  the  latter 
on  a  water-bath.  It  was  partly  soluble  in  water;  when  treated  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  juice,  similar  compounds  were  obtained.  A 
small  amount  of  ammonium  acetate  was  also  found  in  the  extract, 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  pre-existence  of  acetic  acid  in  the  plant,  and  to 
the  formation  of  ammonia  from  the  proteid  principle  on  the  applica- 
tion of  heat. 

We  obtained  also  a  product  neutral  to  litmus  paper — smelling  like 
the  liquid  produced  by  distilling  the  juice — by  distilling  the  dry 
plant  with  simple  water.  If  distilled  with  lime  it  afforded  a  liquid 
smelling  like  the  foregoing,  but  reacting  alkaline  towards  litmus 
paper.  On  saturating  this  alkaline  liquid  with  acid  an  ammonium 
salt  was  obtained. 

Ammonia  may  be  obtained  even  in  an  ordinary  temperature  by 
wetting  the  powdered  plant  and  mixing  it  with  lime  or  the  carbon- 


292  Verba  Del  Polio.  {^"/une^iSr"'"- 

ate  of  potassium  or  sodium.  The  dried  plant  also  yielded  chloro- 
phyll when  treated  with  ether. 

In  short,  the  Verba  del  Polio  contains  the  following  principles : 

hi  the  juice,  acetic  acid. 

Ifi  the  extract,  ammonium  acetate,  potassium  chloride,  albumi- 
noids, vegetable  albumin,  chlorophyll,  extractive  and  cellulose. 

In  his  paper  about  this  plant,  Padre  Alzate  owned  that  he 
believed  the  hemostatic  influence  of  a  mucilaginous  plant  could 
never  be  accounted  for.  Mr.  Touraine  proposed  to  seek  and  isolate 
the  active  principle.  Some  four  years  ago  we  determined  to  solve 
the  problem,  and  undertook  a  series  of  experiments,  that  were  too 
long  to  enumerate,  since  there  are  no  fixed  rules  for  arriving  at  an 
absolutely  correct  result,  and  determining  certainly  which  one  of 
these  principles  is  the  active  one. 

We  can  assert  from  the  present  moment,  with  regard  to  the 
extract,  that  it  is  not  the  extractive,  chlorophyll,  ammonium  ace- 
tate or  vegetable  albumin.  There  remain  the  potassium  chloride 
and  the  proteid  principle,  though  it  may  be  questioned  if  either  of 
these  has  any  hemostatic  properties.  We  have  seen,  however,  that 
the  wet  powder  of  the  plant  and  the  solution  of  the  extract  are 
most  active  hemostatics,  and  the  analysis  points  out  no  principle 
worthy  of  notice  in  this  connection  but  these  two,  so  that  it  seems 
rational  to  attribute  the  hemostatic  properties  to  them. 

If  it  is  the  proteid  principle  and  potassium  chloride  which  act, 
in  what  manner  is  it  ?  The  question  is  rather  difficult  to  solve, 
since  proteid  principles  are  of  a  very  complex  nature,  and  their 
molecules  stand  in  such  unstable  equilibrium  that  the  slightest 
modification  in  the  conditions  of  their  existence  suffices  to  decom- 
pose them.  Such  are  the  albuminoid  principles  of  Commelina,  of 
blood,  and  of  animal  cells.  We  have  observed  in  the  analytical  part 
with  regard  to  the  Commelina,  that  an  elevation  of  temperature,  the 
presence  of  alkali  hydrates  or  their  carbonates  suffice  to  alter  it, 
heat  transforms  it  into  an  insoluble  principle  and  a  small  quantity 
of  ammonium  acetate. 

We  need  say  nothing  about  blood,  for  its  composition  and  alter- 
ability  are  perfectly  well  known,  except  to  make  the  following 
quotation  from  Mialhe  :  "  The  three  principal  liquids  of  the  animal 
economy,  chyle,  lymph    and   blood,  are,    when   normal,   alkaline." 

With  regard  to  contractibility  of  capillary  vessels,  we  will  quote 


'"'"•/uZ.iS':"'"}  ^>^^^   ^'i  Polio.  293 

from  Bcclard's  Physiology :  *•  Pourinfj  cold  water  on  the  natatory 
membrane  of  a  frog,  the  calibre  of  its  capillary  vessels  diminishes  to 
a  half  or  three-quarters  of  its  normal  size  at  least.  Common  salt 
produces  the  same  effect.  This  contractibility  can  also  be  made 
evident  by  acid  or  diluted  alkaline  solutions." 

Taking  all  these  facts  into  consideration,  we  will  hazard  a  theory 
which,  though  in  no  way  invulnerable,  might  perhaps  help  us  to 
explain  a  physiological  fact.  Applying  on  a  broken  vessel  the  pow- 
der of  the  plant,  in  a  cataplasm,  or  a  concentrated  solution  of  the 
extract,  the  proteid  principle  of  the  herb  mixed  with  the  blood 
whose  alkali  reacts  upon  the  former  and  affords  a  separation  of  am- 
monia ;  this  reacts  upon  the  vessels,  irritating  their  tissue  and  con- 
tracting them,  as  Bcclard  observed  ;  for  it  constitutes  a  very  dilute 
alkaline  solution,  and  has  hemostatic  properties  sufficient  to  produce 
a  complete  obliteration  of  the  vessels. 

Mr.  Touraine  affirms  to  have  seen  this  contraction  of  the  vessels 
in  several  physiological  experiments,  and  we  have  made  similar 
observations,  although  not  quite  so  certain  of  the  results. 

When  we  used  the  powder  of  the  plant  or  the  solution  of  the 
extract,  the  potassium  chloride  added  its  own  action  to  that  of  the 
ammonia,  and  substituted  the  sodium  chloride,  whose  action  has 
been  observed  by  Bcclard. 

Internally,  Commelina  cures  metrorrhagia,  which  fact  might  be 
explained  by  the  aforesaid  chemical  reactions;  the  proteid  principle 
enters  the  current  of  the  circulation.  We  will  copy  Hernandez 
according  to  the  text,  for  it  is  both  elegant  and  clear,  and  leaves  no 
doubt  about  the  latter  application  we  have  mentioned.  With 
regard  to  the  Matlaliztic  texcocana,  he  says :  '•  Radix  discutit 
tumores  praeter  naturam  a  causa  calida  ortos,  tusa,  atque  applicata, 
aut  devorata,  duarum  drachmarum  mensura,  humore  impetum 
cocrcet,  sanguinis  redundantiam  reprimit  destunujue  refrigerat.'* 

Therapeutic  Uses. — The  most  distinguished  physicians  of  Mexico 
use  the  extract  of  Commelina  as  a  kind  of  a  hemostatic  in  the  treat- 
ment of  metrorrhagia  and  hemoptysis,  administering  it  in  pills  in 
the  latter  case,  and  in  injections  in  the  former.  They  employ  it,  too, 
as  an  active  remedy  against  leucorrhcca,  and  as  a  general  hemostatic 
in  capillary  hemorrhage. 

Posology — The  extract  is  to  be  given  in  pills  of  I  or  2  grains, 
which  shall  be  taken  to  the  number  of  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  a 


294  ^^'^^^  ^^  ^^^'^^-  {^"juZ-ifr"' 

day.  Injections  are  made  by  adding  from  i  drachm  to  i  ounce 
to  a  pound  of  water.  In  wounds,  cataplasms  may  be  made  from  the 
powder  of  the  plant,  or  a  concentrated  solution  of  the  extract  may 
be  applied  by  means  of  lint. 

We  copy  from  the  proceedings  of  the  Academia  de  Medicina  de 
Mexico,  session  of  February  21,  1866:  "■  Dr.  Lucia  has  repeatedly 
used  Commelina  to  cure  metrorrhagia,  and  always  with  success.  Dr. 
Villagran  has  also  used  the  extract  in  injections,  the  dose  being  a 
drachm  to  a  pound  of  water,  to  cure  metrorrhagia,  and  has  always 
obtained  the  most  satisfactory  results.  He  has  lately  used  it  in  an 
instance  of  cancer  in  the  stomach,  and  has  attained  most  unexpected 
success.  Dr.  L,  Jimenez  has  also  been  fortunate  in  the  use  of  injec- 
tions of  extract  in  two  cases  of  uterine  cancer,  and  in  leucorrhoea 
accompanied  with  chlorosis.  Dr.  Miguel  Jimenez  has  used  the  ex- 
tract since  the  year  1864,  and  has  made  many  experiments  with  the 
plant  which  prove  its  activity  as  a  hemostatic.  The  greatest  results 
are  obtained  according  to  this  physician  by  the  dose  of  a  drachm  in 
a  pound  of  water.  Its  utility  is  incontestable  in  uterine  cancer,  but 
it  is  also  useful  in  other  forms  of  hemorrhage.  Dr.  M.  Jimenez 
remembers  an  instance  of  hemoptysis  in  which  he  was  surprised  by 
the  good  results  obtained  with  this  medicine,  for  it  prolonged  the 
life  of  the  patient  in  an  unexpected  manner.  He  has  also  used  it  to 
cure  hemorrhoidal  flux  with  success.  He  has  failed,  however,  in 
some  other  cases  of  hemoptysis,  on  account,  perhaps,  of  the  patient 
vomiting,  which  prevented  the  action  of  the  remedy." 


RIEGLER'S  METHOD  FOR  ESTIMATING  SUGAR  IN 

URINE. 

By  Henry  C.  C.  Maisch,  Ph.G.,  Ph.D. 

This  method,  as  described  on  p.  228  of  the  American  Druggist, 
estimates  the  amount  of  sugar  contained  in  urine  indirectly  by  means 
of  Fehling's  solution.  The  reaction  on  which  this  depends  is  the 
liberation  of  nitrogen  when  Fehling's  solution  is  brought  in  contact 
with  phenylhydrazine  hydrochloride. 

The  manner  of  applying  this  test  is  to  boil  the  urine  and  Fehling's 
solution,  and,  after  connecting  the  apparatus,  the  phenylhydrazine 
solution  is  added.     In   other  words,  the  balance  of  the  Fehling's 


■^"•jun"e"iS^"'"}  Sugar  in    Urine.  295 

solution  remaining  after  the  reduction  with   urine,  reacts  with  the 
phenylhydrazine  hberating  the  nitrogen. 

In  theory,  and  then  only  with  pure  solutions,  this  method  for  the 
•estimation  of  sugar  is  good;  but  I  do  not  consider  the  method  of  any 
great  utility  with  urine,  basing  my  opinion  entirely  on  theoretical 
grounds  and  experiments  carried  on  with  Fehling's  solution  itself. 
In  handling  a  solution  as  complex  as  the  urine,  we  must  not  forget 
that  there  are  a  number  of  compounds  present,  or  might  be  present, 
which  have  more  or  less  of  a  reducing  action  on  Fehling's  solution. 
Bodies  of  this  character  are  uric  acid,  creatinine,  allantoin,  nucleoal- 
bumin,  lactic  acid  and  biliary  coloring  matters,  consequently,  all 
probable  constituents  of  urine.  These  compounds,  however,  are 
usually  present  in  such  small  quantities  that  their  presence  becomes 
of  especial  importance  where  the  percentage  of  sugar  is  small,  and 
just  in  a  case  of  this  kind  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  have  a 
method  which  can  be  used  in  all  cases  without  fearing  that  by  the 
action  of  the  reagent  on  other  constituents  of  the  urine  a  smiilar 
reaction  might  be  brought  about.  This,  to  my  mind,  is  the  most 
serious  objection  to  this  method — in  fact,  to  all  the  methods  using 
the  copper  salts. 

In  my  laboratory  practice  I  have  repeatedly  proven  to  my  own 
mind  the  statement  just  made  in  reference  to  Fehling's  solution.  I 
recall  one  case  especially.  The  urine  was  furnished  me  with  the 
statement  that  it  showed  Fehling's  reaction  rather  strongly.  It  was 
from  a  lady  looking  forward  to  an  early  confinement,  and  a  careful 
examination,  with  the  elimination  of  all  possible  errors,  was  abso- 
lutely necessary.  I  found  that  the  Fehling's  test  and  the  Roett- 
ger's  test  were  both  strongly  reduced;  but  on  subjecting  the  urine  to 
the  action  of  yeast,  no  fermentation  took  place  and  no  difference  \\\ 
specific  gravity,  as  by  the  Roberts  method,  was  observed.  Making 
t:xaminations  daily,  I  found  that  in  about  three  or  four  days  this  appar- 
ent sugar  reaction  had  entirely  disappeared.  This  lady  had  been  suf- 
fering from  headache  and  had  used  one  of  the  many  headache  remedies 
found  in  the  market  at  the  present  time.  This  "sugar"  reaction 
was  very  likely  caused  by  one  of  the  conjugate  glycuronic  acids. 

At  the  present  time  I  do  not  depend  entirely  on  Fehling's  test  or 
lk)ettger's  test,  but  run  through  the  principal  chemical  tests,  and  in 
cases  of  uncertainty  I  use  the  Roberts  differential  specific  rravit\ 
method  for  the  quantitative  estimation  of  glucose. 


296  Strontium  in  Plants.  {^"^/u^n^'if^""' 

One  of  the  reactions  on  which  I  depend  to  some  extent  is  that  of 
Rijbner,  and  also  its  modification  by  Penzoldt;  but  even  here  the 
question  will  arise  whether  or  not  the  same  reaction  is  given  by 
other  compounds.  RiJbner  uses  3  grammes  lead  acetate  to  10  c.c. 
urine,  filters,  and  adds  ammonia  water  until  a  permanent  precipitate 
is  formed  and  then  warms  to  about  80°  C.  The  presence  of  sugar  is 
indicated  by  the  precipitate  becoming  pink  or  red,  depending  on 
the  percentage.  Penzoldt  uses  the  subacetate  of  lead  in  place  of  the 
neutral  acetate,  and  proceeds  as  in  the  original  reaction. 


ON   THE   OCCURRENCE   OF    STRONTIUM    IN    PLANTS. 

By  Henry  Trimbi^e. 

Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  166. 

Some  months  ago  a  number  of  barks  were  received  from  Dr.  H. 
N.  Ridley,  of  the  Botanic  Gardens  at  Singapore.  They  were 
chiefly  barks  representing  the  several  species  of  the  genus  Castan- 
opsis  in  that  locality,  and  two  species  of  oaks.  The  primary  object 
in  examining  these  barks  was  to  learn  the  character  of  their 
tannins,  but  that  is  reserved  for  a  later  article. 

In  examining  the  ash  of  these  barks  a  slight  precipitate  was 
noticed  for  strontium  in  the  first  one ;  this  was  passed  by  as 
being  a  small  quantity  of  calcium,  which  was  the  most  abundant 
constituent  in  the  ash.  But  the  ash  of  other  samples  also  yielded 
precipitates  indicating  strontium,  some  of  them  in  such  quantity 
that  the  precipitate  was  washed  thoroughly,  treated  with  a  few 
drops  of  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid,  and  the  flame  test  applied  ; 
the  result  in  every  case  was  a  distinct  strontium  flame.  The  stron- 
tium precipitate  was  gotten  by  three  methods,  viz.:  precipitating 
with  very  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  precipitating  with  an  alkaline  solu- 
tion of  potassium  chromate,  and,  finally,  by  precipitating  with  solu- 
tion of  calcium  sulphate. 

The  samples  of  Castanopsis  were  from  the  following :  C.  Walli- 
chiana,  C.  Curtisii  (two  samples),  C.  Javanica,  and  C.  Hulettii.  The 
oak  samples  were  from  Quercus  hystrix  and  Q.  discocarpa.  The 
Quercus  hystrix  was  probably  the  richest  in  strontium  of  all  the 
samples.  None  of  them  contained  more  than  traces  of  the  stron- 
tium salt.    A  sample  of  our  American  Castanopsis,  C.  chrysophylla. 


^"•ju°n"e':i^"'"}  Strontium  in  Plants.  297 

from  California,  failed  to  show  a  trace  of  strontium,  and  yielded 
only  about  one-half  the  amount  of  ash  that  was  obtained  from  the 
East  India  samples.  One  sample  of  Rhizophora,  from  a  number 
recent!)*  received  from  Sinf^apore,  also  indicated  the  presence  of 
strontium.  A  letter  from  Dr.  Ridley  states  that  little,  if  any,  stron- 
tium occurs  in  the  soil  of  Singapore. 

It  is  such  a  natural  conclusion  that  strontium  may  replace  calcium 
in  plants,  that  the  foregoing  statement  concerning  its  existence  in 
plants  may  appear  almost  unnecessary.  It  was  found,  however,  that 
most  authors,  in  speaking  of  the  ash  constituents  of  plants,  were 
either  silent  on  the  subject  of  strontium,  or  else  referred  to  the  one 
case  where  it  has  been  found  in  seaweed.  Dr.  Emil  Wolff,  in  his 
Aschcn-Analyscn,  among  some  thousands  of  results,  does  not  appear 
to  mention  strontium,  not  even  among  the  seaweeds.  Roscoe  ^^v: 
Schorlemmer  {Treatise  of  Chemistry,  Vol.  II,  Part  I,  p.  213)  state: 
"  Strontium  has  also  been  found  in  sea  water  and  in  the  ashes  of 
Fucus  vesiculosis." 

Ebermayer  {^Pliysiologischc  Chemie  der  Pflanzen,  p.  715)  mentions 
strontium  with  some  other  metals  as  occurring  in  traces  in  a  few 
plants,  but  he  gives  no  definite  information.  Sachs  {Lectures  on  the 
Physiology  of  Plants,  p.  383)  merely  states  that  strontium  may 
replace  calcium  in  the  fungi.  Sorauer  {A  Popular  Treatise  on  the 
Physiology  of  PI  ants,  \i.  36)  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  strontium 
has  been  discovered  in  several  seaweeds.  Goodale  {Physiological 
Potany^  p.  256)  mentions  strontium  with  some  other  metals  as 
occurring  in  Fucus. 

Messrs.  Kebler  and  La  Wall,  in  the  May  number  of  this  Journal, 
p.  244,  pointed  out  the  presence  of  strontium  in  opium.  It  was 
looked  on  as  an  adulteration,  although  we  must  admit  the  possi- 
bility of  it  occurring  naturally  in  opium. 

It  may  be  that  the  writer  has  failed  to  discover  all  the  literature 
relating  to  this  subject,  and  he  is  free  to  admit  the  possibility  of  it, 
since  the  literature  concerning  the  ash  constituents  of  plants  is  very 
voluminous.  Any  information  bearing  directly  on  this  subject  will 
be  thankfully  received. 

David  Hooper,  who  has  held  the  post  of  Quinologist  to  the  Madras  Govern- 
ment, at  Ootacamund,  India,  for  the  past  twelve  and  ?  half  years,  has  l)eeu 
appointe*!  to  the  Curatorship  of  the  Kconomic  and  Art  Sections  of  the  Indian 
Museum,  Calcutta. 


298  Alexandria  and  India  Senna.  {^""•/uXifo'^'"'"' 

alp:xandria  and  india  senna. 

METHOD    OF   DISTINGUISHING    THEM    IN    POWDER. 

By  L.  E.  Sayre, 

Member  of  Research   Committee   C,    Revision    Committee  of  United   States 

Pharmacopoeia. 

The  question  of  distinction  and  identification  of  the  two  sennas, 
Alexandria  and  India,  was  the  subject  of  a  recent  preliminary  paper 
by  the  author.  Since  the  appearance  of  this,  more  careful  and  elabor- 
ate work  has  been  done  upon  the  same  subject,  the  results  of  which 
are  embodied  in  the  present  article.  Some  criticisms  having  been 
made  upon  this  early  work,  due  attention  will  also  be  paid  to  the 
disputed  points  in  the  endeavor  to  arrive  at  as  truthful  conclusions 
as  possible.  To  aid  in  this,  a  series  of  photomicrographs  have  been 
carefully  made,  and  are  here  reproduced.  The  accuracy  of  the 
drawings  may  be  the  subject  of  dispute,  owing  to  the  large  personal 
factor  that  enters  into  their  preparation,  but  the  appearances  shown 
by  a  photograph  admit  of  no  misconstruction,  provided  they  be 
truly  representative.  It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  in  the  present 
instance  all  reasonable  precautions  have  been  taken  to  show  in  a 
few  reproductions  as  representative  appearances  as  could  be  found 
in  such  limited  areas.  As  contributing  to  a  truthful  understanding 
of  the  results  obtained,  a  brief  outline  of  the  methods  employed  is 
given,  and  this  is  followed  by  the  interpretations  and  conclusions. 

While  the  true  character  of  the  tissues  has  been  made  the  subject 
of  careful  study,  the  fact  has  constantly  been  borne  in  mind  that  the 
object  of  the  whole  matter  is  to  secure  a  sijnple  and  accurate  test 
for  senna  powders  that  shall  be  applicable  to  the  uses  of  those  for 
whom  it  is  intended.  It  has  been  recognized  that  no  one  feature  is 
found  constant  throughout  the  extent  of  the  leaf,  and  that  before 
any  appearance  can  be  pronounced  representative,  due  care  must  be 
exercised  by  taking  a  sufficient  number  of  observations.  It  is 
believed  that  all  precautions  have  been  taken  in  this  investigation^ 
and  that  the  test  proposed  will  prove  reliable  and  sufficient. 

Methods. — The  photomicrographs  of  the  epidermis  were  made 
from  thin  sections  cut  directly  from  the  surface  of  the  leaf,  and  sub- 
jected to  no  more  treatment  than  was  necessary  to  mount  them  in 
plain  glycerin.  The  negatives  were  all  made  from  these  sections  in 
a  vertical  camera  of  fixed  length,  attached  to  a  Van  Heurck  micro- 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June.  1W7. 


Alexandria  and  India  Senna. 


299 


scope  whose  optical  parts  were  a  Zeiss  8  mm.  apochromatic  objec- 
tive and  a  No.  2  projection  eye-piece.  The  source  of  illumination 
was  the  arc  light,  the  crater  of  which  was  carefully  focussed  upon 
the  object  by  the  condenser.  The  actual  magnification,  measured 
by  projecting  the  image  of  a  stage  micrometer  upon  the  ground 
glass  of  the  camera,  is  240  diameters.  No  retouching  or  other 
alterations  of  the  negative  have  been  made.     The  drawings  of  parts 


.-C 


1 


Fig.  I.  India  seuna,  under  side  of  leaf;  a,  epidermal  cell ;  b^  stomata  ;  r, 
hair  ;  d,  hair  scar  ;  e,  ncbenzellen. 

found  in  the  powder  were  all  made  by  the  camera  lucida  under  like 
conditions  of  preparation  and  magnification.  The  amplification 
here  is  200  diameters. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  work,  in  order  to  find  some  point 
of  characteristic  importance,  the  parts  were  thoroughly  studied  in 
their  natural  relations  by  means  of  sections,  and  the  app>caranccs 
there  observed  were  then  made  the  object  of  study  in  the  powder. 


300 


Alexandria  and  India  Senna.         { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1897. 


Commencing  in  this  manner  with  the  ordinary  epidermal  cells,  the 
following  results  were  obtained:  The  size  and  shape  of  the  epider- 
mal cells  are  extremely  variable  (see  Figs.  6  and  7),  and  are,  as  was 
stated  in  the  former  paper,  little  to  be  depended  upon  as  a  means  of 
identification.  However,  no  mistake  was  made  in  ascribing  some- 
what larger  cells  to  the  Alexandria  variety,  as  the  following  table 
of  careful  measurements  will  show: 


Tabi,e  I. 


India  Senna. 
Lower  side  of  leaf. 
Long  diameter.     Short  diameter. 
13  X  10 

13  X  8-5 

13  X  7 

15  X  12 


Av.,   13-5 


9-38 


Alexandria  Senna. 
Lower  side  of  leaf. 
Long  diameter.     Short  diameter. 
145  X  II 

17  X  10 

10-5  X  9 


Av.,   14 


10 


Tabi,e  2. 


India  Senna. 
Taken  at  random  with  two-thirds 
objective.     Some  long  and 
some  short  diameters. 

I '4 
1-6 

15 

1*2 
12 


Alexandria  Sejina. 
Two-thirds  objective 
diameter,  taken  at  random. 
2-2 
17 
i'4 
1^5 
1-8 
1-6 


Av.,   1-38 


Av.,   17 


Tabi,e  3. 


India  Senna. 
Adjacent  cells  of  upper  side 
of  leaf,  two-thirds  objective. 

17 
1-8 
0-6 
15 

Av.,   1-4 


Alexandria  Senna. 
Adjacent  cells  of  upper  side 
of  leaf,  two-thirds  objective. 

I  "9 
1-8 

1*5 
2*3 
r6 
0-6 
07 


Av.,   1-48 


Am.  .Tour.  Pliarm. 
June,  1»<7. 


Alexatidria  and  India  Senna. 


\o\ 


AVERAGES    EXPRESSED    IN    MICRON! ILLIMETERS. 
T.\BLE    I. 


India  Senna. 
Lower  side  of  leaf. 
38-61       X      26-815 

India  Senna. 
Average  diameter,  4002 

India  Senna. 
Upper  side  of  leaf,  40-6 


Tablk  2. 


Tablk  3. 


\r- 


Alexandria  .Senna. 

Lower  side  of  leaf. 

4004     X     286 

Alexandria  Senna. 
Average  diameter,  49-3, 

Alexandria  Senna. 
4309 


.-o/ 


fi^.  2.     India  Aenna,  upper  side  of  leaf;  a,  epidermal  cell  ;  />,  stomata  ;  r, 
hair  (scarcely  in  focus)  ;  e,  uebeuzellen. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  sections  of  epidermis 
may  be  found  in  which  the  India  senna  may  exhibit  the  larger 
cells.  A  series  of  about  forty  measurements,  made  by  a  student  in 
the  school    here,  .showed   that  while   the   larj^cst   cells  are  found  in 


\02 


Alexandria  and  India  Senna.         { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1897. 


the  Alexandria  senna,  the  average  size  of  the  cells  of  the  India 
senna  may  be  somewhat  greater  than  those  of  the  Alexandria 
senna.  Likewise,  the  cell  walls  alone  will  not  serve  as  a  point  of 
differentiation,  owing  to  the  same  lack  of  uniformity.  As  regards 
the  shape  of  the  cells,  no  distinctive  value  whatever  can  be  placed 
upon  it,  owing  to  the  great  variability  present.  The  same  may  also 
be  said  concerning  the  arrangement  of  cells  around  the  hairs.     The 


Fig.  J.    Alexandria  senna,  under  side  of  leaf ;  a,  epidermal  cell ;  d,  stomata  ; 
c,  hair  (scarcely  in  focus)  ;  d,  hair  scar  ;  e,  nebenzellen. 

distinction  here  made  by  Schneider  does  not  hold,  as  a  rule,  although 
a  small  majority  of  cases  may  be  found  to  accord  with  the  state- 
ments made  by  this  authority .^ 

In  thirty  cases,  the  stomata  of  Alexandria  senna  showed  sixteen 
with  two  neighbor-cells  (nebenzellen)  and  fourteen  with  three. 
Forty  stomata  on  the  epidermis  of  India  senna  exhibited  twenty- 

'  Americati  Druggist,  April  lo,  1897,  p.  195. 


Am.  Jour.  Fharm. 
June.  18»:. 


} 


Alexandria  and  India  Senna. 


303 


two  with  two  nebenzellen,  fifteen  with  three,  and  three  with  four. 
These  results  seem  to  eliminate  the  epidermal  cells  from  further 
consideration,  but  more  of  value  may  be  expected  of  the  stomata. 
Exception  will  have  to  be  taken,  however,  to  the  statements  made 
by[^ Schneider  concernincr  the  number  and  size  of  the  neighbor-cells 
(nebenzellen).      That  the  India  senna    usually  possesses  two,  and 


Fig.  4.     Alexandria  senna,  upper  side  of  leaf;  a,  epidermal  cells  ;  h,  stomata  ; 
<",  hair  (in  focus)  ;  d,  hair  scar  ;  e,  nebenzellen. 

the   Alexandria   senna  a  larger   number,  is  easily  disproved   by  the 
accompanying  figures. 

Likewise  the  statement  that  when  two  are  present  in  the 
Alexandria  senna  they  are  of  equal  size,  cannot  be  confirmed  by 
examination.  (See  Figs,  j;  and  ./.)  Hut  whatever  number  may  obtain 
in  either  case,  it  is  so  inconstant  a  character  as  to  be  of  no  value 
as  a  discriminating  factor.  There  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  point  of 
great  distinctive  valuj  to  be  found   in   the  size  and  shape  of  the 


304  Alexandria  and  India  Senna.         {^•^jire'-iSr^'"'- 

stomata  themselves,  a  feature  that  was  overlooked  in  the  prelimi- 
nary paper.  Here  it  will  be  noticed  that  almost  invariably  the 
stomata  of  the  Alexandria  senna  are  smaller  and  much  rounder 
than  those  of  the  India.  References  to  Figs,  i  and  4.  will  make 
this  clear.  Measurements  of  a  considerable  number  of  stomata  in 
each  case  gave  the  following  ratio  between  the  longer  and  shorter 
diameters :  In  Alexandria  the  shorter  diameter  bore  a  ratio  to  the 
larger  of  0-84  to  I  ;  in  the  India,  of  0-6  to  I. 

Occasionally  stomata  of  a   rounded  form  may  be  found  in  the 
India  senna,  but   they  do   not   look   like  the  Alexandria  and   are 


e^ 


Fig.  5.     Alexandria  senna,   showing   number  of  hairs   in  a  limited   area  ; 
d^  hair  scars  ;  e,  nebenzellen. 

larger.  At  the  present  state  of  the  investigation,  this  character 
represents  by  far  the  most  characteristic  difference  between  the  two 
species  and,  together  with  the  number  of  hairs,  affords  the  best 
means  of  detecting  a  mixture  of  the  two  in  powdered  form. 

The  opinion  reached  by  the  author  in  the  former  paper,  that  the 
number  of  hairs  shown  by  the  two  species  is  a  valuable  means  of 
distinguishing  them  apart,  is,  after  yet  more  careful  research,  again 
advanced.  It  would  seem  at  first  sight  that  the  test  proposed  by 
Schneider,  i.  e.,  estimating  the  number  of  hair  scars  upon  the  epi- 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
June,  1897. 


} 


Alexandria  and  India  Senna. 


305 


dermis,  would  be  more  accurate  than  counting  the  free  hairs  in  the 
powder ;  but  it  is  really  unreliable,  because  the  distribution  of  the 
hairs  is  not  uniform.    This  objection  does  not  apply  to  the  countin;^ 


Fig,  6.     Alexandria  senna,    No.   60   powder  ;  /»,   stomata  ;  c,  hairs  ;  </,  hair 
scars  ;  r,  nebenzellen. 

of  the  free  hairs,  for  by  powderinfj  the  leaves  and  shaking  the  pow- 
der up  in  a  liquid,  the  distribution  is  made  comparatively  uniform. 


3o6 


Alexandria  and  India  Senna,        { 


Am.  Jour.  Pbartn. 
June.  1897. 


The  objection  that  fragments  may  be  counted  as  whole  hairs  is 
easily  overcome  by  choosing  some  readily  distinguishable  part  of 
the  hair,  such  as  the  tip,  and  using  only  it  as  the  unit  of  estimation. 
From  the  results  obtained  in  the  latest  series  of  experiments  the 
following  test  appears  sufficient  to  distinguish  either  senna  alone, 
or  a  mixture  of  the  two,  and  it  is  therefore  proposed  for  these  pur- 
poses :  Take  a  portion  of  the  No.  60  powder  and  place  it  in  a  small 
homoeopathic  vial,  and   add    to  it  twice  its  volume  of  a  mixture 


Fig.  7.     India  senna,   No.   60  powder  ;  b,  stomata  ;  c,   hair  ;  d,  hair  scar  ; 
e,  nebenzelleu. 

of  water  and  glycerin  in  equal  parts.  Thoroughly  shake  this  mix- 
ture, and  while  still  turbid  with  the  suspended  powder,  place  a  drop 
on  each  of  several  glass  slips,  and  cover  with  cover  glasses.  If  air 
bubbles  or  too  great  opacity  exist,  heat  to  boiling  over  an  alcohol 
lamp.  Search  for  hairs  showing  the  tips  present,  and  if  they  appear 
abundant,  one  to  four  in  each  field  of  a  i^-inch  objective,  Alexandria 
senna  is  present.     To  further  confirm  this,  examine  several  frag- 


""""•jun^eVig^""}  Spirit  of  Nitrous  Ether.  307 

ments  of  the  normal  epidermis  for  the  stomata.  If  many  are  found 
that  are  quite  round  in  outHne  (b.  Fig.  ^),  the  presence  of  Alexan- 
dria senna  is  assured.  As  confirmatory  to  this,  the  number  of  hair 
scars  upon  the  epidermal  fragments  may  be  employed.  These 
should  be  found  frequently  at  a  distance  of  from  two  to  five  epider- 
mal cells  apart.  A  sample  of  India  senna,  on  the  contrary,  will 
exhibit  few  hairs,  often  none  in  the  field,  and  the  great  majority  of 
the  stomata  will  be  found  with  the  long  diameter  much  longer  than 
the  short  one  {b.  Fig.  /).  The  hairs  should  not  frequently  be  closer 
than  five  epidermal  cells  apart.  In  simple  powders  the  mere 
number  of  hairs  present  will  at  once  distinguish  between  the  two 
sennas,  but  in  cases  of  mixture  of  the  two,  the  shape  of  the  stomata 
will  have  to  be  examined.  Many  of  the  elongated  oval  form  always 
indicate  the  presence  of  India  senna. 

However  good  a  test  may  be  theoretically,  it  is  of  no  value  unless 
it  works  practically.  The  only  way  to  tell  whether  it  will  do  this 
or  not,  is  to  put  it  in  practice  under  conditions  which  will  represent, 
as  nearly  as  may  be,  those  of  its  usual  employment.  In  this  par- 
ticular instance  the  test  proposed  was  given  a  thorough  trial  in  the 
hands  of  eighteen  students  of  representative  abilities,  and  in  no  case 
did  it  fail  to  work,  either  with  simple  powders  or  mixtures. 


ASSAY  OF  SPIRIT  OF  NITROUS  HTHFR. 
Bv  Lawrence  A,  Kessler,  Ph.G. 

Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory    of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  167. 

My  attention  was  attracted  to  this  subject  by  a  series  of  papers 
which  ap]:)eared  in  the  American  Druggist  and  Pliarmaceutieal 
Record.  To  the  number  of  that  journal  for  December  25,  1895, 
Professor  David  Walker  contributed  an  article  in  which  he  pro- 
posed a  rapid  method  for  the  volumetric  assay  of  spirit  of  nitrous 
ether.  His  process  of  assaying  was  based  on  the  measurement  of 
the  iodine  liberated  from  potassium  iodide,  through  the  decomjx)- 
sition  of  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  by  the  United  States  Pharmacopcria 
process  of  assay. 

The  proposed  test  was  made  by  carciuUy  measuring  5  c.c.  of 
spirit  of  nitrous  ether  into  a  4-ounce  ICrlenmcyer  flask,  from  a 
pipette  ;  this  was  followed  with  10  c.c.  of  6  per  cent,  acetic  acid  and 


308  Spirit  of  Nitrous  Ether,  {^^jfreyiSr*''"'- 

10  c.c.  of  potassium  iodide  test  solution.  The  mixture  was  occa- 
sionally agitated  during  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  a  few  drops  of  starch 
test  solution  added,  and  the  mixture  titrated  with  decinormal  sodium 
thiosulphate  volumetric  solution,  until  the  bluish-green  color  was 
discharged.  The  mixture  afterwards  assumed  a  dark  color ;  but 
if  the  time  of  maceration  does  not  exceed  fifteen  minutes,  the  num- 
ber of  cubic  centimeters  required  to  first  discharge  the  color  will 
give  nearly  or  quite  as  accurate  results  as  the  nitrometer.  Prof. 
Walker  also  said:  "  While  the  titration  process  may  not  be  quite  as 
accurate  in  its  figures  as  the  modified  Allen  method,  it  involves 
much  less  expense,  and  the  results  are  sufficiently  accurate  for  prac- 
tical purposes."  This  last  claim  Prof.  Walker  seemed  to  have  sub- 
stantiated by  the  figures  of  a  table  which  he  gave  to  show  the 
results  of  the  assay  of  ten  samples  by  the  two  methods. 

On  January  25,  1896,  the  same  journal  published  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Peter  MacEwan,  of  London,  England,  in  which  that  gentleman 
directed  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  method  proposed  by  Professor 
Walker  had  been  suggested  by  Mr.  D.  B.  Dott  a  dozen  years  ago, 
and  had  to  be  abandoned  on  account  of  the  fallacious  results,  for 
whenever  the  nitric  oxide  liberated  by  decomposition  of  the  ethyl 
nitrite  comes  in  contact  with  the  air  of  the  flask,  nitrogen  tetroxide 
is  formed.  This  at  once  decomposes  more  of  the  alkaline  iodide; 
indeed,  decomposition  might  go  on  indefinitely  if  the  supply  of  air 
and  iodide  were  large  enough.  Mr.  Dott  endeavored  to  obviate 
this  objection  by  various  means,  such  as  working  with  an  open  dish 
in  which  carbon  dioxide  was  simultaneously  generated,  but  with 
modified  success.  It  was  his  knowledge  of  the  difficulties  of  this 
method  which  led  Mr.  A.  H.  Allen  to  effect  the  reaction  in  an  air- 
free  space  and  estimate  the  nitric  oxide  instead  of  the  iodine;  the 
method  was  adopted  by  many  chemists,  and  simultaneously  indirect 
estimation  through  the  iodine  factor  was  deservedly  forgotten.  A 
man  who  knows  all  the  worries  of  the  latter  process  may  get  fairly 
accurate  results,  but  the  novice  or  careless  worker  may  return  a  3 
per  cent,  ethyl  nitrite  spirit  as  containing  anything  between  that 
and,  say,  30  per  cent.,  because  he  is  never  sure  about  the  end  point. 

Professor  Walker  defended  the  utility  of  the  titration  method  in  a 
reply  to  Mr.  MacEwan  in  the  issue  of  February  10,  1896,  and  stated 
that  further  investigation  had  shown  that  five  minutes'  maceration 
was  ample  for  the  completion  of  the  reaction.   As  stated  at  the  begin- 


"^'"jlaT;!^""}  ^//r/V  of  Nitrous  Ether.  309 

ning  of  this  article,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  controversy 
referred  to,  and  I  undertook  some  experiments  with  the  titration 
method  as  proposed  by  Professor  Walker,  in  order  to  ascertain  if  it 
could  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  pharmacists  as  a  practical  method. 

In  the  first  set  of  titrations,  sufficient  decinormal  sodium  thio- 
sulphate  volumetric  solution  was  added  to  discharge  the  bluish- 
green  color,  so  that  it  did  not  return  in  thirty  seconds.  The  reason 
for  adopting  this  plan  was  to  afford  the  operator  proof  that  decolor- 
ation had  been  effected.  The  color  quickly  reappeared  after  decolor- 
ation on  account  of  the  liberation  of  iodine  by  the  nitrogen  tetroxide, 
as  pointed  out  by  Mr.  MacEwan.  This  reaction  is  also,  of  course, 
going  on  from  the  time  the  materials  are  mixed,  and  even  during 
titration,  so  that  iodine  is  being  alternately  liberated  and  titrated. 
The  tendency  of  the  method  must,  therefore,  be  toward  high  results, 
for  the  same  iodine  is  repeatedly  taken  into  account.  The  rapidity 
with  which  the  volumetric  solution  of  sodium  thiosulphate  is  added, 
as  also  the  quantity  added  at  a  time,  influences  the  amount  required 
for  decoloration.  The  more  rapid  the  addition  of  sodium  thiosul- 
phate and  the  larger  the  portion  added,  the  less  the  total  quantity 
required  for  the  first  decoloration. 

The  following  figures  show  the  amounts  of  decinormal  sodium 
thiosulphate  volumetric  solution  required  for  the  titration  of  the 
iodine  liberated  by  portions  of  5  c.c.  of  a  few  of  the  samples  of  spirit 
of  nitrous  ether  examined  : 


c.c.  of  V.  S.  Re«iuircd. 
247,  23-1,  14-4,   140 
142,    161,    10-2,    107 
205,   20-2,    18-9,    19-4 
28-2,  283,  322 

r  30-4,  30-8,  33-6,  345 

U53.  37*3.  373.  3»*o 
25"2,  273 
24'6,  206 

The  titrations  were  conducted  as  nearly  alike  as  jx)ssible.  The 
figures  for  sample  5  also  show  the  effects  of  the  time  of  maceration. 
After  concluding  that  the  titration  method  was  not  trustworthy, 
even  when  conducted  under  the  conditions  and  restrictions  proposed, 
I  made  a  scries  of  tests  with  the  nitrometer  according  to  the  United 
States    Pharmacopa'ia    process    of    assay.       Two    difficulties    were 


Simple 

Minutes 

No 

Macerated. 

I 

15 

2 

15 

3 

15 

4 

15 

5 

15 

5 

10 

5 

5 

Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


310  Spirit  of  Nitrous  Ether.  {^"^'.'^Z'i^'. 

encountered  in  this  method.  One  of  these  difficulties  attended  the 
assaying  of  samples  of  the  spirit  which  were  acid  in  reaction  ;  it 
consisted  of  a  decomposition  between  the  acid  spirit  and  the  potas- 
sium iodide,  with  evolution  of  nitrogen  dioxide  before  the  normal 
sulphuric  acid  was  added.  Spirit  of  nitrous  ether  is  usually  acid;  of 
the  sixteen  samples  examined  during  the  course  of  this  work,  not  one 
was  neutral,  but  most  of  them  were  very  acid.  To  overcome  the 
difficulty  referred  to,  the  sample  to  be  assayed  was  neutralized  by 
mixing  it  with  one-fifth  its  volume  of  an  alcoholic  solution  of  potas- 
sium hydrate.  Six  c.c.  of  this  mixture  instead  of  5  c.c.  of  the  origi- 
nal sample  were  then  taken  for  each  estimation. 

The  following  figures  show  the  results  which  were  obtained  by 
the  official  method  on  the  same  sample,  before  and  after  neutral- 
izing : 

Sample  A.  Acid.  Neutralized. 

(i)  5  C.C.  gave  22"o  C.C.  NO  and  2i'o  c.c.  NO. 

(2)  5    "       "     24-0   "       "       "     20-4     ''- 

(3)  5     "  "       24-4     "  "  "       20'4       " 

The  other  difficulty  encountered  in  the  official  assay  process  was 
the  displacement  of  air  from  the  aqueous  solution  of  potassium 
iodide  when  this  liquid  was  let  into  the  burette  of  the  nitrometer 
containing  the  spirit  on  top  of  the  brine.  Any  inaccuracy  which 
might  arise  from  this  cause  could  be  prevented  by  raising  the  level 
tube  and  then  opening  the  stopcock  so  the  air  could  pass  out.  But 
this  could  not  be  done  unless  the  sample  was  free  from  acid,  on 
account  of  the  premature  reaction  which  takes  place  between  the 
potassium  iodide  and  the  spirit  in  the  presence  of  acid.  To  obviate 
this  difficulty,  I  tried  using  a  saturated  alcoholic  solution  of  potas- 
sium iodide  in  place  of  the  aqueous  solution,  as  directed  by  the 
United  States  Pharmacopceia.  The  results  were  satisfactory,  as  but 
little  or  no  air  bubbles  collected  in  the  burette.  In  order  to  supply 
the  required  amount  of  potassium  iodide,  which  is  not  so  soluble  in 
alcohol  as  in  water,  20  c.c.  of  a  saturated  alcoholic  solution  were 
used  instead  of  the  10  c.c.  of  aqueous  solution  of  potassium  iodide. 

Three  samples  were  neutralized  with  the  alcoholic  solution  of 
potassium  hydrate,  and  submitted  to  the  official  method  of  assay 
with  the  nitrometer,  the  alcoholic  solution  of  potassium  iodide  being 
used  in  place  of  the  aqueous  solution  ordered  by  the  Pharmacopceia. 
The  results  were  as  follows  : 


'^'"■jiinMST*''"}  Red  Mercuric  Oxide.  311 

Sample. 

(  (i)  5  c.c.  gave  21-6  c.c.  NO. 

c 

D 

The  displacement  of  air  from  the  aqueous  solution  of  the  potas- 
sium iodide  might  also  be  overcome  by  boiling  the  solution  and 
allowing  it  to  cool  out  of  contact  with  air  just  previous  to  use,  but 
this  method  was  not  tried. 

The  quality  of  the  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  dispensed  is  remarkably 
poor. 


•  (2)  5  c.c. 

"     21-6 

(  (i)  5  c.c. 

"   50-0 

C  (  2)  5  c.c. 

"  500 

•  (I)  5  c.c. 

"  47-0 

U2)   5    C  C. 

"  472 

NOTE   ON    RED    MERCURIC    OXIDE. 
By  Joseph  W.  England. 

I  have  read  with  interest  Mr.  Charles  H.  La  Wall's  paper  on  the 
"  Consideration  of  Some  Recent  Suggestions  Concerning  Ointment 
of  Mercuric  Nitrate,"  as  published  in  the  current  issue  of  the  Amkki- 
c.\N  Journal  of  Ph.akmacy. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  I  urged  the  use  of  red  mercuric  oxide  in 
place  of  metallic  mercury,  in  the  making  of  citrine  ointment.  This 
practice  was  suggested  as  an  alternative,  and  not  as  a  substitute  for 
the  official  formula.  The  average  pharmacist  always  has  red  mer- 
curic oxide  in  stock ;  he  does  not  always  have  metallic  mercury, 
and  it  was  thought  to  be  directly  on  the  line  of  increased  convenience 
to  urge  the  substitution  of  the  oxide,  in  proportionately  larger 
quantity,  for  the  metal,  when  occasion  required. 

To  the  use  of  red  mercuric  oxide  in  place  of  metallic  mercury  for 
this  purpose,  Mr.  La  Wall  says:  "As  to  the  relative  purity  of  the 
two  substances,  the  experience  of  a  large  manufacturing  establish- 
ment shows  that  the  commercial  metallic  mercury  is  of  far  greater 
uniformity  and  purity  than  the  red  oxide  of  commerce." 

This  statement  does  not  accord  with  the  writer's  information.  A 
letter  from  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  manufacturing  chemists  says  : 
••  We  would  state  that  our  red  mercuric  o.xide  conforms  strictly  to 
the  requirements  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopaia,  and  we  regard 
it  as  equal  in  purity  to  metallic  meicury." 


12 


Red  Mercuric  Oxide.  {'"^jSe^isy^T"''""- 


Another  firm  of  manufacturing  chemists,  equally  as  prominent, 
writes  :  *'  Our  analysis  shows  that  red  mercuric  oxide  contains  997 
per  cent.'HgO,  and  0-3  per  cent,  of  SiO^.  The  silica  is,  no  doubt, 
derived  from  the  vessels  in  which  the  mercuric  oxide  is  manufac- 
tured. Commercial  metallic  mercury  varies  between  99  and  100 
per^cent.,  while  the  distilled  mercury  is  pure." 

Another  prominent  chemical  firm  writes  :  "  We  would  state  that 
our  levigated  mercuric  oxide  conforms  to  all  the  requirements  of  the 
U.S.P.  1890,  save  as  regards  absolute  freedom  from  HNO3;  it  con- 
tains very  small  traces  of  the  latter.  It  conforms  strictly  to  all  the 
requirements  of  the  Ph.G.  iii,  also,  in  regard  to  HNO3.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  U.S.P.  is  hypercritical  in  the  case  of  red  mercuric 
oxide,  as  it  is  also  in  several  other  instances ;  for  the  faint  traces  of 
HNO3  that  our  levigated  grade  contains  are  not  known  to  interfere 
with  any  of  the  chemical  applications  of  the  preparation,  and  cannot 
possibly  have  any  influence  on  the  therapeutic  action  of  the  medi- 
cament. To  provide  an  oxide  absolutely  free  from  HNO3,  is  practi- 
cally impossible  commercially,  and  there  is  no  necessity  for  the 
preparation." 

Now,  the  point  the  writer  would  make  is  this :  If  the  statements 
of  three  of  the  leading  chemical  firms  of  the  country,  regarding 
the  purity  of  their  red  mercuric  oxide,  be  true,  then  there  should  be 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  the  pharmacist  procuring  an  oxide  that 
could  be  used  as  a  substitute,  if  necessary,  for  metallic  mercury  in 
the  making  of  ointment  of  mercuric  nitrate. 

Further,  the  writer  recommended  the  addition  of  glycerin  to  the 
finished  ointment,  not  to  prevent  sponginess — that  is  a  condition  due 
to  the  application  of  insufficient  heat — but  to  prevent  the  hardening 
and  ultimately  friable  condition  that  obtains  in  the  ointment  on 
long  standing.  Regarding  the  criticism  that  the  addition  of  50 
grammes  of  glycerin  to  1,000  grammes  of  ointment  of  official 
strength  reduces  the  percentage  of  mercuric  nitrate  below  that 
required  by  the  U.S.P.,  there  is  this  to  say  :  that  the  resulting  differ- 
ence in  strength  is  of  no  practical  moment  therapeutically ,  as  phy- 
sicians almost  invariably — save  in  those  cases  requiring  great  stimu- 
lation— dilute  the  ointment  they  prescribe — oftentimes  in  equal  pro- 
portions— with  lard  or  other  fatty  diluent. 

The  final  criticism  of  increased  cost  is  hardly  worth  consideration. 
The  alternative  use  of  75-5   grammes  of  mercuric  oxide  (costing 


-^"•jlme^iSJ''""}  A   Sample  of  Scammony.  SIJ 

about  6  cents  an  ounce  avoirdupois)  as  against  70  f;rammes  of 
metallic  mercury  (costing  about  5  cents  an  ounce,  avoirdupois),  to 
make  the  official  quantity  of  ointment,  or  a  little  over  2  pounds, 
is  of  no  practical  moment  whatever. 

A  sample  of  the  ointment  made  on  March  17,  1897,  t>y  the  use 
of  red  mercuric  oxide,  is  presented  to  this  Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
While  it  has  slightly  darkened  in  color,  it  has  retained  its  smooth- 
ness, and  has  undergone  no  hardening  whatever. 


NOTE  ON  A  SAMPLE  OF  SCAMMONV. 
By  I.  \V.  Thomson. 

Some  time  ago  a  parcel  was  handed  to  me,  marked  ••  Scammo- 
nium,"  accompanied  by  a  statement  that  it  contained  84864  per 
cent,  of  scammonium,  and,  that  there  might  be  no  mistake,  gave 
the  chemical  formula,  which  is  generally  accepted  as  representing 
that  body  Cf^H-^Oig.     It  was  said  to  be  of  German  origin. 

A  very  cursory  examination  of  the  sample  so  completely  belied  its 
certificate  of  character,  that  I  concluded  it  could  hardly  claim  more 
than  a  very  remote  relationship  with  scammony. 

Having  mentioned  the  circumstance  to  Mr.  Hill,  he  suggested 
that  I  might  exhibit  the  sample  and  submit  the  result  of  my  exami- 
nation of  it  at  an  evening  meeting. 

The  sample  consists  of  irregular  broken  pieces,  apparently  por- 
tions of  a  cake,  about  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  greenish-black, 
hard  and  horny,  breaking  with  a  resinous  fracture,  and  very  diffi- 
cult to  powder.  On  submitting  it  to  a  systematic  examination,  the 
following  results  were  obtained  : 

Per  Cent. 

Soluble  in  ether 0*4 

**         '*  alcohol 2*0 

"         "  water 42'6 

Starch  and  a  little  cellular  tissue  .  43*0 

Moisture    .  ...  i2'o 

lOO'O 

It  yielded  212  per  cent,  of  ash,  of  which  093,  equal  to  436  per 
cent,  was  soluble  in  water.  The  ash  contained  K,  Mg,  Ca,  Fc,  and 
Si,  as  carbonate,  sulphate,  and  a  trace  of  chloride. 

The   water-soluble   portion   was  evidently  gum,  apparently  gum 


314  Siimbul  in  England.  {^"jS/.-ifs""'^"- 

arable.     The  insoluble  portion  consisted  very  largely  of  starch,  with 
a  small  quantity  of  cellular  tissue. 

So  far  as  I  know,  the  specimen  is  unique,  and  the  Germans  must 
think  us  very  gullible  when  they  attempt  to  foist  such  an  article 
upon  us  as  scammony. — Pharmaceutical  yournal,  March  20,  1 897. 


THE  CULTIVATION  OF  SUMBUL  IN  ENGLAND.i 

By  E.  M.  Holmes. 

The  sumbul  root  of  commerce  has  of  late  years  been  of  very 
inferior  quality  compared  with  the  fragrant  root  imported  twenty- 
five  years  ago  or  more,  and  usually  consists  of  smaller  and  more 
cylindrical  pieces,  with  only  a  very  faint  musky  odor.  The  structure 
is  also  much  firmer,  and  the  resinous  parts  are  usually  blackish  and 
cirty,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  paler  non-resinous  portions.  The 
upper  or  rootstock  portion,  which  is  marked  with  rings  like  the  true 
sumbul,  is  evidently  often  branched,  which  I  have  never  seen  in  the 
true  sumbul,  in  which  the  upper  portion  usually  tapers  to  a  rounded 
fibrous  apex. 

The  sumbul  of  the  present  day  is,  therefore,  probably  derived 
from  a  different  plant  with  a  more  cylindrical  root,  branched  near 
the  apex,  and  having  a  firmer  substance.  It  was  suggested  some 
years  ago  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Aitchison  (7m;25.  Linn.  Soc,  ser.  2,  Bot.,  p.  69, 
pi.  20-21)  that  it  might  possibly  be  derived  from  Ferula  suaveolens, 
which  has  only  a  faint  musky  odor.  He  states  that  the  root  is 
scented,  and  is  one  of  the  kinds  of  sumbul  exported  from  Persia  to 
Bombay  by  the  Persian  Gulf  (/.  c,  p.  69). 

It  seems  to  be  desirable,  therefore,  that  the  true  sumbul  should 
be  cultivated  to  meet  a  trade  desideratum.  The  use  of  an  inferior 
drug  will  otherwise  probably  lead  in  time  to  the  entire  disuse  of  the 
drug.  Under  these  circumstances  my  own  experience  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  true  sumbul  plant  may  prove  interesting  to  some  of 
the  readers  or  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal. 

Some  years  since,  one  of  our  corresponding  members,  M.  Andrew 
Ferrein,  of  Moscow,  sent  me  some  young  plants  of  Ferula  foetidissima, 
and  with  them  two  young  plants  of  F.  sumbul.  They  arrived  in 
autumn,  packed  in  husks  of  buckwheat,  like  ordinary  bulbs.  The 
fleshy  roots  at  that  period  of  the  year  appear  to  lose  all  the   small 


'  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  April  24,  1897. 


i^ 


2 


c 

E 
cr 

c 


o 
o 


If. 


^A^*^ 

"^^> 


3i6  Sn  nib  III  in  England.  {-^ 


m.  Jour.  Pharri' 

June,  1897. 


rootlets,  and  will  then  bear  digging  up  and  transplanting  without 
injury,  the  tuberous  root  sending  out,  in  the  following  early  spring, 
new  rootlets. 

Tn  February,  or,  in  late  winters,  in  March,  as  soon  as  the  ground  is 
ao  longer  hard  from  continued  frost,  the  sumbul  plant  sends  up  one 
or  more  young  leaves.  These  may  be  a  little  injured  if  exposed  to 
hard  frost,  although  not  injured  by  white  frost,  but  as  a  rule  new 
leaves  come  on,  and  the  plant  stands  our  winters  as  well  as  most 
indigenous  plants  oi  the  same  natural  order.  The  fully  developed 
leaves  appear  in  April,  and  continue  to  grow  until  July,  when  they 
turn  yellowish  and  gradually  wither.  The  root  increases  in  size 
every  year,  retaining  its  oval  form,  presumably,  until  it  attains  a 
sufficient  reserve  of  nutrition  to  enable  it  to  throw  up  a  large  fruiting 
stem.  The  inflorescence  of  the  specimen  that  flowered  in  the  Kew 
Gardens  some  years  ago  attained  a  height  of  about  8  feet,  and 
the  plant  then  died. 

To  secure  the  healthy  growth  of  the  plant,  it  is  necessary  to  give 
it  plenty  of  water,  and  a  little  weak  manure  water,  during  the  grow- 
ing season,  from  April  to  July.  A  mulch  of  well-rotted  manure 
around  the  plant  in  the  autumn,  taking  care  to  protect  the  crown  by 
a  covering  of  clean  sand,  also  helps  its  growth.  My  plants,  which 
are  now  about  six  years  old,  have  not  flowered,  but  the  root  of  one, 
which  I  took  up  a  few  days  ago  for  transplanting,  measured  about 
6  inches  long  by  3j^  broad,  and  had  a  strong,  persistent  musky 
odor  where  injured,  exuding  abundance  of  white,  milky  juice.  The 
roots  are  somewhat  twisted,  and  spread  nearly  horizontally  below 
the  ground.  It  is  obvious  from  the  shape  that  such  a  root  might 
furnish  two  tapering  and  one  cylindrical  sections  of  the  thickness  of 
the  old-fashioned,  but  that  it  could  not  furnish  the  cylindrical  pieces 
2  or  3  inches  long,  of  small  diameter,  that  occur  in  the  drug 
of  the  present  day.  Provided  that  good  seed  could  be  obtained, 
there  is  little  doubt  that  sumbul  might  be  cultivated  in  temperate 
or  mountainous  districts  in  the  colonies,  or  in  ordinary  gardens  or 
fields  in  this  country  without  any  difficulty. 

The  chief  difficulty  in  obtaining  good  seed  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
in  this  country  the  fruit  are  apt  to  be  ruptured  by  the  rains.  In  their 
native  country,  the  fruits  are  produced  in  the  hot  weather.  In  this 
country,  therefore,  it  is  necessary  to  protect  the  ripening  fruits  from 
rain. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm.  > 


juXi^!"'"}  Proprietary  Preparations.  317 

THE  ETHICS  AND  ECONOMICS  OF  PROPRIETARY 

PREPARATIONS.' 

Dr.  Charles  Rice,  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Revision  of  the 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  and  the  chemist  of  the  New  York 
department  of  public  charities,  has  lately  thrown  a  good  deal  of 
the  light  of  common  sense  on  the  question  of  the  advisability  of 
using  proprietary  preparations.  What  he  says  is  in  the  form  of  a 
report  to  the  committee  on  the  apothecary's  department  of  the 
medical  board  of  Bellevue  Hospital,  made  in  compliance  with  a 
request  from  that  body.  The  report  was  adopted  by  the  medical 
board  on  April  ist,and  has  been  approved  by  the  board  of  commis- 
sioners. 

Dr.  Rice  defines  a  proprietary  article  as  one  of  which  some  person 
or  persons  have  exclusive  control  of  the  production,  sale  or  use — 
of  all  three  of  these  features  in  some  cases,  of  one  or  two  of  them 
only  in  others.  He  divides  such  articles  into  natural  and  artificial 
products,  and  again  into  these  three  classes  :  (i)  Products  of  nature 
prepared  under  patents  and  mostly  sold  under   copyrighted  names. 

(2)  Products  of  nature  that  have  never  been  made  under  patents  or 
are    no  longer   so   made,  but   are   sold    under  copyrighted   names. 

(3)  Artificial  preparations  sold  under  copyrighted  names.  As  regards 
patented  articles,  it  is  a  principle  in  patent  law,  says  Dr.  Rice,  that 
a  product  of  nature  cannot  be  patented  ;  hence  no  patent  is  granted 
on  any  chemical  substance  of  a  definite  and  constant  comj^osition, 
even  though  it  may,  at  the  time  when  the  patent  is  applied  for,  not 
yet  have  been  found  occurring  ready-formed  in  nature.  Hut  any 
process,  not  previously  known  or  used,  by  which  such  a  product  can 
be  formed  is  patentable.  Certain  articles  that  are  made  by  patented 
processes  may  also  be  made  by  processes  that  are  not  patented,  and, 
as  it  is  impossible  for  the  purchaser  to  distinguish  by  which  process 
they  have  been  made,  nobody,  says  Dr.  Rice,  would  think  of  raising 
any  objection  against  their  use  in  medicine.  As  an  exam[)le,  he 
mentions  salicylic  acid,  which,  in  the  form  of  methyl  salicylate, 
exists  in  oil  of  wintergreen  and  some  other  volatile  oils,  from  which 
the  acid  may  readily  be  prepared  ;  but  as  these  oils  would  be  utterly 
inadequate  to  supply  the  demand,  more  than  95  per  cent,  of  the 
salicylic   acid   used  in    medicine  is  produced  by  a  process  that   was 


*  Editorial  in  the  New  York  Medical  Journal,  May  22,  1897. 


3i8  Proprietary  Preparations,  {^"^ji^neaS"'"^* 

patented  in  1874,  but  on  which  the  patent  has  now  expired.  A 
patent,  says  Dr.  Rice,  not  only  does  away  with  all  secrecy — which 
is  usually  considered  the  objectionable  feature  of  a  proprietary  article 
— but  it  commonly  acts  also  as  a  sort  of  guarantee  of  the  uniformity 
of  the  product  in  composition,  strength  and  purity. 

Dr.  Rice  thinks  that  if  all  these  points  are  taken  into  consider- 
ation, it  will  probably  be  conceded  that,  if  an  article  is  protected  by 
a  patent  alone — the  feature  of  a  copyrighted  name  being  disre- 
garded— it  becomes  practically  impossible  to  separate  patented  sub- 
stances into  classes  of  which  one  may,  and  the  other  may  not,  be 
used  without  a  violation  of  ethics,  and,  therefore,  none  of  these 
articles  should  be  rejected  for  the  reason  alone  that  they  are 
patented.  He  then  proceeds  to  consider  the  three  classes  of  pro- 
prietary articles  previously  mentioned.  • 

As  to  products  of  the  first  class,  inasmuch  as  copyrights  on 
names  never  expire,  whereas  a  patent  has  a  definite  term  of  years 
to  run,  it  is  evident,  says  Dr.  Rice,  that  the  proprietors  of  the  copy- 
rights would  have  a  perpetual  monopoly  unless,  after  the  expiration 
of  the  patents,  other  producers  should  put  the  same  articles  on  the 
market  under  new  names  not  copyrighted.  All  these  bodies — such 
as  antipyrine,  aristol,  phenacetine,  salol,  salophene,  sulphonal,  trional, 
and  vanillin  (the  last-named  substance  being  now  sold  only  under 
its  proper  chemical  name) — will  undoubtedly.  Dr.  Rice  thinks,  be 
rescued  from  their  present  monopolistic  control,  when  the  patents 
on  them  have  expired.  There  is  no  secret  whatever  about  them,  he 
says.  They  are  definite  chemicals  of  known  composition  and  prop- 
erties, and,  since  some  of  them  have  been  found  to  have  real  thera- 
peutical value,  no  objection,  it  is  believed,  will  be  raised  against  the 
whole  class. 

Dr.  Rice  next  considers  the  products  of  nature  which  have  never 
been,  or  are  not  now,  made  under  patents,  but  are  sold  under 
copyrighted  names,  familiar  examples  of  which  are  antifebrine 
(acetanilid),  dermatol  (bismuth  subgallate),  formalin  or  formol 
(formaldehyde),  pyrozone  (hydrogen-dioxide  solution),  diuretin 
(sodium-theobromime  salicylate),  and  lanolin  (hydrous  wool  fat). 
The  owner  of  the  copyrighted  name,  he  remarks,  usually  professes 
that  his  product  is  "purer"  or  more  "refined"  than  the  article 
found  on  the  market  under  the  common  name,  and  this  pretension, 
he  says,  is  true  in  some  instances,  particularly  in  those  articles  first 


"^"juDMoS*™*}  Proprietary  Preparations.  319 

put  on  the  market  under  copyrighted  names,  although  at  present 
the  best  grades  of  the  several  articles  sold  under  their  common 
names  appear  to  answer  every  purpose.  These  products,  he  thinks, 
are  unobjectionable,  but  he  says  it  seems  preferable,  as  it  is  certainly 
more  economical,  to  order  them  under  their  common  names,  espe- 
cially acetanilid,  bismuth  subgallate  and  formaldehyde. 

His  third  class  preparations  that  are  not  products  of  nature,  sold 
under  copyrighted  names,  Dr.  Rice  divides  into  three  groups.  The 
first  group,  which  he  considers  unobjectionable,  comprises  prepara- 
tions the  origin  and  composition  of  which  are  not  kept  secret,  such 
as  ichthyol,  creolin,  Mellin's  food,  malted  milk,  etc.  The  second 
group,  which  he  thinks  to  be  of  doubtful  value,  includes  all  the 
preparations  of  the  class  that  do  not  belong  to  either  the  first  or 
the  third  group,  which  last,  by  far  the  largest,  consists  of  the  "  se- 
cret nostrums,"  such  as  '*  soothing  syrups,"  "  female  regulators," 
"  blood  purifiers,"  etc. 

Incidentally,  Dr.  Rice  justly  complains  that  for  years  the  name  of 
Bellevue  Hospital  has  been  taken  in  vain  by  a  number  of  persons  and 
firms  without  any  authority  whatever.  It  is  a  common  occurrence, 
he  says,  for  samples  of  proprietary  medicines,  foods, mineral  waters, 
plasters,  etc.,  to  be  sent  to  the  hospital  or  to  members  of  the  house 
staff  for  "  trial,"  whereupon  the  subsequent  advertisements  of  the 
articles  in  question  often  assert  that  the  latter  are  ♦•  used  in  l^ellevue 
Hospital,"  leaving  the  impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader  that 
the  article  or  articles  have  been  used  with  the  sanction  of  some 
member  of  the  medical  board.  It  is  probably  impossible,  says  Dr. 
Rice,  to  find  a  remedy  for  this  evil,  from  which  many  other  institu- 
tions of  repute  likewise  suffer.  To  publish  a  denial  of  such  false 
assertions,  he  thinks,  would  only  aggravate  the  evil.  The  utmost 
that  can  be  done  appears  to  be  to  caution  the  medical  staff  against 
any  entanglements  with  the  agents  of  the  interested  parties,  or  en- 
couragement of  them. 


The  existence  of  philippium  is  claimed  by  M.  Marc  Delafontaiuc,  in  the 
Chemical  News  for  May  14,  1897.  Its  chief  characters  arc  dcacril>e<l.  Ita 
symbol  is  Pp.,  and  its  atomic  weight  80,  120  or  160,  according  to  whether  the 
oxide  is  FpO,  PpjO^,  or  PpOj. 

Philippium  is  more  closely  allied  to  cerium  and  terbium  than  to  any  other 
of  the  yttrium  and  cerium  metals.  It  is  to  yttrium  what  cerium  is  to  lantha- 
num. 


320  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {^""ju^e'iS:*'''"" 

RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

PAS5I0X    FLOWER,    PASSIFLORA    INCARNATA,    IN    FPILEPSY    AND    OTHER 

NEUROSES. 

S.  D.  Bullington,  M.D.  (Nashville  Journal  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery,  March,  1897),  reported  some  very  favorable  results  from 
the  administration  of  the  fluid  extract  of  passion  flower,  either 
alone  or  in  conjunction  with  other  medicines,  in  a  number  of  cases 
of  nervous  disorder. 

A  case  of  epilepsy  of  twenty-six  years'  standing  showed  marked 
improvement  after  treatment  with  this  drug,  although,  of  course,  it 
was  not  hoped  to  effect  a  cure  in  a  case  of  so  long  standing. 

Various  cases  of  insomnia,  hysteria  and  neurasthenia  were  like- 
wise treated  with  the  drug  with  satisfactory  results. 

The  author  stated  that  the  fluid  extract,  mixed  well  with  water 
or  simple  elixir,  was  pleasant  to  take,  and  an  admirable  substitute  for 
•bromide. 

Another  feature  in  its  favor  was  that  no  ill  effects  seemed  to 
follow  its  use,  either  temporary  or  continued. 

COMMERCIAL    GINGER    AND    ESSENCE    OF    GINGER. 

VV.  S.  Glass  [Pharmaceutical  Journal,  March  20,  1897)  examined 
samples  of  Jamaica,  Cochin  and  African  ginger,  with  a  view  to 
obtaining  a  satisfactory  essence.  His  results  are  given  in  the  follow- 
ing table,  the  percentages  of  oleoresin  obtained  by  three  other 
writers  being  also  given  for  comparison : 

Author Thresh.     Siggins.*      Riegbl. 


Jamaica 
Cx:hiii    . 

African 


'  Am.  Jour.  Pharm..  Vol.  60,  p.  278. 


Moisture. 

Ash. 

5-3 

Kxtract 

or 

'  Oleoresin. 

Extract 

or 

Oleoresin. 

Extract 

or 

Oleoresin. 

Extract 

or 

Oleoresin. 

9'33 

5-00 

3  "290 

5 '00 

5 

I  I  "00 

4-6 

4  33 

4*965 

— 

8-00 

5*5 

6-33 

I 

^ojs 

(A  6-17 
1^  7-00 

— 

The  extract  was  prepared  by  exhausting  the  drug  with  ether  and 
evaporating  at  a  low  temperature.  The  African  variety  required 
most  ether  and  yielded  the  highest  percentage  of  extract;  but,  as 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm 


janeViS:""}       Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  321 

stated  by  the  author,  this  variety  was  unsuited  for  many  pharma- 
ceutical purposes  on  account  of  its  brown,  coarse  appearance. 

For  the  preparation  of  a  soluble  essence  possessing  all  the  flavor 
of  the  ginger  it  was  recommended  to  add  3  drachms  of  powdered 
pumice-stone  to  i  fluid  ounce  of  the  essence,  and  shake  occasionally 
during  twelve  hours.  Then  add  gradually  3  fluid  ounces  of  distilled 
water ;  allow  the  mixture  to  stand  six  hours  and  filter. 

REPORT    OF   COMMITTEE   ON    ATOMIC    WEIGHTS. 

The  fourth  annual  report  of  the  Committee  of  the  American 
Chemical  Society  on  Atomic  Weights,  has  recently  been  published 
{^joiir.  Ai/nr.  Chcm.  Soc.,  i<)^  359)-  The  chairman.  Dr.  V .  \V, 
Clarke,  gives  the  following  illustration  of  the  practical  value  of  a 
correct  knowledge  of  atomic  weights  in  the  commercial  world  : 
'•There  are  two  rival  values  for  the  atomic  weights  of  chromium. 
One,  525  approximately,  based  on  the  old  work  of  Berlin,  is  still 
used  by  European  analysts.  The  other,  5 2- 1,  dep>ends  upon  later 
and  more  accurate  researches,  and  is  used  in  this  country.  Mr. 
William  Glenn,  of  the  Baltimore  Chrome  Works,  informs  me  that 
that  establishment  imports  chrome  iron  ore  by  the  shipload,  the 
value  being  determined  by  a  volumetric  assay,  in  which  the  atomic 
weight  of  chromium  is  involved.  It  is  assayed  in  Glasgow,  with  the 
older  value  for  chromium,  and  in  Baltimore  with  the  modern  datum. 
A  cargo  amounts  to  about  3,500  tons,  and  the  difference  in  price 
due  to  the  difference  between  52-1  and  525  for  chromium  amounts 
to  about  S367.50  per  shipload." 

The  following  are  the  recalculated  atomic  weights  according  to 
the  best  authorities,  compiled  down  to  January  i,  1897: 

Aluminuai  .    . 

Antimony  ... 

Argon  

Arsenic  

Barium 
Bismuth    . 

Boron 

Bromine       . 
Cadmium      ... 

Calcium 

CarlK)n      

Cerium 

C;esium 


H  -  I 

0-16 

2691 

2711 

119-52 

1 20-43 

(?) 

l?^ 

74  44 

750' 

13639 

13743 

.^  ■.''.•;  I 

20S1 1 

I,  ,>'j 

1 095 

79  34 

7995 

1 1 1   If) 

M  I   95 

3976 

4OC17 

ir92 

12  01 

139-10 

Mm- 20 

131-89 

•32  «9 

322  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,      {'^'^-IT^-J^T''^^ 

H  =  I  O  =  i6 

Chlorine 35'i8  35"45 

Chromium 51*74  52*i4 

Cobalt 58-49  58-93 

Columbium 93*02  9373 

Copper 63-12  63-60 

Erbium 165-06  166-32 

Fluorine 18-91  19-06 

Gadolinium I55'57  156-76 

Gallium 69-38  69-91 

Germanium 71 '93  72*48 

Glucinum 901                9*08 

Gold 195*74  197*23 

Helium (?)                   (?) 

Hydrogen i-ooo              i*oo8 

Indium 112-99  113*85 

Iodine 125-89  126-85 

Iridium 191-66  193*12 

Iron 55-60  56-02 

Lanthanum i37*59  13S-64 

Lead 205*36  206-92 

Lithium 6*97                7*03 

Magnesium 24-10  24-28 

Manganese 54-57  54-99 

Mercury 198-49  200-00 

Molybdenum 95*26  95*99 

Neodymium 139*70  140-80 

Nickel 58-24  58-69 

Nitrogen 13-93  14-04 

Osmium 189-55  190-99 

Oxygen 15-88  16-00 

Palladium 105-56  106-36 

Phosphorus 30-79  31-02 

Platinum         193-41  ^^  94*89 

Potassium 38*82  39*ii 

Praseodymium 142-50  143*60 

Rhodium 102-23  103-01 

Rubidium 84-78  85-43 

Ruthenium      100-91  101-68 

Samarium 149*13  150-26 

Scandium 43-78  44-12 

Selenium 78-42  79-02 

Silicon 28-18  28-40 

Silver 107-11  107-92 

Sodium 22-88  23-05 

Strontium 86-95  87-61 

Sulphur 31-83  32-07 

Tantalum 181-45  182-84 

Tellurium 126-52  127-49 


I 


"""^•june'  iS^""'}                   Editorial— Reviews.  325 

H  ^  I  O  =  16 

Terbium i5S"8o  16000 

Thallium      202'6i  20415 

Thorium 230*87  232  63 

Thulium 169-40  170-70 

Tin iiS'i5  11905 

Titanium 47*79  48*15 

Tungsten      183*43  184*83 

Uranium 23777  23959 

Vanadium 50*99  5i'38 

Ytterbium 171  88  I73"i9 

Yttrium ...  88*35  8902 

Zinc 64*91  6541 

Zirconium 89*72  9040 


EDITORIAL. 

NEW   PROFE.SSORS    IN    THE    PHILADELPHIA    COLLEGE   OF    PHARMACY. 

When  it  became  necessary  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  chair  of  Botany  and 
Materia  Medica  in  the  College,  caused  by  the  death  of  Professor  Bastin, 
it  was  decided  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  create  two  new  chairs  in  place  of 
the  old  one.  Dr.  Clement  B.  Lowe,  already  an  Instructor  in  the  College, 
was  accordingly  nominate<l  to  occupy  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica,  and  Pro- 
fessor Henry  Kraemer,  Professor  of  Botany,  Pharmacognosy  and  Materia 
Medica  in  the  Northwestern  University,  of  Chicago,  to  fill  the  chair  of  Botany. 

Both  men  are  amply  qualified,  by  education  and  experience,  to  fill  the  posi- 
tions they  have  been  selected  to  occupy.  Dr.  I^^we  is  a  graduate  of  Bucknell 
University,  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  and  of  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College.  He  conducted  a  pharmacy  for  a  num])er  of  years,  and  has 
been  Instructor  and  Quiz  Master  in  the  College  for  over  ten  years. 

Professor  Kraemer  is  a  graduate  of  Girard  College,  of  the  Philadelphia 
College  of  Pharmacy,  of  the  School  of  Mines,  Columbia  College,  New  York, 
and  of  the  University  of  Marburg,  Germany,  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy.  His  thesis  for  this  degree  was  an  elaborate  study 
of  Viola  tricolor.  He  likewise  had  several  years'  e.xperience  in  the  retail 
drug  business.  In  addition  to  his  lectures  on  ijotany,  Professor  Kraemer  will 
conduct  the  Botanical  Laboratory  so  successfully  organized  by  Professor  Bastin. 

Dr.  J.  L.  D.  Morison  will  become  Instructor  in  Materia  Medica,  in  addition  to 
his  present  position  as  Assistant  in  the  Botanical  Laboratory. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

HiNFi  HKi,*N(;  IN  DAS  Stidu'M  i»kk  Alkaloidk.  mit  besondercr  Itcruck- 
sichtigung  der  vegetabilischen  Alkaloide  uod  dcr  Ptomaine,  Von  Dr.  Icilio 
Guareschi,  ().  ().  Professor  an  dcr  konigl.  Universitiit  Turin,  und  Director  dc« 
pharmaceutisch-cheniiftcben  und  toxicologischen  Institut*.  Mil  Genehnngung 
des  Verfassers  in  deutscher  Bearbeitung  herausgegeben  von  Dr.  Hermann  Kuu/.- 


E>^„.  •^^,,_  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharra. 

324  KeVteiVS.  {        June,1897. 

Krause,  Dozeut  fiir  allgemeine  uud  pharmaceutische  Chemie  an  der  Universitat 
Lausanne.  Zweite  Halfte,  Berlin,  1897.  R.  Gaertner's  Verlagsbuchhandlung, 
Hermann  Heyfelder. 

The  first  half  of  this  valuable  work  was  reviewed  in  this  Journai,  for  February 
of  this  year.  It  may  be  well  to  repeat  what  was  pointed  out  at  tliat  time,  in 
regard  to  the  sections  into  which  the  whole  work  is  divided,  viz  : 

I.  Bases  of  the  Open  Chain  Series. 

II.  Bases  of  the  Closed  Chain  Series. 

III.  Metal  Amines. 

IV.  Alkaloids  in  the  Narrower  Sense. 

V.  Ptomaines  and  Leucomaines. 

The  first  half,  in  addition  to  the  historical  introduction,  included  all  of  the 
open  chain  series  and  a  part  of  the  closed  chain  series.  The  second  half  covers 
all  the  remaining  sections,  in  addition  to  completing  the  consideration  of  the 
closed  chain  series.  The  fourth  section  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
whole  work,  since  it  very  fully  considers  the  natural  alkaloids,  their  distribu- 
tion in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  method  of  extraction,  estimation,  etc.  It  also 
contains  a  tabular  list  of  the  alkaloids,  with  their  sources,  according  to  natural 
orders,  and  their  formulas  ;  this  section  is  also  enriched  by  a  number  of  para- 
graphs from  the  pen  of  the  translator.  As  now  completed,  the  book  consists  of 
657  large  pages,  including  an  index.  It  is  an  indispensable  work  to  every  one 
who  has  to  do  with  the  alkaloids  in  any  of  their  varieties. 

Reagents  and  Reactions  known  by  the  names  of  their  authors.  Based 
on  the  original  collection  by  A.  Schneider,  revised  and  enlarged  by  Dr.  Julius 
Altschul  for  the  Pharmaceutische  Centralhalle.  Translated  from  the  German 
by  Richard  Fischer,  Instructor  in  Pharmacy  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 
Pharmaceutical  Review  Publishing  Company,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.     1897. 

The  difficulty  experienced  by  many  chemists  in  determining  the  nature  of  a 
reagent  when,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  the  name  of  the  author  only  is  given, 
is  reason  enough  for  issuing  a  work  like  this.  The  list  as  now  published  is 
very  complete,  and  occupies  82  pages.  There  is  an  index  of  subjects  given  at 
the  end  which  will  materially  assist  locating  certain  tests.  The  pamphlet  is 
well  printed,  and  appears  to  be  remarkably  free  from  errors. 

Warner's  Pocket  Medicai.  Dictionary  of  To-Day,  comprising  the  pro- 
nunciation and  definition  of  10,000  essential  words  and  terms  used  in  medicine 
and  associated  sciences.  By  William  R.  Warner.  Philadelphia  :  William  R. 
Warner  &  Co.     1897. 

The  foregoing  title  sufficiently  explains  the  scope  of  this  work.  By  omitting 
the  very  common  terms,  whose  meaning  is  obvious  or  known  to  everybody,  the 
author  has  been  able  to  gain  space  and  so  keep  the  book  down  to  his  original 
intention,  thereby  making  it  strictly  a  pocket  dictionary.  It  is  a  very  complete 
list  of  words  and  their  definitions,  which  are  especially  desired  by  both  phy- 
sician and  pharmacist. 

Formaldehyde.     By  Eli  Lilly  &  Co.     Indianapolis.    1897. 

This  pamphlet  is  devoted  to  a  description  of  the  chemistry  of  formaldehyde, 
its  use  as  a  disinfectant,  and  its  generation  in  the  Moffatt  Formaldehyde  Lamp, 
which  was  fully  described  and  illustrated  in  the  April  number  of  this  Journal. 


I 


"^""jine^i^f""*}  PJiarmaccutical  Associations.  325 

The  Pharmacologist  is  the  title  of  a  quarterly  journal  devoted  to  Materia 
Medica,  Pharmacy  and  Therapy.  It  is  edited  by  F.  E.  Stewart,'M.D.,  Ph.Cf. 
and  published  by  Trederick  Kimball  Stearns,  of  Detroit,  Mich. ^ The  first 
number,  recently  issued,  is  full  of  interesting  matter.  It  contains  comments 
and  editorials  on  a  variety  of  subjects,  and  two  original  communications, 
one  on  .\conite  and  another  on  Diastatic  Ferments. 

Semi-Annual  Report  of  Schimmei,  &  Co.  i  Fritzsche  Brothers.  1 
Leipzig  and  New  York,  April,  1S97, 

This  number  is  superior  in  many  respects  to  its  predecessors.  After  the  usual 
information  in  regard  to  a  large  number  of  oils,  the  following  novelties  are 
noted  :  Cardamom  oil,  Bengal  Schinus  fpepper-tree  1  oil;Valerian  oil,  Mexican; 
camphor-wood  oil,  Venezuelan;  and  golden-rod  oil,  Canadian. 

The  latter  half  of  the  Report  is  devoted  to  a  list  of  essential  oils,  giving  their 
botanical  origin,  the  part  or  products  of  the  plant  from  which  the  oil  is  ob- 
tained, the  yield  and  the  physical  constants  and  principal  chemical  constituents 
of  each  oil.  This  is  especially  useful  for  reference.  A  map  is  appended,  show- 
ing the  producing  districts  of  oil  of  peppermint  (menthol)  and  camphor  in 
Japan. 

Proceedings  of  the  Twentieth  Anniai,  Meeting  of  the  Pharma- 
ceutical Association  of  the  State  t)F Soith  Carolina. 

The  twentieth  annual  meeting  of  this  association  met  in  Columbia.  S.  C, 
November  ir,  1S96.  A  goo<i  number  of  original  communications  in  the  form 
of  addresses  were  delivered. 

Strophanthfs  ;  a  Clinical  Study.  By  Reynold  W.  Wilcox.  M.I>., 
LL.  D.     VromXh^  American  Journal  0/  the  Medical  Sciences,  May,  1897. 

The  author  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  variety  Komb^  is  a  distinct  species.  The 
present  report  is  confined  to  a  clinical  study  of  the  tincture  made  from  Stro- 
phanthus  Komb^*;  the  author  reserves  for  another  occasion  the  presentat  on  of 
similar  studies  upon  what  he  believes  to  be  four  absolutely  independent  species 
of  strophanthus. 

ZuR  PrI  FUNG  DES  Chinins.  Von  O.  Hesse,  from  Archiv.  der  Pharm.,  i«5 
114,  1897.  This  is  a  subject  on  which  Dr.  Hesse  is  especially  well  fitted  •«> 
speak. 

Natural  History  Charts  and  Ili.u.strations.     By  John  W.  Harshl)erg«., 
Ph.D.     Reprinted  from  Education,  .\pril,  1897.      Dr.  Harshberger  gives  some 
valuable  suggestions  on  the  best  means  of  conducting  a  short  course  ou  l>otany. 


PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATIONS. 

PENNSYLVANIA    PHARMACEUTICAL   ASSOCIATION. 

The  twentieth  annual  meeting  of  this  .XHSOciatiou  will  be  held  in  the  Kilta- 
tinny  Hotel,  Delaware  Water  Cap,   commencing  Tues<lay,  June   a2<l.  «t    ^  v> 

P.M. 

The  Del  iw.irt    W.iit-r  « ..ip  !•>  ?»«j  delightfully  situated,  and  »o  easily  ri-,»riied. 


^26  Pharmaceutical  Associations.  {^^"zw\^,\m^.^' 

especially  by  members  living  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  that  a  large 
number  will  no  doubt  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity  for  a  few  days'  recre- 
ation and  enjoyment. 

The  Trunk  Line  Association  has  granted  permission  to  the  railroads  running 
to  the  place  of  meeting  to  sell  tickets  at  a  rate  of  two  cents  per  mile.  Orders 
for  these  tickets  can  be  had  on  application  to  the  Secretary,  J.  A.  Miller,  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.    The  hotel  will  furnish  entertainment  at  $2.65  per  day. 

The  Entertainment  Committee  will  have  a  programme  ready  at  the  time  of 
the  meeting  that  will  please  everybody. 

NEW   YORK  STATE   PHARMACEUTICAL.  ASSOCIATION. 

The  nineteenth  annual  meeting  of  this  Association  will  be  held  at  Manhattan 
Beach,  commencing  Tuesday,  July  13,  1897.  The  Committee  on  Pharmacy  and 
Queries  is  very  desirous  of  presenting  a  large  number  of  papers  on  topics  of  scien- 
tific, technical  and  trade  interest,  and  is  making  direct  appeals  to  the  members 
who  have  occasionally  demonstrated  their  ability  to  prepare  papers  on  subjects 
of  interest  to  the  pharmacists  of  the  State.  A  list  of  queries  has  been  pre- 
pared, which  embodies  suggestions  that  should  appeal  to  every  working 
pharmacist  in  the  Association. 

The  meeting  promises  to  be  a  splendid  success  so  far  as  social  features  are 
concerned,  and  the  Committee  on  Pharmacy  and  Queries  is  determined  to 
make  the  pharmacy  section  of  the  meeting  an  interesting  and  valuable  feature 
of  it.  With  this  object  in  view  members  are  urged  to  select  one  or  more  sub- 
jects from  the  list  of  queries  and  prepare  papers  thereon.  Albert  H.  Brundage, 
Ph.G.,  M.D.,  Chairman,  1153  Gates  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  should  be  addressed  on 
all  matters  relating  to  papers  and  queries. 

THE   ARKANSAS   ASSOCIATION   OF    PHARMACISTS. 

The  Association  met  in  annual  session  on  May  nth,  12th,  13th,  in  Little  Rock. 
The  attendance  was  not  large,  but  was  very  enthusiastic,  and  the  meeting  was 
a  very  entertaining  and  successful  one.  Ten  new  members  were  added  to  the 
list,  which  now  numbers  175,  consisting  of  many  of  the  most  influential  phar- 
macists in  the  State. 

President  Sparks  read  his  annual  address,  which  was  referred  to  a  comfnittee 
on  distribution.  The  treasurer's  report  showed  a  balance  on  hand  of  $293.91. 
The  president  appointed  a  committee  of  three,  consisting  of  Dr.  Bond,  Mr.  R. 
B.  King  and  Dr.  John  W.  Morton,  to  convey  the  fraternal  greetings  of  the 
Association  to  the  Arkansas  Medical  Society,  which  was  in  session  in  this  city. 

During  the  session  a  number  of  interesting  papers  were  read,  among  which 
were  the  ' '  Future  Supply  of  Coal,"  by  Mr.  R.  B.  King,  of  Helena.  This  paper, 
which  shows  that  there  can  be  no  dearth  in  the  coal  supply  of  the  world,  was 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication.  Mr.  Ginnochio  treated  the  "  Influ- 
ence of  Moisture  on  Drugs"  very  instructively. 

The  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Arkansas  Board  of  Pharmacy  was  read  by 
Dr.  Bond.  It  showed  a  registration  of  28  during  the  last  year,  and  a  total  regis- 
tration of  921.  Graduates  of  reputable  Colleges  of  Pharmacy  and  licentiates 
of  some  of  the  State  Boards  are  occasionally  recognized  by  our  Board. 

The  query  box  afforded  much  interesting  and  instructive  discussion. 


^""june'i^^*'" }  Pharviaceutical  Meeting.  327 

A  display  of  chemicals  made  by  Mr,  Germain,  of  Fort  Smith,  attracted  much 
attention,  particularly  the  dry  chemicals.  The  prize  for  Pharmaceutical  display 
was  awarded  to  him. 

The  special  committee  appointed  to  convey  the  fraternal  greetings  of  this 
body  to  the  Medical  Society  reported  they  had  been  received  in  a  very  cordial 
manner,  and  invited  to  address  that  body,  which  invitation  was  acceptetl,  and 
much  gratification  was  expressed  by  the  physicians  for  the  visit  and  the 
address. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Mr.  J.  F.  Dowdy.  Little  Rock,  President. 

Dr.  H.  C.Johnson,  Van  Buren,  First  Vice-President. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Morton.  Fort  Smith,  Second  Vice-President. 

Mr.  John  B.  Bond,  Jr..  Little  Rock,  Secretary.     Re-elected. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Jungkind,  Little  Rock,  Treasurer.     Re-elected. 

Mr.  Dowdy,  being  elected  president,  made  a  vacancy  in  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, which  was  filled  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Shachleiter. 

After  some  discussion,  it  was  agreed  that  the  next  meeting  should  be  held  in 
Little  Rock  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  May,  1S98. 

On  motion  of  Dr.  Bond,  it  was  ordered  that  the  president,  secretary  and 
treasurer  should  compose  the  Publication  Committee. 

No  further  business  appearing,  the  new  officers  were  severally  installed,  and 
the  meeting  adjourned. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

PHiL.\nKLPHi.\,  May  18,  1S97. 

The  last  Pharmaceutical  Meetingof  the  present  series  was  held  in  the  Museum 
of  the  College  at  3.30  p.m.  Mr.  F.  W.  K.  Stedem  presided.  The  reading  of 
the  minutes  of  the  previous  meeting  was  omitted. 

.\n  interesting  paper  on  "Verba  del  Polio,"  by  Prof.  Alfonso  Herrera,  of 
Mexico,  was  read  by  Prof.  Henry  Trimble  (see  page  290). 

The  usefulness  of  this  plant  as  a  remedy  in  medical  practice,  and  as  affirmed 
by  the  writer,  dates  back  to  the  time  of  the  A/.tecs,  it  having  been  eniplove<l 
by  them  in  the  treatment  of  several  diseases.  But  when  their  power  was  over- 
come it  was  forgotten,  together  with  other  useful  pro<lucts  of  their  countrv. 
Nearly  three  centuries  elapsed  before  it  again  attracted  the  attention  of  investi- 
gators, and  It  has  been  only  within  the  latter  half  of  this  century  that  anv  con- 
siderable study  has  l>een  given  to  it.  It  is  valued  chiefly  as  a  hemostatic, 
although,  as  stated  by  the  writer,  there  seems  to  be  some  difficulty  in  determin- 
ing to  what  constituent  this  property  is  due. 

"On  the  Occurrence  of  Strontium  in  Plants"  was  the  subject  of  a  somewhat 
timely  paper  presented  by  Prof  Henry  Trimble  (sec  page  2961. 

The  author  had  discovered  strontium  in  a  number  of  samples  of  bark  from 
different  species  of  Castanopsis  growing  at  Singapore,  ln<lia,  while  a  sample  of 
American  Cr».stanop)sis  growing  in  California  gave  no  indication  of  the  presence 
of  this  metal.  Two  samples  of  oak  and  one  of  mangrove  from  India  aUo  con- 
taineil  strontium.  A  comparison  of  the  data  so  obtainc<l  led  the  writer  to 
believe  that  the  presence  of  strontium  salts  in  the  samples  from  Singapore  was 
•lue  to  the  composition  of  the  soil  in  that  country. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharro 


328  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  {'^^'jnne',mil 

Prof.  Samuel  P.  Sadtler  referred  to  the  use  of  strontium  hydrate  in  sugar 
refining,  and  to  the  objectionable  feature  of  its  cost  when  first  suggested  for 
this  purpose,  on  account  of  the  limited  supply  of  the  minerals  of  strontium. 
The  discovery  of  other  mines  since  then  had  had  their  influence  in  decreasing 
the  cost  of  the  metal,  and  in  regard  to  its  occurrence  in  India  he  thought  it 
probable  that  the  government  or  mining  reports  would  give  some  information. 

Professor  Trimble  replied  that  the  government  officials  reported  only  a  trace 
oi  strontium  salts  in  the  Singapore  soil. 

A  paper,  entitled  a  "Note  on  Red  Mercuric  Oxide."  was  contributed  by  Mr. 
J.  \V.  England  (see  page  311  ).  This  was  intended  as  a  reply  to  the  criticisms 
presented  by  Mr.  Charles  H.  LaWall,  at  the  meeting  last  month,  on  citrine 
ointment.  The  principal  remarks  of  the  author  were  on  the  question  of  the 
relative  purity  of  red  mercuric  oxide  and  metallic  mercury,  and  the  advisability 
of  substituting  the  former  for  the  latter  in  the  formula  for  citrine  ointment,  as 
a  matter  of  convenience.  His  information  in  regard  to  the  purity. of  these 
substances  did  not  accord  with  Mr.  LaWall's  statement  concerning  them,  and 
in  evidence  of  this,  extracts  from  letters  from  three  firms  of  manufacturing 
chemists  were  presented. 

Mr.  Lyman  F.  Kebler  casually  made  reference  to  a  subject  which  had  recently 
been  brought  to  his  notice.  He  said  that  a  resinous  substance,  which  had  been 
applied  to  the  trunks  of  some  of  the  trees  in  the  public  squares  of  this  city 
to  serve  as  an  obstruction  to  insects,  had  been  found  to  be  harmful  to  the  trees. 
In  experimenting  with  solvents  with  the  object  of  removing  it,  he  found  ace- 
tone to  answer  the  purpose  most  effectually. 

Some  specimens  and  other  objects  added  to  the  interest  of  the  meeting  as 
follows  : 

A  curious  specimen  of  a  growing  plant  of  Japanese  cultivation  was  loaned  by 
Mr.  Howard  B.  French.  It  belonged  to  the  natural  order  Coniferse,  and 
in  outline  strikingly  resembled  a  fowl,  the  fictitious  name  "Ibis  firma"  being 
significant  of  this. 

A  copy  of  letters  patent,  which  was  an  elaborate  and  formidable  document, 
granted  during  the  reign  of  George  II  of  Bngland,  for  a  medicine  "Oleum 
Anodinum,"  was  presented  by  Mr.  Chas.  Bullock. 

Professor  Trimble  called  attention  to  a  large  specimen  of  canaigre  root,  show- 
ing the  influence  of  cultivation,  and  to  one  of  natural  growth,  much  smaller  in 
size,  both  of  them  having  grown  at  Rialto,  California. 

Among  the  samples  was  one  of  calcium  carbide,  presented  by  Mr.  J.  O. 
McHenry,  of  this  city. 

An  improved  attachment  for  the  "  Moffatt  Formaldehyde  Generator,"  pre- 
sented by  the  agents,  Messrs.  Eli  Lilly  &  Co.,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  was 
exhibited. 

The  chairman  believed  in  the  efficacy  of  the  apparatus  as  a  disinfecting 
agent,  but  said  that,  in  order  to  insure  the  generation  of  the  gas,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  carefully  adjust  the  wick. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

Thos.   S.  WiEGand,  Registrar. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


JULY,  iSgy. 


THE  CALIFORNIA  MANNA.' 
By  John  Uri  Li.oyd,  Ph.M. 
MENTIONED  BY  FATHER  PICOLO.     [IVit/i  a  sunimary.) 
Query  by  Prof.  Fllickiger : 

"  What  was  the  manna  mentioned  by  one  Father  Picolo  in  CaH- 
fornia  and  alluded  to  by  Proust,  in  Ann.  d.  Chvn.,  57  f  1806),  p.  145  ?" 
Answer  by  John  Uri  Lloyd. 

Dear  Prof.  FlCckiger  : — I  find,  on  reference  to  the  paper  citedi 
that  the  statement  is  as  follows : 

Proust.     Ann.  d.  Chim.,  57,  p.  145.     On  the  Suf^ar  of  the  Grape. 

The  manna  seems  to  abound  in  America,  accordinj^  to  the 
reports  of  travellers.  Herera  says  :  '•  It  falls  in  the  season  in  the 
quantity  of  a  dew,  which  congeals  like  sugar,  and  which  is  so  whole- 
some  that   it   is   named  Manna.     Father  Picolo,  one  of  the  first 


'  When  Prof.  Fliickiger  visited  America  (July,  1894)  he  hoped  to  obtain  his- 
torical data  that  would  enable  him  to  give  the  records  of  several  interesting 
American  productions.  In  this  he  failed,  and  he  then  associated  in  his  behalf 
the  services  of  the  author  of  this  paper,  .\fter  much  of  the  work  hid  K.-.n 
done,  the  death  of  Prof.  Fliickiger  interrupte<l  the  investigation 

These  papers  (some  of  them)  passed  into  possession  of  Prof.  IM.  Schner,  of 
the  Strasburg  University,  who  translated  into  Gennan  the  accompanying  work 
by  Professor  IJoyd  on  .American  Manna,  for  the  patfes  of  t}je  /irti,htt-  Jrr 
detilschen  pharmaceulischen  Gesellscha/t. 

We  present  herein,  with  the  kr.       '    '  '  ■  iii  01   rroj,  '   ihc 

author,  the  original  i)apcr  on  .\t:  litor  Am.  J" 

329  I 


330  California  Manna.  { ^'"juT/jSr^'- 

spiritual  conquerors  of  California,  assures  us  that  it  exudes  in  con- 
siderable amounts  from  the  shrubs  (arbrisseaux)  in  April,  May  and 
June." 

It  will  be  shown  hereafter  that  this  is  not  a  literal  abstract  from 
the  original  source,  where  the  word  roseaux  is  used  instead  of  the 
word  arbrisseaux. 

In  tracing  this  subject,  first  the  biography  of  Father  Picolo 
presents  itself  as  follows  : 

BIOGRAPHY  OF    FRANCOIS    MARIE    PICOLO." 

Abstracted  from  Bibliotheque  des  Ecrivains  de  la  Compagnie  de 
Jesus,  Liege  A.  Lyon,  1872,  p.  1957. 

•'  Picolo,  Francois  Marie,  a  Sicilian  Jesuit,  was  born  in  Palermo, 
March  24,  1654,  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  1673,  and  made  the 
four  vows  in  Mexico  in  1689.  He  founded  the  Mission  of  Jesus  of 
Carichic,  where  he  resided  for  fourteen  years,  and  afterwards  united 
with  Father  Jean  de  Salvatierra  in  order  to  open  the  missions  in 
California. 

"  After  a  stay  of  forty  years  with  the  missions,  he  received  the 
reward  of  his  toil  on  February  22,  1729." 

His  writings,  as  far  as  known  to  me,^  are  contained  in  the  follow- 
ing communication : 

"  Memoir,  with  regard  to  the  conditions  of  the  missions  lately 
established  in  California,  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus ; 
presented  to  the  Royal  Council  of  Guadalaxara,  in  Mexico,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1702,  by  Father  Francois  Marie  Picolo,  of  the  same 
society,  and  one  of  the  original  founders  of  this  Mission." 

This  memoir  of  F.  M.  Picolo  is  reprinted  literally  in  W.  I.  Kip's 
Historical  Scenes  from  the  old  Jesuit  Missions,  New  York,  1875, 
which  is  an  abstract  of  American  topics  from  the  following  work : 

"  Lettres  Edifiantes  et  cnrietcses,  ccrites  des  Missions  Etrangcres, 
in  ^7  volumes,  containing  the  letters  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  from 
about  16 jo  to  ly^oy  this  collection  being  purchased  by  W.  L  Kip 
from  the  library  of  the  Bishop  of  Durham. 

Speaking  in  Chapter  II,  Missions  in  Lower  California,  1702,  he 
states,  p.  57,  in  the  months  of  April,  May  and  June,  a  kind  of  maiina 


'  Thanks  are  extended  St.  Xavier's  College,  Cincinnati,  for  library  courtesies, 
thus  enabling  this  biography  to  be  presented. 
■•  J.  U.  L. 


^""•/.Sy^ST""^-}  California  Manna.  331 

falls  with  the  dew,  ichich  congeals  and  hardens  on  the  leaves  of  the 
reeds*  {roseaux)  from  which  it  is  gathered.  I  have  tasted  tt. 
It  is  a  little  darker  than  sugar,  but  has  all  its  szceetness.'* 

Endeavoring  to  identify  Father  Picolo's  manna,  the  following 
reference  to  manna-like  bodies  (false  mannasj  was  noted  in  the  U.  S. 
Dispensatory,  17th  Ed.,  Philadelphia,  1894,  p.  850,  which,  however, 
are  not  the  same  manna  as  that  of  Picolo. 

"  American  False  Manna.  A  substance  resembling  manna,  of  a 
sweet,  slightly  bitter,  and  terebinthinate  taste,  and  actively  purga- 
tive, exudes  from  incisions  in  Pinus  Lambertiana  of  Oregon,  and  is 
used  by  the  natives."     (Nar.  of  U.  S.  Expl.  Exp.,  v.  232.) 

•'  M.  Berthelot  has  abstracted  from  this  product  a  peculiar  saccha- 
rine principle  which  he  calls   •  pinite.' "    (See  A.  J.  P.,  vol,  28,  p.  157.) 

The  strongly  cathartic  properties  of  this  manna  of  the  pinus  and 
its  resemblance  to  manna  are  emphasized  in  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  this  substance  : 

I.  Wilkes,  Narrative  of  the  U.  S.  Exploring  Exped.,  Philadelphia, 
1850,  Vol.  5. 

P.  232.  Speaking  of  the  Pinus  Lambertiana,  w'hich  they  found 
frequently  when  crossing  the  Umpgua  Mountains  in  Southern  Ore- 
gon. "  Some  of  the  sugar  produced  by  this  tree  was  obtained  ;  it 
is  of  a  sweet  taste,  with  a  slightly  bitter  and  piny  flavor ;  it  resem- 
bles manna,  and  is  obtained  by  the  Indians  by  burning  a  cavit}*  in 
the  tree,  whence  it  exudes.     It  is  gathered  in  large  quantities. 

"  This  sugar  is  a  powerful  cathartic,  and  affected  all  the  party  who 
partook  of  it ;  yet  it  is  said  that  it  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  sugar 
among  the  trapi)ers  and  hunters." 

II.  John  S.  Newberry,  botanist  in  charge  of  the  U.  S.  Pacific  R.  R. 
Surveys,  California  and  Oregon.  Botanical  Report,  1855,  p.  44.  On 
the  Pmus  Liimbertiana,  the  Sugar  Pine. 

"  The  resin  of  the  sugar  pine  is  less  abundant  than  that  of  the 
P.  ponderosa ;  is  white  or  transparent  like  that  of  P.  strobus. 

"That  which  exudes  from  partially  burnt  trees,  for  the  most  part, 
loses  its  terebinthine  taste  and  smell,  and  acquires  a  sweetness 
nearly  equal  to  that  of  sugar. 

♦•This  sugar  gives  the  tree  its  name,  and   is   sometimes   used  for 


«  Roseaux,  iu  the  original  Lettrts  idifiantes,  etc.,  Tome  V,  p.  264.  Kip't  tr«n»- 
Ution,  ia  literal,  as  we  have  verified  from  the  original  letter— J.  T.  L. 


332  California  Manna,  {^""/uiy'is^g?.^'"' 

sweetening  food.  It  has,  however,  decided  cathartic  properties,  and 
is  oftener  used  by  the  frontier  men  as  a  medicine  than  a  condiment. 

•♦Its  resemblance  in  taste,  appearance  and  properties  to  manna 
strikes  one  instantly ;  and  but  for  a  slight  terebinthine  flavor,  it 
might  be  substituted  for  that  drug  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
druggist  or  physician,  its  physical  and  medical  properties  are  so 
very  like." 

It  is  not  possible  that  Father  Picolo  refers  to  the  sugar  from 
these  trees,  as  he  failed  to  record  any  cathartic  properties  as  an 
attribute  of  his  sugar ;  furthermore,  the  manner  which  he  describes 
of  collecting  the  sugar  hardly  conforms  to  the  description  just  given 
as  to  the  manner  of  collecting  it  from  these  trees.  It  is  most  prob- 
able, according  to  his  brief  statement  on  the  subject  (for  he  men- 
tions it  as  occurring  *'  on  the  leaves  of  the  reeds  "),  that  high  trees 
carrying  sugar  in  their  sap  are  out  of  question,  although  such  sugar 
trees  were  not  unlikely  to  have  been  met  by  him.  For  example, 
also,  {white  maple,  Acer  macrophyllum,  see  appended  list  of  refer- 
ences, No.  8). 

Only  reed  grasses  are  likely  to  come  into  consideration  with  the 
manna  of  Picolo,  and  of  these  we  have  recorded  as  follows : 

(i)  Manna  grass,  Glyceria.  This  seems  to  be  out  of  the 
question,  as  text-books  on  botany  (Gray,  etc.)  state  that  the 
name,  denoting  sweet,  is  given  in  allusion  to  the  taste  of  the  grain. 

(2)  Phragmites  communis,  Trin.  Described  by  U.  S,  Geological 
Exploration  of  the  4.0th  parallel.  C.  King,  5th  vol.  Botany.  S. 
Watson,  p.  390. 

*'  Found  from  Florida  to  Canada  and  westward  to  the  Pacific.  On 
the  banks  of  fresh-water  streams  and  springs  from  the  Truskee  to 
the  East  Humboldt  Mountains,  Nevada,  4-6000  feet  altitude.  Sugar 
is  said  by  Durand  and  Hilgard'^  to  be  extracted  from  the  stalks  of 
this  grass  by  the  Indians,  but  the  scanty  juice  is  not  at  all 
saccharine. 

"A  sweet  secretion,  however,  is  sometimes  formed  upon  it  in  con- 
siderable quantity  by  aphides,  as  well  as  upon  the  leaves  of  cotton- 
ivood  and  other  trees,  and  is  collected  by  both  the  Utes  and 
the  Mormons." 

If  this  is  correct  [there   is  no  higher  authority  to  be  found  than 

^Pacific  R.  R.  Surveys,  Bot.  Rep.  By  Durand  and  Hilgard,  Washington, 
D.  C,  iSs5.  P-  15- 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
July,  1897. 


California  Manna. 


333 


Sereno  Watson],  the  "  manna  "  observed  to  form  on  these  plants  is 
the  secretion  of  an  insect  and  not  an  exudation  from  the  plant. 
Phragmites  communis,  thus  far,  comes  nearest  the  plant  described  by 
Father  Picolo. 


All  the  plants  cited  before  were  found  to  occur  in  locations  alto- 
gether different  from  the  locality  where  Father  Picolo  made  his 
observations,  which'  does  not,  however,  preclude  them  from  his 
territory. 

(See  accompanying^  map.) 


334  California  Marina.  {^°'•/u^^•lS^'"■ 

Father  Picolo's  range  of  observation  never  extended  north  of 
Lower  Cahfornia,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  information  we  have 
of  this  Cahfornia  (which  is  really  a  part  of  Mexico)  is  rather  scant. 

The  following  publications  present  two  sources  of  information  on 
Lower  California  : 

First :  J.  Ross  Browne,  Resources  of  States  and  Territories  West 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  New  York,  i86g,  zvith  an  appendix,  p.  6jo,  on 
Loivcr  California,  and  with  an  historical  addition,  a  Sketch  of  the  Settle- 
mcjit  ajid  Exploration  of  Lower  California,  by  Alex,  S.  Taylor. 

The  Description  of  Lower  California  by  J.  Ross  Browne,  contains 
the  following  passage : 

Page  dj7,  "  Fields  of  sugar  cane  are  too  common  to  excite  remark, 
and  the  manufacture  of  sugar  is  one  of  the  most  important  interests 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  peninsula.  *  *  ^^^  The  cane  fields  extend  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach  from  San  Jose."  (This  place  is  situated  at 
the  extreme  southern  coast.)  "  Sugar  mills  in  Comondu  *  *  *  sugar 
exported  in  Purisima."  This  does  not  refer  to  the  manna  under  dis- 
cussion, and  it  will  be  mentioned  later  that  this  sugar  cane  is  not 
indigenous,  but  was  imported  by  later  settlers. 

Second:  Encyclopcedia  Britannica,  ninth  ed.  On  California; 
makes  mention  of  Lower  California  also,  introducing  it  as  follows : 

"  The  interior  of  Lower  California  is  chiefly  known  to  us  as  to  its 
physical  and  geological  structure,  from  a  reconnoissance  made  by 
Messrs.  Gabb  and  Lochr  of  the  State  Geological  Survey  of  California, 
in  iSdy.  '*  This  exploration  was  set  on  foot  in  order  that  some 
information  might  be  obtained  relative  to  the  value  of  a  concession 
made  by  the  Mexican  Government  to  an  American  company.  This 
grant  was  expected  to  lead  to  a  settlement  of  the  country,  but  the 
whole  thing  turned  out  a  failure." 

The  work  referred  to,  The  State  Geological  Survey  of  California  in 
i86y  in  charge  of  Messrs.  Gabb  and  Loehr,  is  unfortunately  not  at  our 
command,  and  may  possibly  name  that  "  reed  "  which  yielded  sugar, 
as  observed  by  Father  Picolo. 

However,  the  first-named  book,  by  J.  Ross  Browne,  in  its  second 
part,  A  Sketch  of  the  Settlement  and  Exploration  of  Lower  California, 
by  Alex.  S.  Taylor,  that  appeared  in  1869,  makes  mention  of  the 
exploration  of  Lower  California  that  had  taken  place  in  1867  by 
Messrs.  Gabb  and  Loehr,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  J.  Ross  Browne, 
the  results  of  which,  however,  were  not  then  published. 


''"'•juTiS^""'}  California  Manna,  335 

Mr.  J.  Ross  Browne,  however,  gives  a  general  outline  of  this 
exploration,  based  on  detailed  letters  he  received  from  Mr.  Gabb 
while  on  his  exploring  tour. 

P.  66,  a  description  of  vegetation  in  Lower  California  is  given, 
which  may  be  condensed  as  follows : 

''Agaves  (century  plant)  are  also  abundant,  may  be  useful  in  the 
future  to  extract  spirits  from  the  root.  *  *  *  Acacias,  palms 
with  edible  fruits,  conifers,  oaks,  wild  plums,  cottonwoods,  syca- 
mores, willows,  elder.  The  Arabian  date  palm,  introduced  by  mis- 
sionaries, is  thriving,  llie  sugar  cane  has  been  cultivated  for  more 
than  a  century,  and  yields  a  su^ar  as  strong  and  as  sweet  as  that 
of  Peru,  and  very  abundant  in  juice." 

P.  82.  Letter  of  Mr.  Gabb  to  Mr.  J.  Ross  Browne,  May,  1867: 
•*  At  Santiago,  there  are  extensive  plantations  of  sugar  cane,  and  a 
sugar  mill  was  in  active  operation.  The  process  throughout  is  of 
the  most  primitive  kind,  but  the  result  is  a  very  palatable  sugar 
moulded  into  cakes  somewhat  like  maple  sugar,  and  known  as 
panoche."     "  Sugar  industry     ^     ^     ^     also  at  Todos  Santos." 

P.  143  of  J.  Ross  Browne,  Sketch  and  Settlement  of  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. Report  of  Dr.  Jo  Jin  A.  Veateh  on  Garros  or  Cedros  Island, 
p.  152,  Soil  and  Productions,  pine  trees. 

"The  two  interesting  species  of  Rhus  (R.  Lentiana  and  R. 
Veatchiana)  form  marked  features  in  the  island  flora,  the  former  for 
the  delicious  acid  exudation  of  its  fruit."  -      * 

••A  beautiful,  yellow-flowered  agave  or  aloe  plant,  about  12  feet 
in  height,  with  a  stem  from  4  to  6  inches  diameter  at  the  base, 
branching  and  spreading  at  the  top  and  terminating  in  a  profusion 
of  golden  blossoms,  was  tolerably  abundant.  The  flower  cups  were 
filled  with  a  fragrant,  sweet  liquor." 

The  same  book  of  J.  Ross  l^rowne  points  to  a  third  source  of  infor- 
mation on  Lower  California ;  this,  however,  was  not  obtainable  in 
the  original. 

P.  /j;j,  Extracts  from  a  history  of  Old  or  Lower  California.  A  pos- 
thumous work  written  originally  in  Spanish  by  Padre  Franc.  }av. 
Clavijero,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Translated  into  Italian,  I  'entce, 
l'jSg,and  back  again  into  Spanish  by  Nicolas  (iarcia  de  San  /V- 
cente  (Juan  R.  Navarro,  editor),  iSj2,  was  translated  into  Knclish 
BV  A.  G.  Rand.all.  Secretary  and  Translator  of  the  Lo7c'er  California 
Company's  Exploring  Expedition^  San  Erancisco,  May,  iSOj. 


336  California  Manna.  {'^'^i^xyAm:"'^' 

P.  164  of  J.  Ross  Browne's  Book,  loc.  cit.,  says,  as  bearing  on  our 
subject : 

"  In  some  parts  there  grows,  near  running  streams,  reed  grass,  of 
the  thickness  of  the  little  finger. 

"This  LITTLE  reed  is  the  only  plant  in  California  in  which 
MANNA  IS  FOUND.  At  the  present  time  there  are  large  growths  of 
this  imported  from  abroad." 

Biography  of  Francisco  Javier  Clavijero.  Taken  from  Biblio- 
theque  de  la  Compagnie  de  Jesus.  Tome  II,  Bruxelles  and  Paris, 
1891,  p.  1210. 

Francisco  Javier  Clavijero,  born  in  Vera  Cruz,  on  the  9th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1 73 1.  Was  received  in  the  province  of  Mexico,  February 
13th,  1748.  He  taught  rhetoric  in  Mexico,  philosophy  at  Valla- 
dolid  and  at  Guadalaxara  in  New  Spain.  He  was  exiled  and 
depoited  to  Italy,  and  died  at  Bologna  April  2,  1787. 

Historia  de  la  Antigua  a  Baya  California.  Obra  posthuma  del 
padre  Francisco  Javier  Clavijero  de  la  compaiiia  de  Jesus. 

[Note. — Some  time  after  this  paper  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Professor  FlUckiger,  the  following  information  was  found  in  the 
Lloyd  Library,  and  a  copy  at  once  forwarded  to  Prof.  Ed.  Schaer, 
Strasburg,  for  the  purpose  of  supplementing  the  present  paper. 

From  the  U.  S.  Agricultural  Report  for  1870,  Food  Products  of 
the  North  American  Indians,  p.  423,  "Bent  grass  (Arundo  phrag- 
mites)"  (which  is  a  synonym  for  Phragmites  communis,  Trin.). 

"This  species  of  reed,  which  grows  abundantly  around  St, 
Thomas,  in  southern  Utah,  during  the  summer  months,  produces  a 
kind  of  white,  sweet  gum.  The  Utah  Indians  cut  down  the  reeds 
and  lay  them  in  piles  on  blankets  or  hides,  and  let  them  remain  for 
a  short  time  to  wilt,  when  the  bundles  are  beaten  with  rods  to 
release  the  gum.  The  small  particles  so  detached  are  pressed  into 
balls  to  be  eaten  at  pleasure.     It  is  a  sweet,  manna-like  substance." 

In  the  returned  manuscript  we  find  a  foot-note  by  Professor 
Schaer,  giving  the  substance  of  the  foregoing  quotation,  which  Pro- 
fessor Fluckiger  had  gathered  from  the  same  authority  while  he 
was  in  Brooklyn.] 

SUMMARY. 

Sugar  and  two  kinds  of"  manna  "  are  described  in  Western  litera- 
ture. 

1st,  Sugar.     Sugar  was  derived  from  the  sugar  cane,  which  wa 


^"/ui^riS?.'^^"}  California  Manna.  337 

introduced  into  Lower  California  at  least  one  hundred  years  ago. 
This  was  not  '*  manna." 

2dL,  Father  Picolo  s  Manna.  Father  Picolo  observed  a  saccharine 
deposit  on  a  species  of  grass  that  he  called  reeds  (roseaux)  and  not 
shrubs  (arbrisseaux)  as  Proust  recorded  the  word.  Of  the  plants 
likely  to  have  yielded  this  manna,  the  reed  grasses  only  are  to  be 
considered.  Of  the  reed  grasses,  Phragmites  communis  undoubtedly 
answers  all  the  conditions  that  are  cited  by  Father  Picolo,  and  in 
my  mind  this  plant  is  the  origin  of  Picolo's  Manna.  This  manna 
is  (or  was  recently)  still  collected  by  the  Indians. 

3d,  Manna  of  tJie  Finns.  This  is  \'ielded  by  Finns  Lambertiana  of 
Oregon,  and  is  cathartic  as  well  as  sweet,  but  no  evidence  e.xists  to 
indicate  that  Picolo  had  any  knowledge  of  its  existence. 

Finally,  I  would  decide  that  without  question  Father  Picolo 
described,  as  he  saw  it,  the  saccharine  deposit  on  Fhragmites  com- 
munis, which,  according  to  Watson,  is  caused  by  aphides. 

REFERENCES   ON   THE   SUBJECT   OK    FATHER    PICOLO'S   MANNA. 

( I )  Proust,  Ann.  d.  Chimie,  57  (1806),  p.  145,  mentioning  Father  Picolo  and 
his  manna;  this  occurnng  on  "arbrisseaux  "  shrubs. 

(2j  Bibliothlque  des  Ecrivains  de  la  Co}npai:nii-  de  Jisus,  Li^ge  &  Lyon,  1877, 
p.  1957.     Biography  of  Father  Picolo,  and  mentioning  his  "  Memoir." 

(3)  Letlres  edifiantes  et  curicuses,  ecrites  des  Missions  HrangereSy  in  47  vol- 
umes, containing  the  letters  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  from  about  1650-1750. 
Translated  from  the  Spanish,  Vol.  V,  p.  264.  Containing  the  memoir  of  Father 
Picolo.  mentioned  under  2  in   French,  manna  occurring  on  "roseaux"  reeds. 

(4)  W.  I.  Kip,  Historical  Scenes  from  the  old  Jesuit  Missions,  New  York, 
1875,  p.  50.  Containing  the  "memoir"  of  Father  Picolo,  literally  translated 
into  Knglish. 

(5)  U.  S.  Dispensatory,  seventeenth  edition,  Philadelphia,  1894,  p.  850.  On 
American  False  Manna,  From  Pinus  Lambertiana,  Sugar  Pine.  Points  to 
Reference  No.  6. 

(6)  Wilkes,  Narrative  of  the  U.  S.  Expiorinff  Expedition,  Philadelphia, 
i^5<^.  Vol.  \,  p.  232.  On  Pinus  Lambertiana.  The  sugar  has  strongly  cathar- 
tic properties. 

(7)  John  S.  Newberry,  botanist  in  charge  of  the  U.  S.  Pacific  R.  R.  Sur- 
veys in  California  and  Oregon,  1855.  liotanical  Report,  p.  42.  Describiug 
Pinus  Lambertiana  and  corroborating  statement  in  Reference  No.  6. 

(8)  J.  C;,  Cooi'EK,  botanist  in  charge  of  the  V .  S.  Pacific  R.  R.  Survey  Route 
near  the  47th  and  48th  parallels,  explored  by  L  L  Stevens,  1853-55.  liotanical 
Report,  No.  i,  p.  28.  Mentions  White  Maple,  Acer  macrophyllum,  as  contain- 
ing sugar  in  its  sap. 

(9)  Asa  Gray  and  others.  Botany.  Manna  grass,  sweet  principle  is  con- 
tained in  the  grain. 

(10)  Skreno  Watson,  botanist  in  charge  off.  S.  Geological  Fxploration  of 


338  Corrosive  Sublimate  in  Calomel,        {^"-AT/'S^""- 

the  40th  pirallel,  under  C.  King,  5th  Vol.  Botany,  p.  390.  On  Phragmites 
communis.  Reed-sap  not  saccharine.  Aphides  cause  sweet  secretions  on  its 
leaves  and  those  of  cottouwood  and  other  trees. 

(11)  DURAXD  AND  HiLGARD,  Pacific  R.  R.  Survey.  Botanical  Report, 
Washington,  D.  C  ,  1855,  p.  15.  The  Indians  are  said  (by  D.  and  H.)  to  extract 
sugar  from  Phragmites  communis.  This  seems  to  be  contrary  to  the  statement 
in  Reference  10. 

(12)  J.  Ross  Browne.  Resources  of  States  and  Territories  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  New  York,  1869,  («)  with  an  appendix,  p.  630,  on  Lower 
California,  and  with  an  historical  addition,  [h)  A  sketch  of  the  settlement  and 
exploration  of  Lower  California,  by  Alex.  S.  Taylor.  In  12  (a)  it  is  mentioned 
that  sugar  cane  abounds  in  Lower  California  ;  12  [b)  contains  further  references. 

(13 )  Encyclopcsdia  Britannica,  9th  ed.  On  California,  also  on  Lower  Califor- 
nia, points  to  Reference  No.  14. 

(  14)  Gabb  and  Loehr,  with  the  State  Geological  Survey  of  California  in  1867. 
The  original  was  not  accessible.  A  brief  excerpt  is  contained  in  Reference  12 
ib),  p.  66. 

(15)  Report  of  John  A.  Veatch,  On  Carros  or  Cedros  Islaiid.  Original  not 
accessible.  Brief  excerpt  is  to  be  found  in  Reference  12  [b),  p.  152.  Mentions 
an  "agave,"  which  contains  a  sweet  liquid  in  its  flowering  cups. 

(16)  Extracts  from  a  History  of  Old  or  Lower  California.  A  posthumous 
work,  written  originally  in  Spanish  by  Padre  Franc,  favier  Clavijero,  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  Translated  into  Italian,  Venice,  1789,  and  back  again  into 
Spanish  by  Nicolas  Garcia,  de  San  Vicente  (Juan  R.  Navarro,  editor),  1852. 
Was  translated  into  English  by  A.  G.  Randall,  Secretary  and  Translator  of  the 
Lower  California  Company's  Exploring  Expedition,  San  Francisco,  May,  1867. 
Original  not  accessible.  An  abstract  to  be  found  in  12  {b),  p.  164.  It  states 
that  there  is  a  reed  growing  in  Lower  California  near  running  streams  that 
yields  manna. 

CORROSIVE  SUBLIMATE  IN  CALOMEL.^ 

BY   IvYMAN   F.  KEBI^ER. 

The  1890  U.S.P.,  among  other  requirements,  describes  calomel  as 
**  A  white,  impalpable  powder,  showing  only  small,  isolated  crystals 
under  a  magnifying  power  of  100  diameters.  Insoluble  in  water* 
alcohol  or  ether.  In  contact  with  calcium  hydrate  T.  S.,  the  salt  is 
blackened.  If  i  gramme  of  the  salt  be  shaken  with  10  c.c.  of  water 
or  alcohol,  the  respective  filtrates  should  not  be  affected  by  hydrogen 
sulphide  T.  S.  or  silver  nitrate  T.  S.  (absence  of  mercuric  chloride^!' 

Several  years  ago  the  writer  received  a  sample  of  calomel  that 
gave  a  prominent  yellow  coloration  when  treated  with  lime-water. 
Yellow  wash  instead  of  black  wash,  if  you  please.  The  question 
immediately  arose — is  it  possible  that  any  manufacturer  will  put  such 
a  valuable  medicinal  agent  as  calomel  on  the  market  containing 
such  an  apparent  quantity  of  corrosive  sublimate  ?     Further  exami- 

^  Presented  at  the  meeting  of  the  Penna.  Pharm.  ^55^?^.,  June,  1897. 


^'"■ju'i"-!^.*''"-}        Corrosive  Sublimate  in  Calomel.  339 

nation  showed  that  the  calomel  contained  an  appreciable  quantity  of 
this  poisonous  af^ent.  Other  makes  were  secured  and  all  developed 
a  fjreater  or  lesser  yellowish  coloration  when  treated  with  lime- 
water.  The  various  available  products  were  then  critically  exam- 
ined according  to  the  U.S. P.  requirements,  with  the  following  results: 
The  color  varied  from  a  white  to  a  decided  cream.  Isolated  broken 
crystals  were  present  in  all  material  examined.  Minute  traces  of 
mercuric  chloride  were  indicated  in  every  instance. 

Since  examining  the  above  samples  the  writer  has  watched  the 
quality  of  this  article  with  much  interest  ;  but  thus  far  all  efforts 
have  failed  to  find  a  calomel  absolutely  free  from  corrosive  sublimate 
when  the  U.S. P.  tests  were  rigidly  applied.  In  two  cases,  however, 
both  the  silver  nitrate  and  the  hydrogen  sulphide  failed  to  give 
absolute  evidence  of  the  mercuric  chloride,  but  a  transitional  yellow 
was  developed  with  even  these  when  treated  with  lime-water.  One 
of  these  was  a  beautiful  crystalline  (plates)  product  of  Japanese 
origin,  the  other  an  old  sample  found  in  the  laboratory. 

Several  questions  arise  in  this  connection.  First,  the  yellowish 
coloration,  and  second,  the  relative  solubilities  of  mercurous  chloride, 
silver  chloride  and  mercurous  sulphide. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  color  of  the  various  compounds  of  mer- 
cury is  readily  modified.  In  precipitating  mercuric  mercury  with 
hydrogen  sulphide,  the  resulting  product  frequently  varies  in  color 
from  white  to  black.  The  writer  on  several  occasions  has  repeatedly 
washed  calomel  with  water,  to  remove  the  soluble  mercury  com- 
pounds, but  in  every  instance  a  yellowish  coloration  was  develojjed 
at  the  point  of  contact,  when  the  washed  calomel  was  treated  with 
lime-water.  This  would  suggest  the  conclusion  that  calomel 
develops  a  transitional  )'ellowish  coloration  at  the  point  of  contact 
when  treated  with  lime-water. 

The  second  question,  viz.:  the  relative  solubility  of  the  above- 
named  compounds,  is  an  interesting  one.  We  are  informed  by  the 
Pharmacopoeia,  and  other  standard  works,  that  calomel  is  insoluble. 
Silver  chloride  and  mercurous  sulphide  are  generally  considered 
insoluble.  According  to  A.  M.  Comey's  ••  Dictionary  of  Chemical 
Solubilities  "  calomel  and  silver  chloride  are  nearly  or  almost  insoluble 
in  water,  while  mercurous  sulphide  is  insoluble. 

V.  Kohlrausch'  and   F.  Rose,  calculating  from   the  electrical  c«>n- 

»  1893,  Ztschr.  phys.  Chrm.,  fJ,  241. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


340  Corrosive  Sublimate  in  Calomel.        {^"""/vliy^isS 

ductivity  of  calomel  in  water,  at  18°  C,  have  found  that  I  litre 
of  water  dissolves  3-1  mg.  of  mercurous  chloride.  The  same  authori- 
ties,- by'the  [electrolytic  method,  have  found  that  i  litre  of  water, 
at  iS°  C,  dissolves  1-52  mg.  of  silver  chloride.  The  difference  of  the 
relative  solubilities  of  silver  chloride  and  mercurous  chloride  is  1-58 
mg.  per  litre.  According  to  these  experiments,  there  would  be 
formed  a  certain  amount  of  silver  chloride,  when  a  saturated  aqueous 
solution  of  calomel  is  treated  with  silver  nitrate.  When  we  remem- 
bered that  one  part  of  silver  can  be  detected  in  800,000  parts  of 
water,  it  can  readily  be  seen  why  calomel  is  so  often  reported  as 
containing  corrosive  sublimate. 

Then  aeain,  if  mercurous  chloride  is  soluble  at  all  in  water,  and 
mercurous  sulphide  is  insoluble  in  the  same  menstruum,  it  naturally 
follows  that  hydrogen  sulphide  will  produce  a  reaction  with  a  satu- 
rated aqueous  solution  of  calomel. 

According  to  the  writer's  observations,  calomel  is  nearly  as  soluble 
in  alcohol  as  in  water,  but  is  insoluble  in  ether  ;  at  least,  an  alcoholic 
solution  of  calomel  frequently  gives  a  reaction  with  hydrogen  sul- 
phide, while  an  ethereal  solution  will  not  leave  a  residue  when 
evaporated  in  a  pure  atmosphere. 

While  it  is  impossible  to  countenance  any  laxness  in  a  matter  of 
this  kind,  still  the  writer  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  official  require- 
ments are  slightly  too  rigid.  As  the  matter  now  stands,  the  analyst 
must  practically  take  it  upon  himself,  if  he  reports  favorably  on  any 
material  submitted,  or  he  must  reject  every  sample  submitted 
to  him.  Calomel  does  occasionally  contain  corrosive  sublimate,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  keep  a  strict  surveillance  over  this  product.  But 
according  to  the  most  rigid  tests,  with  the  above  noted  exception, 
all  calomel  examined  by  the  writer  during  the  past  few  years  has  not 
contained  over  ^^^-^^^^^  of  i  per  cent,  of  corrosive  sublimate. 

305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia. 


Volatile  oil  of  lavage,  according  to  E.  Braun  {Archiv  der  Pharm.,  235,  i), 
contains  {a)  a  terpene,  CioHj^,,  resembling  limonene,  but  not  giving  crystalline 
compounds  with  the  halogen  acids  ;  {b)  cineol,  CjoHiyO  ;  {c)  isovalerianic  acid  ; 
{d)  acetic  acid,  as  an  oxidation  product ;  [e)  benzoic  acid.  The  oil  commences 
to  boil  at  170°,  and  begins  to  decompose  at  200°  C. 

M893,  Thid.,  12,  242. 


"^"■/uiy'-iS?"""*}  ^oot  of  Kalmia  Lati folia,  34 1 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    ROOT    OF    KALMIA    LATIFOLIA. 

By  Harry  Matusow,  Ph.G. 
Contribution  from   the   Chemical    Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     Xo.  168. 

This  plant  is  a  well-known  evergreen  of  the  natural  order  Eri- 
caceae, and  is  known  under  the  various  synonyms  of  laurel,  mountain 
laurel,  broad-leaved  laurel,  calico  bush  and  spoonwood.  It  inhabits 
all  sections  of  the  United  States,  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the 
Mississippi  River,  being  especially  abundant  on  the  sides  of  hills 
and  mountains.  It  is  a  shrub,  from  three  to  ten  feet  in  height,  and 
bears  beautiful  flowers. 

The  leaves  of  the  plant  are  said  to  possess  poisonous  properties, 
due  to  andromedotoxin,  which  is  found  in  a  number  of  plants  belong- 
ing to  the  EricacecTc.  As  far  as  was  learned,  the  root  has  not  been 
previously  examined  ;  so  in  order  to  ascertain  its  constituents,  a 
quantity  of  the  root  was  collected  by  the  writer  at  Lawnside,  New 
Jersey,  in  July,  1896.  The  root  was  well  cleaned,' allo^ved  to  become 
air-dry  and  afterwards  reduced  to  fine  powder  for  proximate  analysis. 
The  results  may  be  outlined  in  the  order  of  their  succession  as 
follows : 

Petroleum  Ether  Extract. — This  amounted  to  -34  per  cent,  of  the 
weight  of  the  root.  It  consisted  of  caoutchouc,  wax  and  a  resin- 
like substance.  The  last  had  a  dark  brown  color,  and  was  insoluble 
in  hot  aqueous  solution  of  potassium  hydrate.  Alcoholic  solution 
of  potassium  hydrate  dissolved  it.  From  the  solution  so  obtained 
diluted  sulphuric  acid  precipitated  a  white  substance  which  was 
soluble  in  alcohol,  and  gave  precipitates  with  alcoholic  solutions  of 
ferric  chloride  and  lead  acetate. 

EJher  Extract. — Ether  dissolved  -89  per  cent,  of  the  root.  Only 
a  small  quantity  of  the  extract  was  soluble  in  water.  The  water 
solution  was  neutral  in  reaction.  Treatment  with  I'ehling's  solution 
and  acid  showed  the  absence  of  glucosidcs.  The  common  alkaloidal 
reagents  failed  to  indicate  the  presence  of  alkaloids.  That  part  of 
the  extract  which  was  insoluble  in  water  was  completely  soluble  in 
alcohol.  The  solution  was  acid  in  reaction.  Water  precipitated  it. 
as  did  also  alcoholic  solutions  of  ferric  chloride  and  lead  acetate. 
The  solution  contained  resin  and  phlobaphene.  A  portion  of  the 
alcoholic  solution  was  evaporated  to  dryness,  and  the  residue  treated 
with  potassium  hydrate  solution  at  the  water-bath  temperature.    The 


342  Root  of  Kalmia  Latifolia.  { ^"^/u^i^^^sg'^^'"'- 

solution  was  filtered  off  from  the  undissolved  portion,  and  when 
treated  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid  in  excess,  it  deposited  a  floccu- 
lent  precipitate  of  resinous  matter  which  showed  no  color  reactions 
with  strong  mineral  acids.  The  filtrate  from  the  fiocculent  precipi- 
tate was  shaken  with  chloroform  in  a  separating  funnel.  The 
chloroformic  layer  was  separated  and  evaporated.  The  following 
tests  were  applied  to  the  residue: 

Strong  sulphuric  acid — one  drop  produced  a  red  color,  which 
became  more  pronounced  on  warming.  Strong  nitric  acid — a  few 
drops  produced  a  red  color  which  intensified  on  warming. 

Strong  hydrochloric  acid,  even  when  warmed,  produced  no  change. 

These  reactions  correspond,  except  in  the  case  of  hydrochloric 
acid,  with  those  obtained  by  previous  investigators  of  the  leaves  of 
this  plant,  and  ascribed  by  them  to  andromedotoxin. 

Absolute  Alcohol  Extract. — The  extract  amounted  to  3  68  per 
cent.  It  was  of  a  dark  brown  color  and  had  a  porous  character. 
Water  dissolved  an  "amount  equal  to  1-48  per  cent,  of  the  root.  The 
residue  consisted  of  phlobaphene.  The  water  solution  was  acid  in 
reaction.  It  contained  a  small  amount  of  tannin,  which  reacted  as 
follows : 

Lead  acetate,  flesh-colored  precipitate.  Ferric  chloride,  brownish 
precipitate.  Ammonia  ferric  sulphate,  brownish-green  precipitate. 
Gelatin,  flesh-colored  precipitate.  Bromine  water,  yellow  precipitate- 
Calcium  hydrate,  reddish  precipitate. 

These  reactions  were  confirmed  by  tests  apphed  to  a  cold-water 
infusion  of  the  original  root.  They  indicate  a  tannin  similar  to  that 
of  the  oak  barks  and  to  the  one  found  in  the  leaves  of  Kalmia  latifolia, 
as  described  by  DeGraffe  in  this  Journal  for  June,  1896.  The  alco- 
holic solution  of  the  phlobaphene  gave  the  same  reaction  with  ferric 
chloride  as  the  tannin.  Traces  of  glucose  and  saccharose  were 
present.  Alkaloids,  glucosides  and  neutral  principles  v/ere  not  found 
after  a  complete  system  of  application  of  immiscible  solvents  to  both 
acid  and  alkaline  water  solutions  of  the  extract. 

Water  Extract. — Cold  water  extracted  3-2  per  cent,  of  organi'c 
matter  from  the  root.  This  comprised  -92  per  cent,  of  mucilage  and 
albuminous  matter,  a  trace  of  glucose  and  nearly  I  per  cent,  of 
saccharose. 

Alkaline  Water  Extract. — Water  made  alkaline  with  sodium 
hydrate  dissolved  544  per  cent,  of  organic  solids.  The  extract 
showed  98  per  cent,  of  mucilagre  and  albuminous  matter. 


"""•/uTiSS""^-}  ^'otcs  on   Opium  Assaying.  343 

Acidulated  Water  Extract. — The  root  yielded  117  per  cent,  of 
organic  solids  to  water  acidulated  with  hydrochloric  acid.  Pararabin 
was  present.  The  next  treatment  was  with  boiling  acidulated  water, 
but  the  e.xtract  was  not  worked. 

Starch. — This  constituent  was  determined  on  a  separate  portion 
of  the  original  root.  Two  determinations  were  made;  one  showed 
1 1  38  per  cent.,  the  other  1 1-43  per  cent. — an  average  of  1 1-40  per 
cent. 

Treatment  of  the  residue  from  the  boiling  with  acidulated  water 
with  chlorine  water,  produced  a  loss  which  indicated  20  1 8  per  cent, 
of  lignin. 

The  residue  from  this  treatment  was  ignited.  The  loss  indicated 
47-40  per  cent,  of  cellulose  and  allied  substances.  Moisture  was 
found  in  the  root  to  the  extent  of  5-06  per  cent.  The  amount  of 
ash  was  124  per  cent.  A  qualitative  analysis  of  the  ash  showed 
the  presence  of  the  following  : 

Water  dissolved  16  16  per  cent,  of  the  ash.  The  solution  con- 
tained aluminum  and  potassium  combined  with  hydrochloric  and 
sulphuric  acids.  Hydrochloric  acid  dissolved  33- 14  per  cent,  of  the 
ash.  The  solution  contained  calcium,  magnesium,  aluminum,  iron 
and  manganese  combined  with  phosphoric  acid.  The  remainder  of 
the  ash  consisted  of  adhering  soil. 


NOTES  ON  OPIUM  ASSAYING.' 

BY    FRANK    X.    MOERK,    PH.C,. 

For  several  years  past  the  writer  has  adopted  certain  procedures 
in  as.saying  gum  opium,  the  results  of  which  were  expected  to  assist 
in  perfecting  this  assay  process. 

The  sample  of  gum  opium  received  for  analysis  is  weighed  and 
dried  for  about  twelve  hours  at  80-85^  C;  drying  is  facilitated  by  cut- 
ting the  sample  into  pieces  about  the  size  of  cherries  before  weigliing. 
The  loss  in  weight  is  noted,  and  the  partly  dried  opium  is  coarsely 
powdered  and  thoroughly  mixed  ;  of  this,  2  grammes  are  taken  lor 
the  residual  moisture  estimation,  and  8  grammes  for  the  morphine 
estimation,  according  to  the  US. P.  The  latter  quantity,  as  a  ruk\ 
corresponds  very  closely  to  10  grammes  moist  opium  ;  the  exact  quan- 

^Read  at  the  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  A»»*»cialion.  June 
32,  1897. 


344  ^otcs  on  Opium  Assaying.  { '"^^jj?;:i8?7.^'"- 

tities  of  moist  and  perfectly  dry  opium  are,  however,  to  be  calculated 
from  the  loss  sustained  in  drying.  This  procedure  enables  a  uni- 
form sample  from  which  concordant  results  can  be  obtained  when 
assayed  at  some  subsequent  time,  and  calculated  to  opium  contain- 
ing the  original  quantity  of  moisture. 

In  powdering  the  partly  dried  opium  in  glass  or  iron  mortars, 
electricity  is  developed  and  there  is  difficulty  in  avoiding  loss  from 
particles  being  thrown  about;  this  phenomenon  was  not  noticed 
when  using  wedgewood  mortars. 

The  crude  morphine  obtained  by  the  U.S.P.  process  was  first 
weighed  on  counterbalanced  filters  and  again  after  transferring  to  a 
watch-glass ;  it  will  be  noticed  that  there  is,  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
a  difference  due  to  but  a  few  milligrammes.  In  transferring,  a  camel's 
hair  pencil  has  to  be  used  with  some  force  to  remove  all  of  the 
morphine  from  the  filter,  and  this  generally  results  in  loosening  some 
of  the  fibres  of  the  paper,  which  then  contaminate  the  morphine. 

The  purity  of  the  morphine  is  an  important  matter ;  for  its  deter- 
mination, several  methods  are  in  use,  as  the  solubility  in  lime-water, 
the  solubility  in  alcohol  and  the  ash  method.  If  we  look  into  the 
question  of  the  impurities  which  can  be  present  in  crude  morphine, 
there  may  be  other  opium  alkaloids,  particularly  narcotine,  sulphates 
of  calcium  and  strontium,  phosphates  of  calcium  and  magnesium, 
meconates  of  potassium,  calcium  and  magnesium,  and  generally  a 
little  coloring  matter ;  this  does  not  exhaust  the  list  of  substances 
that  are  possible,  or  even  of  those  that  have  been  found,  but  it  is 
sufficiently  comprehensive  to  allow  some  reflections  upon  the  prob- 
able accuracy  of  these  several  methods  of  correction.  The  alcohol 
method  will  give  as  morphine  everything  soluble  in  alcohol,  hence, 
narcotine  and  coloring  matter  will  be  returned  as  morphine ;  it 
reveals  the  ash-yielding  constituents,  particularly  if  absolute  alcohol 
be  used ;  and  if,  after  weighing  the  insoluble  matter,  this  be  ignited 
and  weighed,  the  factor  for  calculating  ash  into  impurity  can  be 
obtained  and  compared  with  the  present  factor,  which  is  simply 
theoretical.  The  objection  to  the  alcohol  method  has  been  the 
expense  and  the  difficulty  of  filtering  out  the  very  fine  precipitate. 

The  lime-water  method  was  the  one  first  proposed  for  ascertaining 
the  purity  of  the  morphine  and  was  particularly  recommended  as  a 
means  of  detecting  narcotine.  After  Stillwell  proposed  the  alcohol 
method  Squibb,  in  a  series  of  experiments,  obtained  almost  identical 


^"jiri^""-}  -^^otes  on  Opium  Assaying.  345 

results  in  comparing  these  two  methods.  The  ash  obtained  by 
igniting  crude  morphine,  was  considered  to  be  pure  calcium  oxide  or 
carbonate  (depending  upon  the  temperature  of  ignition),  derived 
from  calcium  meconate,  until  the  writer  in  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  Sep- 
tember, 1894,  proved  that  the  ash  was  a  very  complex  mixture,  and 
this  has  since  been  verified  by  Mr.  L  F.  Kebler.  The  writer  also 
raised  the  question  as  to  the  effect  of  lime-water  upon  this  complex 
mixture  of  salts,  giving  rise  to  the  ash  ;  experiments  made  since  that 
time  enable  me  to  say  that  the  lime-water  solution,  even  after  repre- 
cipitation  of  the  morphine,  is  always  more  or  less  colored  ;  the 
reprecipitated  morphine  dissolved  in  dilute  sulphuric  acid  frequently 
yields  a  pink  to  rose-red  colored  solution,  due  to  some  foreign 
organic  substance  which  requires  several  reprecipitations  for  its 
elimination  ;  in  dissolving  crude  morphine  in  lime-water  I  have 
observed  that,  if  perfect  solution  does  not  result,  a  fine  white  precipi- 
tate deposits  at  first,  which,  in  the  course  of  the  half  hour  allowed 
for  the  solvent  action  of  the  lime-water,  changes  to  a  yellow  floccu- 
lent  precipitate ;  o  050  gramme  of  a  precipitate  (obtained  from  the 
mother-liquor  of  an  opium  assay),  allowed  to  stand  for  half  an  hour 
with  10  c.c.  lime-water,  then  filtered,  and  washed  first  with  lime- 
water,  then  with  distilled  water,  dried  at  50-55°  C,  and  weighed, 
showed  an  increase  in  weight  of  0004  ;  it  had  also  changed  in 
appearance  as  just  described.  These  experiments  confirm  my  pre- 
vious supposition  of  the  chemical  change  taking  place  by  the  lime- 
water  solution,  but  I  had  rather  expected  a  decrease  in  the  weight, 
because  of  the  presence  of  potassium  meconate,  and  its  possible 
reaction  with  lime-water  to  form  calcium  meconate  and  soluble 
potassium  hydrate  ;  but  the  insoluble  part  in  lime-water  gave  appar- 
ently as  good  a  test  for  potassium  salts  with  platinic  chloride  as  did 
the  original  substance.  An  interchange  between  magnesium  meco- 
nate or  phosphate  and  calcium  hydrate,  because  of  the  formation  of 
insoluble  calcium  meconate  or  phosphate  and  insoluble  magnesium 
hydrate,  will  cause  an  increase  in  weight  and  seems  probable.  F'rom 
these  experiments,  we  must  say  that  all  of  the  organic  matter  is  not 
revealed  by  this  test,  and  that  the  ash-yielding  substances  arc,  at 
least  in  part,  chemically  changed  ;  so  that  this  correction  can  also 
not  be  considered  an  accurate  one. 

The  ash  method  will    not   reveal  organic  matter,  and  based  upon 
the  assumption  that  the  ash  consists  entirely  of  calcium  oxide  or 


346  Notes  on   Opium  Assaying.  {^"^-/uT/.-S""^ 

carbonate  derived  from  calcium  meconate,  and  to  which  the  ash  is 
calculated  by  the  use  of  factors  (4-55  for  calcium  oxide  and  2-56  for 
calcium  carbonate),  despite  the  fact  that  considerable  potassium 
carbonate  is  present  (which  should  require  a  different  factor),  and 
disregarding  entirely  that  the  sulphates  and  phosphates  of  the 
metals  present  sustain  comparatively  little  loss  by  ignition  (the 
factor  for  which  cannot  be  foretold),  the  result  being  that  the 
correction  based  entirely  upon  the  weight  of  the  ash  will  be  too 
high  unless  counterbalanced  by  the  presence  of  foreign  organic 
matter,  an  assumption  which  cannot  be  proven  at  the  present  time. 

A  number  of  comparisons  of  the  lime-water  and  ash  methods 
have  been  published  and  agreed  very  well.  Any  difference  between 
the  corrections  could  be  allowed  for  from  the  above  statements.  In 
May,  1896,  Mr.  L.  F.  Kebler  published  in  the  American  Journal 
OF  Pharmacy  a  series  of  comparisons  in  which  some  new  possibili- 
ties were  brought  forward.  Of  the  seventeen  samples  reported,  one 
yielded  no  ash  and  no  correction  by  either  method  ;  07ie  the  same 
correction  by  both  methods ;  seven  a  higher  correction  by  the  lime- 
water  method  with  the  percentage  of  ash  normal,  i.  e.,  below  either 
correction ;  Jive  a  higher  correction  by  the  ash  method,  with  the 
percentage  of  ash  normal;  and  three  di  higher  correction  by  the  ash 
method,  with  the  percentage  of  ash  abnormal,  i.  e.,  greater  than  the 
lime-water  correction.  To  explain  these  results  it  must  be  admitted 
that  in  some  cases  there  is  an  iash-yielding  substance  which  is  solu- 
ble in  lime-water,  whi)st  in  other  cases  there  must  be  present  some 
organic  impurity  which  is  not  soluble  in  lime-water,  and  of  course 
yields  no  ash. 

While  not  one  of  these  methods  of  correction  can  be  considered 
satisfactory,  the  writer  has  given  preference  to  the  lime-water 
method  as  involving  on  the  one  hand  less  change  during  the  man- 
ipulation, and  on  the  other  hand  because  of  the  easier  filtration  of 
the  solution,  and  the  possible  reprecipitation  of  the  morphine  ;  care 
must  be  taken,  by  keeping  the  funnel  covered  with  a  watch-glass  to 
prevent  the  formation  of  calcium  carbonate  if  working  near  a  flame. 
In  the  assays  to  be  detailed,  the  lime-water  correction  was  used  ;  0-5 
gramme  of  the  well-mixed  crude  morphine  was  weighed  into  a 
flask  and  thoroughly  moistened  with  5  c.c.  lime-water  before  adding 
the  remaining  45  c.c.  ;  rotate  the  contents  of  flask  repeatedly  during 
half  an  hour,  and  then  filter  the  solution  through   counterbalanced 


^"•jii?:i£7.*'"^'}  yotes  on   Opium  Assaying.  347 

filters  (7  centimetres),  rinsing  the  precipitate  in  the  flask  upon  the 
filter  by  the  use  of  small  portions  of  the  filtrate  ;  wash  the  flask  and 
filter  with  5  c.c.  lime-water,  added  in  portions  of  i  c.c.  After  the 
last  c.c.  drains  off,  set  aside  the  filtrate  and  washings  and  wash  the 
filter  with  5  c.c.  distilled  water  applied  in  portions  of  i  c.c.  ;  after 
draining  press  the  filter  between  bibulous  paper  and  dry  at  50-5  5  ^  C. 
to  constant  weight  ;  this  weight  is  then  calculated  to  entire  weight 
of  crude  morphine,  and,  subtracted  from  the  weight  of  the  crude 
morphine  as  weighed  on  a  watch-glass,  gives  the  weight  of  the  pure 
morphine,  which  is  then  calculated  to  100  parts  of  opium. 

The  lime-water  solution  of  the  crude  morphine  is  thoroughly 
agitated  after  adding  6  c.c.  ether  (just  enough  to  saturate  the  solu- 
tion, and  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  the  precipitation  of  morphine 
as  complete  as  possible;  morphine,  particularly  in  presence  of 
foreign  organic  matter,  is  less  soluble  in  water  saturated  with  ether 
than  in  pure  water);  0150  gramme  ammonium  chloride  is  next 
added  and  agitation  continued  for  ten  minutes  before  setting  aside 
for  10  to  12  hours,  or  over  night  (the  55  c.c.  lime-water  require 
0140  gramme  ammonium  chloride  for  neutralization,  so  that  there 
is  but  a  slight  excess  added) ;  filter  through  counterbalanced  filters 
(7  centimetres)  ;  rinse  the  flask  several  times  with  a  little  of  the 
filtrate  to  remove  the  remaining  morphine  crystals,  and  then  wash 
the  morphine  and  filter  with  15  c.c.  distilled  water,  applied  in  por- 
tions of  I  c.c;  dry  the  filter  as  above  described,  at  50-55°  C,  and 
weigh.  The  combined  weights  of  the  recovered  morphine  and  of 
the  correction  subtracted  from  0500  gives  the  loss  sustained  in  the 
purification,  and  represents  chiefly  the  morphine  remaining  dis- 
solved in  the  55  c.c.  of  mother-liquor. 

In  looking  over  these  results  it  will  be  seen  that  the  impurity  m 
the  crude  morphine  does  not  depend  so  much  upon  the  length  of 
time  in  which  the  assay  is  allowed  to  stand  as  upon  variations  in 
the  samples  of  opium  (the  assays  standing  15  hours,  for  instance, 
illustrate  this  point) ;  it  has  previously  been  proven  that  in  any  given 
sample  of  opium  the  impurity  increases  with  the  time  allowed  for 
precipitation. 

Believing  that  the  great  difference  in  the  quantity  of  the  impurity 
was  due  to  variation  in  the  ash-yielding  constituents,  a  number  of 
the  samples  of  opium,  kept  in  the  partly  dried  condition,  were  ex- 
amined.    Two  grammes  of  the  sample  were  dried  at  lOO^  C,  then  in- 


148 


Notes  on  Opiiun  Assaying, 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\         July,  1897. 


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} 


Notes  on   Opium  Assayitig. 


349 


cinerated  for  total  ash  ;  this,  macerated  with  loc.c.  water  for  one-half 
hour,  filtered,  and  filter  and  contents  washed  with  water,  i  c  c.  at  a 
time,  until  the  filtrate  measured  20  c.c;  the  filter,  with  insoluble 
portion  of  the  ash,  was  dried,  ignited  and  weighed,  the  difference 
between  that  and  the  total  ash  giving  ash  soluble  in  water.  The  fig- 
ures are  in  terms  of  percentage  and  relate  to  perfectly  dried  opium  ; 
for  convenience  of  comparison  the  percentage  of  impurity  in  the 
crude  morphine  is  appended.  The  figures  in  the  last  column  are 
results  of  another  series  of  experiments,  to  be  mentioned  a  little  later. 


Number. 

Moisture. 

ToUl  .\sh. 

Soluble  Ash. 

Insoluble 
Ash. 

Impurity  iu 

Crude 
Morphine. 

Ash  of 
Dregs. 

8 

5*oo 

6-37 

3"2t 

316 

0"20 

2-68 

TO 

522 

55t 

2*95 

=•56 

0'20 

2-56 

14 

4-90 

6-6S 

350 

3-iS 

I4"20 

2-92 

15 

527 

5-36 

3  >7 

219 

I3'20 

1S7 

16 

5-65 

7-15 

360 

3-55 

lo-oo 

2-94 

17 

5-05 

5  "53 

3"53 

2"00 

10  60 

X  79 

18 

495 

759 

31: 

442 

10  80 

371 

19 

3'47 

5-36 

329 

207 

470 

rSi 

There  is  no  clue  here  for  an  explanation,  as  comparison  of  No.  8 
with  Nos.  15,  18  and  19  will  prove,  unless  it  were  by  quantitative 
analysis,  which  the  quantity  of  ash  did  not  permit.  The  aqueous 
solutions,  excepting  Nos.  8  and  15  and  all  of  the  insoluble  ashes 
moistened  with  water,  gave  j)ink  or  red  colorations  with  phenol- 
pthalein,  but  a  single  drop  of  a  very  dilute  sulphuric  acid  dis- 
charged the  color;  the  insoluble  ashes  were  mixed  with  water  and 
titrated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  using  methyl-orange  as  indicator, 
but  the  results  were  as  conflicting  as  the  above  ash  determinations. 

As  a  further  probable  explanation  was  based  upon  the  acidity  of 
the  aqueous  opium  infusion  dissolving  some  of  what  in  the  preceding 
table  is  called  insoluble  ash,  and  the  addition  of  ammonia  afterwards 
reprecipitating  this,  a  series  of  experiments  were  made,  in  which  2 
grammes  were  extracted  with  water,  as  in  the  official  assay,  to  make 
64  c.c.  filtrate  ;  the  dregs  were  dried  and  ignited,  and  the  results, 
representing  percentage  of  ash  left  in  the  dregs  of  perfectly  dried 
opium,  are  found  in  the  last  column  of  the  preceding  table.  The 
determination  with  No,  8  was  nude  last,  and  was  sufficient  to  shatter 


350  Processes  and  Laboratory  Notes.        { ^'^ j-Sy'ifo^^"*""' 

conclusions  based  upon  the  other  seven  samples  ;  it  will  be  seen 
that  there  is  a  decrease  of  from  02 1  to  0-71  per  cent,  between  the 
insoluble  ash  and  the  ash  of  the  dregs,  in  the  case  of  those  samples 
yielding  an  impure  crude  morphine,  whilst  No.  10,  yielding  a  pure 
morphine,  showed  no  decrease. 

While  these  experiments  were  going  on,  I  also  tried  in  various 
ways  and  with  different  indicators  to  determine  the  acidity  of  the 
opium  or  opium  infusion  directly,  but  these  efforts  were  fruitless. 

The  loss  in  the  reprecipitation  of  the  morphine  varies  from  0033 
to  o  0635  gramme.,  and  while  all  of  this  may  not  be  morphine,  owing 
to  the  influence  of  the  lime-water  upon  the  impurities  in  the  crude 
morphine,  it  opens  up  the  question  of  the  morphine  left  in  the  mother- 
liquor  in  the  assays  proper.  When  it  is  remembered  that  this  opera- 
tion was  carried  out  so  as  to  minimize  the  loss,  that  the  use  of  alco- 
hol and  of  larger  quantities  of  ether  in  the  assays  will  necessarily 
cause  greater  loss,  and  that  the  morphine  actually  weighed  must  be 
subjected  to  a  correction  which  itself  is  arbitrary,  one  can  realize 
that  much  work  will  yet  have  to  be  done  before  a  satisfactory  or 
accurate  opium  assay  process  is  arrived  at.  Of  the  two  problems 
to  be  solved,  the  one  disclosing  accurately  the  quantity  of  morphine 
in  mother-liquors  is  considered  the  more  difficult ;  in  fact,  the  solving 
of  this  will  practically  also  solve  the  purity  of  any  isolated  morphine. 


ANALYTICAL   PROCESSES   AND  LABORATORY  NOTES. 

By  Charles  H.  La  Wall. 

ASSAY  PROCESSES  FOR  KOLA,  GUARANA  AND    COFFEE. 

A  method  for  the  estimation  of  caffeine  in  kola,  guarana  and 
coffee,  which  obviates  the  use  of  the  Soxhlet  extraction  apparatus, 
has  been  used  with  success  during  the  past  year.  The  results  agree 
closely  with  those  obtained  by  the  long  and  tedious  processes  for- 
merly employed,  and  can  be  obtained  within  a  much  shorter  space 
of  time.  It  resembles  closely  the  process  recently  suggested  by  Dr. 
Keller  for  the  determination  of  caffeine  in  tea.  The  directions  are 
as  follows:  Into  a  separatory  funnel  of  convenient  size,  place  5 
grammes  of  the  drug  and  5  c.c.  10  per  cent,  ammonia  water.  Allow 
the  mixture  to  stand  for  thirty  minutes,  then  shake  out  the  alkaloid 
with  chloroform,  using  three  portions  of  20  c.c.  each. 


"^ ""  jaT/.iS^""" }         Processes  and  Laboratory  Notes.  3 5  i 

If  emulsification  occurs,  add  powdered  magnesium  carbonate  in 
small  quantities  until  separation  takes  place.  Transfer  the  mixed 
chloroform  washings  to  a  tared  flask,  recover  the  solvent  in  the  cus- 
tomary manner,  and  weigh  the  residue,  which  consists  of  fat  and 
alkaloid  together. 

Dissolve  the  fat  with  warm  ether,  using  successive  fractions  of 
20  c.c,  until  the  ethereal  washings  leave  no  perceptible  residue  upon 
evaporation  of  a  small  quantity.  With  careful  manipulation,  the 
ether  can  be  decanted  each  time  without  loss  of  caffeine ;  but  as  a 
precautionary  measure,  the  ethereal  washings  may  be  filtered,  the 
filter  washed  well,  first  with  ether  and  then  with  chloroform,  trans- 
ferring the  chloroform  washings  back  to  the  flask  for  evaporating 
and  weighing.  The  residue  in  the  flask  is  almost  pure  caffeine,  and 
the  difference  between  the  weights  of  the  first  residue  and  the  last 
is  the  amount  of  fat  present  in  the  drug. 

In  the  case  of  kola,  the  ether  also  removes  the  theobromine, 
which  is  usually  but  a  small  percentage  and  may  be  ignored. 

The  following  comparative  results  have  been  obtained  : 

KOLA    NUTS. 

No.  I,  Exhausted  with  chloroform  in  Soxhlet i  •39  per  cent,  caffeine. 

No.  2,  Exhausted  by  the  foregoing  process 137       "  '* 

No.  3,  "  "  "  "  .  .  1-48       " 

No.  4,  "  '•  "  "  i'43       "  *' 

No.  5,  *•  ••  "  "  I  40      " 

GUARANA. 

No.  I,  Exhausted  with  chloroform  in  Soxhlet 4  32  per  cent. 

No.  2,  Exhausted  by  the  foregoing  process  4'68       " 

No.  3,  "  "  "  "  462       '• 

In  assaying  the  fluid  extracts  of  the  drugs  above  mentioned,  how- 
ever, the  Lloyd  ferric  hydrate  process  gives  the  most  satisfactory 
results. 

ESTIMATION    OF    ALKALOIDS  IN  WHITE    HELLEBOKL. 

In  answer  to  query  No.  48  of  the  proceedings  of  this  Association 
for  1896,  the  following  results  are  submitted.  The  well-known  gen- 
eral assay  process  of  Dr.  Keller  was  used  with  satislactory  results, 
the  details  being  as  follows :     Place  in  a  dry  flask — 

White  hellel>ore    .  logrammcR. 

Chloroform  .    . 

ivther 

10  per  cent,  ammonia  water   .  . 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 


352  Processes  and  Laboratory  Notes.        {^'"•juT.'iS: 

Shake  vigorously,  and  allow  to  stand  for  six  hours  or  over  night, 
then  add  5  c.c.  10  per  cent,  ammonia  water,  shake  well  and  pour  off 
50  grammes  of  the  clear  solution  (representing  5  grammes  of  the 
white  hellebore).  Transfer  the  solution  to  a  separatory  funnel  and 
shake  out  the  alkaloid  with  acidulated  water,  using  three  fractions  of 
20  c.c.  each.  Place  the  aqueous  washings  in  a  separatory  funnel,  and, 
after  rendering  alkaline  with  ammonia  water,  shake  out  the  sepa- 
rated alkaloid  with  a  mixture  of  chloroform  3  volumes,  ether  i 
volume.  Transfer  these  washings  to  a  tared  flask,  recover  the 
solvent,  if  desired,  and  weigh  the  residue,  which  is  the  total  amount 
of  alkaloid  in  5  grammes  of  the  drug. 

The  results  shown  below  were  obtained  by  the  foregoing  process, 
using  the  commercial  drug  in  the  form  in  which  it  is  sold  for  an 
insecticide.     Five  different  samples  assayed  respectively  : 

No.  I,  1-20  per  cent.;  No.  2,  1-24  per  cent.;  No.  3,  1-25  per  cent.; 
No.  4,  ri2  per  cent.;  No.  5,  i-i8  per  cent,  alkaloids. 

A  sample  of  the  whole  drug  was  also  ground  and  assayed.  This 
yielded  1-75  per  cent. — a  somewhat  higher  yield,  which  should  be 
verified  by  assaying  numerous  different  samples  before  accepting  it 
as  a  standard.  The  results  as  obtained  show  the  commercial 
drug  to  be  uniform  and  about  i  per  cent,  would  be  a  fair  limit  for 
the  minimum  allowable  yield  of  alkaloids  by  this  process. 

ARE  C.  p.  CHEMICALS  CHEMICALLY  PURE? 

In  answer  to  query  No.  44,  requesting  information  upon  the  sub- 
ject, it  is  difficult  to  give  a  definite  reply.  The  term  Chemically 
Piire^  commonly  abbreviated  C.  P.,  is  used  with  such  frequency  when 
applied  to  inorganic  compounds,  that  it  loses  its  force  in  a  great 
degree.  To  comply  with  this  description  accurately,  a  chemical 
should  be  absolutely  free  from  all  foreign  compounds,  an  ideal 
requirement  seldom  found  in  practice.  As  generally  applied,  it  has 
come  to  mean  simply  a  very  high  degree  of  purity,  such  as  is  re- 
quired for  analytical  reagents,  and,  according  to  this  interpretation 
of  the  term,  the  quality  of  most  C.  P.  chemicals  sold,  is  in  accord- 
ance with  the  description.  As  an  illustration  of  this  accepted  mean- 
ing, sulphuric  acid  may  be  mentioned.  This  acid  is  listed  as  "  C.  P.," 
and  also  "  C.  P.,  free  from  arsenic."  The  latter  commands  the  higher 
price,  thus  indicating  a  degree  of  purity  higher  than  "  C   P." 

Some  cases  have  been   observed   in  which  the   term  was   clearly 


^"''juiy'.i^'^''^}        Processes  and  Laboratory  Notes.  353 

misapplied.  Among  these  were  "  C.  P.  chemicals  for  photographic 
purposes,"  as  sodium  thiosulphate  and  sulphite  containing  iron  and 
zinc;  also  sodium  carbonate  containing  large  quantities  of  chlorides 
and  sulphates.  Fortunately,  instances  of  this  kind  are  rare,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  one  manufacturer  who  evaded  the  question 
by  claiming  that  C,  P.  meant  commercially  pure,  it  has  been  found 
that  chemicals  when  designated  C.  P.  conform  to  these  requirements 
as  closely  as  is  practicable.  In  this  connection,  the  fact  that  even  the 
U.S. P.  is  somewhat  inconsistent  in  its  requirements  for  the  purity 
of  certain  chemicals  may  be  new  to  some  persons.  The  require- 
ments of  the  U.S  P.  for  the  purity  of  carbonate  and  bicarbonate  of 
sodium  allow  a  limit  of  chlorides  and  sulphates  in  each  case.  In 
benzoate,  salicylate  and  other  salts  of  sodium,  which  are 
made  from  one  of  the  first-mentioned  bases,  absolute  free- 
dom from  chlorides  and  sulphates  is  required,  with  no  apparent 
reason  for  such  an  increase  in  the  standard  of  purity ;  the  result 
being  that  the  salts  of  sodium,  such  as  those  mentioned,  are  found, 
in  most  cases,  to  contain  traces  of  chlorides  and  sulphates,  even 
when  labelled  U.S. P.  The  fulfillment  of  such  increased  requirements 
generally  means  an  increase  in  the  cost  of  the  compound,  with  no 
practical  benefit  resulting  therefrom. 

In  criticising  the  quality  of  C.  P.  chemicals,  care  should  be  taken 
not  to  overstep  the  bounds  of  reason,  as  in  a  certain  case  where  a 
bottle  of  C.  P.  ferrous  suli)hate  was  returned  after  some  weeks  as  not 
answering  the  tests  for  a  pure  salt.  As  the  bottle  was  only  partly 
filled,  and  loosely  stoppered,  the  complaint  was  unreasonable.  It  is 
easier  to  find  fault  with  an  article  than  it  is  to  make  excuses  for 
any  deficiencies  discovered  ;  but,  for  the  interests  of  commercial  har- 
mony, let  us  avoid  being  hypercritical.  For  use  as  reagents,  chemi- 
cals should  be  required  of  the  highest  standard  possible,  but  for  pre- 
scription u.se  it  is  unnecessary  to  require  conformity  to  a  standard 
of  purity  which  raises  the  cost  of  the  compound  without  increasing 
its  practical  value. 

A  chart  of  the  Mineral  Products  of  the  t'uited.  States  from  1S87  to  1896 
inclusive,  has  recently  been  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The  pro- 
ducts are  divided  into  two  classes,  metallic  and  non-mt-tallic.  The  >;raiul  total 
in  value  of  both  metallic  and  non-metallic  products  amounted  in  1S87  to  J520,- 
714,474,  and  gradually  rose  to  1:648,670,798  in  1892,  when  it  droppct!  off  some 
|74,QOo,ooo  in  1893,  the  values  thereafter  being  somewhat  variable,  and  in  1896 
they  had  risen  to  5611,510,700. 


354  North  American  Conifer ce.  {'^'^zXAm^"'^ 

A  CONTRIBUnON  TO  THE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  SOME 
NORTH  AMERICAN  CONIFER^.^ 

By  Edson  S.  Bastin  and  Henry  Trimble. 

{Concluded  from  page  p/,  of  this  Volume.') 

TSUGA  MERTENSIANA,  CARR. 

DISTRIBUTION    AND  GENERAL  CHARACTERS. 

This  species  is  known  as  Western  hemlock  or  Californian  hemlock 
spruce.  It  was  first  named  and  described  by  the  Russian  botanist, 
Bongard,  who  gave  it  the  name  Pinus  Mertensiana,  and  the  locality 
Sitka,  in  Alaska.  It  occurs,  however,  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  from  the 
vicinity  of  San  Francisco  through  Oregon  to  Alaska. 

While  similar  in  appearance  to  our  Eastern  species,  it  is,  when 
fully  developed,  a  tree  of  much  larger  size,  sometimes  attaining  a 
height  of  200  feet.  It  is  also  straighter  grained,  and  has  a  redder 
and  usually  thicker  bark,  but  the  most  distinctive  difference,  per- 
haps, is  in  the  fruits  and  seeds,  the  scales  of  the  cones  being  more 
elongated,  and  the  wings  of  the  seeds  being  relatively  longer  and 
straighter. 

MICROSCOPICAL  STRUCTURE. 

The  barks  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  species  are  the  only  ones 
that  have  been  examined  microscopically.  They  showed,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  a  great  similarity  in  structure,  though  there 
appeared  to  be  some  characters  which  we  may  rely  on  for  distin- 
guishing them.  In  both  it  was  seen  that  cOrk  formation  begins 
early,  and,  in  all  cases,  where  the   bark  was  taken  from  stems  more 

^  The  death  of  Professor  Bastin  has  necessarily  brought  the  publication  of 
this  series  of  papers  to  a  close.  As  there  was  sufficient  material  left  by  him  to 
nearly  complete  the  structural  description  of  the  Tsuga,  it  was  thought  the 
publication  of  this  paper,  by  completing  the  genus,  would  make  a  more  accept- 
able ending.  Professor  Bastin  was  working  on  the  structure  of  Tsuga  Caro- 
liniana  until  shortly  before  his  death,  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  drawings 
were  not  completed.  As  all  the  originals  of  the  illustrations  in  this  series  of 
papers  were  from  his  pen,  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  have  the  few  remaining 
ones  of  this  genus  completed  by  others. 

A  number  of  reprints  have  been  prepared,  and  copies  will  be  mailed  to  any 
one  applying  for  them,  until  the  supply  is  exhausted. 

It  is  the  hope  and  expectation  of  the  surviving  author  to  continue  the 
chemical  work  on  this  natural  order,  as  a  large  number  of  samples  have  been 
collected,  much  work  has  been  completed,  and  the  results  will  be  published  as 
rapidly  as  possible. 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
July.  1897. 


}  North  Avierican  Conifer cp. 


355 


than  two  years  old,  the  secondary  cork  formations  had  invaded  the 
inner  layer  of  the  bark  and  bands  of  cork  were  observed  crossing 
at  various  angles  the  medullary  rays.     The  cork  in  both  was  colored 


C^L 


I-IO.  57. 

^^S-  57' — Small  portion  of  cross-section  of  bark  of  Tsuga  Mtrtetisiana,  mag- 
nified about  50  diameters,  c,  r,  c,  bands  of  secondary  cork  ;  </,  intervening 
dead  tissues,  composed  of  sieve  and  parenchymatous  elements,  and,  like  the 
other  species,  rich  in  tannic,  resinous  and  coloring  matters;  j,  j,7group9  of 
stone  cells  ;  w,  ;//,  relatively  large,  fusiform  me<lullary-ray  cells ;  b,  band  of 
large  parenchymatous  cells  ;  cr,  crystal  cell  ;  ca,  cambium  cells. 


356 


NortJi  American  Conifer cb. 


{ 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July.  1897. 


a  deep  purple,  and  this  coloring  matter  was  bleached  out  with  diffi- 
culty, even  by  Labarraque's  solution.  This  coloring  matter  appeared 
to  be  different  in  character  from  the  reddish-brown  coloring  sub- 
stance found  in  the  tissues  between  the  bands  of  cork,  for  not  only 
was  the  latter  a  different  shade  of  red,  but  it  bleached  more 
readily. 


C/r- 


FlG.  58. 

^^^-  5<^.— Small  portion  of  longitudinal-tangential  section  of  bark  of  Tsuga 
Mertcnsiaiia,  magnified  about  75  diameters,  s,  cluster  of  stone  cells  ;  cr^  crys- 
tals of  calcium  oxalate  ;  w,  m,  medullary  rays  ;  r,  oleo-resin  cell. 

Tests  for  tannin  showed  in  Tsuga  Mertensiana  that  the  white  or 
colorless  younger  portions  of  the  bark  contained  but  little  of  it, 
while  the  older  portions,  particularly  the  dead  sieve  and  parenchyma 
tissues  between  the  bands  of  secondary  cork,  were  observed  to  be 
particularly  rich  in  it. 

Stone  cells  of  large  size,  and  often  quite  irregular,  occurred,  either 


^"•/uiy'-iS^""'-}  ^orth  American  Cottifenr.  357 

isolated  or  clustered  in  groups  of  several  or  many,  throughout  all 
except  the  youngest  portions  of  the  inner  bark.  They  were  quite 
numerous,  but  distributed  without  apparent  order.  They  were 
marked  with  numerous  very  fine  pore-canals,  and  very  numerous 
and  fine  concentric  lines.  Although  abundance  of  starch  was  found 
in  the  bark  of  Tsuga  Canadensis,  none  was  observed  in  the  bark  of 
T.  Mertensiana.  It  is  possible,  indeed  probable,  that  a  sample  of 
the  latter  collected  at  some  other  season  of  the  year  would  show  the 
presence  of  starch.  The  medullary  rays  in  both  barks  were 
observed  to  be  composed  of  single  rows  of  cells,  and  these  were 
radially  elongated  and  of  large  size  as  compared  with  those  of 
adjacent  tissues;  but  those  of  T.  Mertensiana  were,  on  the  average, 
larger,  and  the  rays  in  this  species,  as  seen  in  a  longitudinal-tangen- 
tial section  were  composed,  on  the  average,  of  a  larger  ^number  of 
cells. 

These  differences  in  the  medullary  rays  are,  perhaps,  the  most 
constant  ones  between  the  two  barks.  In  both  barks  an  abundance 
of  calcium  oxalate  crystals  was  observed.  (See  Fi^.  jj)  They 
were  mostly  in  the  form  of  long  prisms,  and  were  contained  in  rows 
of  elongated  cells  of  narrow  diameter,  which  traversed  the  bark  in 
the  direction  of  its  length.  The  crystals  were  frequently  associated 
in  the  contaming  cells  with  resinous  and  coloring  matters.  In  form 
and  arrangement  they  did  not  differ  in  the  two  barks,  but  appeared 
to  be  rather  more  abundant  in  the  Pacific  Coast  species. 

Oleoresin  cells  appeared  to  be  about  equally  abundant  in  the  two 
species.  Those  that  did  not  also  contain  crystals  were  isolated  or 
in  rows  of  two  or  three,  and  the  cells  were  shorter  and  broader 
than  the  crystal  cells,  though  they  were  not  usually  so  large  as  the 
parenchyma  cells,  with  which  they  were  associated.  They  were 
scattered  through  the  inner  bark  without  apparent  order.  Besides 
the  oleoresin  cells  proper,  just  described  oleoresin,  was  seen  to  occur 
in  many  cells  not  especially  devoted  to  secretions;  this  was  particu- 
larly true  of  the  cells  in  the  older  portions  of  the  bark. 

CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION. 

The  constituents  of  Tsuga  Mertensiana  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  investigated.  The  work  for  this  paper  was  mostly  confined  to 
an  estimation  and  examination  of  the  tannin  in  the  stem  bark.  The 
sample  used  in  the  investigation  was  collected  by  Professor  F.  K. 


358  North  American  Conifer ce,  {^'"jj^y^?^!™- 

Lloyd,    of  Forest    Grove,    Oregon.      The    following    results    were 
obtained: 

Per  Cent, 

Moisture 5'76 

Ash  iu  absolutely  dry  substance 1*42 

Tannin  in  absolutely  dry  material ii'37 

A  quantity  of  the  tannin  was  prepared,  purified  and  submitted, 
after  drying  at  120°  C,  to  elementary  analysis,  whereby  the  follow- 
ing percentages  were  obtained: 

Per  Cent. 

Carbon 59'ii 

Hydrogen 4'93 

Oxygen - 35*96 

$100 '00 

These  results  and  the  qualitative  reactions  indicate  that  the  tan- 
nin of  Tsuga  Mertensiana  is  identical  with  that  from  T.  Canadensis, 
and,  therefore,  with  that  from  the  bark  of  a  large  number  of  species 
of  oak. 

ECONOMICS. 

The  wood  of  Tsuga  Mertensiana  is  pale,  tough  and  soft,  and  is 
often  used  for  building  purposes.  The  bark  of  the  roots  yields  a 
strong  fibre  that  is  said  to  be  employed  for  seines  and  nets,  prob- 
ably by  the  Indians.  Authorities  differ  somewhat  in  regard  to  the 
resin,  Kellogg  stating  that  it  yields  a  considerable  quantity,  while 
others  report  the  resin  as  scarce.  The  bark  of  the  trunk,  with  its 
rich  percentage  of  tannin,  has  always  been  in  demand  for  making 
leather. 

TSUGA  CAROLINIANA,  ENGELM. 

DISTRIBUTION  AND  GENERAL  CHARACTERS. 

The  Carolina  hemlock  is  found  along  the  Allegheny  mountains 
from  southwestern  Virginia  to  South  Carolina.  It  has  been  found 
at  an  elevation  of  4,200  feet.  It  does  not  occur  very  abundantly, 
and,  because  it  is  said  to  be  a  rather  handsomer  tree  than  T. 
Canadensis,  it  is  cultivated  somewhat  at  the  North. 

Carolina  hemlock  is  not  a  very  large  tree  ;  its  height  is  given 
by  different  authorities  as  40  to  80  feet.  The  wood  is  brownish 
in  color,  soft  and  brittle.  The  cones  and  leaves  resemble  those 
of  the  common  hemlock,  but  both  are  a  trifle  larger. 


^'"■/u'ly'iS^*""''}  ///^^^/  Poiuders  of  Commerce.  359 

CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION. 

The  specimen  used  in  this  investigation  was  obtained  from  the 
Highlands  Nursery,  near  Kawana,  North  CaroHna.  No  pubHshed 
record  can  be  found  of  an  examination  into  the  composition  of  any 
part  of  this  tree.  The  leaves,  the  stem  bark  and  the  root  bark  were 
partly  examined  with  the  following  results  : 

Ash  in  absolutely     Tannin  in  absolutely 
Moisture.        dry  material.  dr\-  material. 

Leaves 7*07 

Stem  bark  .  8*22 

Root  bark   .  5-95 

The  ashes  of  these  several  parts  contained  potassium  and  calcium  as 
phosphates  and  carbonates,  and  silica ;  besides  these,  the  ashes  of 
both  barks  contained  sulphates.  No  further  investigation  was  made 
of  the  tannin,  but  it  is  safe  to  predict  its  identity  with  that  from  the 
other  species. 

ECONOMICS. 

On  account  of  the  scarcity  of  this  tree,  it  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  put  to  any  practical  use,  although  a  comparison  indicates  that 
it  could  be  applied  to  all  the  uses  now  possessed  by  the  common 
hemlock. 


270 

452 

I  "44 

18-35 

2-20 

17  02 

INSECT  POWDERS  OF  COMMERCE.^ 
By  Georce  Reynolds  Durr.\nt. 

During  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  at  least  twenty  eminent 
chemists,  pharmacists,  and  microscopists  have  devoted  some  atten- 
tion to  the  physical  characteristics,  chemical  constituents,  and  toxic 
properties  of  the  insect  powders  of  commerce.  In  the  earlier  part 
of  this  period  the  references  were  exclusively  to  the  powder  from 
the  flowers  of  Crysanthemum  caucasicum,  or  Persian  variety,  which 
gradually  gave  way  to  the  Dalmatian  kind  produced  from  the 
flowers  of  the  Crysanthemum  cinerariiufolium,  and  it  is  possible  that 
the  Dalmatian  replaced  the  Persian  variety  because  the  latter  was 
the  first  kind  to  be  grossly  adulterated  ;  at  least  it  is  true  in  my 
experience  that  both  kinds  are  equally  useful  if  equally  free  from 
sophistication. 

A  careful  study  of  the  whole  of  the  subject  is  more  likely,  in  the 
absence  of  much  personal  experiment  and  thought,  to  confuse  the 

'  Jiiarfnaceudcal  Journal,  June  la,  1897. 


360  Insect  Powders  of  Commerce.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1897. 


reader  than  to  provide  him  with  such  information  as  will  enable  him 
to  distinguish  the  true  powder  from  sophistications,  which  are  still 
as  common,  although  changed  in  character,  as  they  have  been  at  any 
time  since  the  Persian  powder  gave  way  to  its  honester  rival.  To 
any  one  who  has  worked  on  this  subject  for  a  few  years,  the  last 
paragraph  may  appear  to  be  superfluous,  but  it  is  evident  that  there 
is  still  a  plentiful  lack  of  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  majority  of 
buyers,  or  it  would  be  impossible  to  account  on  any  other  hypothesis 
for  the  enormous  amount  of  grossly  sophisticated  insect  powder  which 
is  sold  as  genuine  every  season.^ 

The  object  I  have  had  in  view  in  recording  the  results  of  several 
years'  attention  to  this  subject,  is  to  provide  a  ready  means  of  quickly 
and  cheaply  ascertaining  if  a  given  sample  of  insect  powder  is  what 
it  is  represented  to  be  by  the  seller,  but  before  proceeding  to  this 
part  of  the  subject,  it  will  be  profitable  to  briefly  set  forth  the 
results  of  the  work  of  other  investigators.  These  references  will 
not  be  by  any  means  exhaustive  of  the  subject,  but  will  include 
most  of  the  literary  notices  which  have  come  within  my  own  knowl- 
edge. 


^  While  engaged  in  preparing  this  paper  for  the  press,  a  curious  confirmation 
of  my  contention  has  been  supplied  by  a  correspondence  with  a  provincial  firm 
of  dealers  in  insect  powder.  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  bona  fides  of  the 
firm,  and  must  therefore  conclude  that  such  large  sellers  of  insect  powder  as 
they  claim  to  be  are  yet  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  characteristics  of  true 
insect  powder.  I  fear  my  charity  is  not  sufficiently  broad  to  give  credit  for 
good  faith  in  this  firm's  opinion  on  the  Loudon  trade  in  insect  powder  !  The 
following  short  extracts  are  reproduced  from  this  correspondence  :  In  reply  to 
my  request  for  samples  and  quotations,  '*  Thank  you  for  your  enquiry,  and  are 
sending  samples  of  insect  powder  from  closed  flowers,  100  5.  per  cwt.,  and  from 
half  open  flowers  at  75  j.  per  cwt." 

My  reply  to  this  quotation  expressed  regret  at  the  misleading  description,  as 
both  samples  were  grossly  adulterated,  which  drew  a  most  indignant  letter. 
"  In  reply  to  your  letter,  we  think  the  party  conducting  the  analysis  must  have 
made  some  miscalculation,  as  we  are  direct  importers  from  Austria,  and  have, 
from  the  grinders  there,  the  fullest  assurance  of  its  genuineness,  and  that  the 
'  closed  '  and  '  half-closed  '  are  from  flowers  of  that  description  and  from  flowers 
only.  We  have  sold  the  same  article  for  seven  years,  and  our  sale  has  greatly 
increased.  As  regards  the  London  price  for  insect  powder,  the  import  offered 
in  Loudon  is  second  rate,  both  in  quality  and  quantity,  and  consists  only  of  odd 
lots  that  have  passed  through  several  dealers'  hands.  We  write  strongly  on 
this  subject  because  we  should  not  have  been  able  to  advance  our  trade  in  this 
article  to  its  present  state  if  we  had  been  capable  of  misdescription  !  " 


""'"iuiy'iS^"'"}  ^'^-^^^'^  Powders  of  Comvtcrce,  361 

It  will  be   found  that  the  hterature  of  the  subject  divides  itself 
into  the  foUovvinfr  sections  : 
{a)  Toxic  constituents. 

(b)  Microscopic  appearance. 

[c)  Adulterations. 

It  is  intended  to  keep  this  division  of  the  subject  so  far  as  may  be 
possible  and  convenient. 

So  far  back  as  1863,  Hanaman  Roch  (National  Dispensatory) 
attributed  the  insecticidal  value  of  the  povsdeied  flowers  of  Crys, 
caucasicum  to  a  volatile  oil.  Some  years  after,  in  the  seventies, 
Semenoff  appeared  to  be  practically  in  agreement  with  this  state- 
ment, but  treated  the  matter  more  broadly,  if  less  definitely,  by 
substituting  "volatile  substance  "  for  the  more  definite,  if  less  ac- 
curate, "volatile  oil."  Immediately  after  in  (1876),  Jousset  de 
Belle^me  stated  that,  in  his  opinion,  the  active  toxic  principle  was  a 
crystalline  alkaloid.  In  1877  this  la.'t  statement  was  corrected  by 
R.  Rother  {Druggists'  Circular  and  Chem.  Gazette),  in  a  paper  giv- 
ing the  results  of  a  very  systematic  and  practical  investigation  ;  the 
conclusions  at  which  this  writer  arrived  are  as  follows  :  There  is 
no  crystalline  alkaloid  ;  there  are  (^)  an  oleoresinous  greenish-yel- 
low acid,  •'  persicein  ;"  {b)  another  acid  body,  "  persiretin,"  both 
inactive;  {c)  active  principle,  a  glucoside  converted  by  boiling  into 
"  persiretin  "  and  glucose.  These  constituents  are  all  soluble  in 
ether  alcohol,  benzine  and  petroleum  ether,  and  insoluble  in  chloro- 
form. With  the  latter  part  of  the  statement,  referring  to  the  solu- 
bility of  all  the  constituents  of  any  value  in  ether,  etc.,  I  can  cor- 
dially agree.  Very  shortly  after  the  appearance  of  this  article  by 
Rother,  a  notice  appeared  in  the  Bulletin  Soc.  Chun,  by  G.  Dal  Sie, 
in  which  he  claims  that  the  active  toxic  principle  is  to  be  found  in 
a  volatile  acid  existing  in  the  flowers  in  a  free  state.  M.  Finzclberg 
(Pliarui,  CentralhalU\  1880)  proved  that  a  concentrated  tincture  of 
the  flowers  had  definite  insecticidal  properties,  and  this  statement 
has  been  confirmed  by  my  own  ex|:erimcnt.s  on  flies.  O.  Tester 
{Phann.  lourn.  [3].  XII,  359,  states  that  the  active  principle  is  a 
soft  resin.  At  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference,  lS88,apa|x:r 
was  read  by  William  Kirkby  on  the  microscopical  characteristics  of 
the  flowers  of  C.  caucasicum  and  C.  cincrari-efolium.  The  paper 
was  valuable  so  far  as  the  subject  was  treated,  but  it  was  less  com- 
plete than  the  author  intended,  inasmuch  as  sophistications  were  net 


362  Insect  Powders  of  Commerce,  {'''^- inxlim""^' 

taken  into  consideration.  Although  the  paper  itself  was  thus 
limited  in  scope,  the  discussion  which  followed  covered  the  whole 
ground.  Mr.  Robinson  expressed  his  incredulity  at  the  presence  of 
any  toxic  agent,  but  this  bold  skeptic  was  crushed  by  the  President, 
assisted  by  Mr.  Howie  and  Mr.  Martindale. 

In  the  Pliarm.  ZeitscJir.fur  Ricssland,  1890,  E.  Hirschsohn  states 
that  the  active  principle  is  neither  a  volatile  oil  nor  an  acid  resin ; 
this  statement  is  neutralized  by  F.  Schlagdenhauffen  in  an  article  in 
the  Pharm.  Zeitung,  1892,  in  which  he  states  that  he  found  the 
toxic  properties  to  be  {a)  yellow  volatile  oil,  and  {U)  uncrystallizable 
soft  resinous  mass,  pyrethrotoxic  acid  very  soluble  in  ether.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  average  buyer  of  insect  powder,  after  careful 
consideration  of  the  foregoing  evidence  by  so  many  able  men,  would 
remain  more  or  less  doubtful  as  to  the  properties  and  characteristics 
for  which  he  ought  to  look  in  deciding  upon  the  value  of  the  various 
qualities  to  be  found  in  the  insect  powders  of  commerce.  The 
results  of  my  own  work  on  this  part  of  the  subject  may  be  briefly 
stated  as  follows : 

The  toxic  properties  are  due  to — 

{a)  A  volatile  oil  amounting  to  05  per  cent,  in  picked  specimens 
of  closed  flowers,  and  much  less  in  open  flowers. 

{b)  A  soft  acid  resinous  body,  this  is  the  principal  source  of  the 
toxic  effect.  It  is  found  to  the  amount  of  48  per  cent,  in  selected 
closed  flowers,  less  than  4  per  cent,  in  half  open  flowers,  and  still 
less  in  flowers  that  are  fully  open  ;  the  whole  plant,  apart  from  the 
flowers,  contains  mere  traces  of  resin. 

The  fine  dry  powder,  after  exhaustion  with  ether,  has  no  decided 
toxic  properties,  but  numerous  experiments  on  beetles  convince  me 
that  this  exceedingly  fine  powder  contributes  something  to  the 
insecticidal  properties  by  its  physical  action,  perhaps  by  its  effect  on 
respiration,  reducing  the  vitality  of  the  insect,  and  also  by  impeding 
locomotion,  and  preventing  a  speedy  retreat  from  noxious  surround- 
ings, and  a  safe  return  to  the  customary  lodgings.  The  toxic  proper- 
ties of  the  volatile  oil  and  resin  may  be  proved  by  isolating  them 
and  mixing  them  with  an  inert  powder,  whose  physically  deterrent 
equation  has  been  ascertained  by  experiment  on  beetles.  I  believe 
no  vivisection  license  is  required  for  this. 

Having  referred  to  the  toxic  constituents  of,  and  the  proportions 
in  which  they  exist  in,  genuine  powder  of  the  flowers  of  C.  cinerarise- 


^""'juTy';-!^""'}  Jfistxt  Poivdirs  of  Commcrcc.  363 

folium,  it  is  very  important  to  mention  the  fact  that  chlorophyll,  in 
its  green  unchanged  form,  is  not  found  in  selected  dried,  closed 
insect  flowers,  as  this  fact  has  an  important  bearing  on  one  (and  I 
think  the  most  prevalent)  form  of  sophistication  to  be  found  in  the 
present  insect  powders  of  commerce.  1  cannot  fully  explain  why  it 
is  that  insect  powder  from  half-open,  and  from  flowers  that  are  fully 
developed,  should  show  a  certain  amount  of  chlorophyll  coloring  in 
the  ether  extract,  but  it  may  possibly  be  that  less  care  is  taken  in 
collection  of  these  than  is  the  case  with  the  more  valuable  closed 
flowers.  But  whatever  may  be  the  cause,  the  fact  remains  that 
insect  powder  ground  from  selected  closed  flowers  is  sensibly  free 
from  chlorophyll,  whereas  traces  of  it  (less  than  05  per  cent.)  will  be 
found  in  powders  prepared  from  mixed  and  half-open  flowers,  and 
in  the  foreign-ground  insect  powders  it  often  amounts  to  from  50  to 
80  per  cent,  of  the  total  ether  extract.  Samples  have  been  recently 
examined  by  me  yielding  6  per  cent,  of  ether  extract,  of  which 
more  than  two-thirds  was  owing  to  chlorophyll.  It  will  therefore 
be  seen  that  any  estimate  of  the  value  of  insect  powder  based  upon 
the  percentage  of  ether  extract  would  be  quite  fallacious  unless  the 
chlorophyll  be  also  determined  and  deducted  from  the  total. 
Microscopical  examination  is  useful  in  distinguishing  the  grosser 
forms  of  admixture,  such  as  powdered  quassia  and  the  woody  tissue 
of  the  leaves  and  stems  of  the  plant,  but  this  latter  form  of  sophisti- 
cation can  be  determined  by  the  method  given  further  on.  [For 
full  particulars  of  the  microscopical  appearance  of  true  insect 
flowers,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  paper  by  Mr.  William  Kirkby, 
F.R.M.S.  {Proc.  Brit.  Pliann.  Con/.,  1888).] 

Adulterants — In  using  the  term  adulterants  as  applied  to  our  sub- 
ject, it  is  intended  to  imply  the  presence  in  insect  powder  of  any- 
thing but  the  flowers  of  i\.  cinerariiufolium.  Adulterators  of  insect 
powder  have  for  their  first  object  the  cheai)ening  of  the  article  sold, 
and  occasionally  they  have  a  second  object,  /.  <•.,  to  improve  its  color. 

The  first  object  has  been  achievec  in  the  past  by  the  addition  of 
powder  of  quassia,  aloes,  senna  and  Hungarian  daisy,  and  the  artistic 
eye  of  the  ignorant  buyer  has  been  satisfied  by  the  addition  of  the 
powder  of  fustic,  turmeric  and  chrome-yellow.  The  presence  of 
quassia,  fustic  and  turmeric  may  be  detected  by  the  aid  ol  the 
microscope,  and  chrome-yellow  (salt  of  lead)  chemically.  The  pres- 
ence of  the  lowdcr  of  Hungarian  d.iisv  is    more   difTicult    to   detect 


364  Insect  Pozvders  of  Commerce.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1897. 


microscopically,  but  it  yields  lO  per  cent,  of  ash,  whereas  true  insect 
powder  yields  but  65  per  cent.  On  this  point  the  reader  is  referred 
to  an  extract  from  a  paper  by  J.  Schrenk  (American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  1889)  in  the  "Year  Book,"  1890. 

It  is  hoped  that  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  accept  my  contention 
that  by  the  term  insect  powder  it  is  intended  by  both  buyers  and 
sellers  that  powder  of  the  flowers  of  the  C.  cinerarisefolium  is  under- 
stood, at  least  so  far  as  transactions  in  the  open  market  are  con- 
cerned. Owners  of  proprietary  insect  powders  have  a  right  to  com- 
pound them  as  they  please,  and  this  right  has  been  freely  exercised 
by  the  use  of  powdered  quassia,  colocynth,  etc.,  as  well  as  by  the 
addition  of  various  coloring  agents.  Although  powdered  quassia 
mixed  with  powdered  insect  flowers  must  be  considered  to  fall 
under  our  definition  of  adulteration,  it  is  quite  possible  that  a  small 
proportion  is  useful  in  insect  powder,  increasing  or  broadening  the 
base  of  its  usefulness.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  other  admix- 
tures, such  as  powdered  bitter  apple,  and  the  only  criticism  to  be 
made  on  this  point  is  that  if  powdered  quassia  or  other  powders 
having  insecticidal  properties  be  added  to  insect  powder,  let  it  be 
done  with  the  knowledge  of  buyers  and  at  the  proper  price. 

The  adulterants  just  referred  to  are  for  the  most  part  things  of 
the  past,  with  the  exception  of  added  coloring  matters,  which  are 
still  very  commonly  used  to  meet  the  too  general  want  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  proper  appearance  of  true  insect  powder.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  the  insect  powders  of  commerce  may  be  divided  into  the 
following  classes: 

(i)  Ground  from  closed  {a)  wild,  or  {p)  cultivated  flowers  of  C. 
cinerarisefolium. 

(2)  Ground  from  half-open  or  mixed  half-open  and  open  flowers. 

(3)  Ground  from  damaged  flowers. 

(4)  Foreign-ground,  divided  into  grades  of  badness  under  the 
meaningless  terms:  "closed  flowers,"  "  half-open  flowers,"  etc.,  etc. 
Of  these  sorts  there  appears  to  be  as  many  as  there  are  of  hens* 
eggs,  which  embrace  all  the  kinds  between  "new-laid"  at  the  top 
of  the  list,  and  "political"  at  the  bottom.  The  English-ground 
insect  powders  do  not  always  justify  the  description  given,  but  in 
my  experience,  the  foreign-ground  specimens  never  do,  and  it  is 
with  much  satisfaction  that  it  is  noted  that  a  ready  method  of  dis- 
tinguishing "foreign-ground"  is  to  hand. 


^'"■jub-'iSJ"'"-}  ^''-f^^^  Pozi'dcrs  of  Commerce.  365 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  remarks  made  on  the  toxic  constituents 
of  the  flowers  of  C.  cineraria^fohum  that  the  following  statement 
embraces  the  results  of  my  own  experience  as  well  as  that  of  the 
majority  of  laborers  in  the  same  field : 

That  the  value  of  insect  powder  is  in  direct  pro})ortion  to  the 
combined  amount  of  essential  oil  and  soft  acid  resin,  and  in  inverse 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  chlorophyll,  both  statements  to  be  read 
together. 

Jt  has  not  been  my  good  fortune,  up  to  the  time  of  writing  this, 
to  have  met  with  one  sample  of  'foreign-ground"  insect  powder 
that  was  not  grossly  sophisticated. 

A  perfect  sample  of  insect  powder  should  pass  a  sieve  having  at 
least  eighty  meshes  to  the  linear  inch  ;  the  particles  would  be,  there- 
fore, approximately  -^^  of  an  inch  in  greatest  magnitude.  (The 
powder  has  been  passed  through  a  sieve  with  100  meshes  to  a  linear 
inch,  but  90  is  the  more  usual  number.j  The  powder  should  yield 
5-25  per  cent,  of  combined  essential  oil  and  soft  resin  ;  chlorophyll 
should  be  absent,  or  present  in  the  merest  trace. 

The  following  simple  method  of  testing  the  value  of  insect  powder 
should  be  adopted  by  all  chemists  who  wish  to  sell  a  genuine  pow- 
der, or,  to  put  the  matter  on  lower  grounds,  who  wish  to  increase 
their  sale  of  this  really  important  commercial  product.  Place  ICXD 
grains  of  the  powder  to  be  tested  in  the  cylinder  of  a  glass  syringe 
(l  oz.).  The  powder  should  be  pressed  down  compactly  on  to  a 
piece  of  absorbent  cotton,  to  act  as  a  filter.  Moisten  with  ether  7-35. 
Close  the  top  of  the  syringe,  and  macerate  for  thirty  minutes  ;  perco- 
lation may  then  proceed  ;  the  powder  being  repercolated  with  the 
same  fluid  four  times,  and  finally  washed  through  with  sufficient 
ether  to  make  up  one  fluid  ounce.  The  resulting  percolate  should 
be  of  a  rich  yellow  color ;  if  a  pronounced  green  color  be  the  result, 
the  sample  may  be  discarded  at  once. 

In  the  absence  of  much  green  coloring  matter,  the  fluid  may  be 
carefully  evaporated  (temperature  not  exceeding  200°  F.),  and  the 
residue  weighed  in  a  tared  watch-glass.  The  resulting  soft  mass 
should  not  weigh  less  than  3-75  grains,  and  in  the  finest  samples 
reaches  55  grains,  and  should  have  the  pleasant  and  characteristic 
odor  of  the  flowers.^    At  the  present  time  the  price  of  insect  powder 

*  Exactness  may  require  the  determiuation  of  the  chlorophyll.     If  an  appre- 
ciable amount  be  present,  this  may  be  ilone  by  l>oiling  the  residue  in  dilute  iul> 


366  Liquefaction  of  Fluorine.  {^"^-/u^y?!!'?""^' 

varies  between  S^.,  and  2s.  2d.  per  lb.,  the  highest  price  represent- 
ing the  value  of  English-ground  powder  from  closed  flowers  and  the 
lowest  powder  "  foreign-ground "  from  the  whole  plant.  This 
ground  whole  plant  appears  to  be  the  principal  sophistication, 
apart  from  the  coloring  matter,  found  in  commerce  at  the  present 
time. 

I  desire  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Charles  Umney 
for  very  fine  specimens  of  the  dry  flowers  of  C.  cinerariaefolium. 


THE   LIQUEFACTION    OF    FLUORINE.^ 
By  H.  Moissan  and  J.  Dewar. 

The  physical  properties  of  a  large  number  of  mineral  and  organic 
compounds  of  fluorine  indicated,  theoretically,  that  the  liquefaction 
of  fluorine  could  only  be  accomplished  at  a  very  low  temperature. 
Whilst  the  chlorides  of  boron  and  silicon  are  liquid  at  ordinary 
temperatures,  the  fluorides  are  gaseous,  and  very  far  from  their 
points  of  liquefaction.  This  is  also  true  with  the  organic  com- 
pounds; chloride  of  eth}  1  boils  at  -f  12°  C,  and  the  fluoride  of 
ethyl  at  32°.^  Chloride  of  propyl  boils  at  -f-  45°,  and  the  fluoride 
of  propyl  at  —  2°.^ 

Similar  observations  have  been  made  by  Paterno  and  Oliver!/ 
and  by  Vallach  and  Heusler.^ 

phuric  acid  and  volumetrically  determining  the  converted  chlorophyll  as  glu- 
cose with  a  suitable  copper  solution.  For  my  own  purposes  I  should  unhesi- 
tatingly reject  the  sample  rather  than  take  this  unnecessary  trouble,  unless  a 
fee  were  attached  to  the  operation. 

'  M.  Moissan  brought  all  his  apparatus  for  the  production  of  fluorine  to  the 
Royal  Institution  on  the  occasion  of  his  lecture  there  on  Friday,  the  28th  of 
May.  The  next  day  the  writer  had  the  good  fortune  to  witness  in  the  labora- 
tories of  the  Institution,  by  M.  Moissan  and  Professor  Dewar,  some  of  the 
experiments  which  resulted  in  the  liquefaction  of  fluorine.  These  experiments 
mainly  owed  their  success  to  the  unrivalled  appliances  for  the  production  of 
intense  cold  possessed  by  the  Institution,  and  the  skill  and  experience  of  Pro- 
fessor Dewar  and  his  assistants  in  preparing  a  special  apparatus  suitable  for  the 
examination  of,  and  experimenting  with,  fluid  fluorine,  and  in  the  manipula- 
tion of  large  quantities  of  liquid  air. — W,  C. 

■^H.  Maissan,  "  Propriet^s  et  Preparation  du  Fluorure  d'ethyle,"  ^«^/.  de 
Chim.  etde  Phys.,  Series  6,  Vol.  X[X,  p.  266. 

•' Meslans,  Comptes  Rendus,  Vol.  CVIII,  p.  352. 

*  Paterno  and  Oliveri,  "  Sur  les  trois  Acides  Fluobenzoiques  Isomeres,  et  sur 
les.\cides  Fluotoluidique  et  Fluoanisque,"  GazeiLa  ChUnica  Italiana,  Vol.  XII, 
p.  85,  and  Vol.  XIII,  p.  583. 

'Vallach  and  Ileusler,  Annales  de  Liebig,  Vol.  CCXLIII,  p.  219. 


^'"■j'uTy'iSj*'''"}  Uque faction  of  Fluorine.  367 

Gladstone's  experiments  on  ato-nic  refraction'"'  can  well  be  com- 
pared with  these  facts. 

In  fact  fluorine  by  certain  of  its  properties  resembles  oxyf^en, 
though  at  the  same  time  it  is  distinctly  at  the  head  of  the  chlorine 
group. 

The  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  these  observations  appears  to 
be  that  fluorine  can  only  be  liquefied  with  great  difficulty.  One  of 
us  showed  that  at  a  temperature  of  —  95",  at  the  ordinary  pressure, 
there  is  no  change  at  all." 

In  the  new  experiments  which  we  now  publish,  fluorine  was  pre- 
pared by  the  electrolysis  of  fluoride  of  potassium  in  solution  in 
anhydrous  hydrofluoric  acid.  The  fluorine  gas  was  freed  from  vapors 
of  hydrofluoric  acid,  by  being  passed  through  a  serpentine  of  plati- 
num, cooled  by  a  mixture  of  solid  carbonic  acid  and  alcohol. 
Two  platinum  tubes  filled  with  perfectly  dry  fluoride  of  sodium  com- 
pleted the  purification. 

The  apparatus  used  for  liquefying  this  gas  consisted  of  a  small 
cylinder  of  thin  glass,  to  the  upper  part  of  which  was  fused  a  plati- 
num tube.  This  latter  contained  in  its  axis  another  smaller  tube, 
likewise  of  platinum.  The  gas  to  be  liquefied  enters  by  the  annular 
space,  passes  through  the  glass  envelope,  and  escapes  through  the 
smaller  inner  tube.  This  apparatus  was  fused  to  the  tube  by  which 
the  fluorine  was  supplied. 

In  these  experiments  we  used  liquid  oxygen  as  the  refrigerant. 
It  was  prepared  according  to  the  method  already  described  by  one 
of  us,  and  this  research,  we  may  remark,  required  several  litres.* 

The  apparatus  being  cooled  down  to  the  temperature  of  quietly 
boiling  liquid  oxygen  (183^),  the  current  of  fluorine  gas  passed 
through  the  glass  envelope  without  becoming  li(juid.  Hut  at  this 
low  temperature  it  has  lost  its  chemical  activity,  and  no  l<>n'.:tfr 
attacks  the  glass. 

If  we  now  make  a  vacuum  over  the  oxygen,  we  see,  as  soon  as 
rapid  ebullition  takes  place,  a  liquid  collecting  in  the  glass  envelope, 


"J.  H.  Gladstone  and  G.  Gladstone,  "Rerraction  and  Dispersion  of  Fluoben- 
zine  and  .Mlied  Compounds,"  Phil.  Mag.,  Series  5.  Vol.  XXXI.  p.  i. 

\\.   Moissan,  "  Nouvelles  Recherches  siir  h*  Fluor."  An^t.  iff  Chim.  et  de 
Phys.,  Series  6,  Vol.  XXIV,  p.  224 

"J.   Dewar,   "New  Researches   on   Liquid   .\ir,  '   Royal   Inslilulion  ol  Ureal 
Britain,  1896,  and  Proc.  /Coy.  Inst.,  1S93. 


368  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      { ''"' ju'iyrisT '""' 

while  gas  no  longer  escapes  from  the  apparatus.  At  this  moment 
we  stop  with  the  finger  the  tube  by  which  the  gas  had  been  escap- 
ing, so  as  to  prevent  air  from  entering,  and  the  glass  bulb  soon 
becomes  full  of  a  clear  yellow  liquid,  possessed  of  great  mobility ; 
the  color  of  this  liquid  is  the  same  as  that  of  fluorine  gas  when 
examined  in  a  stratum  one  metre  thick.  According  to  this  experi- 
ment, fluorine  becomes  liquid  at — 185°. 

As  soon  as  this  little  apparatus  is  removed  from  the  liquid  oxy- 
gen the  temperature  rises,  and  the  yellow  liquid  begins  to  boil  with 
an  abundant  disengagement  of  gas,  having  all  the  energetic  reac- 
tions of  fluorine. 

We  took  advantage  of  these  experiments  to  study  some  of  the 
reactions  of  fluorine  on  bodies  kept  at  extremely  low  temperatures. 

Silicon,  boron,  carbon,  sulphur,  phosphorus,  and  reduced  iron 
cooled  in  liquid  oxygen  and  then  placed  in  an  atmosphere  of  fluor- 
ine, did  not  become  incandescent.  At  this  low  temperature  fluorine 
did  not  displace  iodine  from  iodides.  However,  its  chemical  energy 
is  still  sufficiently  great  to  decompose  benzine  and  essence  of  tur- 
pentine with  incandescence  as  soon  as  their  temperatures  rose  to 
— 180°.  It  would  thus  seem  that  the  powerful  affinity  of  fluorine  for 
hydrogen  is  the  last  to  disappear. 

There  is  still  another  experiment  we  ought  to  mention.  When 
we  pass  a  current  of  fluorine  gas  through  liquid  oxygen,  a  flocculent 
precipitate  of  a  white  color,  which  quickly  settles  to  the  bottom,  is 
rapidly  formed.  If  we  shake  up  this  mixture  and  throw  it  on  a  fil- 
ter, we  separate  the  precipitate,  which  possesses  the  curious  prop- 
erty of  deflagrating  with  violence  as  soon  as  the  temperature  rises. 

We  intend  to  follow  up  the  study  of  this  body,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  liquefaction  and  solidification  of  fluorine,  which  demand  further 
experiments. —  Comptes  Rendus,  Vol.  CXXIV,  No.  22,  p  1202, 
through  Chemical  News,  ]\i^Q.  11,  1897. 


RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

A  REACTION  FOR  DISTINGUISHING  «-NAPHTOL  FROM  /9-NAPHTOL. 

E.  Leger  {your,  de  Pharm.  et  de  Cliim.,  [6],  5,  527),  distinguishes 
/znaphtol  and  ^9-naphtol  by  adding  to  saturated  aqueous  solutions  of 
each  a  solution  of  sodium  hypobromite.  The  solutions  of  naphtol 
are  prepared  by  rubbing  the  respective  compounds  in  a  mortar  w/th 


"""iur/iS:^""}       Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  369 

water,  since  by  simply  shaking  in  a  test  tube  the  naphtol  frequently 
does  not  become  moistened.  The  solution  of  sodium  hypobromite 
is  made  by  adding  30  c.c.  of  soda  solution,  36°  B.  to  100  c.c.  of 
water,  and  adding  5  c.c.  of  bromine. 

To  make  the  test,  one  takes  of  either  naphtol  solution  10  c.c,  to 
which  are  added  two  drops  of  the  sodium  hypobromite  solution. 

(1)  With  the  ^/-naphtol  the  reagent  produces  a  violet  color  and 
precipitate.  This  reaction  is  so  delicate  that  if  the  solution  of  a- 
naphtol  is  diluted  with  nine  volumes  of  water  the  color  is  readily 
distinguished. 

(2)  The  solution  of  ^if-naphtol  is  turned  yellow  by  the  reagent, 
then  greenish  and  finally  back  to  yellow. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  test  is  only  applicable  in  a  mixture  of  the 
two  to  a  detection  of  ^t-naphtol.  That  fact,  however,  does  not  les- 
sen its  value  materially  in  this  country,  where  it  is  chiefly  desired 
to  prove  the  freedom  of  ^^-naphtol  from  the  a-variety. 

ASH    OF    PINEAPPLE. 

J.  J.  Bowrey  {^Bulletin  of  the  Botanical  Department,  Jamaica,  3, 
236),  gives  the  following  composition  of  the  ash  of  the  pineapple, 
and  draws  conclusions  concerning  its  cultivation: 

Per  Cent. 

Potash,  K,C)                       .    .  4942 

Potassium  chloride,  KCl  088 

Sodium   chloride,  NaCl  .  1701 

Magnesia,  MgO  8'So 

Lime,  CaO      .          1215 

Phosphoric  acid,  P/J  4  oS 

Sulphuric  acid,  H^SC),  .  trace 

Silica,  SiOj .;     : 

Ferric  phosphate  .  .    .    293 

9929 

Judging  from  this  analysis,  potash  is  the  most  important  mineral 
substance  which  the  pineapple  requires.  Of  course,  phosphoric 
acid  is  also  necessary,  and  so  are  lime,  magnesia  and  iron ;  but  it 
must  be  a  very  rare  soil  which  does  not  contain  iron  and  magnesia 
in  ample  quantity,  and  usually  there  is  enough  lime  also  present. 
It  is  difficult  to  make  suggestions  respecting  manuring  in  total  ig- 
norance of  the  nature  of  the  soil  to  be  manured.  But  certainly  no 
harm  can  be  done  and  probably  much  good  by  adding   {)hosr)horic 


Am.  Jour.  Pharru. 


3;o  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,      {"^"'•/u'ly^S' 

acid  and  potash  to  the  soil,  the  former  is  best  appHed  as  "  basic 
slag"  or  "Thomas  slag;"  5  to  10  cvvt.  per  acre  will  supply 
phosphoric  acid  for  three  to  four  years.  The  potash  can  be  obtained 
as  chloride  for  about  £Z  per  ton.  From  50  to  100  pounds  per 
acre  would  be  a  dressing  for  a  year.  The  pineapple  also  needs 
nitrogen  for  its  growth ,  this  might  be  supplied  as  nitrate  of  soda, 
at  ^10  per  ton,  giving  100  pounds  per  acre  when  the  plants  have 
started  to  grow  rapidly. 

COLLECTING   JUICE    OF   PAPAW. 

F.  B.  Kilmer,  in  Bulletin  of  the  Botanical  Department,  Jamaicay 
4,  68,  describes  the  method  to  be  followed  in  collecting  the  juice 
from  the  fruit  of  Carica  papaya  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica.  Cut 
an  incision  lengthwise  of  the  fruit,  not  over  ^  of  an  inch  in 
depth  ;  if  it  is  made  much  deeper  the  milk  is  apt  to  be  carried  into 
the  fruit  and  not  run  outside.  The  milk  will  run  quite  freely  for  a  short 
time,  but  soon  coagulates  so  that  it  will  no  longer  run.  To  catch 
the  milk  that  drops  and  flows  I  place  under  the  tree  tin  pans  made 
in  such  a  way  as  surround  the  trunk  of  the  tree  and  catch  the  drip- 
ping milk. 

I  found  it  well  to  tap  the  fruit  early  in  the  morning,  before  the 
sun  was  very  high,  as  it  quickly  dried  the  milk  and  stopped  the 
flow.  After  the  flow  had  ceased  it  was  found  to  be  a  good  practice 
to  brush  off  all  the  coagulated  milk  into  the  pans  and  make  a  fresh 
incision,  when  another,  but  smaller,  yield  was  obtained.  The  scor- 
ings should  be  made  about  ^  inch  apart  all  around  the  fruit.  The 
time  to  tap  the  fruit  is  before  it  is  ripe,  and  when  it  is  green 
and  full.  The  yield  is  much  larger  just  after  a  rain  storm  or  a  spell 
of  wet  weather.  Still,  you  can  tap  a  green  fruit  at  any  time  and 
obtain  more  or  less  of  the  white  milk.  This  milk  must  be  dried 
the  same  day  that  it  comes  from  the  tree,  and  must  be  dried  in  the 
sun.  Artificial  heat  will  not  do.  It  can  be  dried  right  away  on 
the  tin  pans,  spread  out  thin,  or  spread  out  on  sheets  of  glass.  It 
will  dry  in  an  hour  or  so  in  the  sun.  Any  amount  of  exposure  to 
the  sun  will  not  harm  it  in  drying,  but  artificial  heat  destroys  it.  If 
it  should  so  happen  in  gathering  that,  owing  to  stormy  weather,  it 
cannot  be  dried  in  the  sun  the  day  it  is  gathered,  you  can  mix  it 
with  some  naphtha  or  benzine,  turning  it  into  a  sort  of  milk. 


^"•/u'iy?iSr°''}      Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  371 

CUTCH    EXTRACTION. 

When  commercial  cutch  enters  the  domain  of  pharmacy  it  be- 
comes catechu  ;  but  whether  cutch  or  catechu,  it  is  a  substance  of 
rather  uncertain  origin  and  of  very  variable  composition.  The  fol- 
lowing, from  the  Indian  Pliarmacologist,  -♦  7,  January  i,  1897,  indi- 
cates that  there  is  still  much  to  be  learned  about  this  substance- 
"  One  of  the  most  recent  issues  of  the  Agricultural  Ledger  series 
contains  a  brief  account  of  the  examination  of  a  sample  of  Burma 
cutch  received  by  a  Glasgow  firm  through  Dr.  Watt.  It  is  interest- 
ing if  only  for  the  fact  that  it  brings  out  strongly  the  divergence 
that  sometimes  exists  between  chemical  analysis  and  commercial 
opinion.  Dr.  Watt  suggested  that  cutch  should  be  manufactured  in 
India  by  the  superior  European  method  of  extracting  dyes  from 
timber.  Twenty  tons  of  the  Acacia  Catechu  timber  were  procured 
here  and  shipped  to  Glasgow.  Dr.  Watt  saw  the  timber  before  it 
was  shipped  and  considered  it  to  be  of  average  quality.  The  tim- 
ber was  treated  by  the  vacuum  process,  and  the  resulting  product 
was  described  by  Dr.  Watt  as  a  cutch  of  great  purity  and  very  good 
appearance.  A  chemical  analysis  by  Dr.  Leather  showed  that  the 
cutch  thus  produced  contained  6  58  per  cent,  of  crude  catechin  and 
78-20  per  cent,  of  catechu  tannin.  At  the  same  time  a  sample  was 
submitted  to  the  Calcutta  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  professional 
opinion,  and  this  was  completely  opposed  to  the  conclusion  of  the 
chemist.  Commercial  opinion  described  it  as  '  very  inferior  to  that 
imported  from  Rangoon.'  The  sample  was  described  as  overboiled, 
and  would  fetch  only  Rs.  3  a  maund  as  against  Rs.  8  for  the  best 
brands  of  Burma  cutch.  Clearly  the  commercial  expert  who  re- 
ported on  the  sample  made  a  mistake  in  his  identification  of  it.  lor 
he  reported  that  it  was  shipped  to  the  Calcutta  market  in  2-ounce 
tins  for  mixing  with  paints,  'and  in  this  form  it  has  a  special  value* 
but  for  medicinal  purposes,  or  for  bazaar  use,  that  is,  for  mixing  with 
pan,  it  has  no  .sale.' 

"  Dr.  Watt,  in  a  brief  note  on  this  curious  divergence  of  opinion, 
says  that  the  only  explanation  is  that  trade  opinions  arc  based 
mainly  upon  external  appearances.  The  sample  is  unlike  the  ordi- 
nary article  met  with  in  the  market,  and  probably  bears  some  resem- 
blance to  an  inferior  grade  known  to  dealers.  •  As  a  general  rule, 
the  commercial  expert  is  lost  if  carried  out  of  the  field  of  compara- 
tive valuations.     Me  knows  little   or   nothing   of  chemistry.'     That 


3/2 


Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {^"'•/u°y:-i?9*^^'"'- 

is  true,  of  course,  but  the  trade  opinion  shows  that  cutch  prepared 
by  the  vacuum  process,  though  pronounced  by  chemical  examina- 
tion to  be  of  great  purity  and  good  appearance,  will  not,  for  the 
present  at  least,  secure  anything  like  a  good  price  in  the  market." 

THE  ALKALOIDS  OF  VERATRUM. 

George  B,  Frankforter,  in  Minnesota  Botannical  Studies,  Bulletin 
No.  9,  May  31,  1897,  gives  ^"^  elaborate  review  of  the  veratrums,  but 
especially  mentions  V.  viride,  which  is  the  only  one  occurring  in 
Minnesota.  Its  general  range  in  North  America,  under  the  popular 
name  of  Hellebore,  is  a  broad  one. 

The  substance  commonly  known  in  pharmacy  as  veratrine,  varies 
widely  in  its  composition,  chemical,  physical  and  physiological  prop- 
erties.  The  introduction  of  the  so-called  "■  Merck  veratrine  "  has 
changed  matters  somewhat,  although  samples  of  the  Merck  alkaloid 
have  been  found  to  vary  considerably  in  their  general  properties. 
One  of  the  chief  causes  of  this  exceptional  variation  is  the  extreme 
difficulty  with  which  the  alkaloid  crystallizes,  thus  almost  excluding 
the  most  important  means  oi  purification.  Another,  and  perhaps 
the  most  important  reason  for  this  wide  variation,  lies  in  the  fact 
that  almost  every  one  of  the  early  investigators  of  the  *'  veratria  " 
has  given  the  name  to  a  different  alkaloid,  or  to  a  mixture  of 
alkaloids. 

The  foregoing  introduction  is  followed  by  a  concise  history,  be- 
ginning in  1 8 19  with  the  work  of  Pelletier  and  Caventou  on  Vera- 
trum  sabadilla  and  following  it  step  by-  step  down  to  Salzberger, 
who  in  1890  made  an  exhaustive  examination   of  Veratrum  album. 

Then  follows  the  •*  experimental  part "  in  which  the  author  oper- 
ated on  a  sample  of  crystallized  veratrine  which  was  of  a  light  gray 
color,  and  appeared,  when  highly  magnified,  in  imperfect  granular 
crystals.  It  was  slightly  soluble  in  water,  very  soluble  in  methyl, 
ethyl  and  amyl  alcohols,  and  in  ether,  acetone,  chloroform  and  car- 
bon disulphide.  Its  melting  point  after  repurifying  was  146  to 
148°  C,  and  its  identity  with  that  described  by  Merck  and  Ahrens 
was  established  by  elementary  analysis,  as  well  as  by  the  melting 
point  of  the  gold  double  salt.  The  formula  was  made  out  to  be  C30 
H,„NO,H,0. 


Am.  Jour.  Phaim.  1  ZT  /,/-.*..-.  /  ^  « -. 

July,  1897.      ;  hititorial.  ^  373 

The  following  iodine  compounds  were  prepared  and  studied  : 

Veratrine  tetraiodide,    C3..H^.,NO.,l4.  jH-^O 
triiodide,        C3,H,.>'OJ, 
"  monoiodide,  C3._.H,,,X0yI 

Other  compounds  were  prepared  and  investigated  as  follows: 

Chloralhydroveratride,  C  CI,  CH  (OC,,H,.,NO0,, 
Veratrine  methyliodide,  C;,,H«,,NOyCHJ. 

uiethylhydroxide,  C;,H,,XO,CH,,OH. 

methylhydroxyhydrochloride.  C3,,H,.,N0.,CH  .OH.  HCl. 

eth}lbroraide,  C,,H,,,NO,C,H.Br. 

allyliodide,  C,.,H,.jNO<,C,H5l. 

The  author  concludes  with  the  statement  that  the  structural  for- 
mula of  veratrine  is  still  a  mystery.  From  the  odor  of  picoline  by  a 
destructive  distillation,  and  the  isolation  of  ^^  Picoline  by  Ahrens,  it 
is  evident  that  veratine  is  a  pyridine  derivative,  resembling  in  many 
respects  nicotine.  Whether  both  cevadicand  tiglic  acids  are  present, 
remains  for  future  experiments  to  determine.  The  work  of  Schmidt 
and  Koppen  indicates  the  presence  of  both  acids,  while  the  careful 
researches  of  Wright  and  Luff  would  indicate  that  these  isomeric 
acids  are  converted  into  each  other  by  special  reagents.  Assuming 
that  but  one  acid  is  present,  the  following  formula  may  be  assigned 
to  veratrine : 

fOCHj 

!  OOCCH  (CH3)  CH3 

[nh,c, 

Experiments  at  present  are  being  conducted  along  this  line,  with 
the  hope  of  throwing  more  light  on  the  structure  of  this  important 
compound. 


EDITORIAL. 

THE   AMKRICAN    MKDICAI.    ASSOCIATION. 

The  Jubilee  Mcetinj<  of  this  Association,  held  in  Thiladelphia,  June  1104. 
inclusive,  was  a  notable  one  in  many  rcj-pects.  Not  only  whstlic  atln  dMicc 
of  2,500  members  unusual,  but  the  deluj^e  of  paptrrs  j)res<rntcd  in  the  various 
sections  attested  the  industry  of  the  members  during  the  past  year.  The  founder 
of  the  .\ssociation.  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,  of  Chicago,  and  one  of  the  first  secretaries. 
Dr.  .Alfred  Slille.  of  Philadelphia,  were  both  pretenl  at  the  meeting.  The 
former  delivered  an    address  entitled  :    "  \  Brief  Ilihtory  of  the  Origin  of  the 


374  Editorial.  {*'"jX';-,?£''""- 

Americau  Medical  Association."  This  address  is  uot  011I3'  very  interesting,  but 
it  is  a  document  of  considerable  historical  value,  for  Dr.  Davis  is  almost  the 
onlv  one  who  can  speak  with  authority  on  this  subject.  He  first  briefly  out- 
lined the  earl}'  history  of  the  country,  and  called  attention  to  the  fact  that, 
springing  as  it  did  from  a  few  States,  which  had  achieved  independence,  the 
Government  was  confronted  with  many  difficult  problems,  the  one  of  educa- 
tion by  no  means  being  the  least;  but  it  w^as  decided  to  leave  that  important 
subject  to  the  regulation  of  individual  States. 

Our  educational  historj'  as  an  independent  people  commenced  thus,  during  the  last  half 
of  the  last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century,  in  a  new  and  sparsely  populated  country, 
extending  from  Maine  to  Florida,  with  only  four  medical  schools  organized,  all  as  depart- 
ments of  literary  colleges  or  universities,  and  all  attracting  annualh'  attendance  of  less  than 
300  students,  of  whom  not  more  than  fifteen  annualh'  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine, and  no  two  of  them  controlled  hy  the  laws  of  the  same  State.  And  it  must  be  noted, 
also,  that  a  very  large  majority'  of  those  who  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  at  that 
time  gained  their  education  in  the  office  of  some  established  practitioner,  and  were  licensed 
b\-  the  censors  of  medical  societies,  the  judges  of  courts,  or  even  by  the  certificates  of  their 
preceptor,  without  ever  having  spent  a  da3'^  in  a  medical  college. 

After  thus  outlining  the  early  history,  the  speaker  came  to  the  years  1846-47, 
when  the  Association  was  organized,  when  it  was  found  that  colleges  had  mul- 
tiplied until  thirty  were  in  existence,  with  an  annual  attendance  of  3,500  stu- 
dents, of  whom  uot  less  than  i,ogo  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
This  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  colleges  necessarily  led  to  the  most  active 
rivalry. 

So  potential  was  the  question  :  "  In  which  school  can  I  obtain  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine for  the  least  expenditure  of  time  and  monej'?'  on  the  several  medical  schools,  that, 
although  the  three  medical  schools originalh' organized  in  Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Boston 
had  been  founded  on  the  same  basis  or  curriculum  as  the  University  of  Rdinburgh,  requiring 
a  good  academic  education  as  a  preliminary  for  entering  the  medical  course,  then  from  three 
to  five  years  of  medical  study,  with  annual  college  terms  of  not  less  than  six  months,  long 
before  the  number  of  our  medical  schools  had  reached  thirty,  all  preliminary' requirements 
had  been  abandoned,  the  term  of  medical  study  limited  to  a  nominal  three  j-ears,  and  the 
medical  college  instruction  to  two  annual  repetitional  courses  of  from  twelve  to  sixteen  weeks 
each.  Under  this  inadequate  and  unsystematic  medical  education  it  really  cost  less  in  time 
and  money  to  obtain  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  than  it  had  previousl}'  cost  to  serve 
an  apprenticeship  in  the  office  of  a  respectable  practitioner,  and  obtain  a  license  from  the 
censors  of  a  local  medical  society. 

Such  a  deplorable  condition  naturally  led  to  a  desire  on  the  part  of  many  for 
reform,  which,  it  was  said,  could  only  be  effected  by  organization.  As  early  as 
1835  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  College  of  Georgia  urged,  through  the  medical 
press  and  by  correspondence,  the  holding  of  a  National  Convention.  This  and 
several  other  attempts  failed,  until,  in  1846,  Dr.  Davis  and  a  few  associates 
effected  organization  in  New  York,  and  arranged  for  meeting  in  Philadelphia 
in  May,  1847. 

The  speaker  then  detailed  the  business  of  the  first  meeting,  named  the 
officers  of  that  meeting,  and  concluded  as  follows  : 

Such  is  a  brief  history  of  the  origin,  objects  and  organization  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  which,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  two  years  of  the  great  war  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union  of  these  States,  has  held  its  regular  annual  meetings  in  all  the  important 
parts  of  our  widely-extending  country,  still  adhering  tenaci  nisly  to  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples on  which  it  was  founded.  And  I  am  most  happy  to  add  that  every  leading  object  sought 
to  be  acconii)lishe(l  by  its  founders  has  been  substantially  obtained  ;  that  is,  universal,  free 
and  friendly,  social  and  professional  intercourse  has  been  established  ;  the  advancement  of 


July.  1897.         /  I\et'lCu.'S. 


375 


medical  science  and  literature  in  all  their  relations  has  l)een  promoted,  and  the  long  agitated 
subject  of  medical  education  has  reached  the  solid  basis  of  a  fair  academic  education  as  a 
preparatory,  four  years  of  medical  study,  attendance  on  four  annual  courses  of  gnided  medi- 
cal college  instruction  of  from  six  to  nine  months  each,  and  licenses  to  practice  to  be  granted 
only  by  State  Boards  of  Medical  Examiners. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

The  Standard  Manlal  of  Soda  and  Othkr  Reverages.  By  A.  I^mil 
Hiss,  Ph.G.     G.  P.  Kngelhard  &  Co.,  Chicago.     1897. 

Quite  recciitl}' we  reviewed  iti  this  Journal.  The  Statidard  Formulary,  m 
which  the  atJthor  of  the  present  work  was  associated  in  joint  authorship  with 
iMr.  A.  E.  Ebeil.  The  Standard  Manual  is,  therefore,  a  fitting  companion  to  its 
predecessor. 

Chapter  I  is  devoted  to  historical  considerations,  and  is  a  compact  statement 
of  the  growth  of  the  enormous  industry  in  which  *'  soda  water"  is  the  founda- 
tion. 

The  second  chapter  is  made  up  of  such  general  directions  as  making  carbon- 
ated water,  discharging  thegenerator,  aii<l  all  theother  manipulations  connected 
with  making  and  dispensing  beverages.  The  remainder  of  the  book,  amounting 
to  nine-tenths,  is  devoted  to  formulas,  in  which  nearly  every  conceivable,  and 
some  inconceivable,  "  soda  water  "  beverages  receive  attention.  "  In  the  soda 
water  drinks,  all  spirituous  preparations  have  been  omitted,  except  in  certain 
well-known  standard  articles,  and  in  the  formulas  received  '"rem  special 
cotitributors.'' 

Flowers  of  Field,  Hill  and  Swami*.  By  Caroline  A.  Creevy,  author  of 
Recreations  in  Botany.  The  foregoitig  is  the  title  of  a  book  recently  published 
by  Harper  ^i  Brothers,  New  York. 

It  is  a  botanir-al  work,  intended  to  instruct  persons  who  have  no  technical 
knowledge  of  botany  in  the  art  of  classifying  and  naming  many  of  our  common 
Maslern  flowering  plants. 

Such  works,  when  properly  presented,  are  of  great  benefit.  Tliey  appeal  to 
])er»ons  who  are  interested  in  flowers,  but  who  are  deterred  fiom  taking  up  the 
study  of  botany  on  account  of  the  dreaded  "technical  names"  which  in  such 
cases  are  administered  in  a  palatable  form. 

It  is  a  matter  of  great  regret  that  a  book  indicating  such  a  large  amount  of 
j)ainstaking  work  on  the  part  of  the  author,  and  re])resenting  sucli  a  hi^  h 
degree  of  typographical  skill,  should  be  matred  by  so  many  inaccuracies  in  the 
illustrations  which  accompany  the  descriptions  of  many  of  the  plants 

Written  descriptions  are  often  ambiguous  because  of  their  great  latitude  ;  but 
in  illustrating  a  p'ant  it  shoul  1  be  remeinbeied  that  the  i>ersons  recci   ■ 
instruction  are  apt  to  look   upon  a  cut  as  an   abM>lute  likeness  of  the  \\ 
whereas,  in  many  cases,  a  do/en  illustrationH  would  l)e  necessary  lo  f^ive  an  idea 
of  the  variety  of  forms  assumed  by  a  single  species  under  •  ' 

In  the  present  work  some  of  the  cuts  are  not  of  typual  : 
mal  species,  l)eing  probably  taken  from  a  single  herbarium  s|)ec  men  in  nunv 
instances.     The  illustrations  of  spearmint,  on  page  u^.  and  bti- 
71,  might  l)e  transjmsed  to  a<1vantage,  as  neither  i>>  .orn.t 
change  would  l)e  an  improvement  tipou  accuracy. 


,  Z?^^,-^,-  r  Am.  Jour.  Pharni. 

376  AevteiK'S.  {      juiy.isg?. 

The  frontispiece  shows  Hepatica  triloba,  or  liverleaf,  in  a  most  luxuriant 
state,  with  numerous  flowers  and  fully-developed  leaves  at  the  same  time  ;  the 
early  spring  leaf-buds,  which  invariably  accompany  the  typical  specimen,  being 
entirely  absent,  while  the  previous  year's  leaves,  which  in  nature  are  usually 
flat  on  the  earth  and  covered  up,  are  erect  and  flourishing  in  appearance. 

Oxalis  corniculata,  var.  stricta,  yellow- wood  sorrel,  as  seen  on  page  182,  is  a 
midsummer  form  of  the  plant,  very  diff"erent  from  that  commonly  observed 
and  almost  unrecognizable, 

Lysimachia  quadrifolia,  four-leaved  loosestrife,  page  337,  is  another  illus- 
tration very  misleading  in  its  character.  Instances  multiply  rapidly,  but  the 
following  are  all  liable  to  similar  criticism  :  Hypericum  perforatum,  St.  Johns- 
wort,  page  237  ;  Campanula  rotundifolia,  harebell,  page  291  ;  Apocynum 
androsoemifolium,  dogsbane,  page  5  21,  and  Linaria  canadensis, blue  toad-flax, 
page  421. 

The  work  contains  descriptions  of  a  very  large  number  of  plants,  the  arrange- 
ment being  upon  a  novel  basis,  and  one  of  doubtful  advantage,  i.  e.^  the  charac- 
ter of  the  habitat,  such  as  "banks  of  streams,  in  swamps,  in  w^ater,  in  low 
meadows,  along  waysides  and  in  dry  fields,  escaped  from  gardens,  weeds,  open 
dry  woods,  deep  cool  woods,  etc." 

In  nature  no  boundaries  exist  that  will  allow  of  certain  classification  of 
plants  in  general  in  this  manner,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the  person  who 
attempts  to  classify  plants  by  this  book  will  not  care  to  go  further  into  the 
science.  Charles  H.  LaWai.1.. 

Notes  on  the  Plants  Used  by  the  Ki.\math  Indians  of  Oregon.  By 
Frederick  V.  Coville.  Contributions  from  the  U.  S.  National  Herbarium,  Vol. 
5,  No.  2.     Issued  June  9,  1897. 

While  engaged  in  a  botanical  survey  of  the  plains  of  southeastern  Oregon, 
in  the  summer  of  1896,  the  author  spent  three  days,  August  21st  to  23d,  at  Fort 
Klamath  and  the  Klamath  Indian  Agency,  where  he  was  ena  )led  to  secure 
information  as  to  the  principal  plants  used  by  the  Klamath  Indians.  Most  of 
the  information  was  obtained  from  Joe  Kirk,  an  educated  Klamath  Indian,  and 
from  White  Cindy,  a  Klamath  medicine  woman.  The  Government  agents  living 
at  the  fort  also  furnished  much  information.  A  large  number  of  plants,  covering 
nearly  the  whole  range  of  natural  orders  are  given.  Two  lichens  are  repre- 
sented ;  one,  Alectoria  fremontii,  as  a  famine  food;  and  the  other,  Evernia  vul- 
pina,  on  account  of  its  yellow  dye.  Equisetum  hyemale  is  used  to  smooth  arrow 
shafts  just  as  a  carpenter  uses  sand-paper.  A  number  of  the  Pinaceae  are  used 
for  various  purposes.  The  seeds  of  Pinus  Lambertiana  are  used  as  food,  but  no 
mention  is  made  of  the  sugar,  which  is  used  as  food  or  medicine  by  the  California 
Indians.  Some  of  the  pines  are  used  as  twirling  sticks,  to  produce  fire  by 
friction,  although  the  sage  brush,-  Artemisia  tridentata,  is  said  to  be  better  for 
this  purpose.  These  illustrations  will  serve  to  give  an  idea  of  the  scope  of 
this  work,  which,  however,  is  only  a  pamphlet  of  32  pages.  Nevertheless, 
it  is  full  of  valuable  information. 

Minnesota  Botanical  Studies.  Bulletin  No.  9,  Parts  X  and  XI.  Geo. 
logical  and  Natural  History  Survey  of  Minnesota.  Conway  MacMillan,  State 
Botanist. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. )  P/^,i\  <-  ,e  -tTT 

This  large  bulletin  of  342  pages  and  42  plates  is  full  of  interesting  matter 
relating  to  botany. 

The  following  are  the  contents  : 

"Contributions  to  a  Knowledge  of  the  Lichens  of  Minnesota."  II.  "Lichens 
of  Minneapolis  and  Vicinity."     By  Bruce  Fink. 

"A  Rearrangement  of  the  North  American  Hypomycetes."  By  Roscoe 
Pound  and  Frederic  E-  Clements, 

"On  Some  Mosses  at  High  Altitudes."     By  J.  M,  Ilolzinger. 

"The  Forces  Determining  the  Position  of  Dorsiventral  Leaves."  By  R.  X. 
Day. 

"On  the  Genus  Coscinodon  in  Minnesota."     By  J.  M.  Holzinger. 

"  Observations  on  the  Ferns  and  Flowering  Plants  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands." 
By  A.  A.  Heller. 

"  The  Phenomena  of  Symbiosis."     By  Albert  Schneider. 

"  Observations  on  the  Distribution  of  Plants  Along  the  Shore  at  Lake  of  the 
Woods."     By  Conway  MacMillan. 

"  The  Alkaloids  of  Veratrum."     By  George  B.  Frankforter. 

The  last  article  is  given  in  abstract  on  page  372  of  this  Journal. 

A  Series  OF  Papers  on  the  Origin  and  Chemical  Composition  of 
Petroleum.  Read  before  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  February  5, 
1S97. 

This  interesting  series  has  been  reprinted  from  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Society,  and  bound  together,  so  as  to  make  a  comj)act  pamphlet  for  reference. 

The  following  are  the  subjects  and  authors  : 

"  The  Genesis  and  Chemical  Relations  of  Petroleum  and  Natural  Gas."  By 
Samuel  P.  Sadtler,  Ph.D. 

"  On  the  Nature  and  Origin  of  Petroleum."     By  S.  F.  Peckham. 

"A  Suggestion  as  to  the  Origin  of  Pennsylvania  Petroleum."  By  David  T. 
Day. 

"On  the  Genesis  of  Natural  Gas   and  Petroleum."     By  Francis  C.  Phillips. 

"  On  the  Occurrence  of  Petroleum  in  the  Cavities  of  Fossils."  Hy  Fr.uiris  C. 
Phillips. 

"  On  the   Composition  of  American    Petroleum."     By  Charles    F.    Mabcry. 

The  discussion  which  followed  the  reading  of  these  papers  is  also  included  in 
the  pamphlet. 

A  Review  ok  Recent  Synthktic  \V»ikK  in  thk  Class  of  Cardohv- 
dratES.     By  Helen  Abbott  Michael. 

This  is  a  lecture  delivered  before  the  Franklin  Institute,  and  reprinted  from 
the  Institute's y<>«;;/j/.  It  is  a  valuable  summary  of  the  present  knowledge  of 
the  sugar  group. 

Si'R  LK  Dosage  dk  la  Cafeine.     Thesis  presented  to  the  A'rn/^  Supt-rieun- 
de  Phatvtacie  de  Paris.     By  Eugene  Tassilly.     The  author  haa  examined  acme 
of  the  methods  already  proposed, and  offered  one  which  he  thinks  po«w< 
advantages  of  all  the  earlier  processes,  ami,  at  the  same  time,  avoids  t;  _ 
advantages.     A  summary  of  the  literature  on  the   subject  is  given  from  187a  to 
the  present. 

QUKLyLRS  OXYDKS   DoUHLES   CrI.STALLISES  OBTKNUS  A  HaUTK  TKMPERA- 


37S  Pkarm.iceutkal  Association.  {^^jaiy.'is??^''"- 

TURK.     Thesis  presented  to  t\iQ:  Ecole  Supcrieure  de  Pharmacie  de  Paris .     By 
M.  Dufau  (Louis-Emile-Ren6). 

Bur<LETiN.  Vol.  II,  No.  7.  Imperial  University,  Cotlege  of  Agricutture, 
Tokyo, Japan. 

This  number,  like  its  predecessors,  is  full  of  valuable  matter  relating  chiefly 
to  physiological  botany.  The  first  article  is  a  continuation  by  Dr.  Loew,  of  the 
stud}'  of  living  protoplasm.  We  have  also  received  one  of  the  articles,  as  a  sepa- 
rate, "On  the  Formation  of  Asparagiue  in  Plants  under  Different  Conditions." 
By  U.  Suzuki.  Bulletin,  Vol.  Ill,  No.  i,  has  also  been  received.  Its  113  pages 
are  devoted  entirely  to  an  exhaustive  consideration  by  Professor  Dr.  Dire  Kitao, 
to  the  one  subject  — "Ueber  die  Wasserbewegung  in  Boden." 

Papain  ;  the  vegetable  pepsin,  its  origin,  properties,  and  uses.  Lehn  & 
Fink,  New  York. 

Antitoxins,  The  G.  F.  Harvey  Company.  An  illustrated  pamphlet, 
giving  much  historical  matter  and  considerable  clinical  data  on  the  use  of  this 
important  remedy. 

The  Action  of  Taka-Diastase  in  Various  Gastric  Disorders.  By 
Julius  Friedenwald,  A.B.,  M.D.  Reprinted  from  the  New  York  Medical 
Journal,  for  May  29,  1897. 

Report  of  Proceedings  of  the  Ili^inois  Pharmaceuticai,  Association. 
Seventeenth  Annual  Meeting,  1896. 


PENNSYLVANIA  PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  twentieth  annual  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Associa- 
tion convened  in  the  parlor  of  the  Kittatinny  House,  Delaware  Water  Gap, 
Pennsylvania,  on  Tuesday,  June  22,  1897. 

The  first  session  was  called  to  order  by  President  Joseph  P.  Remington,  at 
4.48  P.M.  About  seventy-five  persons  were  present.  The  Secretary  was  asked 
to  read  a  letter  of  welcome,  which  had  been  received  from  the  chief  burgess  of 
the  borough  of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap,  Mr.  E.  R.  Johnson.  The  President 
asked  Mr.  M.  N.  Kline  to  reply  to  this  courtesy.  The  routine  of  business  was 
then  begun  by  the  Secretary  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  credentials  of 
delegates  from  the  following  bodies:  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy, 
National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Association,  New  Jersey  Pharmaceutical  Associa- 
tion, Maryland  Pharmaceutical  Association  and  the  Proprietors'  Association. 
The  President  then  delivered  his  address.  It  was  referred  to  a  committee  for 
consideration. 

The  reports  of  the  Committee  on  Entertainment  and  of  the  Secretary  were 
then  presented  ;  they  were  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication.  The 
report  of  the  Treasurer  showed  a  comfortable  balance,  and  that  the  association 
had  at  the  time  of  the  report  312  members  in  good  standing.  It  was  referred 
to  an  auditing  committee  appointed  by  the  chair.  The  report  of  the  Executive 
Committee  stated  that  the  project  of  holding  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania 
and  Maryland  Pharmaceutical  Associations  had  met  with  favor.  The  chair- 
man of  this  committee  reported  two  applications  for  membership  which  had 


^'^'juiV.'i^""''}  Pharmaceutical  Association.  379 

been  made  since  the  last  meeting,  also  seven  deaths  among  members.  The 
report  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication.  The  President  then 
appointed  committees  on  nominations  and  place  of  next  meeting.  It  ua>  then 
voted  to  adjourn  until  9.30  the  following  morning. 

The  second  session,  which  met  on  Wednesday  morning,  was  mainly  occupied 
by  the  reading  of  reports  of  committees  and  of  delegates  to  pharmaceutical  and 
medical  associations.  The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 
President,  J.  H.  Redsecker  ;  Vice-Presidents,  J.  H.  Knouse  and  W.  L.  Cliffc  ; 
Treasurer,  J.  L.  Lemberger  ;  Secretary,  J.  A.  Miller  ;  Executive  Committe.  G. 
W.  Roland,  C.  L.  Hay  nnd  W.  F.  Horn.  The  Committee  on  Adulteration 
reported  that  they  had  been  successful  in  securing  a  new  law  against  this  prac- 
tice. Under  the  old  law  it  was  difficult  to  conduct  prosecutions,  owing  to  the 
wording  of  the  Act ;  in  the  new  law  this  was  thought  to  have  been  overcome. 
The  committee  reported  that  comparatively  few  adulterations  had  presenteil 
themselves  during  the  past  year.  Attention  was  directed  to  the  fact  that  if 
pharmacists  insist  upon  jobbers  supplying  goods  which  meet  the  standards  of 
the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  and  the  National  I-ormulary,  without  regard 
to  brands,  they  will  get  them,  and  without  additional  cost.  President  Reming- 
ton advised  the  Association,  when  it  undertook  a  prosecution,  to  select  some 
article  upon  which  it  would  undoubtedly  win  the  case,  and  not  one  upon  which 
the  Association  might  be  liable  to  defeat  by  the  lawyers  proving  that  the 
impurity  or  adulteration  was  as  good  for  the  purpose  as  the  article  said  to  be 
adulterated.  He  cited  the  contamination  of  carbolic  acid  with  cresylic  acid  as 
an  illustration  of  an  impurity  which  was  of  ecjual  or  greater  value  as  a  disin- 
fectant than  the  substance  with  which  it  was  mixed. 

The  next  report  was  that  of  the  Committee  on  Botany.  It  was  chiefly  con- 
fined to  an  enumeration  of  plants  and  trees  of  that  part  of  Pennsylvania  east 
of  the  Susquehanna  River.  The  committee  suggested  the  adoption,  as  far  as 
possible,  of  the  proper  scientific  names  for  plants,  as  their  meanings  are  usually 
sufficiently  specific  to  distinguish  one  plant  from  its  congeners.  The  report 
directed  the  attention  of  pharmacists  to  the  deforestration  of  our  immense  nat- 
ural woodlands  and  the  changes  in  meteorological  and  climatic  conditions 
which  follow  the  destruction  of  forests.  It  suggested  that  an  effort  be  ma<le  to 
mitigate  the  evil  by  enacting  and  enforcing  suitable  laws. 

The  principle  issue  of  the  report  of  the  committee  to  attend  the  National 
Wholesale  Druggists'  Association,  was  a  ({uestion  as  to  the  legitamacy  of  phar- 
macists buying  phenacctiHi  through  oiher  channels  than  the  authorized  agents, 
who  charge  much  more  for  what  is  represented  to  be  the  same  article  and  sold  for 
less  by  the  unauthorized  dealers.  This  feature  of  the  report  elicited  considerable 
discussion,  and  it  was  made  apparent  that  the  Association  objected  to  the  pro- 
tection which  the  present  copyright  laws  give  to  manufacturers  who  try  to  sell 
a  well-defined  and  well-known  chemical  under  a  fancy  name.  To  overcome 
this  state  of  affairs,  V.  W.  E.  Stedem  moved  that  ':  "  -ocialion  se. 
co-operation  of  the  .\merican    Pharmaceutical   Ass'  1  an«l  the  A: 

Medical  Association  in  an  effort  to  have  the  copyright  laws  of  the  United  States 
on  tlefinite  chemical  compounds  revise<l.       It  was  stated  that  the  Pennsylv 
State  Mrd'cal  Society  has  pledged  itself  to  co-operate  with  the   Viti.t  .  ,ti  M.  .. 
cal  Association  for  the  repeal  of  such  copyright  laws. 

The  committee  on  time  and  place  of  meeting,  announce<l  thitt  ihr  next  annual 


38o  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {^"'•ju'iy'i?^^''"' 

meeting  will  be  held  at  Buena  Vista  Hotel,  Franklin    County,  Pa.     The  time 
will  be  reported  later,  as  it  will  be  a  joint  meeting  with  the  Maryland  Pharma- 
ceutical Association,  which  will  convene  in  its  own  State,  just  across  the  Mason 
and  Dixon  line.     F.  B.  Flemmings,  of  Shippensburg,  was  appointed  local  sec- 
retary.    The  delegates  to  the  State  Medical  Society  reported  that  samples  of 
about  2,000  preparations  had  been  exhibited  before  the  meeting  of  this  body  in 
Pittsburgh.    It  was  evident  that  this  committee,  of  which  Prof.  Louis  Emanuel 
was  chairman,  had  done  a  great  work  toward   attracting  the  attention  of  the 
members  of  the  foregoing  society  to  the  preparations  of  the  United  States  Phar- 
macopceia  and  the  National  Formulary.     Prof.  Emanuel  proposed  that  a  com- 
mittee be  appointed  to  consider  the  feasibility  of  establishing  a  literary  bureau 
from  which  printed  matter  on   National   Formulary  and  other  preparations 
might  be  drawn  for  distribution  among  physicians,  for  the  purpose  of  combat- 
ting the  advertisements  of  copyrighted  articles.     This,  and  the  other  consider- 
ation of  copyrighted  articles,  were  referred  to  a  committee  composed  of  Messrs. 
Stedem,  George,  Emanuel,  Redsecker  and   Kennedy.     During  the  discussion 
which   followed  the  last  report,  F.  W.  E.  Stedem  proposed  a  mixture  of  the 
spirit  of  orange  of  the  National  Formulary,  and  glycerin  in  equal  quantities, 
as  a  vehicle  for  bromoform  ;  its  advantages  are   pleasant  taste  and  solvent 
power  on  the  medicament.     Prof.  Emanuel  moved  that  Prof.  Beal's  ideal  phar- 
macy law,  which  was  distributed  among  the  State  associations  and  boards  of 
pharmacy,  by  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,   be  referred  to  the 
Committee  on  Legislation.  It  was  so  ordered.  The  auditing  committee  approved 
the  treasurer's  report.     The  presentation  of  papers  then  followed. 

"The  Flora  of  Bushkill  Falls"  was  the  title  of  a  paper  read  by  Adolph  W. 
Miller,  M.D.,  Ph.D.  This  contribution  was  an  account  of  a  botanizing  tour 
made  by  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club  and  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  of 
New  York,  through  the  district  of  Bushkill,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  on  May  28th  last. 
Dr.  Miller  was  one  of  the  party  which  explored  this  rich  region.  He  called 
particular  attention  to  the  following  plants  :  the  American  yew,  the  gold 
thread,  Rhododendron  maximum,  R.  nudiflorum,  R.  cauescens,  Kalmia  latifolia, 
K.  angustifolia,  Vacineum  stamineum,  Cypripedium  hirsutum  (formerly  called 
C.  pubescens),  Orchis  spectabilis,  Cystopteris  bulbifera,  Camptosorus  rhizo- 
phyllus,  Osmunda  struthiopteris,  many  forms  of  the  Napoleon  flower,  and 
Scrophularia  leporella  (recently  separated  from  S.  nodosa  by  Bicknell). 

Attention  was  also  called  to  the  abundance,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Tarax- 
acum erythrosperma,  Andrz,  which,  until  quite  recently,  was  included  in  the 
official  species,  the  Taraxacum  officinale,  although  it  was  described  as  early  as 
1821,  by  Anton  Andrzejowski,  whose  name  is  attached  to  it.  It  differs  in  many 
particulars  from  the  official  plant,  notably  in  the  color  of  its  achenes,  which 
are  crimson,  bright  red  or  reddish-brown,  whence  it  received  the  title  "  erythro- 
sperma." Its  pappus  is  slightly  tawny,  or  dirty  white  in  color  ;  its  leaves  are 
far  more  deeply  divided  into  narrowly  triangular  segments,  and  the  whole  plant 
is  rather  smaller  in  size  than  the  Taraxicum  officinale.  While  a  head  of  the 
latter  may  be  made  up  of  160  to  170  individual  florets,  one  of  the  red  seeded 
species  does  not  contain  more  than  70  to  80.  The  head  itself  is  smaller,  being 
scarcely  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  the  fruiting  receptacle  is  rarely  more  than 
one-quarter  inch  broad.  There  seems  to  be  also  a  slight  difference  in  the  color 
of  the  head,  that  of  the  Taraxacum  erythrosperma  being  rather  more  of  a  sul- 


^"■yuiy'iS-"'"}  Pharmaceutical  Association.  381 

phur  or  lemon-yellow  color  than  the  other.  The  inner  bracts  of  the  involucre 
are  nearly  all  furnished  witli  a  peculiar  corniculate  appendage,  half  a  line  or 
so  below  the  whitish  tip,  and  the  outer  ligules  of  the  head  are  somewhat 
purplish  on  the  external  surface.  A  specimen  of  the  T.  erythrosi>erma  pre- 
sents a  much  more  matted,  or  interlaced  apf>earance  in  its  growth  than  the 
taller  species.  As  the  T.  officinale  '  Weber  '  is  undoubtedly  an  introduced  plant 
from  Europe,  it  is  just  possible  that  the  T.  erythrosperma  is  a  native  of  America. 
Appended  to  the  paper  was  a  list  of  275  plants,  most  of  which  were  found  in 
bloom.  The  next  paper  was  "On  the  Presence  of  Corrosiue  Sublimate  in 
Calomel,"  by  Lyman  F.  Kebler.     It  is  printed  in  full  on  page  33S  of  this  issue. 

In  reply  to  the  query:  Should  drug  store  experience  in  pharmaceutical  edu- 
cation precede  or  follow  college  training  /  Theodore  Campbell  presented  a  paper 
in  which  he  earnesth'  urged  ever}-  druggist  to  see  that  his  clerks  have  not  less 
than  one  year  of  experience  in  the  store  before  attending  lectures  at  a  college 
of  pharmacy.  The  author  showed  that  a  clerk  who  has  had  such  experience 
will  be  better  prepared  to  receive  the  college  instruction,  and  that  drug  store 
training  previous  to  attendance  at  college  qualifies  a  person  to  open  a  store  and 
conduct  the  business  in  all  its  phases  immediately  after  graduation  from  a  college. 

William  B.  Thompson  contributed  a  paper  entitled  "A  Pertinent  yuery," 
which  was,  in  effect,  a  presentation  and  discussion  of  the  question  as  to  whether 
the  practice  of  pharmacy  may  rightly  be  regarded  as  a  profession.  His  argu- 
ments were  convincing,  and  left  little  doubt  that  he  who  fills  the  various 
requirements  of  this  calling  is  justly  entitled  to  a  professional  standing. 

Another  paper  by  Mr.  Thompson  was  on  the  subject  of  "  Chlorinate<l  Lime 
in  Zinc  Containers."  In  this  he  stated  that  the  method  of  packing  chlorinated 
lime  in  cans  made  of  sheet  zinc  had  been  employed  a  sutTicient  length  of  time 
to  thoroughly  test  its  merits.  He  observed  that  the  article  stored  in  this  man- 
ner preserved  its  condition  unimpaired  for  a  reasonable  period. 

Wm.  Mclntire  suggested  that  the  package  be  labelled  with  the  date  of  pack- 
ing and  the  strength  of  the  substance  at  that  time. 

The  query:  should  druggists  study  nitdicine  f  was  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive by  W.  H.  Keed.  The  ethical  relations  of  the  professions  of  pharmacy  and 
medicine  as  such,  and  as  they  were  formerly  practiced,  were  first  defined  by  the 
author.  He  then  considered  the  complications  of  the  two  classes  as  they  now 
exist,  and  favored  the  adoption  by  druggists  of  measures  adapted  to  the  changed 
conditions  brought  about  by  modern  business  innovations. 

He  said  that  druggists  were  protected  by  legal  enactments  only  in  the  dis- 
pensing of  poisons  and  compounding  of  prescriptions  ;  and  he  believed  that 
not  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  present  drug  stores  could  subsist  on  this  kind 
of  patronage  alone.  He  also  sai<l  that  the  average  drug  store  now  without  the 
aid  of  a  physician  is  not  a  success  financially.  He,  therefore,  rccommentled 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  connection  with  that  of  pharmacy,  under  certain 
conditions,  l>oth  as  a  means  of  success  and  to  meet  the  <lcmnn<ls  of  certain 
classes  of  patrons,  namely,  those  affected  with  disorders  of  a  tr.msient  iialuic. 
and  those  with  limited  means. 

The  writer  furthermore  l)elicvc<l  that  where  he  is  legally  qu«hhe»l,  the  drug- 
gist is  as  morally  justifie<l  in  practicing  medicine  in  connection  with  pharmacy 
as  the  physician  is  justifietl  in  supplying  his  patients  with  drugs,  and  thereby 
injuring  the  business  interests  of  the  pharmacist. 


382  Pharmaceutical  Association.  { ^'''•/uuriS'T^'^'- 

Another  reason  which  he  advanced  for  druggists  studying  medicine,  even 
though  they  did  not  intend  to  practice  it,  was  that  a  medical  training  would  be 
of  inestimable  value  to  them  in  the  practice  of  general  pharmacy. 

Under  the  head  of  "  Rocks  and  Shoals  of  Pharmacy,"  Prof.  C.  B.  Lowe  pre- 
sented some  common-sense  doctrine,  which  was  particularly  intended  for 
young  men  beginning  the  drug  business.  Of  the  hindrances  to  success  in  this 
business,  he  considered  the  following  :  Immorality,  insufficient  capital,  extrava- 
gance in  fitting  up  the  store,  purchase  of  large  quantities  of  stock  ahead  of  the 
demand,  or  purchase  of  stock  on  account  of  its  cheapness,  too  early  marriage, 
insufficient  education,  lack  of  business  methods  with  regard  to  the  workings  of 
the  store,  carelessness  in  financial  details,  want  of  politeness,  neglect  of  health, 
neglect  of  certain  kinds  of  advertising,  and  finally,  lack  of  pharmaceutical 
literature. 

"  Cold  Cream  "  was  the  subject  of  a  paper  by  F.  W.  E.  Stedem. 
It  was  as  follows  :  "Since  the  last  revision  of  the  United  States  Pharma- 
copoeia, many  complaints  have  been  made  by  physicians  as  to  the  deterioration 
of  ointments  of  metallic  oxides  and  other  medicinal  substances,  when  made 
with  unguentum  aquae  rosae  as  the  unction  vehicle.  The  cause  of  these  rapid 
changes  is  due  to  admixture  of  a  small  per  cent,  of  borax,  which  has  been 
added  because  of  its  saponifying  the  oil  of  almond  partially,  and  thereby  hold- 
ing the  rose  water  in  suspension  all  the  more  readily.  My  experience  with  both 
formulas  has  led  me  to  the  firm  conviction  that  the  change  to  the  use  of  borax 
was  a  ver\'  unwise  one,  for  many  reasons.  The  first  objection  is  illustrated  in  a 
series  of  ointments  of  various  mercurials  in  daily  use,  and  the  results  are,  on 
inspection,  obvious.  These  preparations  were  made  on  INIay  lo,  1897,  a  little 
over  a  month  ago,  and  in  all  cases  one  w^ould  be  unable  to  recognize  the  mix. 
tures.  The  preparation  of  ointment  of  yellow  oxide  of  mercury  is  particularly 
objectionable,  and  its  unsightliness  is  not  the  least  of  its  failings.  This  oint" 
ment  is  frequently  ordered  by  physicians  for  use  on  the  eye,  and  when  made 
with  official  cold  cream,  is  totally  unfit  for  use,  because  of  the  terribly  irritat- 
ing properties  of  the  reduction  product.  It  is  not  the  desire  of  the  writer  to 
prolong  the  line  because  of  its  length,  beyond  submitting  these  specimens, 
including  an  ointment  of  yellow  oxide  of  mercury,  a  dilution  of  ointment  of 
nitrate  of  mercury,  and  an  ointment  of  red  oxide  of  mercurj-.  It  is  a  question 
as  to  whether  the  change  from  the  Pharmacopceia  of  1880  was  not  made  in 
deference  to  a  demand  from  those  who  are  simply  unwilling  to  work  hard  in 
an  effort  to  get  a  good  or  fit  preparation.  There  is  no  difficulty  iu  making  a 
good  and  sightly  mixture  by  the  old  process  when  worked  right  and  long 
enough.  It  would  be  much  better  to  drop  the  preparation  entirely  from  the 
Pharmacopceia  than  to  continue  it  and  make  it  necessary  for  us  to  keep  both 
preparations  in  stock,  for  the  reasons  given  before." 

This  paper  was  commented  on  at  length  ;  other  members  reported  trouble 
from  the  same  source,  and  also  dissatisfaction  with  the  changes  which  had  been 
made  iu  some  other  official  preparations.  Prof.  Moerk  mentioned  the  discolor- 
ation which  happens  when  resorcin  or  hydroqinone  is  mixed  with  official  cold 
cream  or  other  substances  which  contain  alkaline  bodies.  The  paper  was 
referred  to  the  Association's  committee  on  the  revision  of  the  United  States 
Pharmacop<jeia. 


^"''jX'mi^'"'}  Pharmaceutical  Association.  383 

Prof.  F.  X.  Moerk  then  read  an  interesting  contribution  entitled  "  Notes  on 
Opium  Assaying  ;"  see  page  ^44  of  this  number. 

"Analytical  Processes  and  Laboratory  Notes,"  by  C.  H.  I, aWall  followed. 
This  paper  may  be  seen  in  full  by  referring  to  page  350. 

The  Committee  on  Membership  reported  thirteen  new  members.  The  Secre- 
tary read  a  telegram  bearing  fraternal  greeting  from  the  Colorado  Pharma- 
ceutical Association,  which  was  in  session  at  the  time.  He  returned  the  cour- 
tesy on  behalf  of  the  Pennsylvania  Association. 

The  Committee  on  Legislation  reported  that  the  pharmacy  law  known  as  an 
act  to  regulate  the  practice  of  pharmacy,  sale  of  prisons,  etc.,  approved  May 
24,  1887,  and  subsequently  amended  in  June,  1891  and  June,  1S95,  upon  being 
tested  as  to  its  efficiency  to  meet  the  requirements  and  purposes  for  which  it 
had  been  enacted,  failed  to  withstand  the  crucial  test  of  the  courts.  The  first 
section  was  declared  unconstitutional  by  the  Superior  Court  on  January  29, 
1897,  on  account  of  the  so-called  unlimited  widow's  clause,  which  decision,  on 
an  apf>eal,  was  sustained  by  the  vSupreme  Court  on  May  7,  1897.  Tlie  com- 
mittee at  once  began  work  to  secure  the  speedy  enactment  of  a  new  law,  which 
would  be  free  from  the  objections  that  had  brought  such  disastrous  results  to 
the  former  law.  With  this  object  in  view,  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  House 
on  March  i,  1897,  and  one  of  like  import  was  introduced  in  the  Senate  on 
March  15,  1897.  This  latter  bill  passed  second  reading  in  the  Senate,  The 
House  bill  met  with  a  formidable  resistance,  and  was  amended  in  such  manner 
as  to  require  compulsory  registration  of  physicians  as  pharmacists  without  the 
semblance  even  of  an  examination  by  tlie  pharmacy  board.  This  provision  met 
with  a  determined  opposition,  and  its  advocates  were  notified  that  the  pharma- 
cists of  the  State  would  never  accept  legislation  of  that  character,  but  would 
demand  and  insist  upon  the  enactment  of  such  legislation  as  would  place  them 
on  a  parity  with  the  laws  governing  the  medical  profession.  Some  12,000  to 
15,000 circulars  and  reprints  of  bills,  including  petitions  to  be  signed  and  for- 
warded to  the  members  of  the  Senate  and  House,  were  mailed  to  llie  druggists 
throughout  the  State,  with  the  gratifying  effect  of  arousing  an  almost  united 
sentiment  in  favor  of  the  original  measure  and  against  the  proposed  amend- 
ment ;  and  the  committee  had  the  satisfaction  of  the  prompt  passage  bv  the 
House  of  the  bill  without  the  objectionable  amendment.  The  bill  was  next 
passed  by  the  Senate,  but  with  a  further  slight  amendment,  which  the  committee 
feels  sure  will  be  accepted  and  promptly  concurred  in  by  the  House.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy  of  the  bill  : 

An  net  supplementary  to  an  act  entitled  An  act  to  re{(u1ate  the  practice  of  pharmacy  nnd 
sale  of  poisons  and  to  prevent  adulterations  in  drugs  and  medicinal  preparations  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  approved  the  twenty  fourth  day  of  May  .\nno  Domini  one  thiMi  -     Mt  hun- 

dred and  eighty-seven,  further  rcgtilating  the  practice   of  pharmacy,  the  c<.;  ng  und 

dispensing  of  prescriptions  and  the  sale  of  drugs,  chemicals,  medicines  and  puiiH>us.  and  pro- 
viding a  penalty  for  the  violation  thereof. 

Section  i.— Be  it  enacte<l  by  the  Senate  and  Hou.se  of  Representatives  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Pennsylvania  in  (#eiicral  .Assembly  met,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  same.  That 
hereafter  no  person  whosoever  shall,  directly  or  indirectly,  open  or  cany  on  In  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  any  retail  drug  store  or  chemical  store,  or  comiraund  or  dispense  ii:  ,)f 

prescriptions  of  physicians,  or  engage  in  the  busiiieKS  ut  sriling  at  retail  niivdt  ,|. 

cals,  poisons  or  medicines  without  having  obtained  ■  '  ,^. 

tion  so  to  do  frum  the  State  Pharmaceutical  Hxaintniii.  ,,ly 


384  Pharmaceutical  Association,  {^"^i^xylS:^"^' 

registered  bv  said  board.  Any  person  who  shall  violate  or  fail  to  comply  with  the  provisions 
of  this  section  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  on  conviction  before  anj' court  shall  be  pun- 
ished by  a  fine  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars  ;  Provided,  however,  that  nothing  in  this  act 
contained  shall  in  any  manner  whatever  be  taken  or  construed  to  prohibit  any  practitioner  of 
medicine  from  supplying  to  his  patients  ?uch  articles  as  he  may  deem  proper,  nor  to  interfere 
with  the  making  and  dealing  in  proprietary  medicines,  nor  to  prevent  storekeepers  from 
dealing  in  and  selling  the  commonly  used  medicines  and  poisons  as  now  permitted  by  the 
sixth  section  of  the  act  to  which  this  is  a  supplement.  And  provided,  also,  that  the  legal  rep- 
resentatives of  any  deceased  registered  pharmacist  may,  for  the  purpose  of  administration  of 
his  estate,  be  permitted  by  the  Orphans'  Court  of  the  proper  county  to  continue  the  business 
for  not  exceeding  one  year  under  the  management  of  a  duly  registered  pharmacist. 

Section  2.— The  term  commonly  used  medicines  and  poisons  relating  to  storekeepers  is 
defined  as  simple  and  harmless  household  remedies  which  can  be  handled  with  safety  by  the 
uneducated,  as  essence  of  ginger,  peppermint,  Hoffmans  anoydyne,  castor  oil,  sweet  oil  and 
drugs  of  like  character,  and  to  exclude  all  dangerous  and  highh'  concentrated  remedies, 
alkaloids,  fluid  and  solid  extracts,  and  drugs,  such  as  opium,  morphine,  cocaine,  chloral 
hvdrate  and  drugs  of  like  character,  and  poisons  in  the  same  case  to  mean  only  such  well 
known  drugs  and  chemicals  as  are  used  by  farmers  and  truckers  as  insecticides,  as  Paris 
green,  royal  purple,  powdered  hellebore,  sulphate  of  copper  and  drugs  of  like  character. 

A  bill  already  referred  to  in  this  report  and  known  as  the  "Adulteration 
Bill,"  was  signed  by  Governor  Hastings  on  May  25th  last.     It  is  : 

An  act  to  prevent  the  adulteration,  alteration  and  substitution  of  drugs  and  medicinal 
preparations;  and  providing  penalties  for  violation  thereof. 

Section  i. — Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Pennsylvania  in  General  Assembly  met,  and  it  is  hereby-  enacted  by  the  authority 
of  the  same,  That  no  person  shall  within  this  State  manufacture  for  sale,  offer  for  sale  or  sell 
any  drug  which  is  adulterated  within  the  meaning  of  this  act.  The  term  drug  used  herein 
shall  include  any  medicinal  substance  or  any  preparation  authorized  or  known  in  the  Phar- 
macopceia  of  the  United  States  or  the  National  Formulary  ox  the  American  Homcepathic  Phar- 
macopieia  or  the  American  Homcepathic  Dispensatory.  A  drug  shall  be  deemed  to  be  adulter- 
ated within  the  meaning  of  this  act, 

I  n  If  any  substance  or  substances  have  been  mixed  with  it  so  as  to  depreciate  and  weaken 
its  strength,  purity  or  quality. 

(21  If  any  quality,  substance  or  ingredient  be  abstracted  so  as  to  deteriorate  or  affect  injuri- 
ously the  quality  or  potenc\-  of  the  drug. 

(3)  If  any  inferior  or  cheaper  substance  or  substances  have  been  substituted  in  whole  or 
part  for  it. 

(4)  If  it  is  an  imitation  or  is  sold  under  the  name  of  another  drug. 

(5)  If  the  drug  shall  be  so  altered  that  the  nature,  quality,  substance,  commercial  value  or 
medicinal  value  of  it  will  not  correspond  to  the  recognized  formulae  or  tests  of  the  latest  edi- 
tion of  the  National  Formulary  or  of  the  Phartnacopceia  of  the  United  States  or  the  American 
Honuepathic  Pharmacopoeia  or  the  American  Homcepathic  Dispensatory  regarding  quality  or 
purity. 

On  complaint  being  entered  the  State  Pharmaceutical  Examining  Board  is  hereby  empow- 
ered to  employ  an  analyst  or  chemical  expert,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  examine  into  the 
so-called  adulteration  and  report  upon  the  result  of  his  investigation,  and  if  said  report  justifies 
such  action,  the  board  shall  duly  cause  the  prosecution  of  the  offender  as  provided  in  this  law. 
Whoever  violates  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  act  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  upon 
conviction  shall  be  fined  a  sum  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars  nor  less  than  fifty  dollars, 
or  undergo  an  imprisonment  not  exceeding  ninety  days  nor  less  than  thirty  days,  or  both. 

Section  2.— All  laws  or  parts  of  inconsistent  laws  herewith  are  hereby  repealed. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to  the  Committee  on  Legislation  and  to  the 
members  of  the  Legislature  who  had  worked  for  and  supported  the  measures. 

The  officers  for  the  coming  year  were  installed  at  the  last  session,  on  Thurs- 
day evening.  The  entertainment  provided  for  the  meeting  by  the  committee 
in  charge  was  of  an  interesting  character,  well  attended  and  much  enjoyed  by 
all  present. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


AUGUST,  1897. 


MEMOIR  OF  EDSON  SEWELL  BASTIN. 

Death  at  best  is  a  sad  subject,  but  it  becomes  doubly  so  when,  as 
was  the  case  with  Professor  Bastin,  the  victim  is  cut  down  in  the 
very  zenith  of  his  strength  and  usefulness.  Beginning  as  a  pioneer 
in  what  was  then  the  far  West,  he  naturally  reached  his  full  scientific 
development  later  than  those  who  start  surrounded  with  every  edu- 
cational facility,  and  who  need  to  give  no  thought  to  the  financial 
questions  which  usually  attend  the  attainment  of  an  education. 
But  what  he  lost  in  time  he  gained  in  having  a  broader  and  more 
practical  knowledge,  which  enabled  him  to  more  than  make  up  in 
later  years  what  he  lost  in   early  life. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  May  29,  1843,  >"  the  south- 
ern part  of  Ozaukee  County,  Wis.,  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan,  near  what  was  then  the  village  of  Milwaukee.  His  parents, 
probably  of  remote  French  ancestry,  had  come  there  from  north- 
ern New  York  some  time  previously.  His  father  was  a  strong- 
resolute  and  daring  man,  with  rather  a  restless  temperament.  His 
mother  was  sought  for  in  that  sparsely  settled  district  by  the  neigh- 
bors in  times  of  sickness;  their  ailments  she  relieved  to  the  best  of 
her  knowledge  and  ability  by  the  use  of  medicinal  herbs,  gathered 
and  prepared  by  her  own  hands. 

The  boyhood  of  Professor  Bastin  was  divided  between  farm  work 
in  summer  and  attendance  at  the  district  schools  in  winter.  The 
family  afterward  moved  to  Wauwatsa,  Wis.,  and  then  to  Wau- 
kesha, in  the  same  State. 

(385) 


386  Memoir  of  Edson  Sewell  Bastin.       {'^'^-^^^^^x'^mi^- 

The  rugged  life  on  a  pioneer  farm  developed  the  latent  energies 
of  the  boy,  and  he  became  self-reliant  and  fearless.  He  would  en- 
gage in  hunting  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  either  day  or  night,  and 
he  was  as  successful  in  that  important  part  of  the  pioneer's  life  as 
he  was  in  the  numerous  other  duties.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  and  his  father  was  killed  by  accident 
some  ten  years  later. 

In  1859,  while  in  his  sixteenth  year,  he  entered  Carroll  College, 
at  Waukesha,  Wis.,  and  remained  there  until  1862,  when  the  war 
spirit  took  possession  of  him,  as  it  did  of  many  others  at  that  time. 
He  entered  the  Twenty-eighth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  which  regiment 
became  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  West,  and  engaged  in  the 
Arkansas  campaign.  This  regiment  experienced  long,  severe 
marches,  much  sickness  and  other  privations,  with  the  tedium  unre- 
lieved by  the  presence  of  the  enemy  until  they  reached  Helena, 
Ark.,  where  a  battle  was  fought  and  won  on  July  4,  1863,  and  in 
the  same  year  Little  Rock  was  captured. 

Soon  after  this,  partly  on  account  of  illness,  which  unfitted  him 
for  field  duty,  and  partly  because  of  his  clerical  abilities.  Professor 
Bastin  was  detached  from  his  company  and  employed  as  a  clerk  at 
headquarters.  After  a  year's  service  in  this  capacity,  he  was,  in 
1864,  commissioned  captain  of  the  Fourth  Arkansas  Cavalry;  this 
appointment  was  the  result  of  a  competitive  examination.  The 
young  captain  was,  from  this  time  to  the  end  of  the  war,  engaged 
actively  in  scouting  and  picket  service,  in  which  he  won  a  high 
reputation  for  ability  and  bravery,  and,  through  the  voluntary  re- 
commendations of  his  superior  officers,  he  was  offered  a  cadetship 
at  West  Point.  He,  however,  had  no  taste  for  military  life  in  times 
of  peace,  and  declined  the  honor.  Instead  of  this,  he  entered 
Chicago  University  as  a  student,  where  he  graduated  in  1867. 

Following  this,  he  took  a  course  of  some  three  years  in  the  same 
institution,  in  theology,  which  course  he  completed  in  1870,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity.  His  character  at  this  time  can 
best  be  understood  by  the  following  extract  from  an  address  at  his 
funeral  by  one  of  his  classmates,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Gordon  : 

I  became  acquainted  with  Professor  Bastin  while  in  his  senior  year  in  the 
old  University  of  Chicago,  and  was  associated  with  him  for  four  years  in  the 
class-rooms  of  the  college  and  Theological  Seminary.  He  first  impressed  me 
as  bemg  somewhat  cold  in  manner,  but   on  better   acquaintance    I  found  this 


^'"AugTtT^'" }       Memoir  of  Edson  Sewell  Basiin,  387 

was  simply  his  natural  reserve,  and  that  he  possessed  a  warm  and  tender  heart, 
which  bestowed  its  affection  more  and  more  as  the  years  went  by. 

Asa  student  he  was  respected  by  professors  and  classmates  because  of  his 
deportment,  faithfulness  and  sincerity.  He  was  always  well  prepared  for  reci- 
tation or  examination,  and  never  did  things  in  a  slip-shod  manner.  The  testi- 
mony of  his  students  in  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  to  his  exacting 
demands  for  honest  work  from  them  fittingly  expresses  his  own  early  convic- 
tions and  habits  when  a  student. 

Professor  Bastin  was  a  modest,  unassuming  young  man,  and  never,  until  to- 
day, did  I  know  that  he  had  served  in  the  army  during  the  late  civil  war.  His 
record  as  a  soldier  is  one  of  which  any  man  might  justly  be  proud,  and  yet 
during  all  my  four  years'  acquaintance  with  him  I  never  heard  him  speak  of 
the  war. 

We  now  come  to  a  turning-point  in  the  life  of  Professor  Bastin, 
where,  instead  of  following  the  ministry,  for  which  his  education  had 
prepared  him,  he  became  interested  in  the  natural  sciences,  particu- 
larly the  science  of  botany.  This  subject  had  been  studied  by  him 
in  a  variety  of  ways  from  his  early  youth,  and  the  writer  has  heard 
him  speak  of  the  observations  he  made  on  the  flora  of  Arkansas, 
while  doing  duty  as  a  soldier  there ;  consequently,  "  true  as  the 
needle  to  the  pole,"  when  in  187 1  he  was  deciding  on  his  life-work 
he  came  back  to  this  same  subject.  He  selected  the  drug  busi- 
ness as  a  means  to  the  end  which  he  wished  to  accomplish,  and  for 
the  next  few  years,  while  engaged  in  the  duties  of  apothecary  in 
Chicago,  he  gave  much  time  to  the  study  of  botany  and  its  allied 
sciences.  In  1873  he  married  Christina  Hoyd,  and  shortly  after  dis- 
posed of  his  drug  business.  His  reputation  won  in  the  civil  war 
secured  for  him  an  appointment  as  United  States  Marshal,  and  he 
moved  with  his  wife  to  the  scene  of  his  duty  in  Indian  Territory. 
The  experience  in  this  lawless  region  was  of  the  most  thrilling 
character,  and  often  exposed  him  to  great  danger,  but  his  cool 
judgment,  thorough  horsemanship,  as  well  as  his  ability  to  use  fire- 
arms to  the  greatest  advantage,  brought  him  safely  through  evciy 
conflict.  His  wife,  however,  could  not  endure  the  nerve  strain  of 
such  an  exciting  life,  and  after  nearly  a  year  of  service  he  returned 
to  Chicago,  where  he  accepted,  in  1874,  the  position  of  registrar  in 
the  University  of  Chicago.  In  this  institution  he  almost  immc 
diately  commenced  teaching,  first  as  Instructor  in  Hotany,  and  two 
years  later,  in  1876,  as  Professor  of  Botany  and  Geology.  In  this 
same  year  he  was  chosen  to  lecture  on  botany  in  the  Chicago  College 
of  Pharmacy,  and  for  a  short   time  conducted  a  class  in  analytical 


388  Memoir  of  Edson  Sewell  Bastin,       {'''\i^lif',l^!!^ 

chemistry,  a  fact  which  points  to  his  broad  knowledge  of  nearly  all 
branches  of  science.  Soon,  however,  he  was  assigned  to  the  chair 
of  Materia  Medica  and  Botany.  In  1878  he  met  a  sad  loss  in  the 
death  of  his  wife,  who  left  him  one  son,  Edson  S  ,  only  three  months 
old. 

In  1883  he  resigned  from  the  Chicago  University  in  order  to  give 
his  whole  time  to  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  in  the  same  year  he 
was  married  to  Ellen  Beardsley  Reed. 

During  the  next  several  years  the  world  commenced  to  see  some 
of  the  results  of  Professor  Bastin's  labors.  He  first  established  a 
botanical  and  microscopical  laboratory,  then  issued,  in  1887,  his 
first  book,  the  '•  Elements  of  Botany,"  which  in  1889  appeared  in  a 
second  edition,  enlarged  and  entirely  rewritten,  under  the  title  of 
"  College  Botany."  It  has  been  adopted  by  a  large  number  of  insti- 
tutions not  connected  with  pharmacy. 

In  1890,  after  having  resigned  his  position  in  the  Chicago  College 
of  Pharmacy,  Professor  Bastin  entered  upon  his  duties  as  Professor 
of  Botany  and  Materia  Medica  in  the  school  of  Pharmacy  in  North- 
western University.  Here  he  organized  his  second  botanical  and 
microscopical  laboratory,  which  was  a  model  of  completeness.  In 
May,  1 89 1,  he  was  again  left  desolate  by  the  loss  of  his  wife,  ^nd  in 
August,  1892,  he  was  married  to  Abbie  Beardsley,  who,  with  two 
little  daughters,  survives  him. 

Up  to  this  time  Professor  Bastin's  writings  had  been  largely  con- 
fined to  his  text-books;  but  in  1892  several  papers  appeared  in  The 
Apothecary  from  his  pen,  viz.:  "  The  Flora  of  the  South  Shore  of 
Lake  Michigan,"  and  "  Starches  in  Root  Drugs."  He  also  published 
contributions  on  "  Plant  Hairs,"  "  Notes  on  Vegetable  Histology," 
*'  Plant  Crystals,"  and  '«  Detection  of  Stem  Admixtures  in  Root 
Drugs." 

In  the  autumn  of  1893,  Professor  Bastin  was  called  to  the  chair 
of  Botany  and  Materia  Medica  in  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy. This  position  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  carry  on  the 
research  work  which  it  had  long  been  his  aim  to  do,  and  he 
entered  upon  his  duties  with  an  immense  amount  of  enthusiasm. 
Notwithstanding  the  interruption  and  distraction  necessarily  accom- 
panying the  moving  of  his  family  to  a  new  city,  he  had  in  one  year 
established  the  third  botanical  and  microscopical  laboratory  organ- 
ized by  him,  he  had  conducted  two  large  classes  through  a  college  year 


"^"Aur^'j^""}       Memoir  of  Edson  Scicell  Basiin.  389 

of  instruction,  had  published  his  important  work,  "  Laboratory 
Exercises  in  Botany,"  containing  several  hundred  illustrations  from 
his  own  pen,  and  finally,  he  had  made  several  contributions  to  the 
American  Journal  of  Pharmacy.  The  few  succeeding  years  were 
no  less  active  ones  ;  during  1895  he  published  no  less  than  nine 
illustrated  papers  on  our  local  medicinal  plants  ;  one  of  these,  *•  Vera- 
trum  Viride,"  contained  a  plate  in  colors,  the  original  being  from  his 
brush.  His  research  work  during  1896  was  devoted  to  the  structure 
of  the  "  North  American  Conifer.ne."  This  series  of  papers  was  pub- 
lished in  joint  authorship  with  Henry  Trimble,  and  was  only  partly 
completed  at  the  time  of  Professor  Hastin's  death.  All  the  draw- 
ings were  from  his  pen.  He  was  also  engaged  in  preparing  an 
elaborate  work  on  materia  medica,  and  he  had  mounted  a  great 
many  sections  of  drugs  for  the  purpose  of  making  drawings  from 
them.  His  inability  to  make  rapid  progress  with  this  work  was  a 
great  trial  to  him,  and  he  persisted  in  it  at  intervals  until  March  18, 
1 897,  when,  after  mounting  two  sections,  he  laid  down  his  work  forever. 

Death  came  to  his  relief  on  April  6,  1897,  the  immediate  cause 
being  cerebral  hemorrhage.  He  had  not  been  well  since  the  pre- 
vious summer,  but  he  continued  to  attend  to  all  his  teaching  duties 
until  the  middle  of  December.  What  at  first  appeared  to  be  nervous 
prostration,  developed  into  exophthalmic  goiter.  His  tremendous 
will-power  kept  him  on  his  feet  almost  tc  the  last,  and  as  late  as 
February  he  delivered  one  lecture,  but  it  was  like  the  last  flaring 
up  of  a  flickering  light. 

Professor  Hastin  was  a  member  of  several  scientific  societies,  viz.: 
The  Chicago  Academy  of  Science,  The  Evolution  Club,  the  Illinois 
Microscopical  Society,  The  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science,  and  the  Royal  Microscopical  Society  of  London. 
A  short  time  before  his  death  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society.  He  was  also  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 

In  studying  the  character  of  this  man  one  cannot  but  be  impressed 
with  the  wide  range  of  exp>erience  he  covered  in  54  years,  yet  no 
one  can  say  that  he  was  not  a  master  in  every  station  in  which  he  was 
placed.  Whether  as  student,  soldier,  teacher,  author  or  artist,  he  was 
a  man,  and  a  thoroughly  honest  one.  His  strict  honesty  with  him- 
self caused  him  to  expect  honesty  in  everyone  else.  An  anecdote 
will   best  illustrate   how  binding  he  considered   his  own   promise. 


390  Memoir  of  Edson  Sezucll  Bastin.       {'^^Ai^L't.Tso'':'"- 

When  he  first  came  to  Philadelphia  he  arranged  for  the  publication 
of  his  book  on  Materia  Medica,  which  was  unfinished  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  It  was  afterwards  shown  very  clearly  to  him  that  he 
could,  with  great  advantage,  give  the  publication  to  another  firm, 
and  he  expressed  his  desire  to  do  so  but  for  his  promise;  and  when 
asked  :  "  Is  there  no  way  out  of  it?"  the  prompt  reply  was  :  "  Yes, 
there  is  a  way  out  of  it,  but  there  is  no  honest  way  out  of  it."  It  is 
almost  unnecessary  to  add  that  the  question  of  publication  was  con- 
sidered settled  from  that  time. 

As  a  teacher,  Professor  Bastin  was  noted  for  his  conscientious 
thoroughness;  no  amount  of  labor  was  too  great  for  him  to  under- 
take in  the  interest  of  his  students.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of 
the  practical  study  of  the  natural  sciences.  When  asked,  during  his 
preliminary  visit  to  the  College  in  1893,  if  he  would  be  willing  to 
establish  a  laboratory  for  the  practical  study  of  materia  medica  and 
botany,  his  reply  was  that  he  would 'not  be  willing  to  undertake  to 
teach  those  branches  in  any  other  way.  In  his  ''College  Botany"  are 
some  introductory  paragraphs,  entitled,  "A  Word  to  the  Student," 
a  few  sentences  of  which  should  be  read  and  re-read  by  every  one 
engaged,  or  about  to  engage,  in  the  study  of  botany.    He  says  : 

Remember  that  the  study  of  botany  is  primarily  the  study  of 
plants,  and  not  the  study  of  books  about  plants.  If  you  study 
the  book  only,  you  will  almost  certainly  find  it  dry  and  unprofit- 
able, but  if  you  use  it  as  a  guide  to  the  study  of  plants,  and 
study  it  PLANT  IN  HAND,  verifying-  its  descriptions  by  obser- 
vations of  your  OAvn,  you  vs^ill  find  the  work  not  only  profitable, 
but  intensely  interesting. 

These  {^\m  sentences  say  more  than  whole  volumes  could  be  made 
to  say  against  the  entire  race  of  "Quiz  Compends,"  "Aids," 
"Lecture  Notes,"  "  Home  Studies,"  and  all  the  other  "  short  cuts" 
which  are  devoured  but  not  digested  by  the  great  army  of  unpre- 
pared applicants  for  State  Board  Certificates.  Professor  Bastin's 
method  of  studying  botany  was  either  in  the  field,  or  with  the  micro- 
scope, but  always  with  the  plant  or  drug  in  hand,  and  his  method  of 
imparting  instruction  was  the  same.  It  remains  but  to  speak  of  his 
domestic  life,  which,  by  those  who  knew,  has  been  declared  to  have 
been  an  ideal  one.  He  was  especially  fortunate  in  his  matrimonial 
alliances,  which  caused  the  losses  to  bear  more  heavily  upon  him. 
He  brought  into  his  family  the  enthusiasm  which  he  himself  possessed 


^"Au^Jt.^^!"'}  Heloderma  Siispectiim,  Cope.  391 

for  the  study  of  nature,  and  thereby  drew  the  members  into  sym- 
pathy with  him  and  his  busy  Hfe.  His  funeral  was  from  his  resi- 
dence in  Merchantville,  N.  J.,  and  was  largely  attended  by  his 
students  and  college  associates.  The  burial  was  in  the  beautiful 
and  historic  cemetery  of  Colestown,  a  few  miles  distant.         H.  T. 


RESEARCHES   IN    REGARD   TO   THE   VENOM    OF    THE 
HELODERMA   SUSPECTUM,  COPE. 

From   the    Physiological    Laboratory   of   the  Caroline    Institute,  Stockholm, 

Sweden. 

By  C.  G.  Santesson,  Professor  of  Pharmacology. 

Having  had  the  opportunity  to  examine  the  saliva  from  three 
lizards  of  the  above-named  species,  Heloderma  suspectiun,  Cope, 
which  were  caught  in  Arizona  and  sent  alive  to  the  Zoological  Insti- 
tute at  the  Stockholm  High  School,  and  thinking  that  any  new 
information  in  regard  to  this  wonderful  species  of  animals  might 
possibly  interest  American  readers,  especially  since  the  question  of 
its  poisonous  nature  has  been  enthusiastically  discussed  in  American 
papers,  I  venture  to  submit  for  their  perusal  a  short  account*  of  the 
results  of  my  experiments  in  this  line. 

Before  beginning  to  relate  the  results  of  my  own  experiments, 
I  must,  however,  call  attention  to  several  features  in  the  discussion 
carried  on  in  America,  adding  a  few  remarks  of  my  own. 

The  fact  that  the  anatomical  structure  of  the  heloderms  suggests 
the  probability  of  their  being  to  a  certain  degree  poisonous  has 
been  pointed  out  by  Cope.^  Numerous  experiments  made  on  ani- 
mals   by    Sumichrast,^    Houlenger,*    J.    Fayrer,    in    the    Zoological 


*  My  studies  on  this  subject  have  been  more  completely  published  in  German 
in  a  treatise  with  the  title  :  "  Ueber  das  Gift  von  Helo<lerma  suspectum  Cope, 
einer  giftigen  Hidechse, "  No.  5  of  the  festival  volumes  ot  Xordiskl  Mtdidnskt 
Arkii\  dedicated  to  Prof.  Axel  Key,  March,  1897. 

'  Cope  :  I^oceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 
^^^^7,  P-  5  ;  »ce  also  a  postscript  to  an  article  by  Shufeldt,  The  American  Naiu- 
ra/ist,  Vol.  16  I  1882  j,  p.  907. 

'Cfr.  letter  to  Bocourt :  Comp.  rend,  de  I'acad,  des  sciences,  t.  80  (1875),  p. 
676  ;  furthermore,  Sumichrast :  liulleiin  de  la  soc,  tool,  de  France,  Vol.  5 
(1S80),  p.  178. 

♦  Boulenger  :  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  1881,  p.  631  \ 
gives  an  account  of  Payrer's  observations 


392  Heloderma  Snspectum,  Cope,  {^'"Augusl'^iSr- 

Gardens,  London,'*  of  Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert,^  and  Garman/ 
have  shown  that  the  secretion  from  the  salivary  glands  of  the  helo- 
derms  is  more  or  less  venomous.  Frogs,  hens,  doves,  guinea-pigs 
and  rabbits  always  died  of  it,  the  two  last-named  kinds  of  animals 
generally  very  quickly.  Cats  and  dogs  did  not  die,  but  showed 
local  effects  of  the  poison  (pains,  swelling,  extravasations,  etc.).  Two 
experimenters  are  said  to  have  arrived  at  entirely  negative  results, 
viz.:  Irwin,  U.  S.  A.,  about  whose  experiments  (made  in  1867?)  I 
have  no  explicit  knowledge,  and  Yarrow,^  who  discovered  no  positive 
residts  worth  mentioni?ig,  neither  after  bites  nor  after  subcutaneous 
ifijections,  the  animals  always  recovering  soo7i. 

In  regard  to  this  last-named  research,  I  beg  to  call  attention  to 
the  possibility  for  individual  variations  to  exist  in  the  venomous 
nature  of  the  heloderms,  some  individuals  always  or  periodically 
being  in  a  much  smaller  degree  venomous. 

The  accounts  of  the  influence  of  heloderma  bites  on  man  are  of 
the  greatest  interest,  as  for  instance  the  misadventure  of  Shufeldt^ 
In  spite  of  the  severe  pains,  swelling,  etc.,  after  the  bite,  this  investi- 
gator still  regards  the  animal  to  be  harmless,  and  points  out  the 
fact  that  even  the  bites  of  men  or  cats  may  sometimes  have  a 
poisonous  effect,  although  neither  men  nor  cats  are  classified  among 
the  specifically  poisonous  animals.  It  seems  to  me  that  Shufeldt  here 
mixes  up  two  quite  different  things  ;  the  bites  of  men  or  of  cats  can 
certainly  not  be  said  to  be  specifically  poisonous  (as  for  instance  is 
the  case  with  snake-bites);  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  may  very 
easily  cause  bacterial  infection  or  "  blood-poisoning."  The  symp- 
toms observed  by  Shufeldt  much  resemble  those  brought  about  by 
the  bite  of  our  common  viper  {Vipera  berus),  i.  e.,  they  resemble  a 
slight  specific  poisoning,  but  not  "  blood-poisoning."  It  may, 
besides,  be  pointed  out  that  an  animal  is  not  *'  harmless  "  because  it 
does  not  kill.  The  bite  of  our  above-mentioned  viper  does  not,  as  a 
rule,  kill  grown-up  persons,  and  still  everybody  looks  upon  it  as  a 
specifically  venomous  animal,  and  so  it  is,  beyond  all  question. 

•  Short  notice  in  the  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  16  (1882),  p.  842. 

•'  Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert :  The  Medical  News,  Vol.  42,  No.  8,  Feb.  24, 
1883,  pp.  209-212. 

'  Garman  :  Bulletin  of  the  Essex  Institute,  Salem,  Mass.,  Vol.  22  (1890),  pp. 
60-69. 

®  Yarrow:  Forest  arid  Stream,  New  York,  June  14,  1888,  p.  412  and  sue. 

'•♦  Shufeldt :   The  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  16  (1882),  p.  907  and  sue. 


""""Ai^SstjS^""}  Helodenna  Suspectum,  Cope.  393 

There  is  another  account  of  a  person  bitten  by  a  heloderma,  which 
is  perhaps  not  so  well  known  by  our  American  readers.  Mr.  J. 
Stein,  of  Mexico,  who  once  sent  two  heloderms  to  Fischer  for 
anatomical  and  histological  examination  of  their  poison  apparatus,^^ 
was  on  one  occasion  deeply  bitten  in  a  finger  by  one  of  them.  The 
finger  and  the  whole  arm  szvelled  up  considerably,  causing  the  most 
violent  pain,  and  his  general  condition  was  greatly  disturbed.  For  a 
long  time  afterwards  the  skin  of  the  arm  had  a  yellow,  parchment- 
like appearance.  Short  as  it  is,  this  description  of  the  specific  local 
effect  of  a  poison  could  scarcely  be  clearer.  In  accounts  of  death  as 
a  consequence  of  heloderma  bites,  it  may,  perhaps,  not  be  worth 
while  to  place  too  great  confidence. 

Even  the  experience  hitherto  gained  seems  decidedly  to  show 
that  the  heloderms  are  specifically  venomous,  although  their  bites 
are  less  dangerous  than  those  of  poisonous  serpents,  and  generally 
not  fatal  to  men. 

The  heloderma  on  whose  venom  I  have  made  the  most  of  my 
experiments  (from  October,  1895,  ^i^^  February,  1896)  was  a  female 
H.  susptctum  (Cope),  40  centimeters  long,  in  good  health.  It  could 
not  be  induced  to  bite  animals,  was  sluggish  and  good-natured.  The 
venom  was  gained  in  the  following  manner  :  With  a  pair  of  long, 
crooked  tongs,  I  took  a  clean,  dry  sponge,  about  as  large  as  a  wal- 
nut, and  forced  the  animal  to  bite  it.  When  I  had  sufficiently 
irritated  the  reluctant  animal,  it  would  seize  the  sponge,  and  I  then 
generally  succeeded  in  pressing  it  into  the  animal's  mouth.  The 
venom  in  the  sponge  was  then  drawn  out  by  means  of  a  little  quan- 
tity of  06  per  cent,  solution  of  common  culinary  salt.  The  fluid 
thus  obtained  was  turbid,  slimy,  slightly  alkaline,  having  an  aro- 
matic smell  not  at  all  unpleasant.  Some  simple  preliminary  tests 
showed  that  the  fluid  contained  protein  substances ;  these  could 
almost  completely  be  precipitated  by  alcohol  in  excess,  the  fluid 
having  first  been  rendered  slightly  sour  by  the  addition  of  acetic 
acid.  If,  after  thus  having  acidified  it,  the  fluid  was  instead  boiled 
for  a  short  time,  a  part  of  the  albumen  coagulated,  while  the  rest 
remained  in  solution. 


**J.  O.  PiAcher:  *'Antttoni!sche  Notizen  T'et>€r  Ifetoder^na  'u^  t  unnn    '.' 
Verhandl.   d.    Verens  J.    natup-u  tssemsch.     I'nterhaltung   zu    HamI  >3, 

pp.  2-16. 


394  Heloderma  Suspectum,  Cope.  {  ^""aJ^IJ^I^s^!'"' 

The  poisonous  liquid  drawn  out  of  the  sponge  by  means  of  the 
weak  solution  of  salt  was  afterwards  subcutaneously  injected  into 
frogs,  white  mice  and  rabbits,  which  all  died  of  it.  By  special 
experiments,  I  convinced  myself  that  there  was  no  other  poison  in 
the  sponge,  syringe,  canula,  etc.  The  common  symptom  was  a 
paralyzation  of  the  nervous  system^  setting  in  gradually  after  a  short 
lapse  of  time  and  ultimately  causing  death.  Convulsions  were  not 
observed  in  rats,  and  in  rabbits  only  in  a  very  sHght  degree  towards 
the  end  (suffocating  convulsions  slightly  indicated).  In  frogs  the 
poisoning  lasted  from  57  minutes  to  several  hours,  a  day  and  a 
night,  etc.;  in  rats  56  to  85  minutes ;  a  little  rabbit  lived  112  minutes. 
The  frogs  died  of  paralyzation  of  the  heart ;^^. the  animals,  on  the 
contrary,  seemed  to  die  of  the  gradual  paralyzation  of  the  nervous 
system  and  the  centres  of  respiration.  If,  on  prolonged  irritation  of 
these  latter  systems,  the  heart  had  been  primarily  paralyzed,  signs 
of  acute  inner  suffocation,  accompanied  by  dyspnoea  and  violent  con- 
vulsions should  have  appeared,  as  was  the  case  in  the  experiments 
of  Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert  (see  note  6) ;  but  such  was  not 
the  case  to  any  degree  worth  mentioning.  The  difference  between 
the  results  of  these  investigators  and  my  own  surely  depend  chiefly 
on  their  having,  as  a  rule,  used  much  greater  doses  than  I  did ;  they 
have,  therefore,  obtained  a  sudden  paralyzation  of  the  heart,  while 
my  experiments  have  brought  about  very  gradual  paralyzation  of 
the  nervous  system. 

On  account  of  the  way  in  which  I  collected  the  poison,  I  cannot 
say  how  great  the  doses  were.  The  quantity  of  saliva  taken 
amounted  on  one  occasion  to  about  0-3  gramme,  but  surely  both 
the  quantity  and  the  toxicity  varied  much  on  different  occasions. 
That  the  poison  is  effective  in  very  small  quantities  was  proved  by 
the  following  experiment:  r8  milligrammes  of  dried  poison  was  dis- 
persed in  a  little  water,  only  partly  dissolved ;  was  filtered  and  in- 
jected into  a  frog.  The  animal  grew  very  weak  and  languid,  but 
was,  however,  not  totally  paralyzed  ;  did  not  completely  recover 
until  after  a  week.  The  poisonous  part  of  this  dose  was  certainly 
not  more  than  a  fraction  of  i  milligramme. 

A  more  minute  examination  of  the  development  of  the  paralysis 

"  Frogs  can,  as  a  rule,  hardly  die  from  paralyzation  of  the  respiratory  organs, 
since  they  breathe  so  sufficiently  through  their  skin  that  they  can  lie  alive  for 
weeks  without  lung  respiration  and  afterwards  recover. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm 


Au'grt-.?^"}  Helodcrma  Suspectum,  Cope.  395 

in  frogs  showed  that  the  central  nervous  system,  the  brain  and  the 
spinal  cord  were  first  affected  by  it,  but  afterwards  it  also  attacked 
the  termini  of  the  motor-nerves  in  the  muscles,  producing  a  com- 
plete curare  effect,  while  the  irritability  of  the  muscular  tissues  re- 
mained unaffected. 

In  the  heart  of  a  frog  observed  in  situ  without  opening  the 
thorax,  the  rate  of  pulsation  after  subcutaneous  injection  of  the 
poison  was  observed  at  first  to  increase  a  little,  then  gradually  to  de- 
crease until  it  stopp>ed  entirely.  Shortly  after  the  heart  had  stopped, 
or  while  the  auricles  were  still  beating  slightly,  the  ventricle  (after 
opening  the  thorax)  usually  seemed  contracted  and  stiff,  surely  in- 
dicating a  direct  effect  of  the  poison  on  the  muscular  tissues. 

Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert  have  not  observed  any  local  effect  of 
the  heloderma  venom.  Probably  this  depended  upon  the  hasty 
death  of  the  animals  on  whom  they  experimented.  In  several  ex- 
periments on  frogs,  I  have  discovered  cedema,  small  extravasations, 
discoloring  and  fragility  of  the  muscular  tissues,  etc.,  at  the  place  of 
injection  (mostly  in  the  walls  of  the  lymph-sinus  of  the  thorax  and 
abdomen).  In  a  rat  I  once  observed  a  greenish-brown  discoloring 
of  the  tissue  around  the  place  of  injection.  Furthermore,  in  many 
accounts  of  former  experiments  on  animals,  and  also  in  accounts  of 
cases  in  which  people  have  been  bitten  (Shufeldt,  Stein),  we  read  of 
more  or  less  marked  local  effects  of  the  poison.  Local  gangrene 
is,  however,  not  mentioned,  and,  as  a  rule,  the  local  effects  have 
soon  disappeared. 

On  mucous  membranes  (the  mucous  membrane  of  the  stomach  and 
the  conjunctiva)  the  heloderma  poison  does  not  seem  to  have  any 
injurious  effect. 

By  means  of  some  special  e.xperiments,  I  have  furthermore  tried 
to  discover  how  the  poisonous  part  of  the  heloderm  saliva  is  affected 
by  alcohol  and  boiling.  If  to  the  poisonous  fluid,  which  has  been 
rendered  a  trifle  sour  by  the  admixture  of  acetic  acid,  alcohol  is 
added  in  excess,  all  the  poison  may  be  precii)itated,  in  case  the  pro- 
cess is  carefully  carried  out.  If  the  alcoliol  is  then  filtered  off  from 
the  poison  and  allowed  to  evaporate,  and  if  the  residues,  after  the 
evaf>oration  of  the  alcohol  are  dispersed  in  acid  water,  the  liquid  thus 
obtained  is  uneffectivc.  Thus,  poisonous  alkaloid  substances,  which 
ought  to  have  dissolved  in  alcohol  and  then  in  acid  water,  «Yfr  not 
to  be  found. 


396  Heloderma  Suspectunt,  Cope,  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
August.  1897. 


The  alcoholic  precipitate  was  again  partly  dissolved  in  water 
(after  the  alcohol  had  been  removed),  and  this  solution  always  had 
a  fatal  effect,  accompanied  by  the  usual  symptoms,  sometimes  so 
suddenly  (a  frog  died  in  fifty-seven  minutes)  that  there  is  all  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  whole  of  the  poison  had  again  been  dissolved. 
From  this  the  important  conclusion  may  be  drawn  that  the  poison 
probably  does  not,  or  at  least  only  to  a  small  degree,  belong  to  the 
group  of  common  albuminous  substances  {albumin,  globulin),  which 
soon  become  so  altered  in  alcohol  that  they  cannot  be  again  dis- 
solved in  water.  On  the  contrary,  the  venomous  principle  ought, 
probably,  to  be  looked  for  among  the  nuclein  substances,  the  albu- 
moses  (albuminoses?),  the  peptons,  the  mucoid  substances,  etc. 

If  the  poisonous  liquid  rendered  slightly  sour  by  acetic  acid  is 
boiled,  coagula  are  formed,  as  before  mentioned.  These  are  not 
poisonous  if  well  washed  with  water  ;  but  if  not  washed,  a  more  or 
less  considerable  amount  of  the  venom  is  liable  to  adhere  to  them, 
and  this  venom  may  afterwards  be  soaked  out  of  the  coagula,  and  it 
is  then  even  able  to  cause  fatal  poisoning.  That  which  is  coagulated 
by  boiling  and  is  insoluble  in  water  probably  consists  of  common,, 
harmless  albumen.  Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  the  poison,  when 
boiled  with  acid,  remains  in  solution.  On  the  contrary,  with  alco- 
hol it  may  be  precipitated  from  this  solution,  but  may  again  be  dis- 
solved in  water.  These  circumstances  also  point  out  that  the 
venom  is  not  an  albumin  or  a  globulin,  but  belongs  to  the  latter  of 
the  above-named  groups  of  protein  substances.  The  fact  that  the 
poison  is  not  destroyed  by  boiling  shows  that  it  is  not  an  enzym  {an 
unorganized  ferment),  as  these  are  usually  conceived. 

When  the  poisonous  solution  is  brought  into  a  slightly  sour  reac- 
tion by  means  of  a  small  quantity  of  acetic  acid,  there  is  no  pre- 
cipitation. Consequently,  true  mucine  is  not  present  in  any  great 
quantity. 

Since  the  supply  of  material  which  I  was  able  to  obtain  was  very 
small,  it  was  rather  difficult  to  determine  the  chemical  nature  of  the 
venomous  substance  or  substances.  I  therefore  applied  to  my  col- 
league, K.  A.  H.  Mbrner,  Professor  of  Medical  Chemistry  in  Stock- 
holm,  who  had  the  kindness  to  undertake  this  work,  while  I  myself 
made  the  experiments  on  animals  required  for  these  tests. 

The  poisonous  solution,  rendered  a  little  sour  by  acetic  acid,  was 
precipitated  by  alcohol  in  excess;  this  precipitate  was  dissolved  in 


I 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 


Augim.iaf:^"}  Heloderma   Suspect  urn.  Cope.  39; 

water  and  was  again  precipitated  by  acetic  acid  and  brought  to  a 
tolerably  strong  sour  reaction.  In  this  precipitate  there  was  found 
phosphorus,  organically  bound ;  here  there  was,  therefore,  undoubt- 
edly, some  nucleimferous  protein  substance  present. 

But  was  this  substance  poisonous?  From  another  quantity  of  the 
poisonous  secretion,  the  nuclein  substance  was  again  isolated,  dis- 
solved in  water  with  a  little  soda,  and  injected  into  a  frog.  The 
animal  soon  grew  weak,  bled  continually,  though  slowly,  from  a 
small  wound  on  one  of  its  lips,  and  died  after  three  days.  On  dis- 
section, I  found  a  great  number  of  small  extravasations  of  blood  in 
the  muscles  of  the  thorax  and  even  some  in  other  places.  We  see 
here  (at  least  partially)  the  characteristic  effects  of  nuclein  sub- 
stances on  the  blood  (diminished  coagulating  power,  extravasations). 
If  a  stage  of  increased  coagulating  power  had  preceded,  I  do  not 
know.  If  the  solution  of  heloderm  poison  is  directly  applied  to 
defibrinized  blood  (of  a  rabbit),  the  blood-corpuscles  seem  to  take  a 
spherical  form,  which  reminds  us  of  the  effect  of  the  snake-poison 
globuiiues^^  of  Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert. 

The  solution  from  which  the  above-named  poisonous  nuclein  sub- 
stance was  removed  by  precipitation  with  acetic  acid  did  not  contain 
any  albumin  which  coagulated  on  boiling.  On  the  other  hand, 
Millon's  reaction  showed  the  presence  of  some  protein  substance. 
With  sulphate  of  ammonium  in. substance,  a  considerable  downy 
precipitate  of  albutnoses  was  obtained.  After  these  had  been  filtered 
off,  the  liquid  (the  filtrate)  gave  no  ''  biuret-rcaction  ;''  consequently 
true  peptons  were  not  present.  In  the  liquid  from  which  the  nuclein 
substances  had  been  removed,  albumoses  could  still  be  displayed  by 
means  of  ordinary  culinary  salt  and  acetic  acid  ;  these  called  forth  a 
turbidness  which  disappeared  on  boiling  and  reappeared  when 
exposed  to  cold. 

From  another  sample,  the  albumoses  were  isolated  in  the  above- 
described  manner  with  neutral  sulphate  of  ammonium  in  substance, 
were  then  separated  as  much  as  possible  from  the  ammonium  salt, 
were  dissolved  in  water  and  precipitated  with  alcohol.  The  latter 
treatment  was  repeated  once  more,  and  at  last  the  new  alcohol  pre- 
cipitate was  dissolved  again  in  water.  This  solution  of  albumoses, 
which  still  contained  some  sulphate  o(  ammonium,  was  injected  into 

"  Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert :  '*  Re«c*rchc»  upon  the  Venom  of  Poihonout 

Serpents,"  Washington,  1886. 


398  The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope,     {^*"iSt,%'"' 

a  frog.  The  frog  soon  grew  weak,  almost  paralyzed,  but  did  not 
die.  On  the  contrary,  it  gradually  recovered,  but  after  ten  days 
was  not  yet  quite  normal.  It  was  then  killed ;  no  extravasations 
were  visible.  (With  a  larger  dose  of  sulphate  of  ammonium  injected 
into  another  frog,  it  was  shown  that  this  salt  called  forth  quite  dif- 
ferent symptoms.) 

From  the  experiments  here  related,  it  may  be  seen  that  the  prin- 
cipal venomous  elements  of  the  heloderm  saliva  consist  partly  of  nucle- 
iniferous  substances  and  partly  of  albumoses. 

By  special  experiments  it  was  at  last  shown  that  aqueous  extract 
from  the  poisonous  glands  of  the  heloderma  and  the  blood  of  that 
animal  possessed  poisonous  qualities. 

Consequently,  my  observations  most  decidedly  support  the  asser- 
tion of  the  majority  of  experimenters,  especially  Weir  Mitchell  and 
Reichert,  that  the  heloderms  are  specifically  poisonous  animals,  even 
if,  as  a  rule,  they  are  not  aggressive  towards  men,  and,  on  account 
of  their  sluggishness,  only  seldom  do  any  harm.  A  heloderma  is, 
at  all  events,  an  individual  to  be  suspected,  even  if  it  does  give  but 
very  little  reason  for  the  name  "  horridum."  As  a  playmate  for 
children  (Cfr.  Weir  Mitchell  and  Reichert,  note  6),  it  is  certainly 
not  suitable. 

Stockholm,  June,  1897. 


THE  PHARMACIST  AND  THE  MICROSCOPE.^ 
By  Henry  Kraemer. 

The  topic  of  "  The  Microscope  in  Pharmacy  "  is  by  no  means  a 
new  one.  In  this  country  for  at  least  the  past  twenty  years  it  has 
been  a  theme  upon  which  comparatively  many  have  written.  Upon 
looking  over  some  of  these  papers  one  is  struck  with  the  loyalty  of 
the  authors  to  the  microscope,  in  describing  its  construction,  uses 
and  even  possibilities.  Nevertheless,  one  cannot  but  feel  that  the 
situation  has  been  viewed  in  most  cases  from  some  other  stand- 
point rather  than  the  practice  of  the  profession  of  pharmacy.  The 
idea  that  seems  to  pervade  the  atmosphere  is  that  all  that  is  neces- 
sary for  the  pharmacist  is  to  procure  the  necessary  apparatus  (mi- 
croscopes, reagents,  etc.)  and  books  and  to  follow  the  directions 
given.     One   furthermore   receives   the    impression    that,  because 

'  Presented  at  the  New  York  State  Pharm.  Assoc,  July  13,  1897. 


Am.  Joar.  Pharm 


A^si  i5l^^°}      The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.  399 

vegetable  drugs  possess  characteristic  structures,  therefore,  the 
pharmacist  ought  to  use  his  microscope  in  determining  all  of  the 
drugs  that  he  buys.  The  result  of  this  kind  of  writing  has,  to 
some  extent,  hindered  our  progress  in  practical  pharmacognosy  in 
this  country. 

ONE    MUST    BE    T.\UGHT. 

To  possess  a  microscope  and  not  know  how  to  use  it,  or  to  think 
one  knows  how  to  use  it,  and  spend  one's  time  by  one's  self  in  en- 
deavoring to  interpret  what  is  revealed  there,  is  both  money  and 
time  wasted.  In  order  to  obtain  results  that  are  reliable  in  using  a 
microscope  for  any  purpose,  one  must  know  how  to  use  the  instru- 
ment and  understand  the  structures  in  the  department  (say  botany) 
where  it  is  to  be  used.  This  necessary  knowledge  can  come  only  by 
being  instructed  properly.  Of  all  the  instruments  yet  devised  in 
the  prosecution  of  scientific  research,  there  is  none  that  requires 
that  its  user  shall  be  better  taught  in  the  foundation  and  guiding 
principles  of  the  science  in  which  he  engages,  than  the  micro- 
scope. It  is  extremely  unprofitable  for  any  one  to  have  the  idea 
that  he  can  teach  himself  the  use  of  the  microscope  in  the  science 
in  which  he  proposes  to  apply  it.  It  looks  very  inviting  to  see  a 
good  illustration  and  to  read  of  sectioning,  mounting  and  examin- 
ing a  drug  with  the  microscope.  It  is  another  thing  to  do  the  work 
and  see  the  points.  Experience  teaches  us  that  a  beginner  finds  no 
help  in  the  illustrations  of  books.  What  the  beginner  needs  in 
doing  microscopical  work  are  not  illustrations  or  facts,  but  ability  to 
use  his  hand,  eye  and  brain  rightly.  One  must  be  taught,  i.  e.,  guided 
to  knowledge.  Time  must  first  be  consumed  under  a  competent 
teacher  in  mastering  the  construction  of  the  instrument  and  in  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  methods  of  doing  microscopical  work  and 
in  learning  the  foundation  and  guiding  principles  of  morpholog)- 
(both  outer  and  inner)  of  the  plant  kingdom.  After  this  is  accom- 
plished the  student  will  find  books  helpful.  Now  he  can  use  his 
hands  properly,  see  with  his  eyes  correctly  and  interpret  with  his 
brain  rationally.  The  more  knowledge  that  is  gained  by  personal 
observation  the  stronger  and  more  self-reliant  will  the  student  be- 
come. 

A  broad  botanical  or  even  biological  university  training  is  the 
best  foundation  and  is  necessary  to  accomplish  the  best  work  witli 
the  rnicroscope.     It  cannot  be  said,  however,  that  this  is  absolutely 


\iii.  Jour.  Pharm. 


400  The  P/mrjnacist  and  the  Microscope.     {^"i^S.is^^ 

necessary  in  the  prosecution  of  the  microscopical  work  by  the  phar- 
macist. It  is  necessary  for  him,  however,  to  have  mastered  the 
foundation  principles  of  physics,  botany  and  chemistry  in  order  to 
get  the  results  that  are  of  practical  value  to  him.  Some  of  our 
schools  and  colleges  of  pharmacy  are  now  prepared  to  give  their 
students  a  good  start  in  this  direction.  The  student  must  not  be 
dismayed,  but,  on  the  contrary,  expect  "to  make  haste  slowly"  at 
first.  He  must  exercise  patience  in  learning  to  section  drugs  and 
work  persistently  under  a  competent  instructor  until  he  understands 
the  principles  of  his  subject.  Nature  does  not  unfold  herself  unless 
you  work  patiently  and  incessantly  at  her.  When  one  problem  is 
well  worked  out,  the  next  is  easier,  so  that  by  the  time  the  student 
is  master  of  his  subject,  results  come  comparatively  easily. 

TIME    AND    PLACE   FOR    USE    OF   THE    MICROSCOPE. 

Having  shown  that  instruction  is  necessary  in  order  to  secure 
reliable  results  from  the  use  of  the  microscope  in  pharmacy,  the 
illusion  that  the  microscope  is  necessary  on  all  occasions  must  be 
dispelled.  While  it  is  an  indispensable  instrument  sometimes,  it 
does  not  follow  that  it  must  be  used  always,  any  more  than  because 
an  axe  is  used  to  chop  down  a  large  tree,  that  therefore  an  axe  is 
necessary  to  break  up  every  piece  of  wood.  The  microscope  has  its 
time  and  its  place  for  use  by  every  one  who  is  accustomed  to  using  it 
in  his  special  line  of  work.  It  is  as  superfluous  for  the  educated 
pharmacist  to  use  his  microscope  in  the  examination  of  each  lot  of 
nux  vomica  or  calumbo  that  he  buys  as  it  would  be  for  the  field 
botanist  to  require  to  make  a  microscopical  examination  before  he 
could  determine,  say,  Castanea  dentata  or  Quercus  alba.  In  fact,  it 
bespeaks  lack  of  knowledge  in  the  botanist.  It  likewise  reflects  on 
the  professional  pharmacist  who  wishes  to  make  sections  of  those 
drugs  which  are  so  characteristic  in  a  crude  condition,  and  which  by 
experience  he  ought  to  distinguish  at  once.  The  microscope  is  to  be 
employed  only  when  more  refined  tests  are  necessary. 

APPLICATIONS   OF   THE   MICROSCOPE    IN    PHARMACY. 

Upon  the  completion  of  a  proper  laboratory  course,  and  being 
well  grounded  in  the  various  sciences  necessary  for  the  use  of  the 
microscope  in  pharmacy,  we  must  also  recognize  that  .in  the  use  of 
the  microscope  there  is  a  training  of  the  eye  (a  sharpening  of  it,  so 
to  speak),  so  that  the  trained  eye,  with  the  other  senses  (educated 


^"iug,mt.^85^f'"}      The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.  40 1 

too),  are  all  to  be  employed  where  necessary  in  determination  of 
drugs.  Now,  there  are  times  when  the  use  of  the  microscope  alone 
is  essential,  whereas  at  other  times  it  is  rather  a  convenience  in  the 
practice  of  pharmacy.  Some  of  the  applications  of  the  microscope 
in  pharmacy  are  the  following : 

(i)  Examination  of  Some  Crude  Drugs. — While  appearance, 
odor,  taste,  etc.,  are  generally  sufficient  aids  in  determining  most  of 
the  commercial  crude  drugs  one  from  another,  still  there  are 
instances  where  a  microscopical  examination  is  desirable  and  neces- 
sary. This  is  especially  so  when  certain  drugs  occur  in  relatively 
small  pieces,  or  when  two  or  more  drugs  that  possess  similar  charac- 
teristics are  supposed  to  be  intermixed  or  incorrectly  labelled.  The 
microscopic  structure  will  generally  enable  one  to  quickly  dispose 
of  such  doubtful  cases.  The  following  crude  drugs  of  the  U.S.P. 
require  not  infrequently  a  microscopical  examination  for  their 
accurate  determination,  especially  when  they  do  not  appear  in  the 
forms  usually  seen  in  commerce : 

Mexican  sarsaparilla  from  Honduras  sarsaparilla. 

Belladonna,'  radix  (the  horny  kind)  from  Inula. 

Belladonna  folia  from  Stramonii  folia. 

Serpentaria,'  from  Spigelia. 

Granatum  from  Xanthoxylum. 

There  are  a  few  cases  in  the  examination  of  crude  drugs  where 
microscopical  examinations  have  been  advocated,  and  while  some- 
times necessary,  the  quality  and  nature  of  adulterant  may  frequently 
be  told  by  the  eye  alone,  as  Crocus,  etc. 

(2)  Examination  of  Powdered  Drugs. —  In  recent  years  powdered 
drugs  have  been  introduced  to  such  an  extent  that  in  many  retail 
pharmacies  few  crude  drugs  are  to  be  found.  Drugs  in  the  powdered 
condition  may  be  obtained  pure,  but  adulteration  is  more  easily 
effected.  The  reason  for  this  is  owing  to  the  inability  of  the  average 
pharmacist  in  detecting  it.  We  notice  that  some  State  Boards  in 
their  examinations  give  the  candidates  very  few,  if  any,  crude  drugs 
for  determination.  In  time  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the 
candidates  for  the  State  Board  examinations  will  be  required  to 
identify  powdered  drugs  and  pronounce  on  their  quality.  This 
is  desirable  for  the  sake  of  the  profession  of  pharmacy,  and  in  accord 

*  The  microscope  is  not  neceMary  here,  as  will  he  shown  in  an  article  to  be 
published  later. 


402  TJie  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.     {"^""auS.^S^""'' 

with  the  spirit  of  the  State  Boards  in  giving  the  candidates  as  practi- 
cal examinations  as  may  be  possible.  The  microscope  must,  in  this 
province,  be  used,  as  only  by  means  of  it  can  one  determine  most 
of  the  powdered  drugs  and  pronounce  on  the  quality  of  all.  By 
means  of  the  microscope,  drugs  of  different  origin  may  readily  be 
determined,  as  the  various  sarsaparillas,  sennas,  ipecacs,  etc. 

(3)  As  a  Preliminary  Step  in  the  Study  of  Plant  Constituents, — 
The  microscope  is  of  undoubted  service  as  a  preliminary  step  in  con- 
ducting chemical  examinations  of  drugs.  The  nature  of  inorganic 
substances  (as  CaC03,  CaC204,  Si02,  etc.)  may  readily  be  detected. 
The  nature  of  some  carbon  compounds  (as  starch,  sugar),  and  active 
principles  (as  oils,  resins,  tannins  or  other  substances)  may  be 
detected  qualitatively. 

(4)  In  Determining  the  Relative  Value  of  Drugs. — It  not  infre- 
quently happens  that  two  drugs  of  different  origin  or  habitat  are 
used  in  medicine,  and  that  the  cheaper  contains  the  larger  percent- 
age of  active  principles.  A  chemical  assay  may  be  resorted  to ;  but 
when  purchasing  a  small  quantity  of  a  drug  this  might  not  pay. 
By  means  of  the  microscope,  however,  an  approximate  comparison 
may  be  instituted,  even  quantitative  results  may  be  obtained,  as 
has  already  been  shown,  and  will  be  further  demonstrated  in  a 
forthcoming  paper.  This  applies  not  only  to  powdered,  but  also  to 
crude  drugs.     The  following  instances  may  be  cited : 

(«)  Gingers. — The  African  ginger  is  cheaper  than  the  Jamaica 
ginger,  but  the  former  contains  more  secretion  cells,  which  are 
about  the  same  size  in  both.  Hence,  the  African,  though  cheapest, 
assays  a  higher  percentage  of  oleoresin. 

(^)  Biichus. — The  short  buchu  is  cheaper  than  the  long  buchu, 
but  resembles  the  former,  and  contains  much  larger  and  more 
numerous  secretion  reservoirs  than  the  latter;  hence  the  "short 
buchu"  assays  more  oil  than  the  other. 

(5)  /«  Determining  Loss  of  Active  Principles. — It  is  possible  in 
some  cases,  without  resorting  to  a  chemical  assay,  to  determine 
whether  the  active  principles  have  been  removed.  This  is  notably 
so  in  drugs  that  contain  alkaloids,  secretion  reservoirs  or  secreting 
hairs,  as  cinchona,  ginger,  cloves,  or  any  labiatae. 

(6)  In  Determining  Identity  and  Quality  of  Spices  and  Foods. — 
Since  the  introduction  of  spices  in  a  powdered  condition  into  the 
household   there   has  been   the   most  flagrant   kind  of  adulteration 


^"AuguJt.VS?!""}     Tfi^  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.  403 

practised.     In   many  cases   the  microscope  is  the  only  satisfactory 
means  for  determining  the  purity  and  nature  of  adulterant. 

A  few  illustrations  may  be  given  : 

{a)  Pepper  is  adulterated  with  mustard  hulls,  wheat  flour,  etc. 

(b)  Bermuda  Arrowroot  with  other  arrowroots  and  starches. 

(c)  Tea  with  the  leaves  of  Salix  alba,  Sambucus  nigra,  etc. 

(7)  In  Determining  Unknoivn  Drugs. — It  often  occurs  that  a 
pharmacist  receives  for  identification  samples  of  drugs  that  are  un- 
known to  him.  It  may  be  that  they  are  common  indeed  and  in- 
digenous to  this  country.  The  microscopic  exammation  at  once 
gives  one  a  start.  The  compound  microscope  is,  indeed,  playing  a 
very  important  part  to-day  throughout  systematic  botany.  Certain 
groups  or  families  or  genera  are  found  to  possess  a  certain  charac- 
teristic inner  morphology,  and  this  is  the  key  to  the  solution.  It 
may  be  that  the  arrangement  of  the  elements  of  the  fibro-vascular 
bundle  is  peculiar,  or  that  the  shape  of  the  element  (root,  stem, 
etc.)  is  characteristic,  or  the  identification  may  be  based  on  the 
nature  of  secretion  cells,  or  form  and  nature  of  hairs,  etc.  In  leaves 
the  habitat  may  sometimes  be  determined  by  reason  of  the  structure. 

(8)  In  Biological  and  Sanitary  Analysis. — The  advancing  phar- 
macist is  taking  upon  himself  the  study  of  these  branches,  which 
are  more  or  less  directly  related  to  medicine,  and  for  which  there  is 
evidently  a  growing  demand.  He  is  making  the  biological  as  well 
as  chemical  analysis  of  water  and  reporting  on  the  condition  of 
sputum,  urine,  etc.,  of  the  patients  of  the  physician.  In  all  this 
kind  of  work  the  microscope  is  necessary. 

(9)  For  Other  Practical  Purposes. — Recently  some  one  wished  to 
examine  the  number  of  meshes  in  some  sieves.  The  compound 
microscope  was  recommended  for  the  purpose,  the  principle  of  the 
method  followed  being  the  same  as  that  used  in  measuring  the 
lengths  of  cells,  etc. 

The  microscof)e  may  be  used  in  detecting  forgery,  in  determining 
the  writing  on  soiled  labels  ;  also  in  ascertaining  the  kind  of  writing 
paper,  labels,  etc.,  that  are  purchased,  etc. 

THE    INFLUENCE    OF    THE    USE    OF    THE    MICROSCOPE, 

From  what  has  preceded  it  is  seen  that  the  microscope  has  a 
very  important  bearing  on  the  practical  work  of  the  pharmacist. 
It  would  not  be  proper  in  an  essay  of  this  kind  to  fail  to  record  the 


404  The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope,     {^"^kl^^x^^^^i!^- 

influence  of  the  microscope  in  the  training  of  the  pharmacist.  The 
use  of  the  microscope  does  for  him — as  it  does  for  all — an  infinite 
amount  of  good  that  must  not  be  overlooked.  It  makes  better  ob- 
servers of  all.  The  early  workers  with  the  microscope  often  re- 
marked that  it  enabled  tJie  zvorker  to  see  with  the  naked  eye  after- 
wards structures  that  were  invisible  to  him  before  he  used  the  instru- 
ment. By  means  of  the  simple  lens  one  is  enabled  frequently  to 
make  out  those  characteristics  of  a  drug  that  he  has  seen  with  the 
compound  microscope.  Finally,  with  the  naked  eye  alone,  one  can, 
by  experience,  obtain  results  in  determining  the  quality  of  drugs 
that  are  based  on  structure  and  not  on  ephemeral  external  charac- 
ters. 

RESULTS    OF   THE   USE    OF    THE   MICROSCOPE. 

We  must  not  be  discouraged  by  reason  of  the  sceptic  and  his 
oft-repeated  question  :  *'  What  is  the  use?"  The  sceptic  is  as  use- 
ful in  treating  this  subject  as  he  is  in  other  problems.  In  the  ap- 
plied sciences  this  question  is  ever  before  the  student.  The  pure 
scientist,  in  his  pure  science,  need  pay  no  attention  to  the  query. 
But  the  business  and  professional  man  feels  it  necessary  to  devote 
his  energies  to  those  things  only  that  will  bring  forth  useful  fruits. 
There  is,  however,an  insurmountable  difficulty  in  following  the  applied 
sciences  ;  one  cannot  predict  what  scientific  fact  or  discovery  will  be 
the  basis  or  part  of  a  principle  in  the  construction  of  some  useful 
invention.  Hence  we  find  it  necessary  to  take  in  more  than  we  can 
use  practically,  and  are  silenced  for  the  time  sometimes  by  the  ques- 
tion :  '•  What  is  the  use  ?"  Nevertheless,  we  are  safe  in  recording 
some  of  the  results  that  accrue  to  the  educated  pharmacist  from  his 
use  of  the  microscope.  The  benefits  are  two-fold,  viz.:  to  the  phar- 
macist and  to  the  public. 

(i)  To  the  Pharmacist. — The  pharmacist  is  able  to  dispense  drugs, 
foods  and  spices,  the  purity  of  which  he  can  guarantee.  This 
means  to  him  and  for  him  : 

(a)  The  most  efficient  of  co-operative  work  with  the  physician. 

{b)  The  building  up  of  a  good  pharmacy,  the  name  of  which  shall 
endure. 

{c)  The  establishment  of  confidence  in  him  by  the  best  physi- 
cians and  the  public.  To  have  a  good  custom  one  must  sell  good 
drugs. 


'""iSi.^iS^';'"'}     The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope.  405 

(^)  The  pharmacist  receives  the  value  of  his  money  for  his  pur- 
chases. He  does  not  pay  a  high  price  for  an  inferior  drug,  as  a 
Honduras  price  for  a  Mexican  or  other  sarsaparilla. 

(e)  The  conscience  of  the  pharmacist  is  clear,  as  he  knows  what 
he  is  selHng. 

(/)  It  is  also  an  advertisement  to  the  pharmacist,  and  he  may 
judiciously  utilize  it  in  the  building  up  of  his  estate  here. 

(2)  To  the  Public. — The  public  receive  in  return  pure  drugs,  foods 
and  spices.     This  means  to  them  : 

{a^  Confidence  in  the  pharmacist,  which  sometimes  may  prolong 
and  even  save  life. 

(b)  Satisfaction  in  the  goods  for  the  money  paid. 

ARGUMENTS    AGAINST    THE    USE    OF    THE    MICROSCOPE. 

(i)  It  requires  an  educated  person  to  use  the  microscope  to  any 
advantage.  A  mere  merchant  could  not  use  it  with  profit.  It 
requires  that  one  shall  have  spent  time  and  money  in  acquiring  a 
proper  education.  Hence,  they  who  have  never  been  instructed  by 
a  competent  teacher  cannot  practically  avail  themselves  of  the  bene- 
fits of  the  use  of  the  microscope. 

(2)  The  cost  of  the  outfit,  being  at  least  $25,  makes  some  per- 
sons, who  might  use  it  profitably,  think  too  long  about  purchasing 
a  microscope. 

(3)  Time  must  be  given  to  the  use  of  the  microscope.  Many 
pharmacists  feel  that  if  there  is  any  time  to  spare  it  ought  to  be 
given  to  *'  resting  up"  or  waiting  for  the  next  rush  of  business. 

(4)  It  takes  "  nerve  "  or  backbone  for  one  to  go  to  college,  to  buy 
a  microscope,  to  give  the  time  that  is  necessary  for  securing  results 
and  to  believe  that  all  will  pay  in  the  end. 

(5)  The  merchant  who  wishes  to  purchase  his  goods  at  the  lowest 
price,  regardless  of  quality,  does  not  care  to  be  able  to  know 
whether  the  guarantee  of  the  seller  for  purity  is  correct.  He  would 
rather  sell  impure  and  adulterated  goods  with  the  clear  conscience 
of  wilful  ignorance. 

CONCLUSION. 

A  good  education  is  necessary  for  a  professional  pharmacist,  and 
he  alone  who  is  taught  properly  can  use  the  microscope  advan- 
tageously. 

The  microscope  may  be  utilized  in  so  many  practical  ways  by  the 


4o6  The   Tannin  of  Castanopsis.  {^^ASM^^sor' 

educated  pharmacist  that  the  receipts  far  outweigh  the  cost  and 
time.  The  Hght  in  the  sky  is  already  appearing,  the  clouds  are 
rising  higher  and  higher  on  the  mountain  side,  and  the  practical 
pharmacists  are  ascending  one  by  one  to  higher  flights  than  where 
they  rested  yesterday,  and  they  follow  those  who  it  sometimes  may 
seem  are  working  in  the  clouds,  yet  who,  nevertheless,  when  the 
light  shines,  are  seen  to  be  laboring  for  the  benefit  and  the  future  of 
pharmacy. 

THE  TANNIN  OF  CASTANOPSIS. 

By  Henry  Trimbi^e. 

In  the  June  number  of  this  Journal,  p.  296,  attention  was 
called  to  the  presence  of  strontium  in  the  bark  of  several  species  of 
castanopsis  received  from  Dr.  H.  N.  Ridley,  of  the  Singapore  Botani- 
cal Gardens,  India.  These  barks  have  also  been  examined  for  tan- 
nin;  and  the  results  are  now  tabulated  along  with  those  from  two 
species  of  oak  also  from  Singapore,  and  two  samples  of  the  one 
species  of  our  native  castanopsis,  C.  chrysophylla.  The  results  on 
one  sample  of  the  latter  were  published  in  the  Garden  and  Forest, 
8,  293,  July  24,  1895  \  the  editor,  Professor  C.  S.  Sargent,  adding 
some  remarks  concerning  the  genus,  which,  by  reproduction  here, 
will  throw  additional  light  on  the  subject. 

As  is  well  known,  the  bark  of  Quercus  densiflora,  of  California,  is  popularly 
considered  the  most  valuable  tanning  material  produced  in  the  Pacific  States  of 
North  America.  This  oak  is  the  only  American  representative  of  a  peculiar 
group  of  trees  which  inhabit  southeastern  Asia,  and  are  intermediate  iu  botanical 
characters  between  the  true  oaks  and  the  chestnuts. 

There  is  another  genus,  Castanopsis,  which  is  also  intermediate  between  the 
oaks  and  the  chestnuts,  and  also  of  southeastern  Asia,  but,  curiously  enough, 
with  a  single  representative  in  Oregon  and  California,  Castanopsis  chry- 
sophylla, a  very  beautiful  tree,  which  the  Californians  call  the  gold-leafed 
chestnut,  from  the  bright  golden  scurf  which  covers  the  lower  surface  of  the 
leaves.  Some  botanists  treat  Castanopsis  as  a  section  of  Castauea,  while  others, 
like  Dr.  King,  of  Calcutta,  who  made  a  special  study  of  the  genus,  although 
finding  no  very  good  characters  by  which  it  can  be  distinguished  from  one  of 
the  Asiatic  sections  of  Quercus,  maintain  the  genus  for  the  purposes  of  conve- 
nience. The  relationship  of  this  tree  to  Quercus  densiflora  on  one  hand,  and  to 
the  chestnut  on  the  other,  suggested  that  its  wood  and  bark  might  contain 
valuable  tanning  properties. 

The  result  of  a  comparison  of  the  American  Quercus  and  Castan- 
opsis, was  to  show  that  the  tannin  of  Castanopsis  chrysophylla  is 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
August.  1&97. 


The   Tannm  of  Castanopsis. 


407 


identical  with  that  from  Quercus  densiflora,  and,  therefore,  with  all 
the  other  species  of  oak  which  have  hitherto  been  examined  by  me. 
Since  chestnut  tannin  is  identical  with  gall  tannin,  and  that  from  the 
oak  is  quite  a  different  substance,  the  result  from  a  chemical  stand- 
point, placed  the  Castanopsis  chrysophylla  with  quercus. 

The  natural  sequence  of  this  investigation  was  a  desire  to  examine 
the  several  species  of  castanopsis  of  India,  where  all  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  genus  grow,  and  through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Ridley  this 
has  been  possible.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  however,  that  only  the 
percentage  amount  of  tannin  and  some  general  characters  can  be 
given  at  this  time,  since  there  was  not  sufficient  material  to  admit  of 
a  final  decision  in  regard  to  the  composition  of  the  tannin.  The 
attempt  was  made  to  purify  two  lots  of  tannin  from  these  barks,  but 
it  is  only  safe  at  present  to  state  that  the  indications  point  to  the 
presence  of  oak  tannin  in  all  the  Indian  species.  An  additional 
liberal  supply  of  the  bark  from  the  American  species  was  also 
received  from  Miss  Alice  Eastwood,  of  the  California  Academy  of 
Science,  collected  by  Dr.  Geo.  McCowen,  Ukiah,  California. 


Castanopsis  Wallichiana   .    .   . 
Curtisii  (old  tree)*  . 
"     (young  tree)- 

"  Javauica 

Hullettii 

Quercus  hystrix    ... 

**        discocarpa 

Castanopsis  chrysophylla  .    .    . 

Quercus  densiflora 


--^.  ,„_^     Aah  in  absolutely  Tannin  in 

MOisiure.  dry  sample.  absolutely  dry  sample. 


894 

4-40 

5  "37 

8-53 

2-03 

1 6  07 

6-8i 

441 

721 

693 

461 

806 

651 

377 

673 

7 'CO 

6-20 

8  60 

727 

3'93 

528 

4272 

370 

iS  92 

i'>'43 

061 

8-58 

10-31 

2  46 

16  12 

'  Collected  In  Penang. 
*  Singapore. 


The  two  specimens  of  Castanopsis  chrysophylla  were  quite  different 
in  character;  the  one  showing  the  large  i>crccntagc  of  moisture  was 


4o8  Resume  of  Recurrent   lopics.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
August.  1897. 


taken  from  a  shrub,  and  was  received  while  in  the  moist  green  state, 
a  condition  favorable  to  a  large  yield  of  tannin ;  the  other  was 
apparently  from  a  much  older  tree,  and  apparently  much  of  the 
tannin  was  changed  to  an  insoluble  red  coloring.  The  low  ash  can- 
not be  accounted  for. 

In  connection   with   this   the   following  description  of  the  Indian 
species  by  Dr.  Ridley  may  be  of  interest. 

Castanopsis  Wallichiana.  Nuts  commonly  eaten.  If  there  are  not  two 
species  mixed  under  this  name,  the  leaves  are  very  variable. 

C.  Curtisii,  King.  Native  name,  "  Berangan  Janthong."  One  from  the  type 
tree  in  Penang,  marked  "  old  tree,"  the  other  marked  "  young  tree,"  brought 
by  a  native  collection  from  our  forests  here  ;  though  the  collector  persists  it  is 
Curtisii,  I  have  never  myself  seen  this  species  in  Singapore. 

C.  Javanica,  King.  Native  name,  "Berangan  Gajah."  I  think  two  species 
may  have  been  placed  under  this  name  by  Dr.  King.  The  fruits  of  the  sample 
sent  are  very  large  ;  nuts  single,  oblong,  about  three  inches  in  length;  they  are 
purgative  when  eaten. 

C.  HuUettii,  King,  Native  name  **  Berangan  Papan,  i.  e.,  plank  chestnut. 
A  big  tree,  nuts  bitter,  not  eaten, 

Quercus  hystrix.  Native  name,  "Mempening."  A  very  common  oak  in 
Singapore, 

O.  discocarpa,  from  Penang,  I  hardly  see  why  this  is  not  a  Castanopsis;  the 
fruit  is  just  that  of  one. 


RESUME  OF  RECURRENT  TOPICS. 

By  W11.1.1AM  B,  Thompson. 

The  Gradations  of  Chemistry. — In  the  classification  of  the  various 
branches  of  this  science  (and  the  divisions  are  very  numerous,  as 
well  as  comprehensive),  it  will  be  observed  that  some  attach  natur- 
ally to  therapy  and  others  to  that  of  pharmacy.  In  a  general 
sense  we  may  say  that  the  physician  who  fails  to  give  full  consid- 
eration to  biological  and  physiological  chemistry  cannot  be  correct  at 
diagnosis.  Whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  the  pharmacist  who  omits  to 
comprehend  the  relations  of  toxicological  and  pharmaceutical  chem- 
istry cannot  proceed  intelligently  in  applying  knowledge  to  his  art. 
A  pharmacist  appreciating  the  aids  to  the  pursuit  of  his  business 
could  wisely  adopt  as  a  special  study  one  of  the  many  divisions  of 
chemical  science.  Practice  in  this  might,  in  time,  be  made  remun- 
erative. Apart  from  the  utility,  it  is  a  most  enticing  and  absorb- 
ing theme,  and  furnishes  the  key  which  unlocks  some  of  the  most 
profound  and  amazing  mysteries  of  the  material  world.     A  taste  of 


^Vugus-t.^b^/"'}  Resume  of  Recurrent   Topics.  409 

this  knowledge  begets  a  thirst  for  more.  Chemistry'  might  be 
selected  by  choice  and  made  an  auxiliary  to  business,  and  to  busi- 
ness titles,  a  deserved  or  earned  title  being  more  worthy  than  an 
assumed  one.  Once  rescued  from  the  commercial  slough  by  the 
absorption  of  its  numerous  allied  sciences,  pharmacy  ought  to  rise 
again  to  its  true  sphere  and  mission. 

Herbs  and  Simples. — In  the  earlier  days  of  medical  and  domestic 
practice,  when  vegetable  substances  were  chiefly  in  vogue  as  reme- 
dies, there  was  quite  an  original  subdivision  according  to  their  prop- 
erties— suggestive,  sensible  properties.  For  instance,  there  were 
the  so-called  five  great  aperitive  roots — smallage,  or  celery;  fennel, 
parsley,  petty-whin,  and  asparagus — the  title  aperitive  having  the 
same  derivation  as  our  modern  word  aperient,  the  latter  being  con- 
sidered more  in  euphony.  Then  there  were  the  four  lesser  cold 
seeds — succory,  or  chicory;  lettuce,  purslane,  etc., — and  the  four  les- 
ser liot  seeds — celery,  parsley,  bishop  weed  and  wild  carrots.  Next, 
the  four  greater  cold  seeds,  of  which  the  pumpkin  is  a  type,  and  the 
four  greater  hot  seeds,  and  so  on.  It  will  be  noticed  that  these  dis- 
tinctions were  not  medical  in  any  sense,  but  based  on  the  plainest 
descriptions,  hot  and  oold,  our  present  pungent  carminatives  consti- 
tuting the  former,  and  the  mucilaginous  and  saccharine  the  latter. 
Many  of  these  were  in  established  repute,  and  the  observations  upon 
their  properties  are  so  specific  as  to  convince  us  that  the  effects  were 
based  upon  absolute  demonstration.  With  a  large  class  of  [x^rsons 
there  yet  lingers  a  strong  predilection  in  favor  of  vegetable  medi- 
cines. If  we  except  the  tonic  varieties,  their  reasonable  use  can 
never  be  harmful.  Can  we  say  as  much  for  the  minerals?  We 
cannot,  however,  revive  the  faith  that  once  existed,  and  these  sub- 
stances are  now  the  drug-store  stock  of  indefinite  age,  and  often 
indistinguishable. 

Artificial  Peptic  Action  on  Food  Substances. — That  food  may  be 
partially  digested,  or  pre-digested  or  peptonized  by  artificial  pro- 
cess, and  yet  preserve  such  elementary  state  or  condition  as  adapts 
it  to  the  needs  of  the  human  body,  is  an  open  and  debatable  cjues- 
tion.  If  the  primary  digestion  only  produces  so-calied  peptones, 
and  true  peptones  (which  have  never  been  isolated  or  identity  cstab. 
lished)  are  inseparable  from  the  acting  function  of  the  human  slom. 
ach  or  the  animal  chemistry  o(  foodconversion,  then  wc  arc  some- 
what at  sea  without  a  chart,  for  wc   Cctnnoi   produce   j)cptoncs  arti- 


4IO  Resume  of  Recurrent   Topics.         {'^'^ki^^C^i^' 

ficially.  It  is  quite  a  simple  process  to  cause  the  animal  ferments  in 
certain  favorable  media,  and,  under  the  influence  of  heat,  to  act 
upon  substance,  and  also  to  change  the  molecular  or  physical  char, 
acter  of  such  substance;  but  it  is  a  wide  stretch  of  assertion  to  say 
that  this  altered  condition  is  an  exactly  similar  result  to  that  change 
which  food  undergoes  in  the  animal  alimentary  receptacle.  This 
subject  is,  perhaps,  more  of  a  physiological  than  of  pharmaceutical 
import;  but  as  articles  which  come  under  this  category  are  offered 
to  the  public  for  self-use  and  adoption,  the  knowledge  of  the  apothe- 
cary is  often  sought  in  explanation  of  many  things  the  lay  commun- 
ity do  not  understand.  It  never  meets  the  question  of  scientific 
adaptation,  to  merely  say,  *'0h,  such  articles  are  popular  and  sell 
largely."  We  all  know  how  popularity  may  be  secured  through 
the  free  medium  of  printers*  ink.  If  there  is  that  which  should  be 
or  can  be  understood,  let  us  have  the  true  knowledge  to  either 
guide  our  judgment  or  correct  our  errors. 

Chemistry  as  Applied  to  Industrial  Arts. — The  thought  occurs  that, 
when  knowledge  in  special  branches  of  science  becomes  an  applica- 
tion to  industrial  pursuit  to  art  and  to  trade,  there  should  arise, 
in  this  country,  a  national  spirit  to  foster  and  encourage  technical 
education  in  these  arts,  etc.,  etc.  Take  the  production  of  chemicals 
of  the  synthetical  class,  for  instance,  as  an  applied  industry,  and  also 
consider  the  science  with  non-general  adaptations.  There  must 
exist  a  constant  need  of  educated  knowledge  and  skill  in  the  depart- 
ments of  work  and  labor.  This  want  is  likely  to  increase  by  natural 
growth,  but  could  be  vastly  extended  by  a  systematic  encourage- 
ment. The  pharmaceutical  student  who  imbibes  a  taste  for,  and 
inclination  to  pursue  the  study  of  this  fundamental  rather  than  col- 
lateral branch  of  science,  and  to  make  of  it  a  special  vocation,  has 
very  meagre  stimulus  here.  How  can  we  avoid  seeking  the  neces- 
sary aid  of  foreign  talent  when  we  have,  comparatively  at  least, 
none  of  our  own  ?  We  have  never  promoted  enlarged  and  liberal 
views  on  this  and  many  other  subjects  of  national  economic  import- 
ance. The  student  in  chemistry,  out  of  his  novitiate,  seeking  to 
apply  his  knowledge,  finds  but  limited  opportunity  open,  and  he 
must  search  and  hope  with  discouraging  result.  A  self-constituted 
committee  of  patrons,  or  patronage  composed  of  manufacturers  and 
others  whose  capital  is  embarked  in  the  application  of  chemical 
science,  either  wholly  or  partially  to  the  operations  of  industrial 


^^AugusMS^'"}  The  Normal  Urine.  411 

arts  and  trades,  or  those  who  regard  the  aid  of  this  special  science, 
should  ally  themselves  in  some  movement  or  purpose  having  the 
education  of  the  American  youth  in  view.  Beyond  the  pale  of  com- 
merce there  is  indeed  very  little  conception  of  the  vast  inroad  which 
German  manufacturing  chemists  have  made  upon  our  industries. 
We  are  paying  a  very  expensive  tribute  to  their  foresight  in  foster- 
ing a  talent  among  their  own  people,  which  we  neglect  or  overlook 
in  ours.  We  are  paying  large  annual  sums  to  foreign  firms  and 
corporations  for  products  which  we  can,  and  should  make.  In  no 
region  are  crude  materials  so  abundant  as  in  our  own  country.  A 
utility  of  these  would  add  to  our  national  wealth — give  employment 
to  our  educated  labor — instead  of  contributing  to  foreign  capital. 
We  need,  now,  urgently,  ev^ery  possible  advance  of  occupation 
availed  of  in  this  country;  our  hands  stand  ready  reaching  for 
employment.  In  this  also,  we  have  involved  a  most  serious  social 
problem,  a  growing  condition  which  will  require  adjustment  in  the 
not  distant  future,  when  it  may  require  more  wisdom  to  adjust 
than  the  present  need  demands. 


THE  NORMAL  URINE.' 
Bv  Charles  Platt. 

The  various  compilations  current  as  "Text-books of  Urine  Analy- 
sis" differ  materially  in  their  statements  as  to  the  average  compo- 
sition of  a  normal  urine.  In  many  cases,  indeed,  the  authors  have 
not  even  attempted  to  reconcile  their  "totals"  with  the  figures  given 
for  individual  constituents;  but  aside  from  this,  which  is,  of  course, 
the  result  of  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  compiler,  we  find  great 
variations  in  the  original  figures,  due  not  so  much  to  errors  of  deter- 
mination as  to  failure  to  secure  representative  samples  for  analysis. 
Normals  determined  for  one  nationality,  or  for  one  class  of  one 
nationality,  are  commonly  applied  indiscriminately  to  all  without 
regard  to  fundamental  differences  in  conditions.  For  instance,  the 
average  American's  habit  of  life  is  not  that  of  the  German  student, 
and  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  the  majority  of  figures  given  in  our  text- 
books have  originated  with  the  observations  of  German  professors, 
working  in  conjunction  with  their  student  assistants. 

In  view  of  this  laxity  in  text-book  statement,  the  utiiLt   u.i^  i-i 

^Jour.  Amer,  Chevt.  Soc,  19,  389. 


412 


The  Normal  Urine. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
August,  1897. 


several  years  made  careful  records  of  all  urine  analyses  with  due 
attention  to  the  age,  sex  and  health  of  the  individuals  supplying  the 
samples,  and  these  figures  (in  all  cases  compared  with  and  in  some 
cases  averaged  with  those  of  foreign  observers)  are  now  given  in 
the  following  table :  ^ 

The  Normai.  Urine. 

Color Pale  amber,  straw-yellow. 

Appearance Clear  or  with  faint  cloud  of  mucus. 

Odor "Aromatic." 

Reaction Acid.      Acidity  in   24  hours   equivalent  to 

2-4  grammes  oxalic  acid. 
Specific  gravity  at  15°  C.     .    .  Range  for  adults,  i'oi5-i*025. 

Averages:  Man,  i'02o;  Woman,  i*oi8. 
Quantity  ....       ,    .    .    .    .  1 100-1600  c.c.  in  24  hours. 

Averages  :  Man,  1450  c.c.  (22  c.c.  per  kilo 
of  body-weight)  ;  woman,  1250  cc. 


Averages  for  adults. 
Man.  Woman. 


Normal  urine. 
Gram.mes. 

Total  solids 45*0  -65*0 

Urea 20*0  -50*0 

Uric  acid o'3  -  08 

Creatiniu 0*4  -  i'3 

Hippuric  acid 0*4  -  i*o 

Xanthine,  sarcine,  etc o'ooi-o'oio 

Oxalic  acid 0*020-0 '030 

Glycero-phosphoric  acid o*oiC)-o*o2o 

Propionic,  valeric,  caproic  and  buty- 
ric acids o*oo8-o*o8o 

Phenol,  cresol,  etc o*oo5-o*02o 

Sulphur    dioxide    in    ethereal    sul- 
phates            o*090-o*5oo 

Indoxyl  sulphuric  acid  (calculated  as 

indigo) 0005-0019 

Thiocyanic  acid o-ooi-o-oo8 


Grammes 
urine  in 
24  hrs. 

Grammes 
per  kilo- 
gramme 
of  body- 
7veight. 

Grammes 
urine  in 
24  hrs. 

60  "O 

o'9i 

51-0 

34*o 

0-51 

30-0 

0-6 

0*009 

0-5 

0-9 

0-014 

0-8 

07 

o-oio 

0-6 

0-005 

— 

— 

0-025 

— 

— 

0015 

— 

— 

0-040 

— 

— 

Q-OIO 

— 

— 

0-250         — 

0-008  — 

0-005         — 


-  Authors  consulted  :  J.  Vogel,  l,oebisch,  Kerner,  Dalber,  Hammarsten,  Neubauer,  Pfluger, 
Voit,  Salkowski,  Liebermann,  Brieger,  Hoffmann,  Dragendorff,  Munk,  Hoppe-Seyler,  Yvon 
and  Berlioz,  I^ehmann,  Uhle,  Ranke,  Furbriuger,  Geschleiden,  Moritz,  von  Jacksch,  Planer 
and  Morin,  Magnier,  Robuteau,  Gautier,  Becquerel,  M6hu,  Halliburton,  Charles,  Parkes, 
Black,  Bence-Jones,  Tidy  and  Woodman,  Beale,  Parrot,  Breed,  Oliver,  Thudichum,  Weidner, 
Purdy,  Tyson,  Griiner,  Jaff6,  Rankin,  von  Franque,  Oppenheim  and  Meyer. 


Am.  Joar.  Pharm. ) 

August.  1897.        / 


The  Nor)fiai  Urine 


413 


Averages  for  adults. 


Man. 


Grammes 

Xormal  urine.        urine  in 
Grammes.  24  hrs. 

Paraoxyphenylacetic,    paraoxyphen- 

ylpropionic,       dioxyphenylacetic, 

and  paraoxyphenylglycollic  acids    ooio-o'030        o'020 

Bile  salts o*o     -o"oio        oooS 

Urobilin,  urochrome,  etc o"o8o-o*i4o        0*125 

Carbohydrates o"oi4-o'075        0*044 

(Reducing  power  of  normal  urine 
equivalent  to  an  average  of  three- 
tenths  of  one  per  cent,  glucose. ) 
Sarco-lactic,  succinic,  glycuronic  and 
oxaluric  acids,  acetone,  inosite, 
cystin,  taurin,  urorubinogen,  uro- 
rubin,  pigment  of  Giacosa,  sca- 
toxylsulphuric  acid  (often  in  con- 
siderable amount),  scatoxylglycu- 
ronic  acid  ;  nephrozymase,  pepsin, 
and  other  ferments ;  pseudoxan- 
thine,  paraxanthine,  heteroxan- 
thine,  guanine,  adenine,  etc.;  py- 
rocatechin,    hydroquinone,    proto- 

catechuic    acid,   etc traces  — 

Chlorine 50    -lo'o  7*3 

Phosphorus  pentoxide 2*0    -  3*5  3*0 

Sulphur trioxide  .    .        15     -  30  2'2 

Potassium  oxide 25     -  35  3*0 

Sodium  oxide 4*0     -  6'o  4*5 

Ammonia  .  0*5     -  o*8  0*72 

Calcium  oxide 02     -  0*4  0*30 

Magnesium  oxide 03     -  0*5  0*40 

Iron u'ooi-  o'oio        0*007 

Silicic  acid,  carbonic  acid,  hydrogen 
peroxide,  nitrates,  nitrites  and 
metals  :  c.  r..  manganese  and  cop- 
per .  traces  — 

Gasks'  in  Normal  Urine. 

/n  ICO  fr'/w  "ir- 

of  i-.l'. 

Carbon  dioxide '>5'4'> 

Oxygen 2-74 

Nitr<n'«-!i  3i'b<) 

100 'OO 

Chemical  Laboratorv, 
Hahnf.ma.sn  Mkdical  College,  Philadelphia. 

'  Morin,  after  Locbiach. 


Grammfs 
pf-r  kilo- 
gramme 
of  body^ 
•weight. 


Woman. 


Grammes 
urine  in 
24  hrs. 


0110 

60 

0-045 

25 

0-033 

1*9 

0045 

2-S 

006S 

40 

O'OIO 

0-6 

0*0045 

0-28 

0*0066 

035 

^  urin4. 

c  c. 

15-957 
0658 

7  775 
24  ".^QO 


414  Official  Primus   Virginiana.  {^\i^liS^^J^ 

AN   INVESTIGATION   OF   THE   OFFICIAL   PRUNUS 

VIRGINIANA,  TO   DISTINGUISH    IT  FROM 

BARKS   COLLECTED   AT   OTHER 

SEASONS.! 

By  Grace  E.  Cooi.ky. 

A  contribution   to   the   work  of  Research  Committee  C,  of  the  Revision 

Committee  U.S. P. 

The  U.S. P.  prescribes  that  wild  cherry  bark  be  collected  irt 
autumn,  when  it  yields  the  greatest  amount  of  hydrocyanic  acid. 
This  investigation  has  failed  to  furnish  any  distinctive  histological 
mark  of  the  bark  collected  in  autumn,  and  the  results  have  tended 
to  the  belief  that  the  suitable  test  is  a  chemical  one,  not  readily  to 
be  found  by  the  use  of  the  microscope. 

The  following  results  are  presented  with  tests  which  are  found 
accurate,  so  far  as  they  have  been  applied. 

The  researches  of  Fischer^  have  shown  us  the  phases  which 
starch  undergoes  in  the  bark  and  wood  of  most  trees  during  the 
year.  These  have  been  verified  with  regard  to  Prunus  serotina,  and 
give  us  an  easy  means  for  rejecting  all  barks  collected  in  summer 
and  winter,  for  they  contain  no  starch  at  all,  or  very  little.  During 
September  and  late  summer  the  starch  is  being  stored  up  in  the 
bark,  and  reaches  its  maximum  amount  in  October  and  the  first 
days  of  November,  just  after  leaf-fall.  At  this  time  all  the  cells  of 
the  medullary  rays,  and  the  bast  parenchyma,  as  well  as  the  chloro- 
phyll-bearing cells,  are  crowded  with  starch,  which  occurs  in  Pnmus 
serotina,  in  small  round  grains.  This  gradually  disappears,  first 
from  the  parenchyma  of  the  bast,  and  last  from  the  medullary  rays. 
By  the  last  of  November  the  bark  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  free  from 
starch,  and  remains  so  during  the  winter.  During  the  last  days  of 
February,  or  early  in  March,  a  process  of  starch  regeneration 
begins.  In  specimens  collected  March  2ist  the  parenchyma  cells  of 
the  bast  contained  a  few  scattered  grains,  and  there  was  a  little  in 
those  cells  of  the  medullary  rays  which  lay  close  to  the  wood. 
Specimens  of  April  6th  showed  an  increase  in  all  the  cells  of  the 
bark,  and  April  2 1st,  the  maximum  was  nearly  reached,  for  the  bast 
parenchyma  and  medullary  rays,  as  well  as  the  green  cells,  contained 

^  Jour.  Pharmacology,  4,  167. 

^  Dr.  Alfred  Fischer,  PhysiologiederHolzgewdchseJahrbucherfiir  Wiss.  Bot.y 
1891,  vSec.  73- 


^"ii^i^t.^sS^"-}  Official  Prunus    Virginiana.  415 

much  starch.     At  this  time  the  bud  scales  were  open  far  enough  to 
disclose  the  leaves,  which  were,  however,  still  folded  closely  together. 

Bark  collected  in  May  contained  very  little  starch  ;  in  some 
samples  none  appeared  to  be  present,  and  in  others  a  very  little 
could  be  made  out  by  the  use  of  dilute  iodine,  when  the  specimen 
was  heated.  Collections  of  August  5th  exhibited  no  starch  in  the 
cells  of  the  bark. 

The  seasons  of  maximum  amounts  of  starch  in  the  bark  are,  then, 
autumn  and  spring,  and  if  the  bark,  whether  powdered  or  whole, 
contains  much  starch  in  all  the  parenchymatous  cells,  we  are  sure 
the  collection  was  made  shortly  after  the  time  of  leaf-fall  in  autumn 
or  before  the  leaves  unfolded  in  the  spring.  A  test  based  upon  the 
presence  of  starch  cannot  exclude  the  spring  collection,  and  spring 
is  the  time  when  the  bark  is  least  valuable,  so  far  as  the  amount  of 
hydrocyanic  acid  which  it  may  yield  is  concerned. 

To  distinguish  between  the  collections  of  spring  and  autumn,  I 
have  found  the  following  color  test  for  tannin  applicable  to  those 
samples  of  Prunus  serotina  which  I  have  been  able  to  obtain.  The 
amount  of  tannin  in  barks  collected  in  spring  is  noticeably  greater 
than  that  found  in  the  collections  of  the  autumn.  I  hesitate  to  sub- 
mit the  following  as  an  authentic  test,  because  I  have  not  made 
extended  tests  for  amounts  of  tannin  to  be  found  in  the  bark  01 
Prunus  serotina  throughout  the  year,  and  because  the  reasons  for  the 
periodicity  in  amount  and  the  phases  of  its  fluctuation  in  plants 
have  not,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  been  fully  made  out.  It  seems  a 
matter  of  observation  that  when  great  activity  of  growth  is  going 
on,  tannin  appears  in  greater  amounts  than  usual.  This  observation 
seems  to  receive  support  in  the  case  of  Prunus  serotina,  as  a  much 
greater  amount  of  tannin  seems  present  in  the  bark  during  the  active 
growth  of  spring  than  in  the  autumn. 

The  following  test  shows  this  to  be  the  case : 

Upon  the  surface  of  distilled  water  in  a  watch-glass,  sprinkle  a 
little  of  the  powdered  drug,  which  will  spread,  forming  a  thin  film. 
Let  it  stand  ten  seconds,  and  then  drop  into  it  one  drop  of  a  I  per 
cent,  solution  of  ferric  chloride.  If  the  bark  was  collected  in  the 
spring,  a  cloudiness  will  appear  in  the  water  from  the  greenish  pre- 
cipitate, which  is  immediately  formed.  If  the  bark  was  collected  in 
autumn,  there  will  be  no  noticeable  precipitate  under  twenty  seconds. 
Powders  of  Nos.  20  and  50  exhibit  this  test  equally  well. 


4i6  Burdock  as  a    Vegetable.  { ^"iigus^Sl^'"- 

Tests  for  hydrocyanic  acid  and  emulsin,  though  successfully 
carried  out  upon  bitter  almonds  as  first  tried  by  Guignard,^  failed  of 
results  when  tried  with  the  barks  of  Primus  serotina. 

Wellesley,  Mass.,  May,  1897. 


BURDOCK  AS  A  VEGETABLE.^ 
By  Ixazo   Xitobe. 

The  well-known  definition  of  a  weed  by  Emerson  as  "  a  plant 
whose  virtues  have  not  yet  been  discovered,"  is  confirmed  by  the 
better  agricultural  authority  of  Schwerz,  according  to  whom  "  a 
weed  is  a  plant  of  which  the  direct  uses  are  unknown  to  man." 
Both  the  poet-philosopher  and  the  scientific  farmer  implicitly 
admit,  I  think,  that  as  man  brings  more  and  more  of  nature  under 
his  control — in  other  words,  as  he  brings  more  and  more  plants 
under  cultivation,  many  of  them,  hitherto  scorned  as  weeds,  must 
cease  to  be  considered  as  such.  I  have  often  seen  ridiculed  the 
Chinese  custom  of  eating  birds'  nests,  bears'  claws  and  other  in- 
comprehensible delicacies,  but  I  cannot  help  admiring  the  power  of 
pantophagy  on  the  one  hand  and  the  refinement  of  culinary  skill  on 
the  other,  which  can  convert  into  means  of  human  enjoyment  things 
apparently  worthless  and  revolting.  If,  as  philosophers  say,  civili- 
zation consists  mainly  in  bringing  natural  forces  under  man's  sub- 
jection, China  must  be  given  a  high  place  in  the  scale  of  civilization 
from  a  culinary  point  of  view. 

Is  it  not  a  real  triumph  of  art  to  extract  food  for  man  from  so 
coarse  and  ugly  a  weed  as  burdock  ?  Most  books  on  botany  in  the 
English  tongue  describe  burdock.  Lappa  major  or  officinalis,  as  a 
pestiferous  weed,  and  many  an  agricultural  bulletin  gives  careful 
instruction  how  to  destroy  it.  Perhaps  the  only  use  that  has  been 
made  of  Lappa  in  America  is  for  medicine.  The  root  contains  a 
bitter  principle,  a  resin  and  tannin,  and  it  is  said  to  have  an  aperient 
and  diuretic  effect.  It  also  has  some  reputation  as  an  alterative  in 
constitutional  blood  diseases,  and  the  readers  of  Garden  and  Forest 
may  have  used  the  so-called  *'  burdock  tea."  In  Germany,  where 
the    three   species,  L.    major,  L.    minor,  L.    tomentosa,  are  widely 

^  Guignard.     Sur.  la  localisation  dans  les  plantes,  des  principes  qui  fournsi- 
sent  I'acide  cyanhydrique.     Comptes  rendus,  1890,  p.  249. 
'  Garden  and  Forest,  10,  143. 


^""iZl'S^^r-}  Burdock  as  a    Vegetable.  417 

spread,  they  were  formerly  much  used  as  medicines  under  the  name 
Radix  Bardana2,  and  they  are  even  now  regarded  by  some  as  good 
blood  purifiers.  Perhaps  from  the  burr  of  the  seeds  the  plant  has 
the  repute  of  power  to  stimulate  a  rich  growth  of  hair,  and  an 
extract  for  this  purpose  is  made  from  the  roots.  The  peasants  from 
the  south  of  England  use  the  roots  as  an  antiscorbutic,  and  the 
leaves  are  employed  in  making  a  green  elder  ointment  for  the  use 
of  farriers. 

All  these  medicinal  uses  are  not  to  be  despised,  but  they  are  un- 
important when  compared  to  the  value  of  the  plant  as  an  edible 
vegetable  ;  since  the  kitchen  is  more  important  than  the  drug  store, 
the  cook  is  nearer  our  hearts  than  the  apothecary.  Even  in  Eng- 
land the  alimentary  value  of  burdock  was  not  always  despised. 
Sowerby  writes  in  his  "  Useful  Plants  of  Great  Britain  :"  "  The 
stalks  of  the  burdock-,  cut  before  the  flowers  open  and  stripped  of 
their  rind,  form  a  delicate  vegetable  when  boiled,  similar  in  flavor 
to  asparagus.  In  the  raw  state  they  may  be  eaten  with  oil  and 
vinegar  as  salad.  They  were  sometimes  candied  with  sugar  in  the 
time  of  Bryant,  as  those  of  Angelica  are.  They  are  slightly  laxa- 
tive, but  are  perfectly  wholesome.  The  roots  of  the  plant  are 
mildly  diuretic  and  diaphoretic,  and  have  been  used  with  advan- 
tage in  gout,  rheumatism  and  calculous  com])laints.  The  decoction 
of  the  root  is  generally  employed,  but  the  seeds  and  leaves  possess 
nearly  the  same  properties,  though  the  latter  are  slightly  purgative. 
The  bruised  leaves  are  applied  by  the  peasantry  in  some  districts,  in 
cataplasms  to  the  feet,  as  a  remedy  for  hysterical  disorders." 

In  Japan,  burdock  grows  wild  in  several  places,  but  it  is  also  ex- 
tensively cultivated  as  a  vegetable.  Every  one  knows  and  eats  '•  Go- 
bo,"  the  usual  appellation  for  this  plant,  although  a  more  refined  and 
almost  obsolete  name  is  •'  kitakisu  ;"  sometimes  it  is  called  "  Uma 
(horse)-fuki  (Nardosmia)  "  It  is  familiar  to  the  Ainu  under  the 
name  of  ••  Seta  (dog)  koroki  (Nardosmia)."  Both  the  Ainu  and 
the  Japanese  j)refixes,  ••  seta  "  and  "  uma,"  when  applied  to  plants, 
seem  to  have  much  the  same  sense  as  the  English  "  dog,"  m  d(»g- 
wood,  dogbane,  etc.,  and  the  ••  horse  "  in  horse-radish,  horse-chest- 
nut, horse-mint,  etc.  The  Ainu  use  it  as  food  as  well  as  medicine. 
They  boil  the  tender  shoots  with  beans,  and  the  roots  are  put  into 
soup.  F'or  medicinal  uses  the  young  leaves  are  softened  by  rolling 
them  between  the  palms,  and  applied  to  skin  eruptions.     The  Jap- 


4i8 


Burdock  as  a    Vegetable. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharna. 
t       August,  1897. 


anese  esteem  Lappa  for  similar  purposes.  It  is  used  in  many  pre- 
parations for  its  medicinal  properties,  which  they  believe — at  least 
the  old-fashioned  empirics  believe — consist  in  counteracting  the 
action  of  some  kinds  of  poisons.  Grated  and  made  into  pulp,  the 
roots  are  applied  as  a  poultice  in  eruptions  of  the  skin.  But  by 
far  the  more  important  use  is  made  in  the  kitchen.  As  regards  this 
plant  we  have  outstripped  the  pantophagous  Chinese,  for  they  have 
not  raised  the  plant  to  the  dignity  of  a  market  vegetable.  "  When 
young,"  says  a  Chinese  book  on  botany,  "■  the  tender  leaves  of  the 
Lappa  are  cut  and  eaten  as  greens  ;  the  roots  may  be  boiled  or 
steamed  and  eaten,  but  people  nowadays  rarely  use  the  plant." 
Among  the  Japanese,  however,  it  has  been  under  cultivation  for 
years,  and  possibly  for  centuries.  It  enters  the  kitchen  of  every 
household,  not  being  ostracised  from  the  menu  of  the  most  high- 
toned  restaurant.  Thousands  of  acres  are  devoted  to  its  culture. 
Official  statistics  for  1888  give  the  total  production  of  Lappa  in  the 
country  at  about  72,000,000  pounds,  valued  at  422,134  yen.  The 
roots  average  350  grains  in  weight. 

The  production  of  so  large  a  quantity  is  not  at  all  to  be  wondered 
at  when  we  recollect  that  Lappa  ranks  high  in  the  scale  of  nutritive 
plants.  In  the  amount  of  nitrogen  it  stands  higher  than  potatoes, 
beets,  carrots  or  turnips  ;  in  fact,  few  roots  or  tubers  approach  it. 
I  append  here  its  chemical  composition,  as  compared  with  some 
other  commonly  used  vegetables  : 


H2O      N     ;  Ash    K2O  NaaO  CaO  iMgOPoOs 


Potatoes !  750 

Sugar  Beets 815 

Turnips i  720 

Carrots \  850 

Burdock 1  738 

I 


3*4 
1-6 
1-8 
2*2 

5-6 


9*5 
7'i 
6-4 
8-2 
10-5 


5-8 
3-8 
29 
3"o 
4*3 


0*3 
0-6 
0-6 
1*7 

0"2 


03 
0-4 
07 

0*9 
I"I 


0-6 

0"2 

0*4 

20 


I  6 
0-9 
0-8 
i"i 
0-9 


so. 


0-6 
03 


0*5 
07 


sio,  I  a 


0"2 
0"2 
O'l 
0*2 
01 


0*3 
0*3 
0*3 
0-4 


So  important  a  crop  as  burdock  has,  of  course,  many  varieties  de- 
veloped, but  the  best  known  among  them  are  few  in  number.  They 
are  usually  named  from  the  localities  where  they  were  first  devel- 
oped or  where  they  thrive  best.  A  variety  known  as  the  Takino- 
zawa,  raised  chiefly  near  Tokyo,  has  a  slender  root,  about  4  feet 
long,  and  is  of  very  fine  quality.  In  the  vegetable  market  of  Tokyo  it 
commands  a  respectable  price.  TheOwura  varietv,named  from  a  small 


I 


"'"ii^Hrt.?^"}  Burdock  as  a    Vegetable,  419 

place  in  the  province  of  Shimosa,  where  they  produce  only  about 
2,oco  roots  a  )'ear,  attains  the  huge  size  of  i  ^  feet  in  circumference, 
and  2Y2  feet  in  length  ;  this  kind  is  sold  at  the  rate  of  about  20  sen 
(a  sen  being  a  hundredth  part  of  a  Japanese  dollar)  apiece.  In  its 
form  this  variety  is  like  the  beet.  The  two  kinds  most  popular  in 
the  markets  of  Kyoto  are  the  Yamato  and  the  Horikawa  ;  in  fact, 
these  seem  to  be  only  different  names  of  the  same  variety. 

In  raising  Lappa  much  attention  is  naturally  devoted  to  the  right 
selection  of  the  soil.  It  is  a  common  belief  among  cultivators  that 
that  a  light  sandy  soil  is  specially  adapted  to  it,  and  it  is  true  that 
roots  grown  from  such  soil  are  long  and  slender,  but  they  are  prone 
to  be  hollow  at  the  centre  and  rather  tough  at  the  rind.  A  stronger 
and  deeper  soil,  say  clayey  loam,  seems  to  impart  firmness  to  the 
root  and  a  better  flavor.  To  gain  the  most  satisfactory  results,  the 
soil  must  be  plowed  deep  and  finely  pulverized,  or  else  an  undue 
amount  of  labor  will  be  required  in  harvesting  the  roots.  Indeed, 
digging  burdock  is  a  proverbially  hard  task  ;  it  has  become  almost 
a  fine  art  to  do  it  well.  Many  an  old  writer  recommends  digging 
the  soil  to  the  depth  of  some  4  or  5  feet,  and  then  putting  in  green 
leaves,  stalks,  turf,  and  so  forth,  in  a  layer  a  foot  deep,  and  cover- 
ing that  with  the  earth  that  was  excavated.  The  surface  must 
then  be  well  hoed  in  both  directions.  So  much  care,  however,  is 
only  necessary  when  exceptionally  fine  specimens,  for  show  or 
otherwise,  are  aimed  at.  One  peculiarity  of  I^ppa  is  that  it  is  not 
adapted  to  rotation  ;  that  is,  it  thrives  better  if  planted  continuously 
on  the  same  soil  ;  in  new  land  the  roots  are  likely  to  become  forked. 
It  is  also  grateful  for  good  manures — compost,  night-soil,  and  espe- 
cially to  rice-bran — but  if  compost  is  applied  it  must  be  well  decom- 
posed, or  else  the  roots  will  throw  off  too  many  branches. 

When  the  soil  is  properly  prepared  seeds  are  planted  in  rows  3 
feet  apart,  five  or  six  seeds  being  placed  every  6  to  8  inches  in  a 
row.  In  Owura,  the  usual  time  for  sowing  is  the  early  part  of  May 
or  late  in  April.  Hefore  the  early  part  of  June  the  young  plants 
are  thinned  out,  leaving  but  one  in  the  hill.  Very  often  liquid 
manure  is  applied  two  or  three  times  before  the  roots  are  harvested 
late  in  December.  Another  method  is  to  plant  the  seeds  in  Au- 
gust, so  as  to  have  the  vegetable  ready  for  spring  use,  in  which  case 
they  are  sown  more  closely,  since  they  do  not  grow  as  vigorously  as 
those  planted  in  spring.     Lappa  is  a   slow  grower,  and  takes  over 


420  Brimstone  in  Sicily.  {^"^Airustfisgr- 

220  days  to  mature.  Seeds  retain  their  vitality  for  five  years,  and 
many  a  gardener  asserts  that  the  best  crop  is  obtained  from  those 
three  years  old.  They  say  that  new  seeds  produce  roots  which 
throw  off  too  many  branches  and  flower-stalks.  This  statement, 
however,  is  not  always  verified.  For  keeping  and  marketing,  the 
vegetable  may  simply  be  left  where  it  was  grown,  or  kept  buried  in 
the  earth  like  beets  or  turnips. 

I  am  aware  that  a  discourse  on  burdock  will  be  of  little  interest 
to  Americans  unless  it  contains  some  information  regarding  the 
mode  of  using  it,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  Japanese  cuisine 
differs  widely  from  the  American.  I  need  only  state  in  general 
terms  that,  after  their  skin  is  scraped  or  peeled  off,  the  roots  may 
be  sliced  into  long  strips  or  cut  into  pieces  of  less  than  an  inch  in 
length,  and  boiled  with  soy,  salt  or  Spanish  pepper,  to  impart  savor 
to  them  ;  or,  if  boiled  alone,  they  may  afterwards  be  browned  in 
sesame  oil,  which  of  itself  will  flavor  them.  Another  common  way 
of  cooking  them  is  to  scrape  off  the  outer  skin  and  cut  them  into 
pieces  about  2  inches  long,  then,  when  they  are  boiled  soft,  to  take 
them  out  of  the  pan  and  mash  them;  then  make  them  into  cakes 
much  as  you  treat  oyster-plants.  A  kind  of  salad,  though  not  un- 
cooked, is  also  made  of  them.  A  rather  unique  and  more  elegant 
process  consists  in  stuffing  the  roots  with  sea-eel,  and  boiling  them, 
after  dipping  them  in  a  preparation  containing  soy  and  pepper. 
Slices  of  Lappa  fried  and  eaten  with  some  condiments  form  one  of 
the  commonest  dishes  with  us.  The  roots  are  sometimes  pickled 
in  miso.  There  are  many  other  ways  of  preparing  this  valuable 
vegetable  for  table  use,  but  a  longer  description  would  be  interesting 
or  amusing  only  to  the  curious.  Each  country  has  its  own  taste  and 
national  cookery. 

BRIMSTONE  IN  SICILY.^ 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Messrs.  Ferd.  Bailer  &  Co.,  of  this  city,  I 
am  enabled  to  submit  the  following  statistics  of  Sicily  brimstone, 
which,  at  this  time,  when  the  Anglo-Sicilian  sulphur  trust  is  en- 
deavoring  to  absorb  the  business,  will  be  of  special  interest.  The 
currency  quoted  is  not  the  gold  lire  to  be  estimated  at  5-18  to  the 
dollar,  but  that  of  paper,  the  average  value  of  which  for  the  period 
covered  was  about  5  50  to  the  dollar. 

'  Consular  Report,  Vol.  54,  page  202. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharai. 
August,  ley?. 


Brimstone  in  Sicily. 


421 


Exports  from  Girgenti,  Licata,  Catania,  Termini  and  PlaU*  mo. 


January  to  December. 


To— 


(ireat  Britain 

South  of  France 

North  of  France 

Holland 

Belgium 

Germany  : 

Hlbe 

Baltic 

Aiistria-TIungary 

Russia 

Sweden  and  Norway  and  Denmark  . 

Spain      

Portugal 

Italy 

Greece,  Turkey,  and  Balkan  States  . 
Morocco. Tunis,  Algiers,  and  Tripoli  . 

South  Africa  .   . 

United  States  and  Canada  1  Atlantic)  . 

ITnited  States  (  Pacific* 

South  America 

Asia 

Australia      

Other  countries 


Total «63.i53     '49.996      »37.220 


•Tons  of  13  Sicilian  cantars. 


Production,  exports,  stocks,  and  prices  0/ Sicily  brimstone. 


Description. 

1896. 

1895- 

Tons. 

342,150 
356.i'^4 

1894. 

1893. 

189a. 

1891. 

rroduction,*  official 

figures  (in  tons 

Tons. 
.   .   .   . 

Tons. 

355.023 
335.548 

Tons. 

363.414 
347.304 

I '5. 235 
50.5  >  2 
38.077 

Tons. 

362.948 
309.912 

Tons. 
336975 

I'ixportst              ... 

end 

of  Decem- 

400.082 

78.987 
S8.415 

»93.620 

Visible  stocks  at  the 
her  at— 
Girgenti    .    .    . 
I  icata 

85.3' I 
61.785 
49.«54 

78^12 
50.028 
53.>^46 

I02.7tl 

30.385 
33.423 

65  MO 
17.69a 

Catania .    .    . 

42.V)0 

4.S92 

200.5f>9 

33.077 

Terminit  .... 

Palermo    .... 

ToUl  .   .       .  . 

I  the 
1,000 

onds 

31st  of  De 
kilograms. 

i:.4<*^ 

2I3.6^S 

2-  ■ 

/.ire. 

81.00 
75-50 

U5.969 

Prices  at  f'.irgenti  ot 
cemher,  per  ton  of 
first  co^t  : 
Best  unmixed  sec 
Best  thirds   .   .   . 

Lire. 

0 

.0 

Lire. 

55-00 
52  20 

Lire 

Lire. 

life. 

I2V0O 

11890 

>iis  ot  13 


•Quantities  csrried  by  rail  fiom  the  stations  in  the  ii.teritir  to' 
cantars.  during  the  financial  year  July  to  June,  isys-v'-*-  aga>a»t  ■''' 

V  In  the  exports  for  the  years  1891.  189a  and  1^93.  thos*  from  Termini  and  Palermo  are  not 
included,  which,  during  iS«>4  to  18-^.  amounted  to6.rx»  to  13.000  tons  per  annum.  To  calculate 
the  total  consumption,  io.c<»  tonshave  to  be  added,  representing  the  estimated  yearly  con- 
sumption in  Sicily. 

:  Stocks  at  Termini  for  the  years  prece<ling  ts«  ■»''  wanting,  but  were  probably  smaller. 

\  Since  the  tat  of  Octot>er,  ^89^  the  export  duty  of  1 1  lire  per  1.000  kllocram*  was  abollaheU 


422  Brimstone  in   Sicily,  { 


Am.  Jour.  Phflrm. 
August,  1897. 


After  a  careful  study  of  the  above  figures,  I  think  the  readers  of 
this  report  will  recognize  the  truth  of  the  following  deductions : 

(i)  The  exports  of  sulphur  from  Sicily  in  1896  were  44,00c  tons 
in  excess  of  1895,  ^^  which  31,000  tons  were  exported  from  January 
to  July.  This  increase  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  exceedingly  low 
prices  which  prevailed  toward  the  close  of  1895  ^^^^  the  beginning 
of  1896,  at  which  figures  the  working  of  a  majority  of  the  mines  was 
unprofitable.  The  increase  of  13,000  tons  in  the  last  six  months  of 
1896  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  sudden  advance  in  prices,  which  in- 
duced consumers  to  lay  in  heavy  stocks  in  anticipation  of  a  further 
rise.     These  i^tocks,  however,  cost  them  relatively  low  prices. 

(2)  By  reference  to  the  table  of  exports,  stocks  and  prices  for 
1 891-1896,  it  will  be  observed  that,  although  prices  steadily  declined 
during  those  years,  the  production,  as  estimated  by  the  mining  bu- 
reau, frequently  increased  and  never  decreased.  Stocks  show  a  con- 
stant increase.  These  facts  unquestionably  prove  that  the  cost  of 
production  has  diminished,  cheaper  transportation  has  been  gained 
by  the  construction  of  roads  and  railways,  and  improvements  have 
been  made  in  mining  and  smelting.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  pro- 
duction at  the  lower  prices  has  continued  steadily,  because  it  was 
found  profitable. 

(3)  The  increase  of  exports  during  these  years  is  natural,  because 
the  large  production  had  to  be  sold,  and  this  was  made  possible  by 
the  fall  in  prices. 

(4)  The  Italian  Parliament  abolished  the  export  duty  of  8^.  6d. 
($2.06)  per  ton  with  the  object  of  favoring  exports,  since  this  duty 
increased  the  cost  to  the  foreign  consumer.  The  artificial  advance 
which  the  Anglo-Sicilian  sulphur  trust  wishes  to  establish  is,  there- 
fore, in  opposition  to  all  the  above  facts,  although  the  latter  are  re- 
sponsible both  for  the  decline  in  price  for  several  years  and  the  abo- 
lition of  the  export  duty. 

(5)  It  is  stated  that  the  production  in  1896  shows  an  increase,  and 
although  the  statistics  are  not  yet  published,  there  is  the  best  au- 
thority for  estimating  it  at  about  385,000  tons.  That  there  really 
was  an  increase  is  confirmed  by  the  following  facts :  There  were 
shipped,  in  1896, 44,000  tons  more  than  in  1895,  but  nevertheless  the 
visible  stock  in  the  ports  of  Sicily  on  the  31st  of  December,  1896, 
was  only  18,000  tons  less  than  on  the  same  date  in  1895.  The  dif- 
ference of  26,000  tons  must,  therefore,  come  from  an  increase  of  pro- 


^"^uguJt.^S?:'"-}  American  Medicinal  Flora.  423 

duction,  which,  in  part  at  least,  belongs  to  1S96,  as  some  of  this 
quantity  may  be  sulphur  stored  in  the  mines  in  1 895,  and  not  shipped 
promptly.  Further,  the  quantity  carried  by  rail  from  the  stations 
in  the  interior  to  the  ports  was  larger  in  the  fiscal  year  1895-96  than 
in  1894-95. 

(6)  Everything  points  to  an  increased  production  for  1897,  and  if 
the  present  prices  check  the  consumption,  stocks  must  necessarily 
increase  during  the  year. 

(7)  Should  Sicilian  brimstone  be  partly  replaced  in  the  United 
States  by  pyrites  for  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  this  will  di- 
minish our  imports,  which  have  been  from  100,000  to  125,000  tons 
per  annum,  or  25  to  30  per  cent,  of  the  total  production  of  Sicily. 

(8)  For  the  above  reasons,  it  seems  more  than  doubtful  that  the 
Anglo-Sicilian  sulphur  trust  can  succeed  in  maintaining  the  prices 
at  the  present  artificial  point  for  any  length  of  time.  Its  capital  is 
^^750.000  ($3,649,885)  and  it  has  purchased  its  brimstone  at  about 
65.?.  ($1  5.80)  per  ton  free  on  board  Sicily,  plus  all  the  other  expenses. 

Chas.  M.  Cau(;hv, 

Consul. 
Messina,  March  29,  1897. 


STUDY   OF   THE   AMERICAN    MEDICINAL    FLORA. 

The  Sub-Commission  of  the  Pan-American  Medical  Congress, 
appointed  to  study  the  medicinal  plants  of  the  United  States,  has 
entered  into  an  association  with  the  Smithsonian  Institution  for  that 
purpose.  The  attention  of  our  readers  is  called  to  the  respective 
circulars  issued  by  these  organizations,  which  wc  print  below  : 

Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington,  I).  C, 

May  28,  1897. 

Dkar  Sir  :  —The  Smithsonian  Institution  has  undertaken  to  brinj;  tojjether 
all  possible  material  bearinj^  on  the  medicinal  uses  of  plants  in  the  Tnitcd 
States,  .\rrangements  have  Ix^en  made  with  a  hotly  representing  the  Pan- 
American  Medical  Conj^ress,  the  Sub-Commission  on  Medicinal  Tlora  of  the 
United  States,  to  elaborate  a  report  on  this  subject,  and  the  material  when 
received  will  l>c  turned  over  to  them  for  investijjation. 

The  accompanying^  detailed  instructions  relative  to  specimens  and  notes  have 
been  prepared  by  the  Sub-Commission. 

All  packaj^es  and  correspondtrnce  should  l)e  adtlriss»  ,1  i.,  •'  r-  >-:.....»..  ..;^ii 
Institution,  Washington,  I>.  C,  and  marked  on  the  uuti>i<Ic  /f, 

for  the  U.  S.  National  Museum. 


434  Ainericmi  Medicinal  Flora.  {'''^d^lC^m!^■ 

Franks  which  will  carry  specimens,  when  of  suitable  size,  together  with 
descriptions  and  notes,  free  of  postage  through  the  mails,  will  be  forwarded 
upon  application.  Should  an  object  be  too  large  for  transmission  by  mail  the 
sender  is  requested,  before  shipping  it,  to  notify  the  Institution,  in  order  that  a 
proper  authorization  for  its  shipment  may  be  made  out. 

Respectfully, 
(Signed)  S.  P.  Langi^ey,  Secretary. 

INSTRUCTIONS   RELATIVE   TO    MEDICINAL   PLANTS. 

The  Pan-American  Medical  Congress,  at  its  meeting  held  in  the 
City  of  Mexico,  in  November,  1896,  took  steps  to  institute  a  system- 
atic study  of  the  American  medicinal  flora,  through  the  medium  of 
a  General  Commission  and  of  special  Sub-Commissions,  the  latter 
to  be  organized  in  the  several  countries.  The  Sub-Commission  for 
the  United  States  has  been  formed,  and  consists  of  Dr.  Valery 
Havard,  U.  S.  A.,  Chairman ;  Mr.  Frederick  V.  Coville,  Botanist  of 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  ;  Dr.  C.  F.  Millspaugh,  Curator 
of  the  Botanical  Department  of  the  Field  Columbian  Museum, 
Chicago;  Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  State  Botanist  of  Alabama;  Dr.  W.  P. 
Wilson,  Director  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museums;  and 
Prof.  H.  H.  Rusby,  of  the  New  York  College  of  Pharmacy.  This 
Sub- Commission  solicits  information  concerning  the  medicinal 
plants  of  the  United  States  from  every  one  in  a  position  to  accord 
it.     The  principal  points  of  study  are  as  follows : 

(i)  Local  names. 

(2)  Local  uses,  together  with  historical  facts. 

(3)  Geographical  distribution  and  degree  of  abundance  in  the 
wild  state. 

(4)  Is  the  plant  collected  for  market,  and  if  so — 
[a)  At  what  season  of  the  year  ? 

ip)  To  how  great  an  extent  ? 

{c)  How  prepared  for  market  ? 

{d)  What  is  the  effect  of  such  collection  upon  the  wild  supply? 

{e)  What  price  does  it  bring  ? 

(/)   Is  the  industry  profitable  ? 

(5)  Is  the  plant,  or  has  it  ever  been,  cultivated,  and  if  so,  give  all 
information  on  the  subject,  particularly  as  to  whether  such  supplies 
are  of  superior  quality,  and  whether  the  industry  has  proved  profit- 
able? 

(6)  If  not  cultivated,  present  facts  concerning  the  life  history  of  the 
plant  which  might  aid  in  determining  methods  of  cultivation. 


^"•ug"siT^'"}  Amenca?i  Medicinal  Flora.  425 

(7)  Is  the  drug;  subjected  to  substitution  or  adulteration,  and  if  so, 
give  information  as  to  the  plants  used  for  this  purpose? 

While  it  is  not  expected  that  many  persons  will  be  able  to  con- 
tribute information  on  all  these  points  concerning  any  plant,  it  is 
hoped  that  a  large  number  of  persons  will  be  willing  to  communicate 
such  partial  knowledge  as  they  possess. 

It  is  not  the  important  or  standard  drugs  alone  concerning  which 
information  is  sought.  The  Sub-Commission  desires  to  compile  a 
complete  list  of  the  plants  which  have  been  used  medicinally,  how- 
ever trivial  such  use  may  be.  It  also  desires  to  collect  all  obtain- 
able information,  historical,  scientific  and  economic,  concerning  our 
native  and  naturalized  plants  of  this  class,  and,  to  that  end,  ihvites 
the  co-operation  of  all  persons  interested.  Poisonous  plants  of  all 
kinds  come  within  the  scope  of  our  inquiry,  whether  producing  dan- 
gerous symptoms  in  man,  or  simply  skin  inflammation,  or,  as  ••  loco- 
weeds,"  deleterious  to  horses,  cattle  and  sheep.  In  this  respect  the 
general  reputation  of  a  plant  is  not  so  much  desired  as  the  particu- 
lars of  cases  of  poisoning  actually  seen,  or  heard  from  reliable 
observers.  It  is  believed  that  much  interesting  knowledge  can  be 
obtained  from  Indians,  Mexicans  and  half-breeds,  and  that,  conse- 
quently, Indian  agencies  and  reservations  are  particularly  favorable 
fields  for  our  investigation.  Such  knowledge  will  be  most  acceptable 
when  based  upon  known  facts  or  experiments. 

In  order  to  assist  in  the  study  of  the  habits,  properties  and  uses 
of  medicinal  plants,  the  Sub-Commission  undertakes  to  furnish  the 
name  of  any  plant  specimen  received,  together  with  any  desired 
information  available. 

Owing  to  the  diversity  in  the  common  names  of  many  plants,  it 
will  be  necessary  for  reports,  when  not  furnished  by  botanists  or 
others  qualified  to  state  the  botanical  names  with  certainty,  to 
accompany  the  same  with  some  specimen  of  the  plant  sufficient  for 
its  identification.  While  the  Sub-Commission  will  endeavor  to  deter- 
mine the  plant  from  any  portion  of  it  which  may  be  sent,  it  should 
be  appreciated  that  the  labor  of  identification  is  very  greatly 
decreased,  and  its  usefulness  increased,  by  the  possession  of  com- 
plete material,  that  is,  leaf,  flower  and  fruit,  and  in  the  case  of  small 
plants,  the  underground  portion  also.  It  is  best  to  dry  such  speci- 
mens thoroughly,  in  a  flat  condition  under  pressure,  before  mailing. 
While  any  convenient  means  for  accomplishing  this  result  may  be 


426  American  Medicinal  Flora.  {^'"XuJusi.^sS''"* 

employed,  the  following  procedure  is  recommended  :  Select  a  flower- 
ing or  fruiting  branch,  as  the  case  may  be,  which,  when  pressed, 
shall  not  exceed  i6  inches  in  length  by  lo  inches  in  width.  If  the 
plant  be  an  herb  2  or  3  feet  high,  it  may  be  doubled  to  bring  it 
within  these  measurements.  If  it  possess  root  leaves,  some  of 
these  should  be  included.  Lay  the  specimen  flat  in  a  fold  of  news- 
paper and  place  this  in  a  pile  of  newspapers,  carpet  felting,  or  some 
other  form  of  paper  which  readily  absorbs  moisture,  and  place  the 
pile  in  a  dry  place  under  a  pressure  of  about  20  to  30  pounds,  suffi- 
cient to  keep  the  leaves  from  wrinkling  as  they  dry.  If  a  number 
of  specimens  are  pressed  at  the  same  time,  each  is  to  be  separated 
from  the  others  by  three  or  four  folded  newspapers  or  an  equivalent 
in  other  kinds  of  paper.  In  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours  these  papers 
will  be  found  saturated  with  the  absorbed  moisture,  and  the  fold  con- 
taining the  specimens  should  be  transferred  to  dry  ones.  This  change 
should  be  repeated  for  from  two  to  five  days,  according  to  the  state 
of  the  weather,  the  place  where  the  drying  is  done,  the  fleshiness  of 
the  specimens,  etc.  The  best  way  to  secure  the  required  pressure 
is  by  means  of  a  pair  of  strong  straps,  though  weights  will  do.  The 
best  place  for  drying  is  beside  a  hot  kitchen  range.  When  dry  the 
specimens  should  be  mailed  between  cardboards  or  some  other  light 
but  stiff  materials  which  will  not  bend  in  transit. 

It  is  a  most  important  matter  that  the  name  and  address  of  the 
sender  should  be  attached  to  the  package  and  that  the  specimens,  if 
more  than  one,  should  be  numbered,  the  sender  retaining  also  speci- 
mens bearing  the  same  number,  to  facilitate  any  correspondence 
which  may  follow.  The  Sub-Commission  requests  that,  so  far  as 
practicable,  all  plants  sent  be  represented  by  at  least  four  specimens. 
(Signed)  H.  H.  Rusby,  M.D., 

Chairman  of  the  General  Commission, 
New  York  College  of  Pharmacy. 
Valery  Havard,  M.D., 
Chairman  of  the  Sub-Commission, 
Fort  Slocum,  Davids  Island,  New  York. 


The  death  of  Prof.  Dr.  Pieter  Cornelio  Plugge,  of  Groningeu,  Netherlands, 
has  been  announced.  He  held  the  chair  of  Pharmacy  and  Toxicology  in  the 
University  of  his  native  town.  His  death  occurred  June  30,  at  the  Royal 
Botanical  Gardens,  Buitenzorg,  Java,  whither  he  had  been  sent  by  the  Dutch 
Government  on  a  scientific  mission. 


^"Xjgrt.r^!'" }  Ediloriorl.  4^7 

EDITORIAL. 

NOTABLE    PHARMACEUTICAL   GATHERINGS   DLKING    AUGUST. 

The  month  of  August,  this  year,  will  witness  the  assembling  of  a  larger  num- 
ber of  pharmacists  in  various  parts  of  the  world  thau  is  usual  during  so  short  a 
time. 

Early  in  the  month  will  be  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference  at  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  This  body  is  noted  for  the  large  amount  of  scientific  work  it  can 
accomplish  in  a  short  time.  The  Eighth  International  Pharmaceutical  Con- 
gress will  follow,  at  Brussels,  Belgium,  on  the  14th.  The  scope  of  this  assembly 
was  sufficienth'  set  forth  in  the  March  number  of  this  Journ.\l,  page  i6r. 
The  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  has  appointed  the  following  dele- 
gates :  Prof.  Joseph  P.  Remington,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Louis  Dohme, 
of  Baltimore,  with  Dr.  Frederick  B.  Power,  of  London,  and  Mr.  Adolph  Meyer, 
of  New  Orleans,  as  alternates. 

Of  the  associations  not  strictly  pharmaceutical,  we  will  have  the  meeting  of 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  Detroit,  on  the 
9th  ;  that  of  the  American  Chemical  Society  at  the  same  place  during  the  same 
week  ;  and  on  the  19th  the  Twelfth  International  Medical  Congress,  at  Moscow, 
Russia.  This  last  has  issued  a  formidable  programme  of  7 1  pages, in  the  French 
language,  and  containing  some  hundreds  of  titles  of  papers  to  be  presented  from 
physicians  and  others,  from  all  over  the  world.  If  i  per  cent,  of  the  promises 
should  be  redeemed,  it  would  still  scarcely  be  possible  to  have  them  all  read 
during  the  eight  days  that  the  fifteen  sections  of  the  Congress  will  be  in 
session.  In  addition  to  the  papers,  ten  addresses  have  been  promised  ;  these  are 
to  be  delivered  before  the  general  assembly. 

Returning  to  the  strictly  pharmaceutical  meetings,  we  will  have  that  of  the 

American    Pharmaceutical  Association    at  Lake  Minnetonka,  Minn.,  from   the 

24th  to  the  31st,  inclusive.     The  following  programme  has  been  adopted  by  the 

Council  : 

Tuesday,  August  24th. 

Council  Meeting 11.00  A.M. 

First  General  Session 2.30  P.M. 

Meeting  of  the  Nominating  Committee  ...    6.(0  P.M. 

Reception  and  Promenade  Concert S  30  P.M. 

Wednicsday,  August  25th. 

Second  General  Session      .    .  10.00  A.M. 

Commercial  Section  ...  230  P.M. 

Travellers' Entertainment  .  S. 30  P.M. 

Thursday,  -Vugust  vaw. 

Scientific  Sertiou .  10.00  A.M. 

••  2.30  P.M. 

«•  S.30P.M. 

i-KII>  \  \  ,    .\UgllSl    2~\.\X. 

Section  on  Phaiiii.iccutical  Education  and  Lcgi»Iation  iooo.\.M. 

•'  2.30  P.M. 

•  •  «•  •♦  "  8.30  P.M. 


428  Reviews.  {'^"August  559^™ 

Saturday,  August  28th. 

Third  General  Session  ( Final  Business) .    .  10.00  A.M. 

Boat  Ride (     "     Session) 4.C0  P.M. 

Lectures  by  President  Northrup  and  Prof.  F.  J.  Wulling,  of 

the  University  of  Minnesota 8.00  P.M. 

Sunday,  August  29th. 
Devoted  to  rest. 

Monday,  August  30th. 

Trip  to  Taylor  Falls  and  Dells  of  St.  Croix. 

Tuesday,  August  31st. 

Trip  by  cars  and  carriages  through  the  Twin  Cities  (Minneapolis  and  St. 
Paul). 

Evening,  Banquet. 

The  arrangements  about  transportation  have  not  yet  been  completed.  It  is 
understood,  however,  that  a  one-fare  rate  has  been  secured  from  Chicago  and 
St.  Louis.  Members  desiring  to  start  from  either  of  those  cities  should  address 
Mr.  A.  E.  Ebert,  of  Chicago,  or  Prof.  H.  M.  Whelpley,  of  St.  Louis.  Professor 
Caspari,  of  Baltimore,  is  arranging  for  a  lake  trip  of  three  days  from  Buffalo  to 
Duluth  ;  those  desiring  to  go  by  water  should  address  him. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

An  Ii.i,ustrated  Flora  of  the  Northern  United  States,  Canada  and 
THE  British  Possessions,  from  Newfoundland  to  the  Parallel  of  the  Southern 
Boundary  of  Virginia,  and  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  Westward  to  the  One 
Hundred  and  Second  Meridian.  By  Nathaniel  Lord  Britton,  Ph.D.,  and  Hon. 
Addison  Brown.  In  three  volumes.  Vol.  II.  Portulacacese  to  Meuyanthaceae, 
Portulaca  to  Buckbean.     New  York.     Charles  Scribner's  Sons.     1897. 

The  first  volume  of  this  illustrated  flora  was  reviewed  in  the  American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  November,  1896,  p.  630,  the  second  volume  contain- 
ing the  work  in  the  sequence  of  the  Naturliche  PJianzenfaviilien,  by  Engler 
and  Prantl,  to  the  buckbean  family,  has  now  been  issued.  The  publishers  are 
to  be  congratulated  upon  the  prompt  publication  of  a  work  requiring  so  much 
original  labor  of  authors,  artist,  engraver  and  printer.  This  volume  contains 
647  pages,  and  the  binding,  typography,  illustrations,  descriptions,  biblio- 
graphical references  and  the  other  excellent  features  of  the  preceding  volume 
have  been  fully  maintained. 

The  second  volume  contains  figures  of  1,467  species.  In  most  instances 
these  are  good  representations,  but  in  a  few  we  are  disappointed.  The  magni- 
tude of  the  author's  undertaking  is  such  that  the  students  of  our  flora  will 
willingly  overlook  these  minor  defects. 

As  was  to  have  been  expected,  the  adherence  to  the  Rochester  rules  of 
nomenclature  has  presented  us  with  a  number  of  new  binomials  for  our  old 
friends,  as,  for  example,  our  common  apple  becomes  Mains  mains  (L. ),  Britton 
and  American  Wistaria  (the  erroneous  spelling  Wisierea'xs  persisted  in),  be- 
comes Kraunhia  frutescens  (L.)  Greene.  The  rigid  enforcement  of  the  law  of 
priority  is  illustrated  on  page  358,  where  Polygala  viridescens  L.  replaces  the 
familiar   P.  sanguinea  L.,  both   having  been   used  by  Liunaeus,  on  page  705, 


Ail.  Jour.  I'iiariij. )  I?mtt/"'iie  >«  «^/^ 

Species  Plantarum,  1753.  It  is  our  intent  to  more  carefully  note  the  changes 
necessitated  in  the  names  of  medicinal  plants,  upon  the  completion  of  Volume 
III. 

A  cursory  examination  of  the  volume  exhibits  great  freedom  from  typo- 
graphical errors  and  comparatively  little  for  criticism.  On  page  345  we  are  in- 
formed that  Oxalis  acetosella  "yields  the  druggists' salt  of  lemon."  The 
modern  methods  of  manufacturing  the  oxalates  have  displaced  such  a  primitive 
source. 

The  distribution  of  plants  is  generally  accurately  given.  The  existence  of 
Ilicioides  mucronata  (L. )  Britton,  (Nemopanthes  fascicularis,  Raf.  1,  in  New 
Jersey,  has,  however,  escaped  attention. 

The  authors  have  aimed  to  incorporate  the  most  recent  contributions  and 
studies  of  the  different  genera  and  orders.  Consequently  some  very  recently 
described  plants  are  figured  here.  Of  these  may  be  mentioned  as  examples 
Potentilla  littoralis,  R3'dberg,  1S96  ;  Crataegus  Vailia;,  Britton,  1S96  ;  Prunus 
Gravesii,  Small,  1897;  Viola  atlantica,  Britton,  1S97.  The  treatment  of  many 
groups  show  critical  study  on  the  part  of  the  authors.  Several  entirely  ne\s 
species  are  described,  and  a  very  general  tendency  through  the  volume  is  to 
elevate  well-marked  varieties  of  previous  authors  to  specific  rank,  and  a  number 
of  species  discarded  in  Gray's  Manual  have  been  revived. 

Another  commendable  feature  of  the  work  is  the  introduction  of  many 
foreign  plants  that  have  escaped  from  cultivation,  or  otherwise  become  distri- 
buted in  waste  places.  This  renders  the  book  especially  valuable  to  the 
botanists  in  our  seaport  cities,  who  collect  on  the  ballast  grounds. 

It  is  an  up-to-date  book,  and  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  of 
systematic  botany,  and  we  eagerly  await  the  appearance  of  the  final  volume. 

G.  M.  B, 

Die  Xkukn  Arzneii)R(>(".en  .\us  dkm  Pflanzenrhichk.  Von  Or,  Carl 
Hartwich,  Professor  der  Pharmakognosie  am  Eidgenossichen  Polytechnikum 
in  Ziirich.     Verlag  von  Julius  Springer,  Berlin,  1S97.     Prcis,  M,  12, 

During  the  past  several  years,  the  additions  to  the  list  of  medicinal  drugs 
from  the  vegetable  kingdom  has  been  so  rapid  that  in  self-protection  one  is 
driven  to  devise  some  kind  of  a  system  by  which  to  keep  track  of  them.  The 
author  prepared  for  his  own  use  an  alphabetical  list  of  such  new  drugs,  with  a 
brief  statement  concerning  each  of  them,  and  a  number  of  references  to  the 
literature  of  the  subject.  The  result  was  so  satisfactory  that  he  decided  to 
elaborate  the  same  and  publish  it.  We  have,  in  conscfjuence,  a  book  of  some 
469  pages,  filled  with  matter  which  is  not  only  compactly  printed,  but,  what  is 
more  important,  compactly  stated.  Any  one  interested  in  new  plant  drugs,  if 
he  has  only  a  moderate  familiarity  with  the  German  language,  will  find  ihir 
book  of  the  greatest  value. 

An  introduction  of  twenty-three  pages  gives  a  general  view  of  the  subject, 
and  points  out  the  rapidity  and  extent  to  which  new  plant  drugs  have  l)een 
recognized  by  the  various  pharmacop«Lias.  Following  this  is  the  »|>ecial  part 
which  constitutes  the  great  bulk  of  the  work,  and  which  consists  of  short 
notices  of  new  plant  <lrugs,  arranged  in  alphal>etical  order.  The  names  and 
synonyms  of  each  are  given,  then  follow  short  descriptions,  habitat,  use*, 
chemical  composition,  etc  ,  not  always  in  the  same  order ;  the  latter  feature  has 


I?^^.^^^r,,r  i  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

430  KeVieWS.  \      August,  I897. 

some  advantages,  since  it  renders  this  part  more  readable,  and  does  away  with 
what  would  tend  towards  a  tabular  presentation  of  the  subject.  A  few  lines  of 
references  are  finally  added,  and  enough  is  before  one  concerning  a  drug  to 
enable  him  to  have  an  intelligent  idea  about  it,  or  to  prosecute  his  studies 
further  elsewhere. 

An  appendix  of  some  30  pages  follows  the  special  part,  and  includes  some  of 
the  very  newest  drugs.  This  is  followed  by  a  literary  index  of  books  and 
journals  used  in  the  references.  The  author  was  somewhat  in  doubt  about 
arranging  the  subjects  in  alphabetical  order,  but  he  had  found  it  best  for  his 
own  use,  so  he  allowed  it  to  stand  ;  but  in  order  to  make  the  work  more  com- 
plete he  added  an  index  of  the  plants,  arranged  according  to  the  natural 
system.     Finally,  there  is  a  very  complete  general  index. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  this  work  will  facilitate  the  study  of  plant  drugs,  and 
aid  in  bringing  some  of  them  more  prominently  before  the  two  professions  of 
pharmacy  and  medicine. 

Onthk  Presence  of  a  True  Manna  on  a  *'  Blue  Grass,"  Andropogon 
ANNULATUS.  By  R.  T.  Baker,  F.L.S.,  and  Henry  G.  Smith,  F.C.S.  Reprint 
of  paper  read  before  the  Royal  Society  of  New  South  Wales,  December  2, 
1896. 

In  addition  to  identifying  this  substance  as  a  true  manna,  the  authors  have 
made  quite  a  study  of  it  from  botanical,  chemical  and  economic  standpoints. 
The  paper  is  illustrated  by  two  full-page  plates,  and  a  bibliography  of  the  litera- 
ture of  eucalyptus  manna  and  lerp  has  been  appended. 

Report  of  the  Committee  Appointed  by  the  Nationai,  Academy  of 
Sciences  upon  the  Inauguration  of  a  Forest  Poi^icy  for  the  Forested 
Lands  of  the  United  States,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 
Washington.     Government  Printing  Office,  1897. 

This  report  is  the  result  of  the  appointment  of  a  committee  by  the  president 
of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  on  the  request  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior.  The  report  is  an  exhaustive  one,  and  after  discussing  the  whole  sub- 
ject of  forestry  in  the  United  States,  the  results  are  condensed  into  conclusions 
and  recommendations  that  are  easily  comprehended.  A  number  of  bills  are 
offered  for  presentation  to  Congress  to  enable  the  recommendations  to  be  car- 
ried  out.  The  committee  is  composed  of  the  following  well-known  experts  : 
Charles  S.  Sargent,  Henry  L.  Abbott,  A.  Agassiz,  Wm,  H.  Brewer,  Arnold 
Hague,  Gifford  Pinchot,  Wolcott  Gibbs. 

UiCRKR  IsoMERE  Menthyi^amine  und  Menthene.  By  D.  T.  Werner. 
Inaugural  Dissertation.     Gottingen,  1897. 

This  is  the  result  of  a  careful  study  of  the  properties  of  dextro-  and  laevo-ro- 
tary  menthylamine. 

The  Nationai,  Confectioners'  Association  of  the  United  States. 
1897.  This  Association  has  done  a  good  work  in  compiling,  in  a  neat  volume 
of  186  pages,  all  the  "  pure  food  and  pure  candy  laws  "  in  force  in  the  United 
vStates,  April  i,  1897.  There  is  great  lack  of  uniformity  among  the  different 
States  ;  many  have  no  food  or  candy  laws,  others  have  both,  and  a  number 
hold  that  candy  is  a  food,  and  therefore  apply  the  provisions  of  the  pure  food 
law  to  it. 


"""iugu.".*;?^'™ }  College  Meeting.— Obituary.  43 1 

Report  OF  THE  Fifteenth  Annual  Procekdings  OP  THE  Louisiana  State 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  held  at  New  Orleans,  May  11  to  13,  1897. 

Two  ori^iual  communications  were  received  and  read  at  this  meeting?,  viz.: 
"  Does  a  College  of  Pharmacy  Education  Possess  any  Advantages  over  that 
Gained  by  Long  Practical  Experience?"  by  Dr.  T.  A.  Quayle;  and  **  How  to 
Increase  our  Membership,"  by  Leon  Barthet.  A  number  of  interesting  reports 
were  also  presented.  The  Association  is  doing  a  good  work  by  endeavoring  to 
intro<luce  the  National  Formulaty^  and  thereby  have  physicians  prescribe  the 
preparations  contained  in  it. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  COLLEGE  MEETING. 

The  quarterly  meeting  of  the  College  was  held  June  28,  1S97,  with  President 
Bullock  in  the  chair.  The  minutes  of  the  Boaru  of  Trustees  for  April.  May 
and  June  were  read  and  adopted. 

A  communication  from  Chairman  Beale,  of  the  Section  on  Pharmaceutical 
Education  and  Legislation,  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  was 
presented.  Itconsisted  of  a  list  of  interrogatories  bearing  upon  the  construction 
of  a  uniform  pharmacy  law  for  all  the  States.  This  document  was  deemed  al- 
together too  voluminous  and  comprehensive  to  be  properly  considered  in  the 
limited  time  at  the  disposal  of  the  College,  and  action  upon  it  was  postponed. 

Mr.  E.  >L  Boring  offered  a  resolution,  which  appeared  to  involve  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  charter,  and  the  spirit  of  which  resolved  itself  into  two  queries, 
whioh  the  Secretary  was  directed  to  submit  to  the  College  Counsellors  for  an 
opinion.     These  queries  were  as  follows  : 

"Can  the  College  restrict  the  eligibility  of  members  to  serve  in  the  Board 
of  Trustees  to  such  only  as  do  not  receive  emoluments  for  service  rendered  the 
College  ?" 

"  Should  the  Board  of  Trustees  deem  it  desirable  to  elect  one  or  more  of  the 
faculty  associate  members  of  the  Board  without  voice  unless  requested,  and 
also  without  vote,  can  it  do  so  ?" 

The  chairman  appointed  the  following  delegates  to  the  meeting  of  the  Ameri- 
can Pharmaceutical  Association:  Samuel  P.  Sadtler,  F.  W.  E.  Stedeni,  Josiah  C. 
Peacock. 

William  B.  Thomp.son,  Stctetaty. 


OBITUARY. 


I*fo/.  Dr.  Karl  Rcmii^ius  Fresen ins.— On  the  nth  of  June  Profewor  I  tvsv- 
nius,  the  noted  chemist,  <iied  at  Wiesbaden,  (icrmany,  in  th'e  seventy  ninth 
year  of  his  age,  of  heart  disease. 

He  was  born  at  Prankfort-on-the-Main,  December  28,  1818,  an<l  ol.ta:mil  his 
education  for  the  most  part  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  In  li'^ft  he  was  appren- 
ticed as  an  apothecary,  and  while  pursuing  this  vocation  attended  Iccluieft  on 
chemistry  and  physics.  Later  he  l>ecame  a  student  at  the  I'niversity  of  Bonn, 
and,  in  184 1,  went  to  (^iessen  as  assistant  in  Liel>ig's  laUiratory.  In  1843  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  private  instructor  in  chemistry  at  the  University  of  Oie«- 
acn,  where,  however,  he  remained  only  two  yeara,  when  he  was  callc<l  lo 
the  Agricultural  Institute  of  Wiesba<len  as  profeasor  of  the  natural    sctcacea. 


432  Notes  and  News.  {^"ku'Slls^iS:^"" 

Here,  in  1848,  he  established  his  famous  private  laboratory, to  which  was  added, 
in  1862,  a  pharmaceutical  department. 

As  is  well  known,  Professor  Fresenius  devoted  his  attention  chiefly  to  the 
subject  of  Analytical  Chemistry,  and  his  "  Anleitung  zur  qualitative  chemi- 
schen  Analyse"  and  "Anleitung  zur  quantitative  chemischen  Analyse  "  have 
gone  through  a  number  of  editions,  and  have  been  translated  into  almost  every 
living  tongue.  In  addition  to  his  other  literary  labors,  he  was  editor  of  the 
Zeiischrift  fiir  analytische  Cheniie  since  1862. 

In  recognition  of  his  services  as  a  scientist,  numerous  honorary  titles  and 
orders  of  distinction  were  bestowed  upon  Professor  Fresenius  by  various 
societies  and  scientific  bodies,  both  in  Germany  and  in  other  countries,  and  in 
1893  he  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy. 

Prof.  Julius  von  Sachs. — On  the  29th  of  May  Professor  von  Sachs,  the 
famous  botanist,  died  at  Wiirzburg,  Germany,  where  he  had  resided  since  1868. 
He  was  born  at  Breslau,  in  1832,  and  his  life  was  enriched  by  labors  which  have 
had  a  distinct  and  decided  influence  on  the  advances  made  in  recent  years  in 
scientific  botany,  particularly  plant  physiology  and  the  principles  of  causality 
as  applied  to  plant  life. 

Professor  Sachs  was  a  voluminous  writer,  and  of  his  works  the  following 
maybe  mentioned:  "Botanical  Experimental  Physiology,"  "Text  Book  of 
Botany,"  "History  of  Botany"  (from  1600  to  i860),  and  "Lectures  on  Plant 
Physiology."  He  was  not  only  distinguished  as  an  author,  but  was  an  accom- 
plished lecturer,  and  had  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life  to  teaching.  For 
twenty-nine  years  he  had  been  Professor  of  Botany  at  Wiirzburg,  and  for  a  time 
during  the  early  part  of  his  scientific  career  was  assistant  to  Purkinje  at  Prague. 


NOTES  AND  NEWS, 

Professor  J.  B.  Nagelvoort  has  resigned  the  chair  of  Pharmaceutical  Chemis- 
try in  the  School  of  Pharmacy,  Northwestern  University,  and  is  at  present  in 
Amsterdam,  Netherlands.  Some  of  his  contributions  on  pharmacy  in  the 
Ijnited  States  have  recently  appeared  in  the  Pharniaceutisch  Weckblad  of 
Rotterdam. 

The  Hanbury  Medal  has  been  awarded  for  this  year  to  Dr.  John  B.  De  Vrij, 
of  The  Hague.  He  was  born  in  Rotterdam  in  1813.  The  President  of  the 
British  Pharmaceutical  Society,  in  announcing  the  award,  said  :  "  It  was  interest- 
ing to  note  that  in  this  year  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee  the  award  was  made  to  a 
gentleman  who,  although  not  an  Englishman,  had  an  order  conferred  by  Her 
Majesty,  he  being  a  Companion  of  the  Order  of  the  Indian  Empire,  that  dis- 
tinction having  been  given  him  for  work  done  in  connection  with  cinchona 
cultivation  in  India.  It  was  also  interesting  to  remark  that  the  first  paper  pub- 
lished by  Dr.  De  Vrij  was  written  about  four  years  before  Her  Majesty  came  to 
the  throne.  Since  that  time  he  had  been  an  indefatigable  worker  in  original 
research  connected  with  the  chemistry  and  natural  history  of  drugs,  partly  in 
connection  with  cinchona.  He  began  life  as  a  pharmacist,  and  had  been  con- 
nected with  pharmacy  ever  since." 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


SEPTEMBER,  i8gj. 


CAN    NORTHERN    SENEGA,    SOUTHERN  SENEGA,   EUO- 

NYMUS    AND    QUILLAJA    HE    DISTINGUISHED 

FROM  ONE  ANOTHER  IN  THE  POWDERED 

STATE  BY  THE  MICROSCOPE? 

By  L.  E.  Savrk, 

Member  of  Research  Committee  C  of  the  Revision  Committee  of  the  U.  S.  P. — 

Preliminary  Paper. 

This  is  the  question  which  the  present  investigation  endeavors  to 
answer.  As  usual,  the  structural  elements  of  the  different  druqs 
were  studied  in  their  fixed  relations  by  means  of  sections,  and  their 
subsequent  conduct  and  appearance  after  powdering  observed.  In 
general  it  may  be  stated  that  while  it  is  quite  easy  to  recognize  the 
differences  between  the  senegas  and  the  other  drugs,  no  point  of 
distinction  could  be  established  for  the  two  senegas.  This  is  easily 
understood  when  it  is  observed  that  the  two  varieties  of  the  one 
drug  have  present  the  same  elements  in  relatively  equal  propor- 
tions, while  each  of  the  others  possesses  characteristic  elements  not 
present,  or  differently  represented,  in  the  other  drugs. 

The  sections  of  senega,  both  northern  and  southern,  are  easily 
distinguished  by  the  marked  difference  in  the  thickness  of  the  routs 
and  in  the  arrangement  of  the  tissues,  but  we  are  not  surprised  to 
find  the  powders  appearing  very  much  the  same  under  the  micro- 
scope. In  passing  through  the  mill  and  the  sieve,  characteristic 
arrangements  are  destroyed  and  points  of  distinction  obliterated. 
Owing  to  this  fact  it  is  the  author's  opinion  that  no  satisfactory 

(433) 


434 


Senega,  Euonymus  and  Quillaja.      {t™p{Lmber,Y89™" 


microscopical    test    can    be    established    for    distinguishing    either 
senega  from  the  other. 

In  detail  it  may  be  observed  that  the  No.  60   powder   of   senega 


Fig.  I.  Cross-section  Senega   (Northern  variety);  a,   cork  cells;  b,  paren- 
chyma ;  Cy  woody  tissue  ;  d,  tracheae. 

shows  mainly  the  suber  and  the  parenchymatous  tissues  in  tolerably 
regular  masses,  while  the  woody  centre  is  but  rarely  observed.  The 
soft  parenchyma  is  sometimes  broken  longitudinally  and  sometimes 


Fig.  2.  Longitudinal  section  Senega  (Northern  variety),  a,  cork  cells ;  b, 
parenchyma ;  c,  parenchyma  ;  d,  woody  cells  ;  <?,  tracheae. 

transversely,  so  that  we  get  appearances  characteristic  of  the  sec- 
tions made  in  these  two  directions. 

As  might  be  supposed  from  the  appearance  of  the  sections,  no 
difficulty  exists  in  distinguishing  apart  the  powders  of  senega  and 


Am,  Jour.  PHarm.) 
September.  1897.  j 


Senega,  Eiiaiiymus  and  Quillaja. 


435 


Fig.  ^.  Cross-section  Senega    (^Southern  variety);    a,  cork   cells;  ^,  paren- 
chyma ;  Cy  woody  centre  ;  d,  trachea.-. 

quillaja.  In  the  latter  druj^  are  found  elements  not  at  ail  repre- 
sented in  the  senega.  Attention  is  called  to  the  strongly  marked 
medullary  rays,  to  the  sclerotic  tissue,  to  the  bast  fibres,  and  more 


--a 


■ 


Fig.  4.    Longitudinal  section  Senega  (Southern   variety 
parenchyma  ;  f,  parenchyma  ;  d,  woody  cells  ;  ^,  trsche;u. 


,/     r.irl:    CClli  ;    b^ 


436  Senega,  Euonyinus  and  Quillaja.       { \™p£Sbefff897^" 

particularly  to  the  numerous  and  easily  observed  prismatic  crystals 
of  calcium  oxalate.  Any  or  all  of  these  clearly  mark  the  powder  of 
quillaja,  and  would  at  once  betray  its  presence  in  the  powder  of 
senega. 


Fig.  s-  Cross-section  Quillaja  ;  a,  parenchyma  ;    b,  medullary  rays ;  c,  bast 
fibres. 

Again,  in  the  case  of  the  powder  derived  from  the  root  bark  of 
euonymus,  we  encounter  elements  that  serve  as  points  of  distinction 
between  it  and  the  other  drugs  here  considered.     In  this  instance 


Fig.  6.  Longitudinal-radial  section  of  Quillaja ;  a,  sclerotic  cells ;  b,  medul- 
lary rays  ;  <:,  bast  fibres  ;  d,  cork  cells. 

the  most  marked  characteristic  is  the  fragment  of  large-celled  sub- 
erous  tissue,  which  so  frequently  exhibits  a  concentric  arrangement. 
In  addition,  the  fragments  of  cortical  parenchyma,  crossed  by  the 
narrow  remains  of  medullary  rays,  appear  numerously  and  distinctly 


Fig.  7.  Longitudinal-tangential  section  of  Quillaja  ;  a,  sclerotic  cells  ;  b^  bast 
fibres ;  c,  crystal  ;  d,  medullary  ray. 


iStimS^r.'lIK'}      Scjiega,  Euonymiis  and  Quillaja. 


437 


before  the  observer.     The  bast  cells  would  also  serve  to  distinguish 
euonymus  from  senega. 


-d 


Fig.  8.  Euonymus  bark  of  root ;  a,  suber  ;    b,  parenchyma  ;  r,  crystal ;   t/, 
medullary  ray. 

After  having  established  these  points  of  difference  between  senega 

and  its  adulterants,  numerous    samples  of   powdered  senega  were 

examined,  but  no  adulteration  was  discovered.      It  would  appear 

a 


m} 


,'C'- 


FifT.  g.  Senega  powder  magnified  75  diameters  ;  a,  suber ;  b,  parenchyma  ;  r, 
tracheie  (rarely  found  in  No.  60  powder). 

from  this  that  powdered  senega  is  not  difficult   to  secure   m  the 
pure  condition. 

The  drawings  accompanying  this  arc  supposed  to  be  sclf-cxplana- 


438 


Senega,  Euonymus  and  Qiiillaja.        { "^s^pfember,  isSt! 


Fig.  10.  Powder  of  Quillaja  magnified  75  diameters;  a,  medullary  ray;  by 
bast ;  c,  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate  ;  d^  sclerotic  tissue. 


Fig.  II.  Powder  of  bark  of  root  of  Euonymus  magnified  75   diameters  ; 
a,  medullary  ray  ;  b,  bast ;  c,  suber. 

tory,  and  show  the  appearance  of  the  drugs  under  consideration  in 

as  nearly  a  representative  manner  as  possible.^ 

*This  preliminary  paper,  containing  the  brief  text  to  accompany  the  draw- 
ings, is  published  at  this  time  mainly  to  complete  the  record  of  the  year's  work 


as  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Research. 


Iv.  E.  S. 


^s'^^ptembe^^fs^ }  Gelseviic  Acid.  439 

GELSEMIC  ACID.^ 
Bv  Virgil  Coblentz. 

This  principle  was  first  isolated  by  Professor  Maisch,  in  1869, 
later  named  and  fully  described  by  Professor  Wormley  in  1870. 
The  latter  author  restricted  himself  to  the  application  of  various 
color  tests  and  the  deportment  of  this  substance  to  different  reagents, 
with  the  view  of  its  identification  from  the  standpoint  of  a  toxi- 
colof^ist. 

Dr.  Chas.  Robbins,  in  his  work  "  Ueber  die  wesentlichen  bestand- 
theile  von  Gelsemium  sempervirens"(i876),  describes  this  principle 
as  occurrinfT  in  needle-like  crystals,  which  separate  in  stellate 
groups,  possessing  acid  characters  and  forming  salts  with  alkalies, 
all  of  these  salts  being  insoluble  in  water  except  those  of  the  alka- 
lies which  are  readily  soluble  and  crystalline.  As  regards  solubili- 
ties, the  same  author  claims  that  gelsemic  acid  is  readily  soluble  in 
chloroform  and  ether,  and  soluble  I  part  in  looo  of  water.  A 
number  of  color  reactions  given  by  Wormley  were  reviewed  by  Rob- 
bins.     These  will  be  taken  up  later  with  criticisms  and  comments- 

The  material  for  the  following  investigations  was  supplied  by 
Professor  J.  U.  Lloyd,  who  assured  me  of  its  purity  and  genuineness. 
The  crystals  were  white,  when  viewed  in  mass,  of  a  slight  yellowish 
cast ;  they  were  of  the  hexagonal  system  and  varied  in  length  from  5 
to  10  mm.^ 

The  melting  point  of  gelsemic  acid,  which,  to  my  knowledge,  has 
not  been  published,  at  least  not  by  the  above-named  investigators, 
is  206°  C.  (corrected). 

When  heated  between  1 10°  and  115^  C.  for  five  hours  in  a  tube, 
through  which  a  currrent  of  dry  carbonic  anhydride  was  passed,  no 
appreciable  loss  in  weight  occurred  ;  in  the  upper  portion  of  the 
tube  a  slight  sublimate  was  noticeable.  This  may  account  for  Dr. 
Robbins'  two  molecules  of  crystal  water.  However,  the  solvent 
employed  in  crystallizing  may  account  for  differences.  When 
heated  in  open  air  gelsemic  acid  takes  on  a  deep  lemon-yellow 
color. 


'  Read  at  the  im-fUii^  of  the  .Amcruati  i'iiartu.ii  ruiual  A?>>m.  i.iliuti,   x^r, . 

'  Made  from  Gelsemium  sempervircus  by  means  of  neutral  solvents  only, 
no  aciils  or  alkalies  l>cinj?  employed.  Purified  by  repeate<l  crystallizationt 
from  alcohol. — ^J.  U.  L. 


440 


Gelsemic  Add, 


SolMtUih'. — G.  A.  is  soluble  i  p.  in  1490  of  distilled  ^*ater  at  30^  C. 
"     *«       •'        I  p.  "     415  of  abs.  ether         "  22^  C. 
"     "       **        I  p.  "     135  of  chloroform       "  24°  C. 
Readily  soluble  in  hot  alcohol  and  glacial  acetic  acid. 
The  above  figures  show  the  average  of  three  careful  determina- 
tions each. 

Coler  Tests. — The  reagents  employed  were  r.rs:  tested  for  such 
impurities  as  might  influence  the  color  reaction. 

(i)  With  cone.  H.SO^  =  pale  yellow,  disappears  on  standing. 

(2)  With  cone.  H^SO^  n-armed  =  deep  yellow. 

Professor  Wormley  obtains  a  yellow  to  red-brown  color  with 
above. 

(3)  With  cone.  H.SO^  and  trace  of  HNOj  =  blood  red,  quickly 
tades. 

(4)  With  cone.  HjSO^  and  K.Cr,0-  =  to  yellow,  pale  violet, 
changing  to  green. 

Dr.  Robbins  obtains  no  reaction  vnth  4. 

(5)  With  cone.  H^O^  and  ammonium  molybdate  =  yellow :  on 
standing  from  ten  to  twent}*  minutes  =:  intense  blue  (hastened  if 
warmed). 

The  reaction  5  is  ver\'  delicate  and  characteristic. 

(6)  With  cone.  HNO-  =  yellow ;  if  G.  A.  is  in  excess  =  reddish 
color;  to  this  add  NH^OH  in  excess  =  intense  blood-red  color. 

Above  test  of  Wormley  is  sensitive  to  0-00002  gm. 

Ri  actions  in  Solution. — (1)  G.  A.  is  readily  soluble  in  diluted 
aqueous  solutions  of  the  caustic  alkalies  :  the  resulting  solution  is  of 
a  pale  yellow  color  when  \iewed  by  transmitted  light ;  by  reflected 
light  it  exhibits  an  intense  bluish-green  fluorescence,  i  part  in 
1,000,000  being  distinctly  fluorescent.  This  is  destroyed  by  addition 
of  acids. 

(2)  An  aqueous  solution  of  G.  A.  liberates  iodine  from  iodic  acid 
(HIO,). 

(3)  An  aqueous  solution  of  G.  A.  on  addition  of  ferric  chloride 
gives  a  green-colored  solution. 

(4)  Lead  acetate  and  mercuric  chloride  both  produce,  with  aque- 
ous solutions  of  G.  A.,  yellowish  precipitates  called  by  Robbins 
*'  gelsemates."  These  precipitates  proved  to  be  a  mixture  of  basic 
hydroxides  of  the  metal  and  unaltered  gelsemic  acid,  the  latter 
being  readily  removed  by  washing  with  hot  water  or  alcohol. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm,  \  CZfiUfmir     Ari^l  tMt 

(5)  When  silver  nitrate  is  added  to  an  aqueous  solution  of  G.  A., 
at  first  a  yellow  precipitate  is  produced,  which  quickly  changes  to 
black.  Solutions  of  auric  and  platinic  chlorides  are  reduced  at 
once. 

(6)  Fehling's  solution,  or  a  concentrated  solution  of  copper  sul- 
phate, gives  a  brownish-red  precipitate  of  suboxide  on  standing,  or 
immediately  on  heating. 

(7)  The  addition  of  freshly.prepared  chlorine  water  to  an  aqueous 
solution  of  G.  A.  produces  a  red  coloration  which  disappears  on 
warming. 

(8)  The  addition  of  Lugol's  solution  produces  a  brown  precipi- 
tate, which  consists  of  a  mixture  of  free  iodine  and  gelsemic  acid. 

Analytical. — Dr.  Robbins  assumes  gelsemic  acid  to  be  a  gluco- 
side,  after  boiling  its  aqueous  solution  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid, 
and  heating  with  Fehling's  solution.  In  the  above  cited  reactions 
we  find  that  gelsemic  acid  is  a  strong  reducing  agent,  reacting  even 
in  cold  solution,  so  this  test  is  indeed,  under  the  circumstances, 
fallacious. 

To  ascertain  whether  this  principle  is  a  glucoside  or  not,  samples 
were  boiled  for  twelve  hours  with  diluted,  also  concentrated,  hydro- 
chloric acid,  also  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid,  finally;  a  sample  was 
heated  in  a  sealed  tube  with  5  per  cent,  alcoholic  hydrochloric  acid 
at  iio°C.  All  gave  negative  results,  the  gelsemic  acid  remaining 
unchanged,  and  the  solution  failing  to  give  any  reaction  for  sugar 
with  phenylhydrazine.  Other  sugar  tests  cannot  be  applied,  because 
of  the  above-mentioned  reducing  properties  of  this  principle. 

Robbins  as  well  as  Wormley  calls  attention  to  the  acid  prop)erties 
of  G.  A.  The  former  states  that  the  salts,  with  exception  of  the  alka- 
lies, are  insoluble  in  water,  while  the  latter  are  crystalline.  Robbins 
assumes  that  the  precipitate  obtained  by  adding  a  salt  of  a  metal  to 
solution  of  G.  A.  was  a  compound  of  the  latter  with  a  metallic  base. 
I  have  already  stated  that  these  precipitates  consist  of  a  mixture  of 
basic  hydroxides  and  free  acid. 

I  endeavored  to  obtain  salts  of  G.  A.  with  the  alkalies  by 
cautiously  neutralizing  aqueous  and  alcoholic  solutions  of  this  princi- 
ple with  alkali  carbonates  and  hydrates.  The  resulting  solutions  were 
concentrated  at  the  lowest  possible  temperature,  and  set  aside  for 
some  weeks,  with  the  result  that  nothing  more  than  amorphous 
crusts  could  be  obtained. 


442  Gelsemic  Acid,  { ^sTpfembef.X^- 

The  dry  sodium  salt  (so-called)  when  heated  becomes  very  volu- 
minous, a  phenomenon  similar  to  the  "  Pharaoh's  Serpent "  pro- 
duced on  heating  mercury  sulphocyanide. 

I  next  attempted  to  produce  a  salt  with  the  alkaline  earths,  by 
boiling  gelsemic  acid  with  freshly-precipitated  barium  carbonate  and 
water,  also  magnesium  carbonate  and  water  for  several  hours.  The 
filtered  solution  was  neutral,  but  upon  concentrating,  the  carbonated 
alkaline  earth  gradually  separated  and  the  solution  assumed  an  acid 
reaction.    No  crystals  separated  from  the  solution  upon  standing. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  this  principle  possesses  very 
feeble  acid  properties  and  that  its  compounds  are  of  an  exceeding 
unstable  character. 

Attempts  were  made  to  produce  salts  by  double  decomposition 
between  the  sodium  compound  of  G.  A.  in  solution,  v/ith  salts  of  the 
metals,  but  the  precipitates  obtained  were  of  the  same  character  as 
those  mentioned  under  test  4. 

Lassaigne's  test  for  the  presence  of  nitrogen  was  made  with  nega- 
tive results,  confirming  Robbins'  test. 

Robbins,  after  making  two  combustions  of  gelsemic  acid  with  cop- 
per oxide  in  a  simple  bayonet  tube,  as  was  customary  at  that  time, 
and  comparing  his  results  with  the  older  aesculin  formula  of  Rochle- 
der,  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  his  gelsemic  acid  is  identical  with 
aesculin,  reinforcing  his  opinion  by  comparing  the  fluorescent  prop- 
erties of  both  and  their  reducing  powers  on  Fehling's  solution.  It 
is  true  that  aesculin  and  gelsemic  acid  resemble  each  other  in  some 
particulars,  such  as  fluorescence  and  reducing  powers,  but,  as  will  be 
shown  later,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  latter  is  a  distinctively  different 
principle. 

Tne  two  combustions  of  Robbins  resulted  as  follows : 

I.  C  =  5204  per  cent.     H  —  5-189  per  cent. 

II.  C  =  5182  per  cent.     H  =  4-98  per  cent. 

The  older  formula  of  Rochleder  for  aesculin  contains  C  51*57  per 
cent,  and  H  4-87  per  cent. 

The  later  accepted  formula  contains  C  5294  per  cent,  and  H 
470  per  cent. 

The  results  of  Robbins'  analyses  and  the  above  formula  corre- 
spond quite  closely.  However,  the  suuthor  questions  the  accuracy  of 
the  (Robbins)  analyses  and  the  formula  deduced  therefrom. 

The  greatest  difficulty  was   experienced   in   obtainmg  concordant 


Am.  Jour.  Phariu.)  /^x'/cm »'/-      J^i.-/  .  . -. 

September.  IW.  /  UtlStmiC    Acld.  443 

results  in  combustions  of  gelsemic  acid,  for  this  principle  is  one  of 
those  few  organic  substances  which  upon  heating  with  copper  oxide 
or  oxidizing  agents  tends  to  give  up  only  a  portion  of  its  carbon  as 
carbon  dioxide,  the  rest  separating  as  a  graphitic-like  deposit  on  the 
sides  of  the  combustion  tube,  which  the  highest  possible  tempera- 
ture cannot  remove.  Over  twenty  combustions  were  made  after 
various  methods;  in  several  instances,  even  with  cupric  oxide  alone, 
two  of  the  combustions  would  correspond  quite  closely,  but  subse- 
quent  results  did  not  justify  that  any  reliance  be  placed  upon  the 
figures.  The  various  methods  employed  were :  First,  combustion 
with  copper  oxide  in  a  bayonet  tube;  second,  with  cupric  oxide  in 
an  open  tube  in  a  current  of  oxygen;  in  the  third  method,  lead  chro- 
mate  was  employed  ;  the  fourth  method  attempted  consisted  in 
mixing  the  gelsemic  acid  with  powdered  fused  potassium  bichromate 
in  a  platinum  boat,  and  then  burning  in  an  open  tube  into  cupric 
oxide  in  a  current  of  oxygen ;  as  fifth  attempt,  the  method  of  wet 
combustion  with  a. mixture  of  chromic  anhydride  and  sulphuric  acid 
was  attempted,  passing  the  gases  through  a  spiral  cooler,  then  over 
lead  peroxide  to  remove  sulphur  dioxide,  finally  over  calcium  chlo- 
ride, into  the  potash  absorption  apparatus  (see  American  Journal 
OF  Pharmacv,  May,  1897,  p.  228).  This  method,  although  requiring 
the  greatest  care  to  prevent  the  contaminating  gases  from  passing 
over,  gave  very  good  results  in  the  analysis  of  some  of  the  deriva- 
tives of  gelsemic  acid,  while  with  the  mother-substance  discordant 
results  were  obtained.  Finally,  as  last  resort,  a  mixture  of  lead 
chromate  3  parts  and  red  lead  (mennige)  i  part  was  tried,  the  com- 
bustion being  carried  on  in  an  open  tube  in  a  current  of  oxygen. 
The  two  above-mentioned  ingredients  were  reduced  to  a  fine  pow- 
der, well  mixed,  moistened  with  water,  granulated  and  sharply 
dried  at  150°  C.  This  mixture  was  introduced  into  an  open  com- 
bustion tube  and  heated  to  dull  redness  in  a  current  of  oxygen,  then 
on  cooling  the  well-dried  sample  of  gelsemic  acid,  which  had  pre- 
viously been  mi.xed  with  an  ignited  mi.xture  of  equal  parts  of  pow- 
dered lead  chromate  and  lead  oxide,  was  introduced,  and  the  com- 
bustion carried  on  slowly  in  a  current  of  oxygen,  bringing  the  tube 
finally  to  a  bright  red  heat.  No  traces  of  separated  carbon  could  be 
found  on  the  sides  of  the  tube  after  combustion. 
The  analyses  resulted  as  follows  : 


...  rZfiJ<:pi^ir     Ari^  f  Am.  Jour.  Pbarin-, 

444  LreiSeiniC    J-LCIU.  \   September,  ] 897. 

I.  0*2432  gramme  substance  yielded  0-5582  gramme  of  002=62*59  per  cent.  C. 

0*0988         '*  **  H,0=  4*51    "      "     H, 

11.0*1140       "                **                 "       0*2610         '•  "    CO.,=62*45    "      "      C. 

0-0470         •'  "  H20=  4-58    "      "     H. 

111.0-2926     "                "                "       0*6739         "  "    C02=62-8i    -      "      C. 

"       0*1166         "  "  H30=  4*42    "      *'     H. 

From  the  average  of  the  above  analyses  the  formula  QgHj^Og  was 
deduced,  the  percentage  of  carbon  would  be  63-16  and  of  hydrogen 
4-45.     Thus  for  comparison  : 


Calculated. 

Found  =    I. 

II. 

III. 

C  =  63*16 

62-59 

62*44 

62*81 

H=   4"45 

4'5i 

4-58 

4*42 

A  molecular  weight  determination  (which  would  be  of  great  as- 
sistance here),  after  the  method  of  Beckmann  (kryoscopic),  was 
found  impossible  because  of  the  insolubility  of  gelsemic  acid  in  the 
cold  solvents  employed  in  these  determinations,  with  the  exception 
of  phenol,  which,  however,  gave  abnormal  results,  due  probably  to 
molecular  action  between  the  two. 

Action  of  Phosphorus  Pentachloride. — Gelsemic  acid  was  cau- 
tiously fused  with  a  slight  excess  of  phosphorus  pentachloride  ;  to 
the  mass  water  was  added  slowly,  the  tube  being  kept  well  cooled 
with  ice.  After  standing  a  few  hours  a  white  mass  separated,, 
which,  after  thoroughly  washing,  was  taken  up  into  as  little  hot 
alcohol  as  possible,  filtered  and  again  precipitated  in  an  excess  of 
water.  This  operation  was  repeated  several  times  in  order  to  re- 
move a  non-crystallizable  impurity  which  was  comparatively  in- 
soluble in  alcohol ;  finally  the  product  was  recrystallized  twice  from 
alcohol.  This  chloro-derivative  of  gelsemic  acid  melts  at  190°  C.  A 
chlorine  estimation  was  made  after  Carius.  00615  gramme  of 
substance  yielded  00616  gramme  of  AgCl,  which  corresponds  to 
2476  per  cent,  of  chlorine.  The  theoretical  replacement  of  two 
hydroxyl  groups  by  chlorine  would  give  us  25  per  cent,  of  the  lat- 
ter. This  proves  conclusively  that  we  have  replaceable  hydroxyl 
groups  present. 

Thus, 

C13H9  (OH)A  =  Q3H,  {C\\0,, 

Calculated,  CI  =  25  percent.     Found  CI  =  24*76  per  cent. 

Action  of  Acetic  Anhydride. — Gelsemic  acid  was  heated  with 
acetic  anhydride  and  anhydrous  sodium  acetate  in  a  flask  with  reflux 


^^pt'emb^r'Sr"}  Gelsemic  Acid,  445 

condenser  for  several  hours,  then  the  reaction's  product  was  poured 
into  an  excess  of  water,  the  precipitate  formed  thoroughly  washed, 
<lried  and  crystallized  from  alcohol.  This  compound  forms  needle- 
like anhydrous  crystals,  which  melt  at  iSo°  C.  The  number  of 
acetyl  groups  (C2H3O)  entering  this  compound  was  determined  by 
saponifying  a  weighed  quantity  in  an  excess  of  normal  alcoholic  po- 
tassium hydrate,  and  then  titrating  back  the  excess  of  alkali  by 
means  of  standard  hydrochloric  acid.  Assuming  that  the  two  hy- 
drogen atoms  of  the  hydroxyl  groups  have  been  replaced  by  two 
acetyl  radicals,  we  have  the  following  : 

C^Hg  (C2H30)o05,  calculated  percentage  of  (C2H3O  V     Found. 

25-98  25-14 

On  adding  bromme  to  a  hot  solution  of  gelsemic  acid  in  glacial 
acetic  acid  a  voluminous  white  precipitate  formed,  which,  when 
crystallized  from  alcohol,  formed  yellow  needles  which  fused  at  250^ 
C.  A  further  investigation  of  this  body  was  postponed  for  lack  of 
material. 

Thus  far,  from  the  above  results,  we  may  ascribe  to  gelsemic  acid 
the  formula  Ci3H9C)3  (OH)2.  Considering  the  active  reducmg  char- 
acter of  this  principle  it  is  highly  probable  that  either  an  aldehyde 
or  a  ketone  group  is  also  present,  which  further  investigation  will 
determine.  That  gelsemic  acid  is  identical  to  a^sculin,  as  Robbins 
and  others  have  assumed  (disputed  by  Wormle}-),  is  not  possible,  as 
the  comparisons  and  criticisms  of  the  combustions  already  given 
have  shown.  In  addition  to  this,  further  comparisons  are  given 
below.  It  may  be  possible  that  a  relationship  in  certain  groupings 
exists  between  these  two  principles,  which,  however,  cannot  be  set- 
tled as  yet.' 


*  "About  fifteen  years  ago  I  prepared  for  and  presented  Professor  Fliickiger 
^ith  a  quantity  of  pure  white  crystalli7.c«l  >»elseniic  acid.  Professor  Pliickiger 
became  much  interested  in  its  chemistry  and  personally  prepared  son:  ilin 

to  compare  therewith.     He  determined  that  they  were  different  Im>-  us- 

ing me  of  the  fact  by  letter,  stating  that  he  would  continue  the  investigation,  in 
which  he  was  deeply  interested.  The  subject,  however,  rrsts  among  his  un- 
completed works,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  he  did  not  publish  his  results." — From 
a  personal  letter  from  John  Uri  Lloyd,  date<l  August  16,  1897,  after  this  paper 
waa  written. 


446  Alkanet  Root.  {^s%feTbe?;?89": 

jj?scuiiTi,  Gelsemic  Acid. 

CHifiOg  -f  i>^HoO—  melts  at  i6o°  C.  CiaHnOj  —  melts  at  206°  C. 

Forms  a  penta-acetyl  derivative,  melts  Forms  a  diacetyl  derivative,  melts  at 

at  203°-2o6°  C.  180°  C. 

Splits  up  into  sugar  and  sesculetin.  Does  not  hydrolyze. 

Bromine  derivative  melts  I93°-I95°  ^-  Bromine  derivative  melts  250°  C. 

Chloro  subst.  prod,  not  prepared.  Chloro  subst.  prod,  melts  190°  C. 

The  author  desires  to  express  his  thanks  to  Prof.  Dr.  A.  Hilger 
(Munich),  for  valuable  advice  given  during  a  portion  of  the  above 
investigations. 

ALKANET   ROOT.^ 
By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 

Although  alkanet  vas  known  as  a  drug  to  Theophrastus,  Dios^ 
corides,  and  Pliny ,2  and  similar  roots  have  been  used  in  the  East  for 
centuries,  comparatively  little  is  to  be  found  concerning  the  drug  in- 
modern  text-books  on  Materia  Medica,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  there  are  probably  few  pharmacists  who  do  not  keep  the  root 
in  stock.  The  plant  is  not  described  either  in  Pereira's  "  Materia 
Medica,"  or  in  "Pharmacographia,"  nor  is  any  figure  of  the  plant 
to  be  found  in  Bentley  and  Trimen's  or  other  English  works  on 
medicinal  plants.  In  Woodville's  "  Medicinal  Plants  "  (Vol.  II,  third 
ed.,  plate  106)  the  drug  is  referred  to  Anchusa  tinctoria,  but  the 
figure  given  is  that  of  A.  officinalis,  L.  {vide  Index  Kewensts,  I,  p^ 
1 19),  which  does  not  yield  a  red  root.  The  author,  indeed,  remarks 
(/.  c,  p.  3 1 5) :  "  In  this  climate  its  roots  never  acquire  the  deep  color 
on  which  its  utility  depends."  The  only  good  figure  that  I  have 
seen  of  Alkanna  tinctoria,  Tausch,  the  plant  which  is  the  chief 
source  of  the  alkanet  root  of  commerce,  is  given  by  Berg  in  •'  Offizin. 
Gewachse  "  (plate  xxiv,  c). 

I  have  never  seen  the  plant  cultivated  in  botanic  gardens  in  this 
country,  and  for  some  years  I  have  endeavored  to  obtain  the  plant, 
which  is  a  native  of  the  south  of  Europe,  through  pharmacognosists 
in  Austria,  but  without  result.  At  the  commencement  of  this  year 
I  saw  the  plant  mentioned  in  the  seed  list  of  the  Botanic  Garden  of 
Montpellier,  and,  on  writing  for  some,  was  informed  that  the  demand 
for  the  seeds  had  been  so  great  that  the  stock  was  exhausted.  Pro- 
fessor L.  Planchon,  however,  was  good  enough  to  send  me  several 

'  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  July  24,  1897.  > 

-  "  Pharmacographia  Indica,"  Vol.  II,  p.  524. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
September.  l«;7.   / 


Alkatiet  Root. 


447 


roots,  so  that  I  have  been  able  to  study  the  habits  of  the  plant. 
The  Hterature  on  the  subject  being  so  scanty,  and  the  plant  itself 
apparently  so  rare  in  cultivation,  I  have  thought  that  a  few  observa- 
tions on  the  plant  under  cultivation  in  this  country  might  prove  of 
interest  to  some  of  the  readers  of  this  Journal.  The  roots,  which 
arrived  in  March,  had  scarcely  any  rootlets,  and  Professor  Planchon 
doubted   whether  they  would  grow.     Hut  as  they  had  only  a  few 


I.  Whole  plant.     About  one-third  ualural  size.     2,  Corolla,  niaijniflid,  sliow- 
ing  relation  of  stamens  to  indentations  in  throat  of  corolla. 

leafy  shoots  at  the  crown,  and  had  scarcely  started  growtli,  I  had 
some  hopes  of  success.  Having  learned  from  him  that  the  plant 
grows  in  sandy  fields  amongst  grass,  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  the 
sandy  soil  probably  containing  calcareous  matter  derived  from 
shells,  I  planted  some  in  full  exposure  to  sunlight,  and  others  in  a 
position  where  they  would  only  get  the  morning  sun  and  be  some- 


448  Alkanet  Root,  {T^^l^^^S^ti^: 

what  sheltered  from  cold  winds,  two  others  being  placed  in  pots  in 
a  cool  greenhouse.  The  soil  used  was  a  mixture  of  grassy  loam 
and  "  hassocks,"^  broken  down  into  sandy  grit  by  frost.  The  two 
specimens  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  although  covered  during  windy 
days  and  frosty  nights,  succumbed  by  reason  of  the  dryness  of  the 
soil.  Those  exposed  only  to  the  morning  sun  and  sheltered  by 
stones  and  herbage  from  cold  winds  progressed  slowly,  but  ulti- 
mately flowered  freely,  vigorous  growth  occurring  only  as  the  air 
became  warmer.  Those  in  the  greenhouse  quickly  made  a  start  and 
flowered  before  those  in  the  open  ground  had  made  flowering  shoots. 
i  he  crown  of  the  root  sends  up  several  slender  leafy  shoots,  which 
are  at  first  prostrate  or  decumbent,  but  become  gradually  ascending^ 
and  when  elongated  and  in  flower,  they  are  nearly  erect  from  a 
decumbent  base.  Besides  these  there  are  at  the  same  time  a  few 
shoots  which  do  not  develop  flowers. 

The  plants  evidently  require  a  warmer  atmosphere  than  is  usual  in 
an  English  spring,  and  will  not  thrive  in  the  open  air  except  in  shel- 
tered warm  situations.  The  flowers  are  about  the  size  of  those  of 
Anchusa  sempervirens,  but  of  a  more  beautiful  ultramarine  blue 
color.  They  have  no  scales  in  the  throat  of  the  corolla,  differing 
in  this  particular  from  the  genus  Anchusa,  but  the  tube  of  the 
corolla  has,  on  the  external  surface,  two  rows  of  indentations,  which 
cause  a  slight  bulging  of  the  corolla  between  the  brown  anthers. 
These  have  very  short  filaments,  three  of  the  anthers  being  situated 
above  the  upper  row  of  indentations,  and  two  above  the  lower  row, 
and  the  throat  of  the  corolla  is  lined  with  minute  glandular  hairs. 
The  stigma  in  the  flowers  I  have  examined  is  on  a  level  with  the 
two  lower  stamens.  This  may  possibly  be  an  arrangement  to  pro- 
vide self-fertilization  in  case  the  flowers  are  not  cross-fertilized,  or  it 
may  be  a  special  adaptation  to  direct  a  particular  insect  to  the 
honey  which  lines  the  corolla  tube.  The  leaves  are  of  a  slightly 
grayish-green  tint  and  are  covered  with  hispid  hairs  and  very  short 
stalked  glands,  the  latter  being  visible  only  under  a  good  lens.  The 
accompanying  figure  represents  the  plant  of  one.third  the  natural 
size,  as  grown  in  a  pot  in  this  country,  though  possibly  smaller  than 
the  wild  plant  as  occurring  in  the  warmer  climate  of  Montpellier. 

•  '•  Hassocks  "  is  a  local  name  for  the  soft  layers  of  stone  found  between  layers 
of  Kentish  ragstoue  in  the  green  sand  formation,  but  which,  unlike  the  rag- 
stone,  split  up  and  become  pulverized  by  the  action  of  frost,  forming  excellent 
soil  for  rockeries. 


'sTpiS^rSr™}  Alkanet  Root,  449 

In  ••  Les  Drogues  Simples  "  MM.  Planchon  and  Collin  state  that 
several  other  boraginaceous  plants  have  red  roots  and  can  be  sub- 
stituted for  alkanet,  such  asOnosma  echioides,  L.  (S.  Europe),  Arne- 
bia  tinctoria,  Vahl.  (Egypt  and  Arabia).  According  to  **  Pharma- 
cographia  Indica,"  II,  p.  524,  four  kinds  of  alkanet  are  described  by 
Mohammedan  writers,  Harjuya  being  the  Persian,  and  Ratanjot  the 
Indian  name  for  the  drug.  It  is  also  stated  that  the  roots  of  Onosma 
hookeri,  C.  B.  Clarke,  and  of  a  species  of  Arnebia  from  Afghanis- 
tan, are  known  as  Rang-i-badshah  {i.  e.,  royal  dye)  and  Ratanjot,  and 
that  a  third  kind  is  imported  from  China,  and  consists  of  long, 
wood}',  twisted  roots,  like  the  alkanet  of  Europe. 

In  the  Hanbury  collection  of  materia  medica  there  is  a  specimen 
of  a  root  resembling  alkanet  in  color,  but  having  a  thin,  laminated, 
papyraceous  bark  like  the  tunic  of  a  bulb.  It  was  received  from 
Dr.  Stocks,  and  has  the  native  name  of  Maharrunga,  and  is  referred 
to  Lithospermum  euchroma,  Royle,  which  is  identified  in  the  Kew 
Index  as  Macrotomia  perennis,  Benth. 

Specimens  exist  in  the  herbarium  of  the  society,  of  Macrotomia 
benthami,  D.  C,  and  of  Onosma  echioides,  Linn.,  both  of  which 
have  roots  of  a  deep  purple  color,  and  a  laminated  bark.  In  the 
foimer  the  laminae  are  faintly  reticulated,  and  in  the  latter  wrinkled 
transversely.  Both  would  at  once  be  recognized  in  commerce  as 
alkanet,  but  different  from  the  European  drug. 

In  Watts'  "  Dictionary  of  the  Economic  Products  of  India  "  (I, 
p.  318),  Arnebia  thibetana,  Kurz,  is  stated,  on  Dr.  J.  E.  T.  Aitchi- 
son's  authority,  to  have  a  scaly  root  bark,  and  to  be  used  as  dye. 
The  roots  of  Onosma  emodi.  Wall.,  and  O.  hookeri,  Clarke,  are  also 
said  to  yield  a  red  dye  (/.  r.,  p.  48S).  Whether  any  of  these  are 
superior  in  tinctorial  power  to  European  alkanet  or  not,  might  per- 
haps be  worthy  of  inquiry.  O.  hookeri  is  said  to  yield  the  best 
Lepcha  red  dye  ("  Elora  British  India,"  IV,  p.  178)  The  root  is 
used  as  a  red  dye  for  wool,  a  vegetable  acid,  such  as  that  of  apricots, 
being  employed  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  desired  tint.  An  al- 
kanet root  from  Japan  is  referred  to  Lithospermum  crythrorhizon. 
The  plants  of  which  the  roots  are  known  to  be  used  like  alkanet  are 
therefore  as  follows:  Alkanna  tinctoria,  Tausch  ;  Arnebia  thibetana, 
Kurz;  Arnebia  tinctoria,  Vahl.;  Lithospermum  erythrorhizjn  ; 
Macrotomia  benthami,  D.  C;  Macrotomia  perennis,  Benth.;  Onosma 
emodi.  Wall;  and  Onosma  hookeri,  Clarke. 


450  Active  Principle  of  Digitalis.  {^sTpimberi89™' 

THK  ACTIVE  PRINCIPLE  OF  DIGITALIS.^ 

By  C.  C.  Kei.ler.=^ 

The  unsatisfactory  results  obtained  with  the  digitalin  prepared 
according  to  the  method  described  by  Kihani^  have  again  directed 
attention  to  digitoxin,  which  is,  according  to  Schmiedeberg,  the 
most  potent  constituent  of  digitalis  leaves,  and  forms  the  chief  part 
of  Nativelle's  digitalin.  On  that  account  C.  C.  Kellei  has  devised 
a  method  of  determining  the  efficacy  of  digitalis  preparations  by 
ascertaining  the  amount  of  digitoxin  present  in  them. 

The  chief  characters  of  digitoxin,  which  are  of  importance  in 
this  connection,  are  its  free  solubility  in  alcohol  and  chloroform, 
slight  solubility  in  ether,  and  its  insolubility  in  petroleum  spirit.  It 
is  precipitated  from  solutions  in  water  or  dilute  alcohol  by  tannin 
but  not  by  basic  lead  acetate.  From  acid  or  alkaline  water  solu- 
tions it  can  be  extracted  by  shaking  with  chloroform.  Although 
pure  digitoxin  is  almost  insoluble  in  water,  it  is  dissolved  to  some 
extent  in  the  presence  of  extractive  materials,  and  the  other  gluco- 
sides  of  digitalis.  Digitonin  and  digitalin  are  almost  insoluble  in 
chloroform. 

To  ascertain  the  amount  of  digitoxin  in  digitalis  leaves  they  must 
first  be  extracted  with  70  per  cent,  alcohol,  preferably  by  percola- 
tion, which  must  be  continued  until  the  residue  from  3  or  4  cubic 
centimetres,  redissolved  in  water  with  2  drops  of  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid,  gives,  after  filtration,  no  appreciable  turbidity  on  the 
addition  of  tannin. 

The  residue  of  the  extract,  from  which  alcohol  has  been  removed 
by  evaporation,  is  mixed  with  water,  washed  into  a  beaker  of  about 
250  c.c.  capacity,  diluted  to  the  volume  of  222  c c,  and  mixed  with 
basic  lead  acetate.  The  very  voluminous  precipitate  is  separated 
by  filtration,  and  excess  of  lead  removed  from  the  filtrate  by  adding 
sodium  sulphate.  The  clear  liquid  is  then  mixed  with  2  c.c.  am- 
monia solution  (10  per  cent.)  and  shaken  four  or  five  times  with 
about  30  c.c.  of  chloroform.  The  clear  chloroform  solution  evapo- 
rated gives  the  digitoxin  mixed  with  some  fat  and  other  substances. 
For  purification  the  residue  is  dissolved   in  3  c.c.  chloroform,  7  c.c. 

^Pharmaceutical  Journal, ^\\\y  24,  1897. 

'^  Derichtc  deutsch.  pharm.  Geselhch.,  VII,  1.5. 

'See /%ffr.  yr;/^r.,  LV,  29. 


^^pSber.^*^"}  ^^i^'^  Principle  of  Digitalis.  45 1 

ether,  and  50  c.c.  petroleum  spirit  added.  The  digitoxin  then  sep- 
arates in  white  flocks,  and  on  shaking,  the  Hquid  becomes  quite 
clear.  P'or  weighing  the  digitoxin  it  may  be  dissolved  off  the 
filter  with  hot  alcohol  and  the  solution  evaporated  in  a  suitable 
vessel,  or  the  petroleum  spirit  may  be  decanted  off  and  the 
digitoxin  weighed  in  the  state  of  powder. 

Digitoxin  thus  obtained  dissolves  in  strong  hydrochloric  acid 
with  a  yellowish  color,  and  the  solution  when  warmed  becomes 
greenish,  then  greenish-brown  ;  on  adding  water  the  color  becomes 
greenish-yellow,  and  after  some  time  flocks  are  separated. 

A  solution  of  digitoxin  in  glacial  acetic  acid  containing  ferric 
chloride,  gives  Keller's  reaction  when  floated  on  strong  sulphuric 
acid.  At  the  line  of  contact  a  dark  zone  appears,  and  after  a  few 
minutes  the  acetic  acid  liquor  becomes  dark  blue.  This  reaction 
takes  place  with  one-tenth  of  a  milligramme  of  digitoxin  in  i  c.c. 
of  acetic  acid. 

The  complete  separation  of  digitalin  is  difficult,  as  it  is  sufficiently 
soluble  in  chloroform  for  traces  to  be  taken  up,  and  to  that  circum- 
stance must  be  ascribed  the  red  coloration  of  digitoxin  when  mixed 
with  strong  sulphuric  acid. 

The  watery  liquid  from  which  digitoxin  has  been  extracted  by 
shaking  with  chloroform  has  a  bitter  taste  and  contains  digitonin, 
which  can  be  separated  by  precipitation  with  tannin  ;  but  as  it  does 
not  possess  the  peculiar  efficacy  of  digitalis,  its  separation  is  of  liitic 
importance.  Keller  was  unable  to  obtain  any  substance  correspond- 
ing to  the  description  of  digitalein,  and  he  con'^iders  it  is  merely 
digitonin  mixed  with  traces  of  digitoxin  and  digitalin. 

After  separating  digitonin  tannate,  the  filtered  liquid  still  contains 
digitalin. 

The  general  conclusion  arrived  at  by  Keller  is  that  digitalis  leaves 
contain  digitoxin,  digitonin  and  digitalin  identical  witli  the  products 
from  digitalis  seeds,  but  in  somewhat  different  proportions,  the 
amount  of  digitoxin  in  the  seeds  being  much  smaller  than  that  in 
good  leaves,  but  it  varies  very  much  in  different  samples  of  leaves,  or 
from  o  26  to  o  62  per  cent.  A  still  greater  variation  was  found  in  the 
pharmaceutical  preparations  of  digitalis,  and  Keller  strongly  recom- 
mends the  adoption  of  means  for  ascertaining  the  medicinal  value 
of  the  drug  on  the  basis  of  the  amount  of  digitoxin  it  contains. 


452  Botanical  Garden  at  Buitenzorg.         {\"pfembeM%?* 

THE  BOTANICAL  GARDEN  AT  BUITENZORG. 

The  following  description  of  the  famous  Buitenzorg  Botanical 
Garden  in  Java,  is  taken  from  an  article  entitled  "  Down  to  Java," 
by  Eliza  Ruhamah  Scidmore,  in  the  Century  Magazine  for  August, 
1897,  and  which  is  part  of  a  book  to  be  entitled  "Java:  the  Equa- 
torial Eden,"  to  be  issued  by  the  Century  Company  in  November. 

The  famous  botanical  garden  at  Buitenzorg  is  the  great  show- 
place,  the  paradise  and  pride  of  the  islands.  The  Dutch  are  admit- 
ted to  be  the  best  horticulturists  of  Europe,  and  with  the  heat  of  a 
tropical  sun,  a  daily  shower,  and  a  century's  well-directed  efforts, 
they  have  made  Buitenzorg's  garden  first  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
despite  the  rival  efforts  of  the  French  at  Saigon,  and  of  the  British 
in  Singapore,  Ceylon,  Calcutta  and  Jamaica.  The  Governor- 
General's  palace  is  in  the  midst  of  a  ninety-acre  inclosure,  reached 
from  the  main  gate  near  the  hotel  by  what  is  undoubtedly  the  finest 
avenue  of  trees  in  the  world.  These  graceful  kanari  trees,  arching 
100  feet  overhead  in  a  great  green  cathedral  aisle,  have  tall, 
straight  trunks,  covered  with  stag-horn  ferns,  bird's-nest  ferns,  ratans, 
creeping  palms,  blooming  orchids,  and  every  kind  of  parasite  and 
air-plant  the  climate  allows ;  and  there  is  a  fairy  lake  of  lotus  and 
Victoria  regia  beside  it,  with  pandanus  and  red-stemmed  Banka 
palms  crowded  in  a  great  sheaf  or  bouquet  on  a  tiny  islet.  When 
one  rides  through  this  green  avenue  in  the  dewy  freshness  of  the 
early  morning,  it  seems  as  though  nature  and  the  tropics  could  do 
no  more,  until  he  has  penetrated  the  tunnels  of  waringen  trees,  the 
open  avenues  of  royal  palms,  the  great  plantation  of  a  thousand 
palms,  the  grove  of  tree-fern,  and  the  frangipani  thicket,  and  has 
reached  the  knoll  commanding  a  view  of  the  double  summit  of 
Gedeh  and  Pangerango,  vaporous  blue  volcanic  heights,  from  one 
peak  of  which  a  faint  streamer  of  smoke  perpetually  floats. 

There  is  a  broad  lawn  at  the  front  of  the  palace,  shaded  with  great 
waringen,  sausage  and  candle  trees,  and  trees  the  branches  of  which 
are  hidden  in  a  mantle  of  vivid-leafed  bougainvillea  vines,  with  deer 
wandering  and  grouping  themselves  in  as  correct  park  pictures  as  if 
under  branches  of  elm  or  oak,  or  beside  the  conventional  ivied 
trunks  of  the  North. 

It  is  a  tropical  experience  to  reverse  an  umbrella  and  in  a  few 
minutes  fill  it  with  golden-hearted  frangipani  blossoms,  or  to  find 
nutmegs  lying  as  thick  as  acorns  on  the  ground,  and  break  their 


I 


iTptimber'i*!;;"}      Botanical  Garden  at  Buttenzorg,  453 

green  outer  shell  and  see  the  fine  coral  branches  of  mace  enveloping 
the  dark  kernel.  It  is  a  delight,  too,  to  see  mangosteens  and  ram- 
butans  growing,  to  find  bread,  sausages  and  candles  hanging  in 
plenty  from  benevolent  trees,  and  other  fruits  and  strange  flowers 
springing  from  a  tree's  trunk  instead  of  from  its  branches.  There 
arc  thick  groves  and  regular  avenues  of  the  waringen,  a  species  of 
Ficus,  and  related  to  the  banian — and  the  rubber  tree,  a  whole 
family,  the  roots  of  which  writhe  over  the  ground,  drop  from  the 
branches,  and  generally  comfort  themselves  in  unconventional  ways. 
Bamboos  grow  in  clumps  and  thickets,  ranging  from  the  fine 
feathery-leafed  canes  that  are  really  only  large  grasses,  up  to  the 
noble  giants  from  Burma,  the  stems  of  which  are  solid  trunks  easily 
soaring  to  100  feet  in  air,  and  spreading  there  a  solid  canopy  of 
graceful  foliage. 

The  creepers  run  from  tree  to  tree,  and  writhe  over  the  ground 
like  gray  serpents;  ratans  and  climbing  palms  100  feet  in  length 
are  common,  while  uncommon  ones  stretch  to  500  feet.  There  is 
one  creeper  with  a  blossom  like  a  magnified  white  violet,  and  with 
all  a  wood-violet's  fragrance  ;  but  with  only  Dutch  and  botanical 
names  on  the  labels,  one  wanders  ignorantly  and  protestingly  in 
this  paradise  of  strange  things.  The  rarer  orchids  are  grown  in 
matted  sheds  in  the  shade  of  tall  trees ;  and  although  it  was  then 
the  end  of  the  dry  season,  and  few  plants  were  in  bloom,  there  was 
an  attractive  orchid  show,  in  which  the  strangest  and  most  con- 
spicuous bloom  was  a  great  butterfly  flower,  or  pitcher  plant,  the 
pale-green  petals  of  which  were  veined  with  velvety  maroon,  and 
half  concealed  the  pelican  pouch  of  a  pitcher  filled  with  water.  It 
was  an  evil-looking,  ill-smelling,  sticky  thing,  and  its  unusual  size 
and  striking  colors  made  it  haunt  one  longest  of  all  the  vegetable 
marvels.  There  were  other  more  attractive  butterflies  fluttering  on 
pliant  stems,  strange  little  woolly  white  orchids,  like  edelweiss  trans- 
planted, and  scores  of  delicate  Java  and  Borneo  orchids,  not  so  well 
known  as  the  Venezuelan  and  Central  American  orchids  commonly 
grown  in  American  hothouses,  and  so  impossible  to  acclimate  in 
Java. 

I^dy  Raffles  died  while  Sir  Stamford  was  governor  of  Java,  and 
was  buried  in  the  section  of  the  palace  park  that  was  afterward  set 
apart  as  a  botanical  garden,  and  the  care  of  the  little  Greek  temple 
over  her  grave  near  the  kanari  avenue  was  provided  for  in  a  special 


454  Botanical  Garden  at  Buitenzorg.         {''^^^l^^^S^xm: 

clause  in  the  treaty  of  cession.  The  bust  of  Theismann,  who 
founded  the  garden  and  added  so  much  to  botanical  knowledge  by 
his  studies  in  Java  and  Borneo,  stands  in  an  oval  pleasance  called 
the  rose  garden  ;  and  there  one  may  take  heart  and  boast  of  the 
temperate  zone,  since  that  rare  exotic,  the  rose,  is  but  a  spindling 
bush,  and  its  blossoming  less  than  scanty  at  Buitenzorg,  when  one 
remembers  California's  perennial  prodigalities  in  showers  of  roses. 
After  the  death  of  the  learned  curator,  Dr.  Treub,  in  1895,  Professor 
Lotsy,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  was  called  to  the 
charge  of  this  famous  garden,  which  provides  laboratory  and  work- 
ing space  for,  and  invites  foreign  botanists  freely  to  avail  themselves 
of  this  unique  opportunity  of  study.  Over  one  hundred  native 
gardeners  tend  and  care  for  this  great  botanic  museum  of  more  than 
nine  thousand  living  specimens,  all  working  under  the  direction  of 
a  white  head  gardener.  The  Tjilewong  River  separates  the  botanic 
garden  from  a  culture-garden  of  forty  acres,  where  seventy  more 
gardeners  look  to  the  economic  plants — the  various  cinchonasi 
sugar-canes,  rubber,  tea,  coffee,  gums,  spices,  hemp  and  other 
growths,  the  introduction  of  which  has  so  benefited  the  planters  of 
the  colony.  Experiments  in  acclimatization  are  carried  on  in  the 
culture-garden,  and  at  a  mountain  garden  high  up  on  the  slopes  of 
Salak,  where  the  Governor-General  has  a  third  palace,  and  where 
there  is  a  Government  hospital  and  sanitarium. 

All  Java  is,  in  a  way,  as  finished  as  little  Holland  itself,  the  whole 
island  being  cultivated  from  edge  to  edge  like  a  tulip  garden,  and 
connected  throughout  its  length  with  post-roads,  as  smooth  and 
perfect  as  park  drives,  all  arched  with  waringen,  kanari,  tamarind 
or  teak  trees.  The  rank  and  tangled  jungle  is  invisible  save  by 
long  journeys,  and  great  snakes,  wild  tigers  and  rhinoceroses  are 
almost  unknown  now.  One  must  go  to  Borneo  and  the  farther 
islands  to  see  them.  All  the  valleys,  plains  and  hillsides  are 
planted  in  formal  rows,  hedged,  terraced,  banked,  drained  and  as 
carefully  weeded  as  a  flower  bed.  The  drives  are  of  endless  beauty, 
whichever  way  one  turns  from  Buitenzorg,  and  we  made  triumphal 
progresses  through  the  kanari-  and  waringen-lined  streets  in  an 
enormous  "  milord."  The  equipage  measured  all  of  20  feet  from 
the  tip  of  the  pole  to  the  footman's  perch  behind,  and  with  a  crack- 
ing whip  and  at  a  rattling  gait  we  dashed  through  shady  roads,  past 
Dutch  barracks  and  hospitals,  over  picturesque  bridges,  and  through 


"'^pt'embef.Ys^"'-}      Boianical  Garden  at  Buitenzorg.  455 

villages  where  the  native  children  jumped  and  clapped  their  hands 
with  glee  as  the  great  Juggernaut  vehicle  rolled  by.  We  visited 
the  grave  of  Radin  Saleh,  a  lonely  little  pavilion  or  temple  in  a 
tangle  of  shrubbery  that  was  once  a  lovely  garden  shaded  by  tall 
cocoa-palms;  and  we  drove  to  Batoe  Toelis,  *' the  place  of  the  writ- 
ten stone,"  and  in  the  little  thatched  basket  of  a  temple  saw  the 
sacred  stone  inscribed  in  ancient  Kawi  characters,  the  original  clas- 
sic language  of  the  Javanese.  In  another  basket  of  a  shrine  we 
were  shown  the  veritable  foot-prints  of  Buddha,  with  no  explanation 
as  to  how  and  when  he  rested  on  the  island,  nor  yet  how 
he  happened  to  have  such  long,  distinctively  Malay  toes. 
Near  these  temples  is  the  villa  where  the  poor  African  prince  of 
Ashantee  was  so  long  detained  in  exile — an  African  chief  whose 
European  education  had  turned  his  mind  to  geology  and  natural 
sciences,  and  who  led  the  life  of  a  quiet  student  here  until,  by  the 
change  of  Ashantee  from  Dutch  to  British  ownership,  a  way  was 
op>ened  for  him  to  return  to  and  die  in  his  own  country.  There  is  a 
magnificent  view  from  the  Ashantee  villa  out  over  a  great  green 
plain  and  a  valley  of  palms  to  the  peaks  of  Gedeh  and  Pangerango, 
and  to  their  volcanic  neighbor,  Salak,  silent  for  200  years.  Peasants, 
trooping  along  the  valley  roads  far  below,  made  use  of  a  picturesque 
bamboo  bridge  that  is  accounted  one  of  the  famous  sights  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  seemed  but  processions  of  ants  crossing  a 
spider's  web.  All  the  suburban  roads  are  so  many  botanical  exhi- 
bitions approaching  that  in  the  great  garden,  and  one's  interest  is 
claimed  at  every  yard  and  turn. 

It  takes  a  little  time  for  the  temperate  mind  to  accept  the  palm- 
tree  as  a  common,  natural  and  inevitable  object  in  every  outlook  and 
landscape;  to  realize  that  the  joyous,  living  thing  with  restless, 
perpetually  thrashing  foliage  is  the  same  correct,  symmetrical,  mo- 
tionless feather-duster  on  end  that  one  knows  in  the  still  life  of  hot- 
houses and  drawing-rooms  at  home  ;  to  realize  that  it  grows  in  the 
ground,  and  not  in  a  pot  or  tub  to  be  brought  indoors  for  the 
winter  season.  The  arches  of  gigantic  kanari  trees  growing  over 
by-lanes  and  village  paths,  although  intended  for  triumphal  avenues 
and  palace  driveways,  overpower  one  with  the  mad  extravagance, 
the  reckless  waste  and  the  splendid  luxury  of  nature.  The  poorest 
may  have  his  hedge  of  lantana,  which,  brought  from  the  Mauritius 
by  Lady  Kaffles,  now  borders  roads,  gardens  and  the  railway  tracks 


456  KeVieWS,  1   September.  I897. 

from  end  to  end  of  the  island.  The  humblest  dooryard  may  be  gay 
with  tall  poinsettia  trees,  and  bougainvilleas  may  pour  a  torrent  of 
magenta  leaves  from  every  tree,  wall  or  roof.  The  houses  of  the 
rich  planters  about  Buitenzorg  are  ideal  homes  in  the  tropics,  and 
the  Tjomson  and  other  great  tea  and  coffee  estates  are  like  parks. 
The  drives  through  their  grounds  show  one  the  most  perfect  lawns 
and  flower  beds  and  ornamental  trees,  vines  and  palms,  and  such 
ranks  on  ranks  of  thriving  tea  bushes  and  coffee  bushes,  every  leaf 
perfect  and  without  flaw,  every  plant  in  line,  and  the  warm,  red  earth 
lying  loosely  on  their  roots,  that  one  feels  as  if  in  some  ornamental 
jardin  d' accLimatation,  rather  than  among  the  most  staple  and  serious 
crops  of  commerce.  Yet  from  end  to  end  of  the  island  the  culti- 
vation is  as  intense  and  careful,  entitling  Java  to  its  distinction  as 
"the  finest  tropical  island  in  the  world."  It  is  the  gem  of  the 
Indies,  the  one  splendid  jewel  in  the  Netherlands'  crown,  and  a  pos- 
session to  which  poor  Cuba,  although  corresponding  exactly  to  it 
geographically  and  politically,  has  been  vainly  compared. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

Incompatibilities  in  Prescriptions.  For  students  in  pharmacy  and 
medicine  and  practicing  pharmacists  and  physicians.  By  Edsel  A.  Ruddiman, 
Ph.M.,  M.D.,  Adjunct  Professor  of  Pharmacy  and  Materia  Medica  in  Vander- 
bilt  University.  First  edition,  first  thousand.  New  York  :  John  Wiley  & 
Sons.     London  :  Chapman  &  Hall,  Ltd.     1897. 

Part  I  treats  of  incompatibilities,  taking  up  the  various  substances  in  alpha- 
betical order,  beginning  with  acacia  and  ending  with  zinc. 

Each  substance  has  its  behavior  towards  the  various  pharmaceutical  and 
chemical  reagents  described  briefly,  and  with  this  information  the  physician  or 
pharmacist  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  decide  on  the  incompatibilities  of  the  sub- 
stance he  proposes  to  put  into  a  prescription.  In  most  cases  of  official  sub- 
stances, he  would  do  better  to  consult  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  where  he  would 
find  tests  that  will  almost  always  give  a  clue  to  the  incompatibilities  without 
being  obscured  by  a  large  number  of  tests  and  properties  which  are  of  doubtful 
value  when  true,  and  which,  in  many  cases,  are  not  true. 

It  appears  to  us  that  Part  I  is  top-heavy  with  quotations  from  Muir  and 
Morley's  edition  of  Watts'  Dictionary.  This  is  just  about  the  last  authority  we 
should  have  thought  of  consulting  on  a  pharmaceutical  subject.  For  instance, 
of  what  value  is  it  to  one  compounding  a  prescription  to  know  that  morphine 
is  oxidized  by  an  alkaline  solution  of  potassium  permanganate,  forming  an 
acid ;  or  that  potassium  ferricyanide  oxidizes  morphine  to  pseudo-morphine, 
when  the  conditions  necessary  for  the  reactions  are  such  as  are  not  liable  ever 
to  occur  in  compounding  prescriptions  ? 

The  author  has  succeeded  much  better  when  he  has  quoted  Allen  or  Prescott. 


Am. Jour.  Pbarm.l  P^'7ti/"!nc  aCT 

September.  1897.   /  IKeVteiVS.  45/ 

What  is  needed,  in  a  list  of  properties  of  such  substances  as  occur  in  Part  I,  is 
not  a  compilation  of  tests  which  are  worn  threadbare  from  having  done  long 
service  in  text  books,  but  a  list  of  such  as  have  been  tried  by  the  author  him- 
self, and  which  he  can  vouch  for. 

Part  II  is  devoted  to  the  criticism  of  325  prescriptions.  In  it  the  author  has 
succeeded  in  presenting  what  will  be  of  value  for  the  student  to  study,  but  it  is 
scarcely  possible  that  one  would  find,  while  compounding  a  prescription,  an 
example  in  the  325  that  would  correspond  to  that  which  he  has  in  hand.  The 
information  in  Part  II  is  valuable,  especially  that  given  in  tabular  form,  show- 
ing the  effect  of  rubbing  together  equal  weights  of  two  solids,  and  for  this  con- 
cise statement  the  author  deserves  much  credit. 

Accidents  and  Emergencies.  A  manual  of  the  treatment  of  surgical  and 
medical  emergencies  in  the  absence  of  a  physician.  By  Chas.  W.  Dulles,  M.  D., 
Fellow  of  the  College  of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia  and  of  the  Academy  of 
Surgery,  etc.,  etc.    Fifth  edition.    Philadelphia:  P.  Blakiston,  Son  &  Co.    1S97. 

In  these  days,  when  students  of  pharmacy  are  instructed  concerning  emer- 
gencies, a  new  edition  of  this  work  will  be  especially  acceptable. 

The  style  of  the  writer  is  so  concise  and  attractive  that  one  follows  the  sub- 
ject with  but  little  effort  Every  class  of  accident  appears  to  be  fully  consid- 
ered, and  the  text  so  elucidated  by  illustrations  as  to  make  the  method  of  pro- 
cedure in  an  emergency  case  easily  learned  as  well  as  easily  remembered. 

The  only  adverse  criticism  we  have  to  make  is  in  the  chapter  devoted  to 
*'  Description  of  Poisonous  Plants,"  where  the  author  appears  to  be  out  of  his 
element.  Poke  root  is  given  as  the  learning  common  name  of  Veratrum  viride, 
and  the  illustration  of  the  latter  is  given  the  title  "  poke  root."  If  the  author 
has  ever  found  any  authority  for  the  application  of  the  name  poke  root  to 
Veratrum  viride,  he  has  seen  an  error  that  it  is  unfortunate  to  propagate.  We 
are  aware  that  the  term  Indian  poke  has  been  applied  to  Veratrum,  but  not 
poke  root.  The  so-called  wild  parsnip,  P.istinaca  sativa,  had  better  have  been 
omitted  from  the  book  altogether,  for  it  has  been  shown  time  and  again  that  the 
parsnip,  whether  wild  or  cultivated,  is  not  poisonous.  The  numerous  cases  of 
poison  cited  in  the  newspapers  as  caused  by  wild  parsnip,  have  in  most  instances 
been  caused  by  Cicuta  maculata.  Some  typographical  errors  are  noticeable  in 
this  chapter,  indicating  that  it  did  not  receive  quite  ihe  care  at  the  hands  of  the 
author  that  it  should,  although  the  subject  is  one  of  the  most  important  of 
those  treated,  and  it  might  be  made  one  of  the  most  interesting.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  it  will  be  re-written  for  the  next  edition. 

Brr.LETiN  Vol.  Ill,  No.  3,  of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  Imperial  rniversity, 
Japan. 

Although  issued  by  a  department  of  agriculture,  many  of  the  subjects  treated 
are  of  especial  interest  to  pharmacists,  as  shown  by  the  following  list  of  titles 
and  authors  contained  in  the  current  issue  :  "The  Chemistry  of  Soja  Sauce 
Manufacture,"  by  Y.  Nishimura  ;  "  Contributions  to  the  Chemistry  of  Sake 
Brewing,"  by  J.Okumura;  "On  the  Origin  of  Sake  Yeast  .  Saccharomyces 
Sake ),"  by  K.  Yabe  ;  "  Note  on  a  Grape  Wine  Fermented  Ijy  Sake  Yeast,"  by 
K.  Negami ;  "On  the  Behavior  of  Yeast  at  a  High  Temperaturc.'V  by  T. 
Nakamura;  "On  Two  New  Kinds  of  Red  Yeast,"  by  K.  Yal)e  ;  "On  Bromal- 
bumin  and  Its  Behavior  to  Microbes,"  by  O.  Loew  and  S.  Takaba)ashi  ;  "On 


„  L>  .^.*"^-.„...  /  Am.Jonr.  Pharm. 

458  KeVieWS,  \    September.  I897. 

ail  Iniportaut  Fuuction  of  Leaves,"  by  U,  Suzuki ;  "On  the  Behavior  of  Active 
Albumin  as  a  Reserve  Material  during  Winter  and  Spring,"  by  U.  Suzuki  ;  "On 
the  Physiological  Action  of  Neutral  Sodium  Sulphite  upon  Phaenogams,"  by 
K.  Negami ;  "  On  the  Poisonous  Action  of  Ammonium  Salts  upon  Plants,"  by 
S.Takabayashi;  "The State  of  Cane  Sugar  Manufacture  in  Formosa,"  by  N. 

Yamasaki. 

The  Japanese  are  a  progressive  people,  and  especially  are  they  ahead  of  the 
rest  of  the  world  in  the  matter  of  the  application  of  ferments  to  the  prepa- 
ration of  vegetable  food.  In  the  soja  bean  they  have,  by  preliminary  treat- 
ment, made  available  a  nitrogenous  and  fatty  food  which  largely  answers  the 
purposes  of  animal  food.  We  could  learn  many  valuable  lessons  from  them 
on  this  subject. 

Some  Common  Poisonous  Plants.  By  V.  K.  Chestnut.  Reprint  from  the 
Year  Book  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1896. 

The  following  plants  have  been  considered  :  Poison  Ivy,  and  the  other  poi- 
sonous members  of  the  genus  Rhus  ;  Cicuta  maculata,  or  the  American  Water 
Hemlock,  and  the  Death  Cup,  Amanita  phalloides  ;  some  other  members  of  the 
Amanita  family  have  also  received  attention.  We  are  pleased  to  note  that  the 
author  not  only  considers  the  chemistry  of  the  poisonous  principle  of  poison 
ivv  settled,  but  he  also  recommends  a  remedy  which  in  his  hands  has  pro- 
duced excellent  results.  He  agrees  with  Pfaff  that  the  active  principle  is  a 
fixed  oil  (toxicodendrol).  Acting  on  this  foundation  he  considers  that  alka- 
lies render  it  inert,  but  he  has  more  easily  obtained  this  result  by  alcoholic 
solution  of  lead  acetate.  The  solution  of  sugar  of  lead  in  strong  alcohol  is, 
on  account  of  the  solvent,  too  irritating  ;  therefore,  he  proposes  a  saturated 
solution  of  the  lead  salt  in  50  to  75  per  cent,  alcohol.  "The  milky  fluid  should 
then  be  well  rubbed  into  the  affected  skin,  and  the  operation  repeated  several 
times  during  the  course  of  a  few  days.  The  itching  is  at  once  relieved  and 
further  progress  of  the  malady  is  checked.  The  remedy  has  been  tried  in  a  large 
number  of  cases  and  has  always  proved  successful." 

We  hope  the  author  is  right  and  that  all  the  superstition  and  mystery  which 
have  surrounded  this  plant  for  centuries  have  been  dissipated  forever;  but  before 
committing  ourselves  too  fully,  we  want  to  hear  from  some  of  the  numerous 
victims  of  the  plant  who  can  produce  abundant  evidence  that  they  have  been 
poisoned  by  it  without  contact. 

The  report  is  written  in  a  clear,  concise  style,  free  from  technicalities,  and 
cannot  but  be  of  service  to  all  those  who  will  study  it  carefully.  The  author 
will  do  well  to  continue  his  researches  and  reports  on  this  subject. 

Proceedings  of  the  Florida  State  Pharmaceutical  Association,  at 
its  tenth  annual  meeting,  held  at  Jacksonville,  Florida,  May  22,  23,  1896. 

Although  late  in  appearing,  this  issue  indicates  creditable  work  by  the  phar- 
macists of  Florida.  Two  papers  were  read  with  the  following  suggestive  titles  : 
"  New  Facts  vStaring  Us  in  the  Face,"  by  H.  L.  Irwin  ;  and  "The  *  Drug  Busi- 
ness' is  a  Very  Interesting  Profession,  but  a  Very  Poor  Business,"  by  S.  P.  Fries. 
Both  papers  picture  the  demoralization  caused  by  cutting  of  prices,  and  recom- 
mend organization  of  a  manufacturing  company  by  the  pharmacists  of  the 
State. 


sTptimb^r.'is^T?*}     British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  459 

BRITISH  PHARMACEUTICAL  CONFERENCE. 

The  thirty-fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference 
was  held  at   Glasgow,   Scotland,  August  9  to   11,    1S97.      P'or  the  following 
information  concerning  the  proceedings,  we  are  indebted  \o\\\^  Pliarmaccutical 
Journal  and  the  Chemist  and  Druggist  in  their  issues  of  August  14th. 

The  sessions  of  the  Conference  proper  were  begun  with  the  official  address  of 
welcome  on  the  part  of  the  city  authorities.  The  president  then  referred  to  the 
presence  of  Prof.  J.  P.  Remington  of  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Champion, 
President  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Natal,  who  were  introduced  and 
asked  to  make  some  remarks. 

r'ollowing  this  came  the  address  of  the  President,  Charles  Synies,  Ph.D.  In 
opening  his  address  Dr.  Syracs  said  that  during  the  celebration  of  the  Diamond 
Jubilee  of  the  Queen  retrospective  views  had  been  taken  of  the  growth  and 
progress  of  science,  art,  literature,  professions  and  commerce,  during  her  reign. 
He  said  that  "the  tendency  in  the  present  rapidly  progressive  age  is  to  rush 
forward  at  a  pace  which  leaves  little  opportunity  for  reflection,  for  looking 
back  on  the  experiences  of  the  past  and  endeavoring  to  find  therein  some  solu- 
tion of  the  difficulties  which  beset  us  in  the  present,  or  suggestions  to  assist  us 
in  developments  for  the  future."  He,  therefore,  felt  that  the  occasion  was  one 
on  which  an  historical  account  of  the  association  would  harmonize  with  their 
environment.  The  origin  of  the  society,  together  with  the  objects  had  in  view 
by  the  founders,  was  first  described,  after  which  the  salient  features  of  the 
annual  addresses  of  all  the  presidents  were  presented  as  best  showing  the 
progress  made  since  its  establishment,  in  1863. 

Having  concluded  this  part  of  his  address,  the  President  then  considered 
some  of  the  questions  with  which  British  pharmacists  are  concerned  at  the 
present  time.  In  the  matter  of  education  and  examination  he  thought  that  the 
standard  for  the  preliminary  or  arts  examination  was  too  low,  while  that  of  the 
minor  or  qualifying  examination,  which  cannot  be  taken  for  five  or  six  years 
after  the  first,  was  too  stringent,  and  that  an  intermediate  examination  in  two 
or  three  years  after  the  preliminary  would  be  an  advantage. 

The  new  forthcoming  British  Pharmacopoeia  was  referred  to  and  the  speaker 
regretted  that  "pharmacists  have  not  yet  been  accorded  the  position  which 
justice  demands  that  they  should  possess  as  niembers  of  the  Pharmacopa-ia 
Committee.  The  Pharniacop<uMa  is  a  pharmaceutical  and  not  a  medical  work 
and  yet  no  pharmacist  has  any  legal  standing  or  position  other  than  that 
accorde<l  by  courtesy." 

The  speaker  said  that  the  Medicine  Stamp  Act  appeared  to  be  an  impediment 
to  trade  in  some  instances,  while  on  the  whole,  he  thought,  it  would  be  found 
to  l>e  a  friend  in  disguise.  His  attention  had  been  directed  to  some  of  the  evils 
which  would  follow  its  repeal,  could  this  be  obtained,  and  the  exemption  clauses 
in  one  of  its  provisions  were  looked  upon  by  him  as  "  a  distinct  recognition  of 
our  calling  as  a  responsible  profession." 

The  Pharmacy  Act  of  iS6ii  was  a  disappointment  in  certain  respects.  As  a 
body,  pharmacists  were  better  educated,  but  the  titles  which  they  thought  had 
been  so  thoroughly  and  completely  safeguarded,  whilst  denied  to  unqualified 
individuals,  could  l)c  used  by  stores  with  impunity. 

Competition.  ])irncy  and  the  practice  by  physicians  of  accepting  ready-made 


^6o  British  PJiarmaceiitical  Conference,      {^i^pfember!!^™* 

formulie  introduced  to  them  by  the  agents  of  advertising  manufacturers,  each 
received  a  share  of  attention  from  the  speaker,  and  in  concluding  his  remarks 
on  this  subject  he  said  :  "Meanwhile,  it  is  not  the  duty  of  the  pharmacist  to 
stand  still  and  wait,  not  to  devote  his  energy  and  ability  to  pharmaceutical 
quackery,  but  by  integrity,  legitimate  enterprise  and  earnest  scientific  work  to 
raise  the  standard  of  his  calling  and  thus  facilitate  the  acceptance  by  the  medi- 
cal profession  of  a  state  of  things  in  which  he  will  reap  the  reward  of  his  labors, 
and  both  professions  will  be  accorded  an  enhanced  amount  of  confidence  and 
respect  by  the  public." 

The  presidential  address  occupied  just  one  hour  in  its  delivery,  after  which 
was  the  reception  of  delegates,  the  reports  of  the  Executive  Committee  and 
Treasurer,  and  Unofficial  Formulary  Committee. 

The  preliminary  exercises  having  been  concluded,  the  reading  and  discussion 
of  papers  next  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Conference. 

The  first  paper  presented  was  a 

NOTE  ON  THE  WORD  "ASAFETIDA." 
By  John  Attkield. 
Having  been  called  upon  to  give  an  authoritative  opinion  as  to  the  correct 
spelling  of  this  word,  the  author  consulted  eminent  philologists  with  the  result 
that  both  the  Latin  and  English  spelling  of  the  word  should  be  "asafetida." 

FURTHER  NOTE  ON  THE  PHARMACY    OF    CONIUM   MACULATUM 

By  E.  H.  Farr  and  R.  Wright. 

The  question  which  the  authors  undertook  to  solve  was  whether  the  action  of 
a  standard  solution  of  conine  or  of  the  mixed  alkaloids  of  conium  was  similar 
to  that  of  a  standardized  galenical  preparation  of  the  same  alkaloidal  value. 
The  following  were  prepared  for  making  physiological  tests  :  (i)  a  fluid 
extract  of  dried,  unripe  fruits,  standardized  to  contain  2*5  per  cent,  of  total 
alkaloidal  hydrochlorides  ;  (2)  a  corresponding  solution  of  the  mixed  alkaloids 
of  the  same  fruits  of  the  same  strength  ;  (3)  succus  fruct.  conii  assaying  07 
per  cent,  total  alkaloidal  hydrochlorides  ;  (4)  a  solution  of  pure  conine 
hydrochloride;  (5)  solution  of  conhydrine  hydrochloride;  (6)  solution  of 
pseudo-conhydrine  hydrochloride. 

These  were  reported  on  in  the  following  paper  : 

PRELIMINARY  NOTE  ON  THE  ACTION  OF  CERTAIN  PREPARATIONS 
AND  ACTIVE  PRINCIPLES  OF  CONIUM  MACULATUM. 

By  Wm.  Findlay. 

The  author  found  that  conine  and  the  mixed  alkaloids  were  the  most  toxic, 
the  lethal  dose  being,  for  conine,  37  milligrammes  per  kilo  body-weight ;  for  the 
mixed  alkaloids,  39  milligrammes  ;  for  conhydrine,  not  less  than  257  milli- 
grammes, and  pseudo-conhydrine  above  that  quantity.  The  results  obtained 
with  the  fluid  extract  were  not  sufficiently  exact  for  tabulation,  although  it  was 
as  active  on  frogs  as  conine.  The  succus  could  not  be  compared  with  the 
other  preparations  owing  to  its  low  percentage  of  alkaloids. 

vSOME  OBSERVATIONS  ON  ORGANOTHERAPY. 
By  J.  C.  McWalter. 
The  writer  referred  to  the  serious  symptoms  which  sometimes  follow  the 
administration  of  the  tablets  prepared  from  various  animal  glands,  and  which, 


'^pimberiS?"}      British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  461 

he  believed,  were  due  to  poisonous  properties  developed  on  exposure  to  air  He 
strongly  coudemned  this  mode  of  administration,  and  suggested  a  preparation 
made  by  dialysis  of  aglycerin  (sterilized)  extractof  the  fresh  glands  as  probably 
being  the  best. 

FURTHER  OBSERVATIONS  ON  COMMERCIAL  OIL  OF  CITRONELLA. 
Bv  John  C.  I'mnev  and  R.  S.  Swinton. 
The  object  had  in  view  by  the  authors  in  this  investigation  was  to  determine 
whether  the  differences  observed  to  exist  between  native-distilled  citronella  oil 
and  that  distilled  by  English  firms  were  due  to  adulteration  or  to  the  mode  of 
distillation.  Their  work  showed  that  the  latter  was  the  cause  of  these  differ- 
ences, and,  in  conclusion,  they  stated  that  the  native-disiilled  commercial  oils 
differ  from  those  distilled  by  English  firms  iu  containing  a  highly  optically  active 
terpene,  which  raises  the  optical  rotation,  and  a  large  percentage  of  sesquiter- 
|>ene,  which  raises  the  specific  gravity,  the  presence  of  which  constituents 
reduces  the  odor  value  and  impairs  the  solubility  in  alcohol  ;  and  that  the 
products  of  the  English  firms  possess  much  greater  odor  value  than  most 
native-distilled  commercial  oils. 

THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  VALUE  OF  SUMATRA  BENZOIN. 

By  Thomas  Dcnlop. 
The  author  examined  a  number  of  samples  of  commercial  Sumatra  benzoin 
and  drew  the  following  conclusions  from  his  results:  (i)  Sumatra  benzoin 
contained  from  8  to  30  per  cent,  of  barky  and  woody  matter  ;  (2)  the  price 
paid  for  the  drug  was  no  criterion  of  the  quality  ;  (3)  if  this  variety  were  to  be 
used  pharmaceutically,  it  should  be  previously  estimated,  so  that  proper  allow- 
ance could  be  made  for  impurities  ;  (4)  in  the  forthcoming  British  Pharmaco- 
poeia more  accurate  statements  should  be  made  regarding  the  actual  "char- 
acters" and  solubility  of  this  drug. 

NOTE  ON  SOLUBLE  COMPOUNDS  OF  ARSENIC. 
By  G.  G.  Henderson. 
The  writer  prepare<l  several  compounds  similar  in  type  to  tartar  emetic,  but 
containing  arsenic  instead  of  antimony.  The  sodium  arsenio-tartrale  was  re- 
commended as  best  adapted  for  medicinal  purposes  on  account  of  its  stability 
and  ready  solubility.  It  can  be  ma<le  by  boiling  100  parts  of  arsenious  acid 
with  190  parts  of  acid  sodium  tartrate. 

PHARMACEUTICAL  ETHICS -A  RETROSPECT. 
By  Lko  Atkinson. 
This  paper  embodied  a  consideration  of  the  evils  and  annoyances  which  have 
hampered  the  advancement  of  pharmaceutical  practice  ;  but,  in  closing  his  re- 
marks, the  author  took  an  optimistic  view  of  the  situation,  and  indicated  meas- 
ures whereby  a  healthier  slate  of  affairs  might  be  hoped  to  1)C  attained. 

NOTE  ON  SVRUPUS  lERRI  QUININ.T-:  ET    STRYCHNIN.^-:  PHOS- 
PHATIS  (EASTON'S  SYRUP). 
By  R.  Hrodik. 
In  this  paper  the  writer  proposed  to  modify  the  B.P.C.  formula  for  this  prep- 
aration by  substituting    hydrochloride  of  quinine  for  the  phosphate  at  present 


462  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference,      {^l^pimberfi™' 

used.  He  did  not  consider  the  small  amount  of  hj'drochloric  acid  thus  intro- 
duced as  objectionable,  and  stated  that  most  of  the  commercial  syrups  contain- 
ing phosphates  contain  this  acid  in  larger  proportion. 

HYPOPHOSPHITBS. 
By  Charles  T.  Tyrer. 

The  writer  experimented  with  the  tests  of  both  the  United  States  and  British 
Pharmacopoeias,  and  also  with  several  unofficial  methods.  Those  of  the  U.S. P. 
were  found  to  be  more  definite  and  satisfactory  than  those  of  the  B.P.,  particu- 
larly the  qualitative  tests.  The  permanganate  method  was  not  considered  re- 
liable, since  hypophosphites  invariably  contained  notable  quantities  of  phos- 
phate, phosphite,  sulphite  and  hyposulphite,  and  these  salts  apparently  an- 
swered the  B.P.  test,  the  cause  being  that  they  either  directly  or  indirectly 
reduced  the  permanganate.  Details  of  a  volumetric  method,  which  was  said  to 
be  very  accurate,  for  estimating  hypophosphites  by  reduction  of  copper  sul- 
phate, were  described  by  the  author.  The  odor  of  HgS,  which  is  sometimes 
developed  by  hypophosphorousacid  and  syrup  of  the  hypophosphites,  was  at- 
tributed to  the  use  of  charcoal  as  a  filtering  medium,  the  explanation  being 
that  hypophosphorous  acid  cor-tains  traces  of  sulphuric  acid,  which  is  decom- 
posed by  the  charcoal  forming  SO  2,  which  is  acted  on  by  the  hypophosphorous 
acid,  forming  H2S. 

MEDICINAL   PETROLEUM. 
By  F.  C.  J.  Bird. 

The  fact  that  the  medicinal  petroleum  oils,  when  emulsionized  with  a  pure 
hypophosphite  as  one  of  the  ingredients,  developed  a  strong  sulphuretted  odor 
led  the  author  to  believe  that  they  contained  sulphur  in  some  form,  and  in 
order  to  determine  the  extent  of  the  impurity  he  examined  a  number  of  com- 
mercial sample.'',  and  summarized  his  conclusions  as  follows  :  White  petroleum 
oil,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  about  o"855,  could  be  obtained  more  free  from 
taste  and  odor  than  lighter  oils,  but  it  was  evident  from  the  results  that  the 
bulk  of  the  white  oil  found  in  commerce,  much  of  which  was  sold  as  chemi- 
cally pure,  contained  a  greater  or  less  proportion  of  sulphur  compounds. 
White  petroleum  jelly  was  frequently  a  mixture  of  cerasine  and  white  oil,  and 
partook  of  the  impurities  of  the  latter.  Very  pale  jellies,  which  were  true  non- 
crystalline petroleum  residues,  generally  contained  sulphur,  probably  due  to  an 
analogous  process  of  bleaching.  Yellow  oils,  although  generally  free  from 
sulphur,  were  in  many  cases  so  tainted  with  a  "  paraffine "  flavor  as  to 
be  unfit  for  internal  use.  The  yellow  petroleum  jellies,  as  far  as  sulphur  was 
concerned,  were  the  purest.  Of  the  liquid  petroleums,  those  from  American 
oil  were  free  from  sulphur  compounds,  while  those  from  Russian  oils  all 
contained  these  impurities.  The  presence  of  sulphur  in  the  bleached  products 
was  thought  to  l)e  due  to  the  use  of  sulphuric  acid. 

THE  SALIENT  FEATURES   OF  THE  SCOTTISH   FLORA. 

By  G.  C.  Druce. 

This  was  an  extempore  lecture,  and  the  speaker  stated  that  the  British  flora 
contained  about  i,8co  species,  between  sixty  and  seventy  of  which  were  con- 
fined to  Scotland. 


^septimb^ri^""}      British  Pharmaceuti.al  Conference.  463 

NOTE  ON  THE  STRENGTH  OF  COMMERCIAL  SAMPLES  OF 
ALKALOIDAL  TINCTURES. 
By  Clarence  A.  Seyler. 
Seven  samples  of  the  commercial  tincture  of  nux  vomica  were  examined, 
and  in  no  case  did  the  alkaloid  found  reach  the  iheoreticpl  amount,  which  is 
0229  part  of  alkaloids  per  100  volumes,  and  in  several  the  amount  was  consider- 
ably below  this.  Of  eleven  samples  of  tincture  of  opium,  five  gave  about  the 
theoretical  percentage  (075  per  cent,  part  of  morphine  per  100).  and  three 
samples  were  considerably  over  the  maximum  strength  possible  with  >tandard- 
ized  opium.  Tincture  of  belladonna  was  very  variable,  two  samples  containing 
only  about  one-half  the  proper  amount  of  alkaloid.  Three  out  of  four  samples 
of  tincture  of  hyoscyamus  were  stronger  than  the  standard  suggested  for  this 
tincture.  Tincture  of  aconite  showed  great  variation.  Samples  of  tincture 
(compound)  of  cinchona  showed  most  variation,  one  sample  which  was  over 
standard  being  nearly  five  times  as  strong  as  one  having  the  lowest  percentile 
of  alkaloid. 

PHOSPHATES  AND  PLATINUM. 
By  W.  G.  Stratton. 
In  this  note  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  when  phosphates  are  heated 
in  a  platinum  vessel  in  the  presence  of  carbon,  the  platinum  fuses. 

LIQUOR  BISMUTHI  ET  AMMONII  CITRATIS. 
By  \V.   G.  Stratton. 

The  question  with  the  author  was  whether  a  variation  in  the  composition  of 
the  commercial  solution  was  the  cause  of  the  varying  results  obtained  when 
this  preparation  was  dispensed  with  an  alkaline  bicarbonate. 

An  excess  of  ammonium  citrate  was  found  in  five  of  eleven  samples  exam- 
ined by  the  writer,  and  as  this  salt  is  known  to  prevent  the  precipitation  of 
bismuth  carbonate  the  examination  furnished  an  affirmative  answer  to  tlu- 
question.  Nitrates  were  found  in  some  of  the  samples  and  one  or  two  were 
markedly  deficient  in  bismuth. 

DISINFECTANT  SOAPS. 
By  S.  Ridbal. 
The  writer  said  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  soaps  themselves  have  some 
antiseptic  power.  An  olein  base  W8S  considered  preferable  to  one  containing  pal- 
mitic or  stearic  acid,  since  the  latter  gives  insoluble  precipitates  wiih  hot  wi-ter. 
Superfatted  soaps  were  objectionable  for  disinfecting  purposes,  as  fatty  bodies 
impede  the  action  of  many  of  the  germicides.  A  number  of  disinfectants  were 
considered  with  reference  to  their  usefulness  or  uselessness,  as  the  case  might 
be,  when  employed  in  soaps.  Many  of  the  so-called  disinfectant  soaps  were 
found  to  have  little  or  no  value  when  subjected  to  bacteriological  tests. 

OUR  PRESENT  KNOWLEDGE  OF  THE  MYDRIATIC  GROUP. 

By  (Gordon  Sharp. 

This  was  a  review  of  the  various  membersof  the  niydiiaiir  group  of  alkaloi<U, 

and  in  considering  the  sui)posed  identity  of  beveral  of  lhe«e  Ihe  author  huni- 

marized  his  views  by  stating  that  ( 1)  the  names  daluriue  and  duboisiue  should 

be  given  up;  (2)  the  relationship  of  atropine  and  hyoscyaiuibe  can  hardly  be 


464  Internatioual  Pharmaceutical  Congress.     { "V^ptember.^Te? 

said  to  be  clearly  understood  ;  (3)  hyosciue  is  like  atropine  in  its  action  ;  (4) 
scopolamine  could  hardly  lay  claim  to  being  a  new  base. 

The  consideration  of  papers  having  been  brought  to  a  close,  after  occupying 
four  sessions,  the  question  of  next  year's  meeting  was  brought  up,  and  an  invi- 
tation to  hold  the  conference  in  Belfast  in  1898  was  accepted. 

The  following  ofl5cers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

President,  Charles  Symes  ;  Vice-Presidents,  Walter  Hills,  J.  Laidlaw  Bwing, 
J.  C.  C.  Payne,  W.  F.  Wells  ;  Treasurer,  John  Moss  ;  Honorable  General  Secre- 
taries, W.  A.  H.  Naylor,  F.  Ransom  ;  Honorable  Local  Secretary,  R.  W. 
McKnight ;  Assistant  Secretary,  J.  C.  Nightingale;  other  members  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  F.  C.  J.  Bird,  H.  Collier,  J.  C.  Umney,  J.  Anderson  Rus- 
sell, Edmund  White,  R.  Wright  ;  Auditor,  D.  W\  Elliot ;  Editor  of  the  "  Year- 
Book,"  Louis  Siebold. 


EIGHTH  INTERNATIONAL  PHARMACEUTICAL 

CONGRESS. 

The  following  account  of  the  meeting  of  the  above-named  Congress  has  been 
taken  largely  from  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal  of  August  21,  1897  : 

The  Eighth  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  organized  by  the  Asso- 
ciation General  Pharmaceutique  de  Belgique,  was  formally  opened  on  Saturday, 
August  14th,  in  the  Conference  Hall  of  the  University  of  Brussels,  under  con- 
ditions which  promised  great  success,  over  600  pharmacists  from  Belgium  and 
other  countries  having  registered  themselves  as  members. 

The  chair  was  taken  at  the  inaugural  meeting  by  M.  De  Bruyn,  the  Minister 
of  Agriculture  and  Hygiene,  who  was  accompanied  by  several  other  Govern- 
ment officials  and  the  members  of  the  Organizing  Committee.  M.  Ranwez, 
Professor  at  the  University  of  Louvain,  was  elected  President  of  the  Congress, 
and  M.  Duyk,  General  Secretarj^.  The  delegates  from  the  countries  repre- 
sented at  the  Congress  were  elected  Vice-Presidents. 

On  Monday,  August  i6th,  the  first  paper  was  presented  by  Professor  Ranwez 
on  "The  Proportion  of  Active  Principle  in  Drugs,  etc."  This  was  in  answer  to 
the  query  :  "  Is  it  not  desirable  in  the  present  condition  of  scientific  knowledge 
to  insist  on  the  presence  of  a  normal  proportion  of  active  principle  in  a  pre- 
paration ?"  and,  after  a  general  review  of  the  subject  by  the  author,  he  con- 
cluded by  offering  the  following  resolution  :  •'  That  the  competent  authorities 
should  require  a  uniform  percentage  of  active  or  important  principles  in  medi- 
cinal preparations."  This  resolution  called  forth  considerable  discussion, /rt* 
and  C07i;  but  after  the  addition  of  the  words  "as  far  as  possible,"  proposed  by 
M.  Petit,  delegate  from  France,  it  was  adopted  by  a  large  majority. 

The  next  paper  submitted  was  a  "  Report  on  New  Medicaments,"  by  F.  E. 
Fayn,  of  Antwerp. 

The  author  pointed  out  that  the  introduction  of  new  chemical  and  animal 
products  of  late  years  has  been  attended  with  many  inconveniences,  and  has 
placed  the  reputation  of  pharmaciens  in  a  somewhat  awkward  position.  Many 
of  the  products  are  monopolies,  and  are  issued  under  names  that  give  no  clue  to 
their  chemical  constitution.  At  the  time  they  are  introduced  to  the  medical 
profession  there*  is  not  sufficient  information  published  concerning  them   to 


■^ptembeJ!^!™'}      International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  465 

enable  thepharmacien  to  ascertain  their  strength  or  purity,  whilst  they  actually 
vary  both  in  strength  and  purity  in  commercial  samples  bearing  the  same  label. 
He  suggested,  therefore,  for  the  protection  of  the  public,  and  for  the  safeguard- 
ing of  the  reputation  of  the  prescriber  and  dispenser,  that  there  should  be  espe- 
cial depots  for  new  remedies  established  by  pharmacists  at  certain  centres  ;  that 
the  specially  distinctive  reactions  of  each  new  remedy  should  be  published  on 
the  label  as  well  as  in  the  brochure  relating  to  the  remedy  ;  that  laboratories 
should  be  established  by  pharmaciens  in  certain  centres  for  the  analysis  of  new- 
remedies  ;  that  a  permanent  committee  for  the  study  of  new  medicinal  pro- 
ducts should  be  established,  the  members  of  which  should  be  selected  by  differ- 
ent Governments  from  the  members  of  the  academies  of  medicine  or  pharma- 
copceia  committees  ;  that  there  should  be  an  official  verification  of  serums  and 
various  glandular  juices,  etc.  ;  that  the  nomenclature  of  new  medicaments 
should  be  revised  ;  that  there  should  be  an  annual  supplement  to  the  Pharma- 
copoeia published  in  every  country.  These  suggestions  were  offered  to  the 
Congress  for  universal  application,  and  in  the  discussion  which  followed,  a  reso- 
lution, "  that  trade-mark  property  should  not  be  created  in  medicaments,"  was 
offered  by  M.  Petit,  and  adopted  by  the  Congress. 

The  discussion  of  Mr.  Fayu's  paper  was  resumed  on  Tuesday,  and  a  resolution 
to  the  effect  that  the  chief  pharmaceutical  associations  in  each  country  should 
be  recommended  to  appoint  authorized  committees  to  carry  out  the  work  sug- 
gested by  the  author,  was  also  adopted. 

In  Section  I  the  consideration  of  the  subject  of  specialties  was  again  taken 
up.  The  first  paper  read  was  by  Professor  Remington,  of  Philadelphia,  on 
"  Phamiacopoeial  Revision  ;  Its  Influence  on  the  Relations  of  Pharmacists  and 
Physicians."  The  author  especially  advocated  the  endeavor  to  differentiate  the 
practice  of  pharmacy  and  that  of  medicine  as  being  the  most  effectual  means 
of  promoting  the  true  intetests  of  pharmacy  and  of  those  engaged  in  its  prac- 
tice. On  the  basis  of  progress  made  in  that  direction  by  securing  the  respect 
and  co-operation  of  the  best  members  of  the  medical  profession,  the  jiractice  of 
pharmacy  would  attain  a  position  more  compatible  with  the  professional  nature 
of  the  duties  its  followers  have  to  perform,  and  they  would  be  likely  to  find 
themselves  acknowledged  as  welcome  co-c)])crat(irs  in  the  work  of  pharmaco- 
poeia revision. 

Mr.  Wren,  Professor  Tichborne  and  Dr.  McWalter  made  some  remarks,  and 
Mr.  W'ootton  posed  as  the  advocate  of  secret  remedies,  supporting  his  argu- 
ment by  reference  to  the  tradition  that  the  only  remedy  from  which  the  late 
Lord  Beaconsfield  could  obtain  relief  was  a  secret  preparation.  On  that 
ground  he  contended  that  the  Congress  would,  in  his  opinion,  be  allow::  1 

to  outrun  discretion  if  it  gave  its  sanction  to  a  recommendation  that  1; 
men  should  abstain  from  prescribing  secret  remedies,  and  when  the  purport  of 
his  remarks  l)ecame  known  to  the  meeting  by  translation  into  the  French  lan- 
guage, considerable  amusement  was  evinced. 

In  replying  to  the  several  speakers,  Professor  Remington  said  he  would  con- 
fine himself  to  the  expression  of  his  opinion  that  whatever  might  be  Mr.  Woot- 
ton's  faith  in  the  virtues  of  secret  remedies,  it  was  important  for  the  interests 
of  pharmacy  throughout  the  world  to  place  on  record  an  enunciation  of  the  prin- 
ciple that  if  any  progress  was  to  be  made,  it  was  above  all  indispensable  to  get 
away  from  secrecy  in  the  preparation  of  medicines.     To  adduce  the  use  of  an 


466  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress.     {^s^pfembe^^T9^* 

asthma  cure  by  the  distinguished  statesman  who  had  been  mentioned,  as  a 
ground  for  the  prescription  of  secret  remedies  by  physicians,  was,  he  thought, 
entirely  illogical,  for  it  might,  with  equal  reason,  be  inferred  that  Lord  Beacons- 
field's  death  was  due  to  his  having  taken  the  medicine  referred  to  by  Mr. 
Wootton. 

The  following  resolutions  were  carried  by  acclamation  : 

(I )  That  efforts  should  be  made  to  obtain  larger  representation  of  pharma- 
cists in  pharmacopoeia  revision,  including  professional  teachers,  as  well  as 
pharmacists  in  practice  ;  and  (2)  that  local  pharmaceutical  associations  should 
co-operate  with  medical  societies  with  the  object  of  suppressing  quackery  and 
the  use  of  secret  remedies. 

The  most  interesting  items  in  the  later  programmes  included  a  comparison  of 
pharmaceutical  legislation  in  different  countries,  by  M.  Idiers  ;  the  advantages 
and  disadvantages  of  admitting  women  to  practice  pharmacy,  by  M.  Georges 
Detlian  ;  several  papers  on  a  universal  pharmacopoeia  ;  and  a  consideration  of 
the  appointment  of  a  board  of  reference,  by  M.  Huart.  Most  important  of  all 
was  the  presentation  of  the  following  report : 

REPORT   OF  THE  CHICAGO   COMMITTEE — PHARMACOPCEIA   OF   POTENT   REME- 
DIES. 

The  committee  reports  that  progress  has  been  made,  and  it  is  now  in  corre- 
spondence with  representatives  of  various  nations  relative  to  the  appointment 
of  members  of  the  permanent  commission  in  these  countries.  The  illness  of 
our  distinguished  confrere,  Herr  von  Waldheim,  of  Vienna,  has  prevented  the 
presentation  of  a  full  report  at  this  time.  The  delays  produced  by  the  widely- 
separated  locations  of  the  correspondents  in  the  various  nations  has  added 
greatly  to  the  difficulties,  but  the  committee  expects  to  complete  the  work  as 
soon  as  possible.  The  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Seventh  International  Con- 
gress, under  which  the  permanent  committee  derives  its  authority,  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Resolved^  That  the  Seventh  International  Congress  appoint  a  committee  of  three,  of  which 
the  President  ( Professor  Remington)  shall  be  chairman,  the  duty  of  which  committee  shall  be 
to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  the  appointment  of  an  International  Pharmacopoeia  Commission 
to  compile,  publish  and  distribute  an  international  pharmacopcjeia  of  potent  remedies.  The 
International  Pharmacopceial  Commission  shallconsistof  one  member  from  each  country  rep- 
resented at  this  Congress  (Chicago),  and  from  other  countries  as  the  committee  of  three  may 
decide,  the  members  of  the  Commission  to  be  selected  by  the  Pharmacopceia  Committee  of 
the  various  countries,  or  to  be  otherwise  chosen  if  necessary.  The  committee  of  three  shall 
be  a  permanent  committee,  and  it  shall  be  its  duty  to  urge  and  expedite  the  work  in  every 
proper  way,  and  in  the  event  of  the  death  or  resignation  of  any  member  of  this  committee  of 
three,  the  vacancy  shall  be  filled  by  the  other  members. 

*'  Rrsolved,  That  the  Congress  (Chicago)  accepts  with  thanks  the  proffer,  by  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  of  the  sum  of  $1,000  to  help  defray  the  expense  of  compiling, 
publishing  and  distributing  an  international  pharmacopoeia  of  potent  remedies." 

Respectfully  submitted, 
(Signed)        Joseph  P.  Remington,  Philadelphia, 
MiCHAEi*  Carteighe,  lyondon. 

August  16,  1897.  Anton  Von  Wai^dheim,  Vienna. 


'B?ptimber.*i8ff7"}      A?nerican  Pharmaceutical  Association.  467 

AMERICAN   PHARMACEUTICAL   ASSOCIATION. 

The  forty-fifth  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  con- 
vened at  Lake  Minnetonka,|Minn.,  on  Tuesday,  August  24,  1897.  A  very  cordial 
reception  was  tendered  the  visiting  members  of  the  Association  en  route  via  Chi- 
cago, by  the  Chicago  Retail  Druggists'  Association  and  the  Chicago  Apothecaries' 
Society,  at  the  Great  Northern  Hotel,  Chicago,  on  Monday,  August  23,  1S97. 
Luncheon  was  served,  and  after  it  had  been  partaken  of,  a  tally-ho  ride  to  South 
Park,  World's  Fair  site,  and  thence  to  the  special  train,  which  had  been 
arranged  for  by  the  Chicago  members,  was  extended.  Hotel  Lafayette  was  the 
headquarters  of  the  Association  at  Lake  Minnetonka.  The  council  of  the  body 
met  at  11  a.m.,  on  Tuesday,  August  24th.  At  3.25  p.m.,  the  same  day.  President 
Joseph  v..  Morrison  called  the  first  general  session  to  order,  and  introduced  Sen- 
ator C.  K.  Davis,  who  welcomed  the  visitors  to  the  hospitality  of  the  good  people 
of  Minnesota  and  the  "  Twin  Cities."  Following  him.  Prof.  F.  J.  Wulliug  bade 
the  Association  welcome  on  behalf  of  the  Minnesota  Pharmaceutical  Associa- 
tion, which  had  just  closed  its  meeting  on  the  previous  morning.  The  members 
were  then  extended  a  welcome  to  Minnetonka  Beach,  bj*  its  Ma3or,  Mr.  J.  C. 
Eliel.  The  Chair  then  asked  Prof.  Good  to  reply  to  the  courtesies  of  the  pre- 
vious speakers,  which  he  did  in  very  expressive  terms  of  appreciation.  First 
Vice-President  Geo.  Y.  Payne  was  then  called  to  the  chair,  while  the  President 
read  his  address,  which  was  as  follows  : 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

For  the  first  time  in  our  history  we  meet  within  the  confines  of  what  may  be  called  the 
NoTthwcstem  States.  After  going  all  over  this  vast  country  and  into  Canada,  we  have  come 
here  to  admire  the  natural  wonders  and  beauties  of  this  section,  and  to  make  more  extended 
acquaintances  among  our  brethren.  When  our  Minnesota  brothers,  a  year  ago,  came  to  our 
meeting  and  extended  an  invitation  to  us  to  convene  "in  the  land  of  the  Decotahs,  where  the 
Falls  of  Minnehaha  flash  and  gleam  among  the  oak  trees,  laugh  and  leap  into  the  valley,"  it 
was  gladly  accepted,  and  we  h«ve  since  then  been  living  in  anticipation  of  seeing  and  hearing 
the  water  as  it  tumbles  over  the  far-famed  Falls  of  Minnehaha,  and  of  gazing  ufKan  the  beauties 
of  Lake  Minnetonka,  a  gem  set  by  the  hands  of  the  Almighty  in  the  midst  of  this  fair  land  ; 
nor  have  we  been  disappointed;  although  we  had  been  prepared  for  beautiful  sights,  the  reali- 
zation exceeded  the  anticipation,  and  one  glance  from  the  shores  of  this  lake  has  repaid  us  for 
the  toil  of  our  journey. 

However,  we  do  not  come  here  to  indulge  in  poetic  flights  of  fancy,  but  to  di.ncu.ss  the  hard 
matter-of-fact  interests  of  to  day,  an  undertaking  devoid  of  any  tendency  towards  poetic 
license.  Unfortunately,  we  pharmacists  l\pve  not  much  time  to  cultivate  the  muses,  as  our 
attention  is  too  closely  concentred  on  the  grosser  things  of  material  earth,  so  we  will  dis- 
mount from  our  Pegasus  and  stand  on  solid  ground. 

Your  President  was  a.sked  by  the  State  Department  to  name  delegates  to  represent  the 
I'nited  States  at  the  Dru».sels  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  and  in  accordance 
therewith  I  named  Prof.  J.  P.  Remington  and  Mr.  Louis  Dohme  as  such,  and  Mr.  Alfred 
Myers,  of  New  Orleans,  and  Dr.  P.  B.  Power,  now  of  London,  Kngland,  as  alternates. 

The  reports  of  the  variou?  committees  will  show  that  the  work  of  the  Atsociation  has  t>een 
carried  on  with  the  same  enthusiasm  and  generally  successful  results  as  heretofore. 

I  desire,  however,  to  draw  attention  to  the  very  effective  work  done  by  the  Committee  on 
National  Legislation,  especially  as  regards  tax-free  alcohol,  which  requires  eternal  vigilance 
on  the  part  of  the  committee  to  guard  against  attacks  from  unexpectetl  quarters,  as  evidenced 
by  the  proposal  made  in  the  Senate  to  tax  wood  alcohol,  which,  if  succensful,  would  have  had 
serious  results.  Happily,  the  secretary  of  the  committee.  Mr.  \.  K.  Kbert,  Is  one  of  those  who 
Is  alwayii  on  guard  and  never  sleeps  at  his  post,  so  that  as  soon  as  the  proposition  was  made, 
Mr.  Et>ert  immediately  telegraphed  to  over  eighty  of  the  Senators,  protesting  in  the  name  of 
this  Association  against  any  such  taxation  ;  and  we  think  we  are  justified  in  claiming  that  Mr. 
Kbert' s  prompt  and  energetic  action  was  the  main  cause  of  the  rejection  of  Senator  Lindsay's 
motion. 


468  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,     {^s?pf?mbe^^Y9™• 

The  first  question  which  I  desire  to  take  up  is  that  of  membership.  For  several  years  past 
our  numbers  have  fluctuated  between  1,500  and  2,000.  The  last  report  of  the  Membership 
Committee  showed  that  we  had  1,800  enrolled  in  this  Association,  At  the  same  time,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Section  on  Legislation  and  Education,  in  his  report,  stated  that  there  were 
51,000  druggists  in  the  United  States  and  2,000  in  Canada,  making  a  total  of  53,000  from  which 
we  can  draw  for  our  members.  The  discrepancy  thus  revealed  between  our  membership  and 
the  total  number  of  pharmacists  is  indeed  very  striking ;  and,  even  admitting  that  53,000 
represents  good,  bad  and  indifferent,  and  perhaps  many  who  would  or  should  not  be  deemed 
desirable  to  be  had  as  members,  there  still  remains  a  great  field  for  earnest  work  in  the  direc- 
tion of  recruiting  our  ranks.  Five  thousand  is  a  moderate  estimate  to  make  of  what  our  num. 
bers  should  be  before  we  can  become,  as  has  been  suggested,  a  delegate  organization,  such  as 
the  American  Medical  Association,  or  before  we  can  hope  to  wield  the  influence  to  which  our 
organization  is  entitled  by  reason  of  the  high  objects  which  it  has  in  view 

The  securing  of  new  members  is  a  matter  which  has  heretofore  been  left  solely  and  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  the  committee  charged  wilh  this  work.  That  committee  has  been  unremitting 
in  its  efforts,  and  I  know  that  the  chairman  and  members  of  the  Auxiliary  Committee  have 
rendered  yeoman  service.  While,  however,  expressing  my  appreciation  of  the  valuable  work 
done  by  these  gentlemen,  I  will  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  offered  to  state  that  on  the 
part  of  the  members  at  large,  more  could  and  should  be  done  towards  increasing  our  member- 
ship. Every  member  of  the  Association  should  constitute  himself  an  auxiliary  member  of  the 
Auxiliary  Committee,  and  should  take  advantage  of  every  occasion  which  presents  itself  for 
setting  forth  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  this  Association,  or  enlisting  the  sympathy  and 
active  interest  of  fellow-pharmacists  in  this  Association. 

It  has  been  brought  to  my  notice  that  many  valuable  papers  are  presented  at  the  annual 
meetings  of  the  State  associations  by  members  of  this  body,  and  that  these  papers  would  be 
presented  at  our  meetings  if  the  State  associations  were  not  in  existence.  Among  these 
papers  are  to  be  found  many  worthy  of  a  wide  circulation,  and  of  beiug  preserved  in  more 
permanent  form  than  that  offered  by  the  usual  volume  of  State  association  proceedings.  I 
would,  therefore,  suggest  that  an  arrangement  be  entered  into  with  the  State  associations  by 
which  we  would  be  permitted  to  publish  these  papers  in  our  Proceedings,  subject  to  the 
approval  of  our  Committee  on  Publication.  We  would  thus  secure  what  is  best  and  most 
worthy  of  preservation  among  these  papers,  and  also  make  our  Annual  Proceedings  a  more 
complete  record  of  pharmacal  progress  in  this  countr}'. 

The  Treasurer's  report  will  contain  a  statement  of  the  number  of  members  who  have  been 
delinquent  in  the  payment  of  their  fees,  and  who  will  be  dropped  from  the  rolls.  The  num- 
ber of  delinquents  has  been  increasing  of  late  years,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  assign  the  prin- 
cipal reason  for  this  .state  of  affairs.  It  is  due  simply  to  the  changed  and  changing  conditions 
of  pharmacy.  The  pharmacist,  originally  a  manufacturer,  and  a  combination  of  chemist,  bot- 
anist and  merchant,  has  allowed  the  last-mentioned  component  to  greatly  overshadow  the 
others,  and  has  become  almost  entirely  a  dealer  in  patent  medicines,  toilet  articles,  soda  water 
and  drugs.  The  laboratory  is  not  to  be  found  in  connection  with  modern  pharmacy.  Every- 
thing that  should  be  made  is  bought  from  the  wholesaler  or  manufacturer.  Pharmacy  as  a 
profession  is  apparently  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  is  now  but  a  trade  or  mercantile  pursuit.  But 
I  believe  that  we  are  now  going  through  one  of  the  transition  stages  in  the  process  of  evolu- 
tion which  governs  all  things,  and  that  we  will  find  our  present  troubles  to  have  been  a  fire  of 
purification  in  preparation  for  a  new  era,  in  which  pharmacy  will  be  differentiated  into  a  pro- 
fession and  a  trade.  We  see  evidence  of  this  in  the  pharmacal  journals  and  the  colleges.  We 
find  the  former  devoting  a  large  amount  of  their  space  to  the  matter  of  advertising  and  other 
strictly  commercial  topics,  showing  that  the  mercantile  feature  is  rapidly  developing.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  find  that  the  colleges  are  increasing  the  number  and  length  of  their 
courses.  Subjects  which  some  years  ago  were  thought  unnecessary  or  useless  are  now 
included  in  their  curricula,  and  pharmacy  by  them  is  regarded  as  a  profession  alone. 

Can  the  average  individual  put  into  practice  his  college  instruction  in  chemistry,  phar- 
macy, pharmacognosy,  microscopy,  etc.,  and  at  the  same  time  look  sharply  after  the  buying 
and  selling  of  the  thousand  and  one  items  which  go  to  make  up  the  stock  of  the  modern  phar- 
macy? Impossible,  And  a  change  must  come  and  we  must  prepare  for  it.  If  we  desire  to 
follow  pharmacy  as  a  trade,  we  must  adopt  the  methods  of  other  trades.  We  must  buy  in  the 
cheapest  market,  sell  as  cheaply  as  our  neighbors,  use  printer's  ink  on  every  possible  occa. 
sion  and  in  every  po.ssible  way,  and,  in  a  word,  spare  no  effort  to  increase  our  trade. 

But  then  we  must  be  prepared  to  stand  the  fierce  fire  of  commercial  competition,  and  can- 
not claim,  because  we  are  druggists,  any  more  protection  than  that  given  other  merchants. 


^piimber'^isyT"  }      American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  469 

As  it  is  now.  we  have  gone  outside  of  our  own  territon,-  and  invaded  that  of  every  other  trade, 
and  added  their  goods  to  our  stock  under  the  name  of  "  side  lines." 

Remedies  innumerable  have  been  proposed  for  the  present  depressed  condition  of  phar- 
macy. You  cannot  control  commerce  :  trade  will  seek  its  own  channels  in  spite  of  laws  or 
obstacles ;  and,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  there  is  only  one  way  out,  that  is  to  return  to  pharmacy 
proper ;  devote  more  attention  to  the  laboratory,  cultivate  more  corlial  feelings  with  the 
medical  profession  and  strive  for  higher  ideals  The  higher  the  standard  we  set  up,  and  the 
closer  we  approach  to  it,  the  greater  will  be  the  esteem  in  which  we  will  be  held  by  the 
public. 

One  of  the  first  requisites  for  the  elevation  of  the  profession  is  more  stringent  pharmacv 
laws,  and  more  especially  as  regards  examinations.  In  this  connection  I  would  s^y  that  the 
Section  on  Legislation  and  Education  will  present  for  our  consideration  a  model  pharmacy 
law. 

Now  I  wish  to  draw  attention  to  what  I  consider  a  fault  in  all  American  pharmacal  legisla- 
tion. As  far  as  education  is  concerned,  they  all  begin  at  the  wrong  end.  By  this  I  mean 
that  no  supervision  is  exercised  over  students  or  apprentices  in  drug  stores.  It  is  the  almost 
universal  custom  to  take  any  boy  applying  for  a  position  without  any  examination  as  to  his 
mental  equipment  and  general  fitness  for  the  profession  :  and  if  he  does  his  work  reasonably 
well,  he  is  promoted  from  errand  boy  to  clerk,  and  then  to  dispenser,  and  after  three  or  four 
years'  service  he  commences  to  prepare  for  his  examination,  in  which,  by  means  of  quiz  com- 
pends  and  other  cramming  de\'ices,  he  succeeds.  Of  course  there  are  exceptions  ;  but  I 
believe  tnat  the  number  of  college  graduates  is  out  of  proportion  to  the  number  of  young  men 
employed  in  drug  stores.  If  pharmacy  is  to  become  a  profession,  we  must  commence  with 
the  beginners.  We  must  have  a  class  of  men  who  have  acquired  a  .sound  foundation  upon 
which  to  erect  the  composite  structure  which  we  call  the  science  of  pharmacy.  If  the  law 
recognized  a  class  of  app-entices  and  compelled  all  desiring  to  study  pharmacy  to  pass  an 
examination  in  such  subjects  as  arithmetic,  history,  geography,  elementary  algebra,  and  one 
modern  language  besides  English,  either  German  or  French,  before  a  board  named  by  the 
Board  of  Pharmacy,  and  consisting  of  two  or  more  well  known  high-school  teachers,  a  super- 
ior class  of  young  men  would  be  attracted  to  the  study  of  pharmacy  proper,  who  would  almost 
invariably  become  college  graduates,  and  would  aim  at  becoming  proficient  pharmacists 
rather  than  merely  passing  the  board  examination.  This  requirement  would  also  lessen  the 
number  of  clerks  and  pharmacists  and  decrease  competition,  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  e\'il8 
of  the  present  system. 

The  delegation  to  the  American  Medical  Association  will  bring  before  you  for  consideration 
a  most  important  question,  viz.:  Will  Spiritus  Frumenti  and  Spiritus  Vini  Gallici  be  retained 
in  the  next  revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia?  There  is  no  necessity  for  my  dilating  on  the  evil* 
of  the  liquor  traffic,  and  the  incalculable  amount  of  injury  it  has  done  to  American  pharmacy. 
The  pharmacists  of  the  United  States  are  at  present  in  a  peculiar  position:  for  just  as  long  as 
liquors  are  sold  in  pharmacies,  even  if  only  on  presciptions,  will  we  be  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Government  on  the  same  footing  as  saloon  keepers.  It  is  time  that  this  condition  of  things 
be  terminated  by  the  complete  abolition  of  every  form  of  dealing  in  fermented  or  spirituous 
liquors.  A  great  advance  in  that  direction  will  have  been  taken  when  it  will  be  decided  to 
delete  all  such  preparations  from  thePharmacopicia.  For  my  part,  I  believe  that  the  sale  of 
liquors  by  pharmacists  is  unnecessary,  and  is  simply  a  result  of  a  bad  habit  into  which  we 
have  allowed  the  public  to  fall.  In  the  Province  of  (Quebec,  pharmacists  do  not  deal  in  liquors. 
The  physician,  when  desirous  of  prescribing  stimulants,  invariably  sends  his  patient  to  the 
grocer;  and  in  all  my  experience  of  twenty  years  ns  a  retail  i)hannaci.st.  I  do  not  believe  I 
have  had  to  sell  a  quart  of  liquor,  except  dining  the  time  I  was  employed  in  this  country.  I 
am  not  a  temperance  crank,  but  I  l>eli^ve  that  the  sale  of  liquor  is  degrading  to  the  prufe.ssion 
of  pharmacy,  and  is  an  unmitigated  evil.  The  only  excuse  which  I  have  heard  advanced  for 
the  retention  of  this  class  of  preparations  in  the  Pharmacop<iria  is  that  we  have  a  standard  by 
which  to  test  our  goods.  Now.  let  us  examine  the  reliability  of  this  ktandard  Under  "Spiritus 
Frumenti,"  we  find  the  Pharmacop<ria  says  :  '  Its  specific  gr.tvity  should  not  l»e  more  than 
0*930  nor  less  than  0*917,  corresponding  approximately  to  an  alcoholic  strength  of  4S  to  5,0  |>er 
cent,  by  weight,  or  50  to  .s**  per  cent,  by  volume"— a  rather  wide  mnrgin  AntI  Is  the  test  for 
impuriiicK  any  more  reliable?  Under"  Spiritus  ViniGallici  "  we  find  thai  "  It»i*|>ecihc  gravity 
should  not  be  more  thano'cMi  nor  le.ssthan  o  935,  corresponding,  approximately,  to  an  alcoholic 
strength  of  39  to  47  per  cent,  by  weight,  or  46  to  55  per  cent,  by  volume."  The  tests  for  fusel 
oil,  etc.,  are  not  more  definite  than  under  "Spiritus  Frummti."  An  examiuation  of  the 
tests  for  wines  will  show  that  they  are  not  more  definite.      Admitting  that  the  tests  are  suffi. 


470  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.      {^^^^it^\,S^im: 

cientlv  exact,  I  would  like  to  ask,  how  mauy  pharmacists  test  their  liquor  purchases  to  see  if 
they  an>5\ver  the  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia?  Furthermore,  of  what  benefit  is  the 
standard  to  us,  when  the  price  we  have  to  pay  for  it  is  the  levelling  of  the  profession  of  phar- 
macy, in  the  eyes  of  the  Government  and  of  the  public,  to  that  of  the  saloon-keeper  ?  The 
price  is  too  great  to  compensate  for  any  imaginary  or  even  possible  or  probable  advantage. 

I  have  only  touched  upon  one  phase  of  the  question.  The  therapeutical  aspect  is  one  out- 
side of  our  province. 

Another  important  question  which  we  should  take  up  is  that  of  patented  medicinal  com- 
pounds. During  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years  a  number  of  organic  compounds,  principally  of 
German  origin,  have  been  patented  and  introduced  into  this  country.  One  peculiarity  of 
these  goods  is  the  very  high  price  charged  here  in  comparison  with  that  ruling  elsewhere.  I 
give  a  comparative  statement  of  prices  which  obtain  in  the  United  States  and  Canada : 

U.  S.  A,  Canada. 

Phenacetine $i-oc  ;^o.35 

Sulphonal 1-35  .3° 

Trional 1.50  i.oo 

Chloralamid 90  .35 

Antipyrine 1-40  1. 10 

Now,  why  should  the  people  of  the  United  States  be  compelled  to  pay  such  exorbitant 
rates  as  are  shown  here  ?  It  is  simply  due  to  the  patent  laws  of  this  country,  which  allow 
a  patentee  to  cover  everything  within  his  reach.  Patent  laws  are  avowedly  designed  for  the 
encouragement  of  inventive  genius,  by  guaranteeing  to  an  inventor  an  adequate  return  for  the 
trouble  and  study  required  for  the  invention  of  new  appliances,  new  methods,  etc.,  and  it  is 
as  much  to  the  United  States  patent  laws  as  to  any  other  cause  that  this  country  owes  its 
proud  pre-eminence  in  the  manufacturing  world. 

In  the  matter  now  under  consideration,  I  venture  to  say  that  such  a  contingency  was  never 
foreseen  by  the  framers  of  the  law.  Nor  do  I  think  it  was  ever  intended  that  the  law  should  have 
any  such  results  as  have  come  from  itsapplication  to  the  invention  or  discovery  of  new  remedial 
agents.  One  of  the  objects  of  the  law  was  the  encouragement  of  inventive  genius.  Has  it 
operated  in  this  case?  No.  For  net  a  single  new  synthetic  compound  has  been  discovered 
and  brought  to  completion  in  this  country  since  the  flood  of  synthetics  first  began  to  pour  into 
the  United  States.  The  only  result  has  been  the  enriching  of  the  few  at  the  cost  of  the  whole 
countrj',  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  American  people  have  been  paying  foreigners  millions 
annually  for  taking  advantage  of  the  privileges  granted  by  the  United  States  patent  laws. 

Looked  at  in  any  light,  except  in  that  of  the  German  patentee  and  his  American  represen- 
tative, this  position  of  affairs  is  intolerable  ;  and  it  is  for  us  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  legisla- 
tors of  this  country  to  the  gross  iniquity  perpetrated  upon  the  sick.  Germany  is  the  home  of 
these  preparations,  but  an  examination  of  the  German  patent  laws  shows  that  such  prepara- 
tions as  those  we  speak  of  cannot  be  patented.    The  patent  law  of  April  7,  1891,  says  : 

"  Discoveries  of  food-stuff  or  medicinal  preparations,  or  bodies  which  maybe  prepared  by  a 
chemical  method,  cannot  be  patented,  but  that  the  method  of  preparation  of  these  objects 
may  be." 

Now,  if  German  manufacturers  cannot  patent  their  products  in  their  own  country,  why 
should  they  be  allowed  to  do  so  in  this  ? 

Turning  to  France,  we  find  the  law  of  July  5,  1844,  which  is  still  in  force,  says  : 

"  May  not  be  patented  :  first,  pharmaceutical  compounds  or  remedies  of  every  sort,  these 
articles  remaining  subject  to  the  special  laws  and  regulations  on  this  subject,  and  particularly 
to  the  law  of  August  18,  iSio,  relative  to  secret  remedies." 

Again  we  find  in  a  recent  report  of  the  commission  appointed  by  the  French  Minister  of 
Public  Instruction,  to  prepare  a  new  Pharmacy  Act,  that  they  propose  the  following  clause  to 
be  added  to  Article  9,  which  sets  out  that  none  but  pharmacists  shall  sell  remedies,  either  com- 
pound or  simple,  used  in  human  or  veterinary  medicines. 

"These  remedies  and  their  method  of  preparation  cannot  be  made  the  subjects  of  a  patent. 
Their  scientific  or  commercial  names  fall  into  the  public  domain,  and  cannot  become  private 
property,  nor  constitute  in  themselves  a  trade  mark.     Secret  remedies  remain  prohibited." 

These  quotations  require  no  comment. 

If  the  patentees  of  these  remedies  were  satisfied  with  a  reasonable  profit,  we  might  not 
complain.  It  may  be  claimed  that  the  great  expense  of  advertising  and  introducing  these 
preparations  necessitates  high  prices  ;  but  does  it  cost  more  to  advertise  these  goods  in  this 
country  than  it  does  in  Germany  or  Eugland  or  Canada,  where  the  prices  are  so  much  lower  ? 


^s^piemb^r.'iawr!'' ;      American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  471 

And  is  it  not  a  fact  that  most  of  the  advertising  is  free?  Do  we  not  see,  month  after  month, 
-communications  in  the  medical  press  on  the  action  of  the  new  synthetics  in  certain  affections? 
This  is  the  most  effective  kind  of  advertising,  and  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  that  the  journals 
in  which  these  articles  appear  would  receive  pay  for  their  publication.  There  is  no  reason  for 
the  high  prices  charged  for  these  goods,  but  the  knowledge  of  the  patentees  that  with  the 
process  and  product  patented  and  the  name  copyrighted,  they  have  an  absolute  monopoly, 
and  can  charge  j  ust  what  they  please.  What  we  want  is  that  the  patent  laws  be  changed  on 
the  lines  of  German  laws,  which,  while  safely  guarding  the  public  from  extortion,  give  ample 
protection  to  the  patentee.  We  should  demand  that  products  used  in  medicine  should  not  be 
patented,  and  that  the  names  by  which  they  are  known  in  commerce  should  not  be  copy- 
righted. 

On  this  subject  a  resolution  was  presented  and  adopted  at  the  last  convenliou,  but  it  did 
not  go  far  enough.  I  would  therefore  suggest  that  although  this  work  would  be  within  the 
province  of  the  Committee  on  National  Legislation,  a  special  committee,  composed  of  one 
member  from  each  State  and  Territory  and  all  members  residing  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
be  appointed  to  undertake  and  carry  on  an  agitation  for  the  amendment  of  the  United  States 
patent  laws  on  the  lines  already  indicated. 

I  would  also  suggest  that  our  delegation  to  the  American  Medical  Association  be  instructed 
to  bring  this  matter  before  the  next  convention  and  secure  the  tndorsation  of  that  body  ;  that 
we  also  secure  the  co  operation  of  all  the  State  associations  through  their  delegates  present  at 
this  convention,  and,  in  fa^f,  employ  every  legitimate  means  to  accomplish  our  object. 

The  address  was  received  and  referred  to  a  committee  composed  of  Messrs. 
Ebert,  Thompion  and  Whelpley,  appointed  by  Vice-President  Payne. 

President  Morrison  then  resumed  the  chair,  and  Secretary  Caspari  called  for 
the  reports  of  the  various  standing  and  special  committees.     These  were  ready. 

The  selection  of  the  Nominating  Committee  to  elect  the  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year  was  the  next  business  in  order,  and  a  recess  of  five  minutes  was  granted 
by  the  President  in  order  to  afford  the  members  from  the  various  States,  Terri- 
tories and  Provinces  an  opportunity  to  choose  their  representatives.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  the  meeting  was  again  called  to  order.  Secretary  Caspari  then 
called  the  roll  for  the  names  of  the  nominators.  Responses  were  had  from 
Arkansas,  Colorado,  District  of  Columbia,  Georgia,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Indian 
Territory,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  Massachusetts, 
Michigan,  Maine,  Missouri,  Nebraska,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  North  Carolina, 
Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Rhode  Island,  South  Dakota,  Texas,  Virginia  and  Prov- 
inces of  Manitoba  and  Quebec.  In  addition  to  those  representing  these  sec- 
tions, the  President  appointed  at  large  Messrs.  Ivbert,  Tilden,  Good,  Prost  and 
Main  as  members  of  the  Nominating  Committee.  The  committee  decided  to 
meet  immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  session.  Secretary  Kennedy 
then  read  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  of  the  Council.  These  comprised  the 
various  motions  which  had  been  made  in  the  body,  and  statements  of  such 
measures  as  had  been  adopted  during  the  past  year,  as  well  ascertain  proposed 
changes  in  by-laws.  The  minutes  also  dealt  with  a  proposition  to  reinstate  Mr. 
Frederick  Stearns  to  membership  in  the  Association,  from  which  he  had  been 
previously  expelled.     The  correspon<lence  connected  with  this  matter  follows 

here  in  full  : 

Chicago.  Auj^i:-';  -  ,  1897. 
Mr  a.  K.  Kbbbt,  City. 

Dear  .\fr.  I'.bfrt  :  —  \  have  the  pleasure  to  send  you  «  letter  received  from  Mr.  Strarniin  rejvly 
to  one  from  myself  to  him,  in  relation  to  the  proposition  made  by  several  of  his  olil  friends, 
to  bring  al>out  a  reinstatement  of  Mr.  Stearns  os  a  member  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association.  You  will  observe  he  takes  a  very  manly  position,  and  one  that  can  hardly  fail  to 
create  a  kind  feeling  toward  him  In  those  who  do  not  know  him.  and  a  feeling  of  respect  and 
confidence  by  the  old  friends  who  know  him  well.    The  many  years  which  have  pasaed  since 


472  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.     { 's^^pfember^s™' 

the  event  of  his  severance  from  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  have  no  doubt 
caused  most  members  to  forget  the  cause  of  it,  and  there  is  little  reason  for  reviving  the  his- 
tory- of  it  now;  to  me  it  is  sufficient  that  a  former  member  and  a  gentleman  has  seen  the  error 
of  his  hasty  decision,  and  is  willing  to  stand  upon  his  more  recent  record  for  vindication  of 
his  character  and  motives. 

As  I  cannot  be  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  I  would 
be  glad  if  you  will  present  the  matter  to  the  council  for  their  approval,  and  trust  that  our 
action  may  be  viewed  favorably  and  receive  endorsement,  to  the  end  that  a  worthy  man  may 
be  relieved  from  the  odium  which  attaches  to  dismissal  from  membership,  when  he  confesses 
and  repents  of  his  hasty  action  of  long  ago. 

Sincerely  yours,  E.  H.  SARGENT. 

Mr.  Stearns'  reply  was  as  follows  : 

Detroit,  Mich.,  August  13,  1897. 
Mr.  E.  H,  Sargent,  Chicago,  111. 

Dear  Sir  :—\o\\r  kind  letter  of  August  7th,  in  which  you  ask  my  feelings  and  sentiments 
regarding  the  action  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  in  depriving  me  of  member- 
ship, as  a  penalty  for  the  violation  of  its  code  of  ethics,  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  and  your 
expression  of  desire— having  been  its  presiding  officer  at  that  time— to  take  some  action  now, 
with  a  view  to  my  reinstatement  to  fellowship  if  possible,  comes  to  me  as  a  pleasant  and  grate- 
ful surprise. 

The  error  for  which  I  have  borne  the  penalty  for  so  many  years  would  never  have  been 
committed  in  the  light  of  maturer  experience  and  reflection,  and  I  have  accepted  the  verdic^ 
of  my  peers,  realizing  that  it  was  just,  though,  perhaps,  unduly  severe. 

I  have  suffered  banishment  from  fellowship  with  friends  and  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion for  nearly  thirty  years,  depriving  myself  of  their  friendship  and  esteem,  because  I  did 
not  take  time  to  consider  the  far-reaching  effects  of  not  bowing  to  the  will  of  the  Association 
at  the  time. 

This  I  now  sincerely  regret ;  therefore,  while  I  have  never  asked  to  be  reinstated,  and 
would  not  urge  it  now,  yet  I  would  gladly  receive  such  treatment  from  the  Association  as 
would  show  that  my  business  career  since  that  time  justifies  it  in  taking  the  action  you  are  to 
propose.  Sincerely  yours,  FREDERICK  STEARNS. 

The  minutes  were  approved  as  read. 

Secretary  Kennedy  then  read  the  names  of  eighty-one  applicants  for  mem- 
bership, and  they  were  invited  to  become  members.  After  this,  President  Mor- 
rison appointed  a  Committee  on  Time  and  Place  of  Next  Meeting,  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Sheppard,  Dohme,  Kuhn,  Miller  and  Jacobs.  This  committee  met 
in  the  council  chamber,  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Nominating  Committee, 
and  the  invitations  which  had  been  received  from  Richmond,  Omaha,  Baltimore 
and  Texas  to  hold  the  meeting  of  1898  in  these  respective  places,  were  referred 
to  it. 

Secretary  Caspari  also  read  a  communication  from  the  Minnesota  Pharma- 
ceutical Association,  which  embodied  a  resolution  against  the  present  copy- 
right laws,  and  also  a  proposition  that  a  bill  be  drafted  to  revise  these  laws,  as 
they  apply  to  certain  well-known  chemicals.  This  communication  was  received 
and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  National  Legislation.  This  was  followed  by 
a  communication  from  the  Proprietors'  Section  of  the  National  Wholesale 
Druggists'  Association,  which  was  referred  to  the  Commercial  Section.  A  com- 
munication from  the  chairman  of  the  delegates  to  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation was  referred  to  Council. 

Two  communications  from  the  national  delegates  to  the  Brussels  meeting  of 
the  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress  were  then  read.  A  letter  signed  by 
a  dozen  or  more  military  pharmacists  was  next  read.  It  expressed  appreciation 
of  the  work  that  has  been  done  by  the  Association  toward  improving  the  status 
of  the  apothecaries  in  the  Government  service. 


^8ei>tembe^!'m7!  }     American  Pharviaceutkal  Association.  473 

After  this,  Professor  Whelpley  offered  a  motion  resolving  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Association  be  requested  to  use  the  metric  system  of  weights  and 
measures  in  all  the  business  of  the  Association,  and  in  papers,  reports,  circulars 
and  communications  presented  to  the  Association. 

After  some  discussion  this  was  adopted.  The  session  then  adjourned  until  the 
following  morning.  In  the  evening  a  reception  and  promenade  concert,  fol- 
lowed by  informal  dancing,  was  tendered  the  visitors  by  the  members  of  the 
Minnesota  Pharmaceutical  Association.  The  events  of  the  evening  were  much 
enjo^'ed  by  all. 

SECOND    GENERAL  SESSION. 

The  second  general  session  convened  at  10.27  a.m.,  Wednesday,  August  25th, 
with  President  Morrison   in  the  chair.     Secretary  Caspari  read  the  minutes  of 
the  first  general  session.     These  were  adopted  as  read. 

The  minutes  of  Council  were  then  read  by  Secretary  of  Council  Kennedy, 
who  spoke  of  the  acknowledgment  by  Mr.  Stearns  of  his  error,  and  stated 
that  as  the  Council  saw  no  obstacle  in  the  way,  he  was  reinstated  to 
membership.  Twenty-two  new  applicants  for  membership  were  reported. 
The  minutes  also  stated  that  Professor  Oldberg  had  reported  that  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Seventh  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  held  in  Chicago  in 
1893,  were  ready,  and  that  the  price  had  been  fixed  at  50  cents  per  volume.  The 
minutes  were  approved. 

Secretary  Payne,  of  the  Nominating  Committee,  reported  the  following 
ticket  as  the  choice  of  the  committee  for  the  officers  of  the  Association  for  the 
ensuing  year  : 

President,  H.  M.  Whitney,  Lawrence,  Mass.  ;  First  Vice-President,  Geo.  C. 
Bartells,  Camp  Point,  111.  ;  Second  V^ice-President,  W.  S.  Thompson,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  ;  Third  Vice-President,  J.  A.  Miller,  Harrisburg,  Pa.;  Treas- 
urer, S.  A.  D.  Sheppard,  Boston,  Mass.  ;  General  Secretary,  Chas.  Caspari,  Jr., 
Baltimore,  Md.  ;  Reporter  on  Progress  of  Pharmacy,  C.  Lewis  Diehl,  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  ;  Members  of  Council  for  three  years,  W.  A.  Frost,  C.  A.  Mayo 
and  Geo.  F.  Payne. 

The  report  was  received,  and  the  Secretary  was  asked  to  cast  an  affirmative 
ballot  for  the  nominee  for  the  presidency.  This  was  followed  by  similar  ballots 
for  the  remaining  nominees. 

Secretary  Caspari  then  announced  that  he  liad  received  the  credentials  of 
delegates  from  a  number  of  State  and  local  associations,  colleges  of  pharmacy, 
alumni  associations  and  other  bodies.  On  motion,  these  were  received  by  the 
Association. 

Chairman  Dohme,  of  the  Finance  Committee,  reported  fair  prospects  for  the 
betterment  of  the  Association's  finances. 

Secretary  Kennedy,  of  the  Committee  on  Membership,  presented  his  twenty- 
third  annual  report.  Of  the  1 14  persons  proposed  for  membership  at  the  Mon- 
treal meeting  last  year,  91,  or  about  80  per  cent.,  had  completed  their  member- 
ship, and  have  their  names  on  the  roll  as  active  nRinl)er8.  The  percentage  of 
those  who  were  proposed  anil  invited  to  l>ecome  n»enjl)ers,  and  who  finally 
completed  their  meml)ership,  was  much  larger  this  year  than  last,  and  was  a 
little  above  the  average  of  former  years.  The  new  meml»ers  represented  nearly 
Jill  sections  of  our  country.     They  are  credited  to  twenly-eighl  States,  the  D»- 


4/4  Avierican  Pharmaceutical  Association.      { ^s'^p£"ber.^i89?* 

trict  of  Columbia,  Canada,  East  Africa,  aud  Paris,  France.  Every  State  and 
Territory  is  now  represented  by  membership  in  the  Association.  Mr.  Kennedy 
also  said:  "The  Treasurer,  Mr.  S.  A.  D.  Sheppard,  reports  that  on  July  i, 
1897,  241  delinquents  of  three  or  more  years,  were  liable  to  be  dropped  from  the 
roll.  This  is  a  very  large  number,  being  an  increase  of  thirty-two  over  the 
number  reported  last  year,  when  the  secretary  of  membership  made  a  state- 
ment that  the  number  reported  on  then  was  the  largest  since  he  has  filled  the 
office."  He  also  called  the  attention  of  the  meeting  to  the  excellent  work 
which  has  been  performed  by  W.  H.  Huntington,  apothecary  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and  a  member  of  the  Association,  who 
had  secured  the  consent  and  annual  fee  in  advance,  and  had  endorsed  forty-one 
of  the  apothecaries  of  the  army,  navy  and  marine  hospital  service  of  the  United 
States.     The  following  tabulated  statement  of  membership  was  then  read  : 

Active  or  contributing  members  in  good  standing  at  last  report  1,448 
Members  elected  since  last  report 91 

Total 1,539 

IvOSS   IN   MKMBERSHIP    (active). 

By  resignation 35 

By  transfer  to  life  membership 13 

By  death •    •    •  30 

Dropped  from  roll  for  various  causes .  67 


Total  loss 145 

Number  on  the  roll  at  this  report i>394 

I,IFE   MEMBERSHIP. 

Number  on  the  roll  at  last  report 95 

Number  added  since  last  report 13 


Total 108 

I.OSS   IN   I,IFE   MEMBERSHIP. 


By  death 


Number  on  the  roll  at  this  report 102 

HONORARY   MEMBERSHIP. 

Number  on  the  roll  at  last  report 15 

Loss  by  death 2 


Number  on  the  roll  at  this  report 13 

TOTAI,  MEMBERSHIP. 

Active  or  contributing  members 1.394 

Life  members 102 

Honorary  members 13 


Total 1,509 

The  Secretary  also   reported   that  the   mortuary  record,   which  numbered 
twenty-nine  deaths,  was  the  largest  that  he  had  yet  been  called  upon  to  report. 


'^ptimbe^.^issT!'}      Afftericati  Pharmaceutical  Association.  475 

Appended  to  his  report  was  a  memorial  sketch  of  each  of  the  deceased  mem- 
bers. The  report  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Publication.  Secretary 
Whelpley,  of  the  Auxiliary  Committee  on  Membership,  made  a  motion  to 
extend  the  thanks  of  the  Association  to  the  Presidents  of  the  State  Associations 
and  to  Mr.  Huntington  for  their  interest  in  the  effort  to  increase  the  member- 
ship. Prof.  C.  Lewis  Diehl  read  the  introduction  to  his  Report  on  the  Progress 
of  Pharmacy.  The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Publication.  The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the  United  vStates 
Pharmacopreia  was  called  for  and  read  by  title,  but  was  referred  to  the  Scien- 
tific Section  for  reading  in  full  and  discussion.  Treasurer  Sheppard  then 
read  his  report,  and  stated  that  the  cash  balance  in  the  treasury  this  year  was 
nearly  double  what  it  was  last  year.  He  suggested,  in  view  of  the  depressed 
condition  of  business,  that  the  resignations  of  the  delinquent  members  be 
received  instead  of  dropping  them  for  non-payment  of  dues.  The  Auditing 
Committee  found  the  report  to  be  correct,  and  it  was  received,  and  a  vote  of 
thanks  was  tendered  the  Treasurer  by  the  Association. 

The  General  Secretary  then  read  his  report,  which  dealt  with  the  financial 
accounts  in  his  hands,  and  the  publication  of  the  National  Formulary.  He 
reported  a  handsome  balance  on  hand  from  the  sale  of  the  National  Formulary. 
It  was  ordered  that  the  report  take  the  usual  course.  The  Committee  on  Publi- 
cation reported  on  last  year's  volume  of  Proceedings,  and  also  on  the  stock 
of  the  Proceedings  on  hand.     The  report  was  received. 

Mr.  Ebert  moved  that  the  General  Secretary  be  authorized  to  bring  to  the 
annual  meetings  a  number  of  unbound  copies  of  the  Constitution  and  By-Laws, 
and  of  lists  of  officers,  members,  places  of  meeting,  etc.,  for  the  use  of 
members  in  attendance.  Secretary  Caspari  then  read  the  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  General  Prizes  for  pajjers  presented  at  the  meeting  in  Montreal. 
The  first  prize  was  awarded  to  J.  W,  T.  Knox  and  A  li.  Prescott,  for  their  paper 
on  "The  Caffeine  Compound  in  Kola  ;"  the  second  to  S.  P.  Sadtler,  for  his  con- 
tribution entitled  "Some  Results  Obtained  in  the  Destructive  Distillation  of 
Linseed  Oil,  with  Remarks  on  its  Bearing  on  Engler's  Theory  of  the  Origin  of 
Petroleum  ;"  and  the  third  to  \V.  O.  Richtmann  and  F^lward  Kremers,  for  their 
article  on  "  The  Menthol  Group."     The  report  was  adopted. 

The  Committee  on  Ebert  Prize  awarded  it  to  Messrs.  Knox  and  Prescott,  for 
the  paper  previously  referred  to.  The  Committee  on  President's  address 
recommended  that  the  papers  contributed  to  the  meetings  of  the  State  Associa- 
tions be  secured  for  the  use  of  the  Reporter  on  the  Progress  of  Pharmacy  for 
abstracting  or  printing  in  full,  as  he  may  see  fit.  They  also  approved  of  the 
educational  measures  proposed  by  President  Morrison,  and  coincided  with  him 
on  the  subject  of  dropping  liquors  from  the  Pharmacopceia.  Considerable  dis- 
cussion  was  elicited  by  this  last  proposition,  and  was  participated  in  by  Messrs. 
Whitney,  Mayo,  Sheppard,  F-l)ert,  F)liel,  Torbett  and  Alpr rs.  The  report  of 
the  Committee  was  finally  accepted,  with  the  exception  (»f  the  proposition  to 
eliminate  liquors  from  the  Pharmacopreia. 

The  twenty-two  new  applicants  for  metnbership  were  then  invited  to  com- 
plete their  meml>ership,  which  they  did  by  signing  the  Constitution  and  paying 
the  annual  fee. 

The  Committee  on  Time  and  Place  of  Next  Meeting  submitted  three  reiwrts 
in  favor  of   Baltimore,   Omaha  and   Richmond,   respectively.      The   majority 


476  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.     {^s^pSeM^sg?!* 

report  proposed  that  the  uext  meeting  take  place  in  Baltimore,  on  the  first 
Monday  in  September,  1898. 

The  reports  were  received,  and  after  some  discussion  a  ballot  was  taken.  Of 
the  ninety-one  votes  cast,  thirty-four  were  for  Omaha,  forty-nine  for  Baltimore 
and  eight  for  Richmond.  A  unanimous  vote  was  then  cast  for  Baltimore.  The 
time  of  mfeeting  could  not  be  agreed  upon,  so  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
last  general  session.  The  meeting  then  adjourned  until  3.45  p.m.,  when  it  was 
again  called  to  order,  prior  to  the  convening  of  the  Commercial  Section.  The 
special  session  then  adjourned  and  Chairman  Hopp  called  the  Commercial 
Section  to  order.  In  the  absence  of  Secretary  D'Avignon,  Mr.  Palton  was 
elected  Secretary  pro  iem.  D.  R.  Noyes  delivered  an  address  of  welcome  to 
the  Section.  Mr.  Dewoody  then  took  the  chair,  while  Mr.  Hopp  delivered  his 
address.  He  advocated  the  revision  of  the  United  States  copyright  laws,  and 
suggested  that  the  co-operation  of  State  Associations,  and  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  be  obtained.  He  advised  standardization  of  drugs,  and 
the  adjustment  of  the  minimum  and  maximum  limits  of  the  standard.  He 
re-suggested  50  per  cent,  tinctures  and  recommended  that  such  preparations  be 
advertised  to  the  physicians  as  a  means  of  combating  the  large  manufacturers. 
He  asked  for  some  form  of  rebate  plan  free  from  the  evils  of  previous  plans  for 
protecting  the  retailer  in  prices.  He  favored  the  interchange  of  certificates  of 
registration  by  boards  of  pharmacy.  The  address  was  referred  to  a  committee 
appointed  by  Mr.  Dewoody,  and  consisting  of  Messrs.  Stewart,  Ebert  and 
Good.  There  were  no  reports  of  committees  to  be  heard  from,  nor  were  there 
any  papers  read. 

Chairman  Hopp  read  a  communication  from  the  Proprietors'  Section  of  the 
National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Association,  which  suggested  that  a  committee 
on  fraternal  relations  be  appointed  to  confer  and  co-operate  with  similar  com- 
mittees from  State  Associations  to  prevent  substitution.  The  communication 
was  received  and  its  import  discussed.  Mr.  Bbert  mentioned  a  plan  whereby 
the  proprietors  of  patent  medicines  could  secure  to  the  retailer  the  full  retail 
price,  if  they  so  chose.  The  plan  mentioned  was  the  establishment  of  dis- 
tributing depots,  which  should  have  complete  supervision  of  all  the  stock 
handled  in  a  community,  both  by  jobbers  and  retailers.  Under  such  arrange- 
ments the  price-cutters  would  soon  be  identified,  and  could  be  denied  such 
stock  as  they  cut  price  on.  But  Mr.  Ebert  declared  the  proprietors  did  not 
want  the  retailer  to  ask  the  full  retail  price,  and  both  he  and  Mr.  Whitney 
cited  instances  where  the  proprietors  had  come  to  them  and  quoted  such  prices 
and  terms  as  would  induce  many  to  meet  the  cut  rates.  Much  argument  was 
expended  on  the  matter  of  this  communication  from  the  proprietors,  by  Messrs. 
Werner,  Main,  Whitney,  Hammel,  Bobbett,  Sheppard,  Simmons,  Hassebrock, 
Dohme,  Ryan,  Holzhauer  and  Thompson.  The  consensus  of  opinion  was  that 
the  experience  with  the  proprietors  in  the  past  did  not  warrant  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee,  as  suggested  by  them,  that  the  retailer  is  able  to  take 
care  of  himself,  and  that  the  time  had  come  when  he  should  await  the  action 
of  the  proprietors  to  protect  him,  and  not  ask  their  interest  in  his  behalf.  It 
was  also  shown  that  the  products  of  the  various  State  manufacturing  pharma- 
ceutical associations,  like  those  of  Illinois,  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin,  were  in 
a  large  measure  replacing  many  of  the  proprietary  products,  and  it  was 
believed  on  account  of  this  that  the  proprietors  would  be  glad  in   the  near 


I 
J 


sS>'timbeJ!*i^7"}      American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  477 

future  to  adopt  some  means  of  protecting  the  retailer  in  obtaining  the  full 
retail  price  set  by  the  proprietors  on  their  products.  The  Secretary  was  finally 
instructed  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  communication,  and  to  state  that 
the  Association  did  not  see  fit  to  appoint  the  committee  suggested.  The  Com- 
mittee on  Chairman's  Address  approved  the  measures  proposed  therein.  The 
report  was  received  and  the  recommendations  adopted.  The  following  officers 
were  nominated  and  elected  for  the  ensuing  j'ear  : 

Chairman,  Joseph  Jacobs,  Atlanta,  Ga. ;  Secretary,  J.  Hal.  Bobbett,  Raleigh, 
N.  C;  Associate  Members,  N.  A.  Kuhn,  E.  C.  Bent  and  H.  F.  Hassebrock. 

When  he  came  to  be  installed,  Mr.  Jacobs  was  loath  to  accept  the  chairman- 
ship, and  told  the  Association  he  thought  they  were  doing  just  the  opposite  of 
what  they  had  been  proposing  to  do  but  a  few  minutes  before  ;  that  he  was  an 
arch-cutter,  and  was  proud  of  the  fact,  and  that  the  Association  had  better 
reconsider  his  election.  Still,  he  said,  if  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Association 
to  kill  the  Section,  they  had  taken  the  necessary  means. 

Messrs.  Mayo,  Ebert  and  Stewart  replied  to  Mr.  Jacobs,  and  assured  him 
that  the  Association  had  elected  him  in  a  full  consciousness  of  his  beliefs 
and  methods  ;  they  acknowledged  that  the  Section  had  not  done  in  the  past 
what  it  was  intended  to  do,  and  stated  that  was  the  reason  for  trying  a  chair- 
man who  held  opoosite  views. 

Mr.  Jacobs  accepted  after  much  hesitancy,  and  promised  to  do  the  best  he 
could  in  his  peculiar  position. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  given  the  retiring  officers,  and  the  Section  adjourned, 
subject  to  call  of  the  Chair. 

In  the  evening,  President  Cyrus  Northrup,  of  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
delivered  an  address  on  Education.  On  Thursday,  August  26th,  the  Ladies' 
Auxiliary  conducted  a  trolley  tour  of  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul,  for  the  visit- 
ing ladies  and  their  escorts.  The  party  left  Hotel  Lafayette  at  8  a.m.  Lakes 
Harriet  and  Minnetonka  were  included  in  the  itinerary,  lunch  was  served  on 
the  beautiful  grounds  of  the  State  University,  and  in  the  afternoon  Como  and 
other  points  of  interest  within  the  borders  of  the  saintly  city  were  viewed. 

On  account  of  this  excursion,  when  Chairman  Alpers  called  the  first 
session  of  the  Scientific  Section  to  order,  at  9.40  a.m.,  only  a  dozen 
members  of  the  .Association  were  in  attendance.  Mr.  Geo.  B.  Kaufmanu 
was  elected  Secretary  pro  tcm.  On  account  of  the  small  attendance,  the 
reading  of  the  Chairman's  address  was  postponed  until  the  evenifig  session. 
The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Indicators  was  then  presented.  It  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

Mr.  i  halt  nmu  and  Mftuhrt  s  of  t/ir  A  ssfcialmn  : — The   tliird   rfi)f)rt  ol  Ihe  C  •' 

•iats  principally  of  some  results  obtainrd  by  certain  of  the  workers  who  were  di  ^ 

■ome  of  their  data  in  last  year's  report.    Trof.  J.  U.  I.lojd  and  the  Chaimian.  ai 
their  result*  reported  at  the  Montreal  meeting,  decided  to  repent  the  work   for 
Its  fluid  extract.     This  it  was  ccmcluded  should  he  done  on  about  the  same  dute  and  in  the 
■anip  iM.-ifitirr       !  H.-  I  tiqimian  prepared  the  material  and  forwarded  it  wii)i  instrn.tint.s 

FLl7It>   EXTRACT  OK  COCA    LKAK. 

For  assaying  this  preparation  the  directions  of  the  committee,  as  reported  in  the  Proceed- 
lags  for  1S96,  were  adhered  to.  employing,  however,  enoiinh  of  the  flnid  extract  to  make»!x 
9r  seven  determinations  from  the  same  extractiuu,  so  that  there  would  be  no  s«arce  mt 
error  here. 

-  Titrations  were  executed  only  with  chlorophyll-free  (nearly)  alkaloids,  using  the  moat  satia- 
factory  indicators,  rix. :  Urazil  wood,  cochineal  and  htcmatosylon. 


478  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,     {^s'^pfembe^^%"' 

The  results  reported  by  I^loyd  and  Kebler  last  year,  on  fluid  extract  of  coca,  were  as  follows  : 

IvLOYD.  Kebler. 

Gravimetric.        Volumetric.  Gravimetric.        Volumetric. 

Brazil  wood 0-48  034  0-53  035 

Cochineal 0-57  029  0*55  0-40 

llicmatoxylon  ....  0-53  0*27  o'54  0-38 

Lacmoid o-6o  0-35  0-50  0-38 

While  all  of  their  other  results  agreed  quite  closely,  this  position  was  considered  unsatis- 
factory. 

On  assaying  the  second  fluid  extract,  November  7th,  the  results  were  as  follows  : 

Lloyd.  Kebler. 

Using  Alcohol.  Excluding  Alcohol.  Using  Alcohol. 

Gravimetric.    Volumetric.  Gravimetric.    Volumetric.  Gravimetric,     Volumetric. 

Brazil  wood  .     0-406  0-328  o  36  0*323  0-369        0-416     0-277      0-289 

Cochineal  .   .   .  0-37  0*290*  0-412  0*298*  0*416        0*416     0*277      0*286 

H£ematoxylon,o-4o6  0-315  0*376  0-321  0384        0-370     0-290      0-293 

Average  .   .  0*394  0*311  0-383  0-314  0-389        0-401      0-315      o  289 

The  average  of  Lloyd's  gravimetric  results  is  0-388  ;  of  Kebler's  gravimetric,  0*395  ;  differ- 
ence, 0007  per  cent.    The  difference  of  the  volumetric  results  is  0*011  per  cent. 

ASSAY  OF   POWDERED   COCA  LEAF. 

Since  the  mode  of  procedure  is  contained  in  the  report  of  the  workers,  the  directions  will 
not  be  repeated  here.  Prof.  Lloyd  reported  his  work  as  follows  :  50  grammes  of  the  powdered 
coca,  not  previously  dried  to  constant  weight,  were  put  into  a  one-half  gallon  bottle  and 
covered  with  500  grammes  of  chloroform  ether  (i  to  3)  mixture  ;  after  five  ininutes'  rotating, 
50  c.c.  of  10  per  cent,  ammonia  were  added,  and  the  bottle  shaken  for  two  hours,  almost  con- 
tinuousl}-,  occasionally  cooling  the  bottle  in  cold  water.  Then  50  grammes  more  of  10  per 
cent,  ammonia  were  added,  well  shaken,  and  finally,  seven  times  50  grammes  of  the  ethereal 
fluid  drawn  off.  Six  of  them  were  assayed,  with  results  as  follows  :  (Probably  it  was  case  F, 
where  some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  pouring  off  50  grammes.) 

Gravimetric. 

Hfematoxylon A,  1*102  per  cent. 

"  3  drops B,  o'994    "      " 

Cochineal C,  1*038    "      " 

3  drops D,  1-096    "      " 

Brazil  wood,  50  drops E,  1*002     "      " 

"  "        10       "       F,  o'944     "      " 

Average 1-029  per  cent. 

In  case  D.^t  was  attempted  to  see  what  effect  the  exclusion  of  alcohol  would  have  on  the 
results.  The  visible  effect  is  that  it  is  difficult  to  dissolve  the  alkaloid  completely  from  the 
resinous  material.  After  volumetric  results  were  found  too  low  (see  a),  the  same  determin- 
ation was  continued  by  adding  an  equal  bulk  of  alcohol,  which  caused  an  increase  in  the 
results  (see  b). 

In  these  experiments  the  titrations  were  carried  out  in  the  same  beaker  in  which  the 
gravimetric  results  were  obtained.  The  varnish-like  residues  were  dissolved  in  5  c.c.  of 
alcohol,  2  c.c.  of  N/io  sulphuric  acid  and  10  c.c.  of  water  were  added,  then  the  indicator, 
and  the  excess  of  acid  titrated  back  with  N/ioo  potassium  hydroxide.  In  each  case  i  c.c. 
of  N/ 10  was  added  again  and  the  excess  titrated  back  with  centinormal  potassium  hydroxide. 

Hicmatoxylon  and  cochineal  gave  sharp  changes  of  tint ;  also  brazil  wood,  but  the  latter 
indicator  requires  a  trained  eye  to  see  the  change  plainly.  However,  the  solution  may  have 
deteriorated. 

Mr.  Kebler  proceeded  exactly  as  did  Professor  Lloyd,  except  that  the  shaking  was  intermit- 
tent instead  of  almost  continuous,  shaking  about  every  fifteen  minutes  during  two  hours. 
His  results  were  as  follows  : 

•Change  of  color  indistinct  except  when  using  more  of  the  indicator  than  prescribed. 


Volumetric. 

1*000  per 

cent. 

0*957    " 

0-950    •' 

lb 

-0-927     " 

-0-982    " 

0-952    " 

0-897    " 

<( 

0-952  per 

cent. 

'^&?pfembe^.^^97?' }     American  Phar^naceiitical  Association.  479 

Gravimetric.  Volumetric. 

Brazil  wood ouo  o'Sy 

Cochineal 0'92  o  887 

Haematoxylon 0*97  o'893 

Average 0*95  o"883 

The  differences  here  amounted  to  :  gravimetric,  0*079  per  cent.;  volumetric.  o'c69  percent. 
These  variations  appeared  too  great,  so  it  was  decided  to  do  the  work  in  a  reverse  manner, 
that  is,  Professor  Lloyd  apply  less  agitation  and  Mr.  Kebler  more.  Professor  Lloyd,  by  reduc- 
ing his  shaking  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  Mr.  Kebler  by  ajjitating  two  hours  con- 
tinuously, with  the  same  coca  leaf,  obtained  somewhat  different  results  : 

Lloyd.  Kebler. 

Gravimetric.        Volumetric.  Gravimetric.        Volumetric. 

Brazil  wood i'034  o  950  1*02  091 

Cochineal 1004  o"939  099  o"89 

Hiematoxylon  .   .   .   .  0976  o"934  1'03  o"94 

Average 1*005  0*941  i*oi  0*91 

On  comparing  these  results  with  those  obtained  above,  we  come  to  the  conclusion  that  time 
of  agitation  does  seem  to  increase  the  percentage  of  yield,  to  some  extent,  and  this  fact 
should  be  borne  in  mind  when  parallel  assays  are  made.  While  the  above  data  are  not  in 
complete  accord,  yet  they  approximate  one  another  as  closely  as  can  be  expected  for  this 
character  of  work,  and  are  considered  tjuite  satisfactory  by  the  workers. 

Lyman  V.  Kebler,  Chairman. 

The  report  was  received  and  ordered  to  take  the  usual  course. 

The  reading  of  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Research  was  deferred  till  the 
evening  session,  as  was  also  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia. 

The  next  business  was  the  nomination  of  the  officers  for  the  Section  during 
the  coming  year.  Messrs.  Kremers  and  Alpers  were  put  in  nomination  for 
Chairman,  and  Mr.  Kaufmann  for  Secretary. 

The  reading  of  certain  papers  presented  by  members  in  attendance  were  car- 
ried over  to  the  evening  session,  so  as  to  allow  discussion  on  the  subjects  by  a 
larger  audience.     The  following  papers  were  then  read  by  title  : 

STANDARDS  FOR  LINSEED  AND  WHITE  AND  BLACK  MUSTARD 

SEEDS. 
By  J.  U.  Lloyd. 

COMPARATIVE  STRUCTURE  OF  HYOSCYAMUS,  BELLADONNA  AND 

STRAMONIUM  LEAVES. 

By   J.   O.   SCHLOTTBRBBCK. 

EXAMINATION  OF  POWDERED  VEGETABLE  DRUGS. 
By  Hbnry  Kraemer. 

SULPHUR  PRECIPITATUM. 
By  T.  D.  Rked. 

IS  GLUCOSE  OR  GRAPE  SUGAR   OF  ANY  VALUE  AS  A  PRESERVA- 
TIVE IN  SYRUP  OF  HYDRIODIC  ACID  AND  SYRUP  OF 
FERROUS  IODIDE? 
By  David  Walkkr. 

GELSEMIC  ACID. 
By  Viroil  Coblbktz. 
This  paper  is  printed  in  full  on  page  439. 


480  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,      {^s^pfembe?.^!™* 

A  CHEMICAL  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  MORPHINE. 
By  a.  B.  Prescott  and  H.  E.  Brown. 
By  special  action,  a  paper  on 

THE  EFFECT  OF  TEMPERATURE  UPON  PERCOLATION. 

By  H.  DeForrest  Smith, 
a  non-member,  was  received.     These  papers  were  referred  to  the  Publication 
Committee.     On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned  at  10  a.m.    Immediately  after 
this  action  the 

SECOND  SESSION   OF  THE  SCIENTIFIC  SECTION 

was  convened  by  the  Chairman.  The  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  first  session 
was  dispensed  with.  On  account  of  the  small  number  of  members  in  attend- 
ance, the  election  of  officers  was  postponed  until  the  evening  session,  and  at 
10.07  A.M.  the  second  session  adjourned,  so  the  audience  could  overtake  the 
trolley  party. 
The 

THIRD  SESSION   OF  THE  SCIENTIFIC  SECTION 

was  called  to  order  by  Chairman  Alpers  at  8.30  p.m.,  on  Thursday,  August  26th. 
Upon  motion,  the  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  second  session  was  dispensed 
with.  Prof.  Good  then  took  the  chair,  while  Mr.  Alpers  read  his  address.  In 
reply  to  the  remark  not  infrequently  heard,  "  Pharmacy  has  ceased  to  be  a 
science  ;  it  is  a  mere  trade,  and  a  poor  one  at  that,"  the  author  discussed  the 
topic:  "Is  there  Science  in  Pharmacy?"  He  believed  that  the  commercial 
admixture  in  American  pharmacy  predominates  over  the  scientific  part  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  latter  is  nearly  or  entirely  concealed. 

Driven  by  competition  into  a  state  of  nervous  agitation,  often  bordering  on 
recklessness,  he  thought  it  no  wonder  that  pharmacists  sometimes  ignored  their 
professional  standing,  and  plunged  into  the  strife  for  mere  commercial  supre- 
macy ;  and,  said  the  speaker,  what  is  the  worst  sign  of  the  times  from  the  point 
of  view  of  the  question — "  Is  there  Science  in  Pharmacy?  " — is  that  the  men 
who  conduct  their  business  on  these  lines  are,  as  a  rule,  the  most  successful 
ones,  if  the  gaining  of  wealth  is  to  be  the  sole  evidence  of  success.  He  pointed 
to  the  well-known  fact  that  many  pharmacists  do  not  make  the  preparations 
and  chemicals  which  they  handle,  and  mainly  because  of  the  capital  required 
for  investment,  and  because  of  the  protection  which  copyright  laws  provide  for 
so  many  articles  in  use  at  present.  He  said  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when 
the  pharmo-chemical  and  pharmacal  manufacturing  industries,  with  their  bound- 
less array  of  capital  and  superior  resources,  will  have  rendered  the  pharmacist's 
modest  laboratory,  in  every  productive  direction,  not  only  wholly  superfluous, 
but,  indeed,  absurd. 

.  He  said  science  in  pharmacy  is  to-day  like  the  princess  in  the  fairy  tale, 
lying  spellbound  under  noxious  weeds  and  thorns,  awaiting  her  delivery.  He 
foresaw  a  division  of  pharmacists  into  two  classes,  not  hostile  to  each  other, 
but  mutual  coadjutors  in  their  respective  lines  of  work,  and  supplementing  one 
another.  One  class  is  to  look  after  the  purely  commercial  side  of  the  drug 
business  as  now  conducted,  and  handle  the  so-called  "side  lines,"  while  the 
scientific  part  of  pharmacy  is  to  be  conducted  by  those  who  fit  themselves  for 
the  compounding  of  prescriptions,  the  sale  of  drugs,  the  assaying  and  standard- 


^8?ptimber isy?"  ;      American  Pharmaceutical  Assoiijiion.  481 

izing  of  drugs,  the  analysis  of  foods,  medicines,  secretions,  etc  ,  and  who  haye 
perfected  themselves  by  higher  education  in  the  use  of  the  microscope  as  a 
means  of  diagnosis,  and  also  in  bacteriology,  which  is  being  more  used  every 
day  by  physicians  in  order  to  study  diseases.  He  said  it  is  impossible  for  the 
physician  to  charge  himself  with  this  work  on  account  of  his  inability  to  give 
it  the  constant  attention  it  often  needs,  and  that  it  will  find  its  way  to  those 
prepared  to  do  it.  He  thought  it  a  field  of  desirable  activity,  and  stated  that  it 
was  still  largely  unclaimed,  and  that  the  pharmaci>t  should  enter  it.  Then 
the  analyst  pharmacist  would  be  a  connecting  link  between  the  laity  and  the 
medical  profession,  indispensable  to  both,  a  constant  searcher  for  truth,  a  once 
more  truly  professional  man,  far  from  priding  himself  on  successful  competition 
with  the  "general  store  "  in  the  favor  of  the  sidewalk  public.  To  regulate  and 
enforce  the  proposed  measures,  the  Chairman  recommended  that  a  Department 
of  Health  be  created.  He  proposed  that  it  be  made  national  in  function  if  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  would  permit ;  otherwise  that  funds  be 
appropriated  by  the  Government  for  its  support.  He  referred  to  the  fact  that 
the  medical  press  had  recently  suggested  such  a  measure,  and  that  Senator 
Mallory,  of  Florida,  had  already  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Senate  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  a  department.  The  speaker  believed  an  institution  of  the 
foregoing  character  would  afford  relief  from  the  many  disadvantages  and  draw- 
backs caused  in  medicine  and  pharmacy  by  the  confusing  multitude  of  State 
laws.  He  believed  the  .\merican  Pharmaceutical  Association  should  assume 
leadership  in  such  a  new  departure,  and  he  recommended  that  a  committee  be 
appointed  either  by  the  Scientific  Section  or  by  the  Association,  to  whom  this 
matter  should  then  first  be  referred,  to  examine  the  bill  introduced  by  Senator 
Mallory,  and  to  confer  witli  its  author  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  for  pharmacy 
and  its  subsidiary  sciences  proper  recognition  and  representation  in  the  pro- 
po.^ed  National  Department  of  Public  Health  ;  or,  if  this  bill  should  fail,  to 
take  steps  on  the  introduction  of  a  new  bill.  The  address  was  received  with 
the  thanks  of  the  Association,  and  was  referred  to  the  Section  on  Pharma- 
ceutical Kducation  and  I^egislation  for  discussion.  The  following  paper,  from 
the  Special  Research  Committee,  was  then  presented: 

THI-;  CAIFEIN  COMPOU.VD  IN  KOLA.     PART  II.     KOI.ATANNIN. 
By  a.  B.  Prescott  antj  J.  W.  T.  Knox. 

Continuing  the  work  reported  on  at  the  meeting  a  year  ago,  the  authors  find 
all  the  tannin  of  the  kola  nut,  that  combined  with  caffein  and  that  uncombined, 
lobe  a  single  chemical  individual,  distinct  from  any  tannin  previously  repoi ted 
as  found  in  the  beverage  plants  or  elsewhere.  The  "free"  kolatannin  was 
prepared  as  follows  :  Presh  kola  nuts  were  sliced  into  boiling  alcohol  (to  pre- 
vent the  formation  of  the  colored  body  which  would  otlurwist-  appear^  removed 
after  a  few  minutes'  boiling,  and  dried  in  a  current  of  warm  air,  then  ground 
to  a  No.  20  powder  and  packed  in  a  percolator.  The  alcohol  so  used  iu 
sterilizing  the  drug  was  diluted  to  about  50  per  cent,  strength,  and  cujployetl 
as  a  menstruum,  with  addition  of  sufficient  dilute  alcohol  to  complete  the 
extraction.  The  highly  colored  extract  of  kola  thus  obtained  was  concentrated 
by  distillation  in  vacuo,  until  the  alcohol  was  all  removed.  The  contents  of 
the  flask  were  then  filtere«l,  the  insoluble  portion  being  chiefly  c»ffein  kola*an- 
nate, while  the  solution  contained  cuOein,  kolatannin,  cbflcin  kt  latanrate,  glu- 


482  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.      {'Veptembef.^isgT"' 

cose,  traces  of  fatty  matter,  coloring  matter,  and  more  or  less  colored  derivatives 
of  tannin,  according  to  whether  the  sterilization  by  boiling  alcohol  has  been 
properly  done.  Common  salt  was  then  added  to  this  filtrate  to  saturation  and 
the  caffein  kolatannate  was  completely  precipitated.  It  was  filtered  out  and 
added  to  the  first  residue  of  cafFeiu  kolatannate.  The  reddish-colored  filtrate 
was  then  transferred  to  a  large  separatory  funnel  and  agitated  with  chloroform 
repeatedly  to  remove  alkaloids  and  the  traces  of  fat.  The  dissolved  chloroform 
was  then  separated  by  agitation  with  small  portions  of  ether.  Ethyl  acetate 
was  then  added  to  the  liquid  in  the  funnel,  and  the  liquid  extracted  with  it  as 
long  as  any  tannin  was  removed.  The  united  solutions  of  tannin  in  ethyl  ace- 
tate were  transferred  to  a  distilling  flask,  and  concentrated  to  dryness  under 
reduced  pressure.  The  tannin  residue  in  the  flask  was  a  porous,  pinkish  mass, 
very  friable,  and  easily  and  completely  soluble  in  water.  It  was  redissolved  in 
saturated  salt  solution,  filtered  and  again  shaken  out  with  ethyl  acetate,  which 
was  distilled  off  in  the  way  just  described.  The  tannin  residue  was  next  dis- 
solved in  cold  distilled  water,  and  shaken  out  as  before,  this  process  being 
repeated  as  often  as  necessary.  The  final  tannin  residue,  after  the  ethyl  acetate 
had  been  removed  as  far  as  possible  by  distillation,  was  treated  in  the  distilling 
flask  with  a  small  quantity  of  ether,  which,  after  permeating  the  mass,  was 
removed  by  distillation  under  reduced  pressure,  to  remove  the  odor  of  ethyl 
acetate.  The  tannin  was  then  transferred  to  a  vacuum  desiccator  and  kept  over 
sulphuric  acid  for  several  days  to  remove  the  last  traces  of  ethyl  acetate.  The 
kolatannin  from  cafifein  kolatannate  was  prepared  by  decomposing  the  purified 
salt  with  lead  hydroxide.  Freshly  precipitated  lead  hydroxide,  triturated  to  a 
smooth  paste  with  warm  alcohol,  was  added  in  excess  to  a  warm  solution  of 
the  caffein  kolatannate  in  dilute  alcohol.  The  mixture  was  warmed  on  a  water 
bath  for  a  few  minutes,  with  stirring.  The  precipitate  of  lead  kolatannate, 
mixed  with  the  excess  of  lead  hydroxide,  was  allowed  to  subside,  the  superna- 
tant liquid  removed  and  the  precipitate  washed  repeatedly  with  dilute  alcohol 
until  all  cafl"ein  was  removed.  The  precipitate  was  then  suspended  in  dilute 
alcohol  and  treated  with  hydrogen  sulphide  until  the  tannin  was  all  liberated. 
The  lead  sulphide  was  removed  by  filtration,  and  the  filtrate  concentrated  by 
distillation  in  vacuo  to  small  volume.  Eight  or  ten  volumes  of  water  were  then 
added.  This  precipitated  a  reddish  mass,  a  mixture  of  certain  anhydrides  of 
kolatannin,  which  was  filtered  out  and  set  aside. 

The  filtrate  containing  tannin,  together  with  dissolved  anhydrides,  was  now 
shaken  with  ether  once  or  twice,  which  was  thrown  away.  Then  ethyl  acetate 
was  added  and  the  tannin  separated  and  purified  in  the  way  already  described 
under  the  method  of  preparation  of  free  kolatannin.  Kolatannin  is  a  cream-col- 
ored powder,  with  a  slight  pinkish  tinge.  It  is  freely  and  completely  soluble 
in  water,  alcohol,  acetone  and  ethyl  acetate,  sparingly  soluble  in  ether,  insolu- 
ble in  chloroform  and  m  benzene.  In  properties  and  reactions  with  ferric  salts, 
bromine  and  calcium  hydroxide,  it  agrees  with  the  "oak  tannin  group,"  not 
with  the  "gall  tannin  group."  It  precipitates  metallic  salts,  alkaloids  and 
albumen,  and  produces,  with  solution  of  formaldehyde  in  the  presence  of 
a  condensing  agent,  as  hydrochloric  acid,  a  pink  precipitate  which 
becomes  red.  In  empirical  atomic  composition  it  is  homologous  with 
the  caff't tannic  acid  of  Hlasiwetz.  It  purifies  to  perfect  constancy  of  com- 
position,  C,  gH^i.O^,    as    found   in    repeated  preparations.     The  results  which 


^pt'embef.'isPT^' /      Avierican  Pharmaceutical  Association.  483 

were  obtained  by  the  authors  last  year  seemed  to  indicate  that  kolatannin  was 
a  glucosidal  body;  but  after  repeated  experiments,  in  which  .the  glucose  of  the 
plant  was  entirely  elitninated  from  the  tannin,  negative  results  were  obtained 
for  glucose  resulticg  from  decomposition  of  the  kolatannin,  and  the  inter- 
pretation was  made  that  kolatannin  is  not  a  glucoside.  The  authors  said  it  is 
significant  that  this  result  places  kolatannin  in  a  category  and  gives  it  a  char- 
acter essentially  different  from  the  character  of  caffetannic  acid  as  understood 
by  the  chemical  world  from  the  report  o*"  Hlasiwetz.  In  every  case  kolatannin 
yields  at  once  a  pentacetyl  derivative  ;  it  readily  admits  successively  three, 
four  and  five  atoms  of  bromine  in  substitution  for  hydrogen,  and  these  several 
bromine  and  acetyl  substitutions  are  obtained  just  the  same,  whether  the 
bromine  substitution  or  the  acetyl  substitution  be  made  first  in  order.  A  sixth 
atom  of  bromine  can,  with  more  difficulty,  be  introduced,  but  this  product  will 
at  most  receive  only  four  groups  of  acetyl,  forming  tetracetylhexabromkola- 
tannin.  In  analysis  of  the  acetyl  derivatives,  the  figures  from  combustion  were 
confirmed  by  a  method  of  saponification, 

Kolatannin  itself  forms  a  first,  a  third  and  a  fourth  anhydride,  and,  like 
anhydrides,  are  formed  by  the  several  bromine  derivatives,  all  these  purifying 
intact,  sojis  to  give,  on  combustion,  figures  quite  close  to  the  theoretical  ones. 
By  boiling  kolatannin  with  dilute  acids,  an  insoluble  "red"  is  obtained,  in 
place  of  the  "  kola-red  "  of  Knebel,  and  corresponding  to  the  oak-red,  and  the 
phlobaphene  of  Grabowski,  Etti  and  others,  but  with  utmost  efforts  this  body 
could  not  be  prepared  of  constant  composition. 

The  figures  from  six  preparations  ranged  C,  50*45,  53"6o,  56'38  per  cent., 
etc.  The  authors  believe  it  to  be  a  mixture  of  two  or  more  compounds.  The 
report  of  Knebel  and  of  Hilger  that  sugar  is  formed  coincident  with  the  red 
body  was  not  confirmed  by  the  present  experiments.  Kolatannin,  underaction 
of  fused  potassium  hydroxide,  was  found  to  yield  protocatechuic  acid,  as  well 
as  phloroglucin,  indicating  both  di-  and  trihydroxy  benzoic  constitution.  Pro- 
tocatechuic acid  was  also  obtained  by  heating  with  glycerine.  The  authors 
stated  their  desire  to  make  further  detenninations  of  decomposition  ]  roiucts  of 
kolatannin,  and  proposed,  for  further  studies,  the  following  constitutional  for- 
mula, which  they  think  is  consistent  with  the  results  so  far  obtained  : 

C,.H,(CH,UOin,C()  „  .>   „    o 

QH.  CHJ(OCH,)(OH),0    "   '-le^^o'^" 

The  authors  also  discussed  the  two  processes  for  the  assay  of  kola  which 
have  been  proposed  in  the  past  year  by  Jean  and  Carles.  They  gave  the  essen- 
tial points  of  these  methods  as  follows  :  Afethod  of  Jtau. — This  author  boils  the 
dried  and  powdered  drug  with  milk  of  lime,  dries  the  whole  in  an  oven  and 
powders  it  again.  This  powder  is  exhausted  with  chloroform,  which  removes 
the  free  alkaloids.  The  chloroform  is  evajwrated  to  dryness,  the  residue  dis- 
solved in  hot  water  and  filtered.  The  filtraie  is  evaporated  to  dryness  and 
weighed  as  caffein.  For  "kolanin:"  the  drug,  after  treatment  with  chloro- 
form, is  extracted  with  alcohol,  the  alcohol  evaporated  from  the  |>ercolate,  and 
the  soft  extract  remaining  is  di.ssolvcd  in  boiling  water,  which  solution,  after 
cooling,  is  filtered.  The  insoluble  matter  remaining  in  the  filter  is  dried  iu  an 
oven  and  weighed  as  "  kolanin." 

The  authors,  in  criticising  the  foregoing  nielho  is,  stale  that  the  most  serious 


484  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.      ; ^^'eptember/TsMT^' 

defects  are:  (i)  the  boiling  with  milk  of  lime,  (2)  prolonged  heating  necessary 
to  dry  the  drug  after  that  treatment,  (3)  weighing  the  caffein  instead  of  esti- 
mating it  with  Wagner's  reagent  volumetrically,  (4)  the  means  emplo}ed  to 
separate  the  so-called  "kolanin,"  (5)  estimating  caffein  kolatannate,  "kola- 
nin,"  by  weight  as  such  instead  of  by  its  caffein  content,  (i)  Boiling  with 
milk  of  lime  or  other  aqueous  alkalies  tends  to  decompose  caffein  itself  and  to 
liberate  caffein  from  its  tannate,  and  thus  prevent  an  exact  determination  of  the 
proportion  of  "free  "  to  combined  alkaloids  that  originally  existed  in  the  drug. 
The  starch  of  kola,  amounting  to  nearly  40  per  cent.,  causes  the  drug  to 
become  of  a  jelly-like  consistency  when  boiled  with  aqueous  liquids,  and  when 
dried  the  mass  is  very  difficult  to  powder,  and  even  when  powdered  the  condition 
of  it  is  well  calculated  to  resist  the  penetrating  action  of  the  solvent,  and  thus 
cause  incomplete  extraction.  (2)  The  gelatinous  condition  of  the  drug  after 
boiling  with  lime  water  renders  it  hard  to  dry  completely,  and  as  very  pro- 
longed heating  is  necessary,  there  is  danger  of  loss  of  caffein  by  sublimation. 
(3)  We  do  not  consider  that  the  alkaloids  of  kola  are  sufficiently  pure 
when  removed  in  this  manner  to  be  weighed  as  such.  Gomberg's  volu- 
metric method  gives  more  accurate  results,  (4)  If  any  caffein  kolatannate 
escapes  decomposition  during  the  first  part  of  the  assay,  which  will  occa- 
sionalh'  happen,  it  is  removed  by  the  extraction  with  alcohol.  But  as 
it  is  somewhat  soluble  in  water  and  more  soluble  in  aqueous  solutions  contain- 
ing tannin,  the  directions  to  collect  and  weigh  the  portion  left  undissolved  by 
water  will  generally  be  found  superfluous,  for  the  small  amount  of  it  present 
will  generally  pass  into  and  remain  in  solution.  Dieterich  had  this  experience 
and  met  with  nothing  but  disappointment  in  trying  to  estimate  caffein  kolatan- 
nate by  this  method.  (5)  Caffein  kolatannate  has  been  shown  to  be  a  body  of 
somewhat  variable  composition,  with  a  caffein  content  ranging  from  19  to  25 
per  cent.  Inasmuch  as  the  value  of  kola  as  a  stimulant  depends  primarily  on 
its  percentage  of  caffein,  and  as  the  weight  of  its  caffein  compound  indicates 
only  approximately  the  amount  of  its  combined  caffein,  there  would  not  seem 
to  be  any  reason  for  attaching  much  importance  to  the  weight  of  this  compound 
if  a  very  precise  valuation  of  the  drug  is  desired.  We  hold  that  a  direct  esti- 
mation of  the  caffein  of  this  compound  is  preferable,  and,  at  least,  as  expedi- 
tious. 

Method  of  Carles. — Ten  grammes  of  kola,  i  gramme  of  calcium  hydroxide, 
and  20  grammes  of  80  per  cent,  alcohol,  are  mixed  together  and  dried  on  the 
water-bath  until  the  weight  is  reduced  to  14  grammes.  The  mixture  is  then 
powdered  and  transferred  to  a  100  c.c.  flask  containing  35  c.c.  of  a  mixture  of 
100  parts  of  chloroform  and  20  parts  of  alcohol,  and  heated  for  one  hour  on  a 
water-bath.  After  filtration,  the  residue  is  extracted  next  with  20  c.c.  of  the 
same  solvent,  and  finally  with  10  c.c.  The  united  extracts  are  evaporated  to 
dryness  and  the  residue  taken  up  with  10  c.c.  of  boiling  water,  containing  four 
or  five  drops  of  i  per  cent,  sulphuric  acid,  then  with  6  c.c,  and  finally  with  5  c.c. 
The  solutions  are  united,  filtered,  evaporated  to  constant  weight  and  weighed 
as  caffein.  For  "kolanin,"  which  the  author  recognizes  as  caffein  kolatan- 
nate, another  sample  of  ihe  drug  is  taken  and  extracted  with  water  to  remove 
the  caffein  and  other  soluble  constituents.  The  drug  is  next  extracted  with 
70  per  cent,  alcohol,  the  extract  evaporated  to  dryness,  transferred  to  a  filter, 
waslied    with  cold  water,  iheu  dried  by  a  gentle   heat   and    weighed.     If  it  is 


I 


iTptimbefl^sS-^'}      American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  485 

desired  to  estimate  the  alkaloids  of  this  compound,  i  gramme  of  "kolaniu," 
I  gramme  of  calcium  hydroxide,  and  3  grammes  of  chalk,  with  a  little  70  per 
cent,  alcohol,  are  mixed  together,  and  evaporated  on  the  water-bath  to  about  6 
grammes  and  extracted  with  alcoholic  chloroform  in  the  manner  already 
described.  The  objections  to  this  method  are  in  part  among  those  already 
mentioned  in  the  discussion  of  Jean's  method.  The  use  of  lime  or  other  alka- 
lies in  the  assay  of  a  caffein-beariug  drug  is  to  be  deprecated.  The  solvent 
used  is  not  a  proper  one,  for  the  reason  that  sufficient  alcohol  is  present  to 
extract  other  constituents,  in  addition  to  the  alkaloids,  which  are  not  removed 
from  caffein  during  the  subsequent  treatment  of  the  residue,  and  which  when 
weighed  with  the  caffein  lead  to  erroneous  results.  Moreover,  the  manner  of 
applying  the  menstruum  is  inconvenient,  does  not  insure  complete  extrac- 
tion, and  is  in  no  way  preferable  to  the  ordinary  extraction  by  the  use  of 
Soxhlet's  apparatus.  The  addition  of  the  sulphuric  acid  is  unneces- 
sary, and  does  noi  add  to  the  purity  of  the  final  product,  which  is  dark-colored 
and  very  plainly  impure.  The  objection  to  weighing  a  final  residue  as  caffein 
finds  especial  application  in  this  method.  As  the  properties  of  caffein  kola- 
tannate  had  not  been  made  known  very  generally  at  the  time  of  publication  of 
these  methods,  there  is  some  excuse  for  the  assumption  of  both  these  writers, 
that  it  is  wholly  insoluble.  Carles  has  proceeded  on  this  hypothesis,  in  direct- 
ing the  drug  to  be  extracted  with  cold  water,  to  remove  the  water-soluble  con- 
stituents before  exhausting  it  with  alcohol  to  remove  the  caffein  compound; 
but  inasmuch  as  caffein  kolatannate  is  not  onlj-  somewhat  soluble  in  water,  but 
considerably  more  soluble  in  solutions  of  caffein  and  of  tannin,  the  extraction 
of  kola  by  water  will  remove  a  considerable  amount  of  it.  The  same  is  to  be 
said  of  the  final  washing  of  the  caffein  compound  with  water,  which  is  quite 
inadmissible  in  quantitative  work.  Carles  seems  to  have  recognized  the  uncer- 
tain value  of  gravimetric  determinations  of  caffein  kolatannate,  and  is  to  be 
commended  for  offering  an  alternate  method  providing  for  its  valuation 
according  to  the  amount  of  its  alkaloids.  Both  methods  give  very  low  results 
as  compared  with  those  obtained  by  the  nitthcd  proposed  at  the  meeting  last 
year  by  the  authors.  The  paper  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication 
Committee.  During  the  discussion  that  followed,  Prof.  Kremers  referred  to 
a  late  contribution  to  the  knowledge  of  the  tannin  of  coffee  by  Kuntz-Krause, 
in  which  caffetannic  acid  is  said  to  be  a  glucoside. 
The  subject  of  the  next  paper  was  : 

WHY  A  PHARMACIST  SHOULD   BE  A  BACTERIOLOGIST. 

By  O.  W.  Kki'Kgkr 

He  said  because  physicians  are  employing  bacteriology  more  and  more  as  a 
means  in  determining  the  nature  of  diseases  and  the  selection  of  proper  reme- 
dies, and  because  they  do  not  possess  the  required  laboratories  and  apparatus 
which  the  pharmacist  should  always  have  ;  therefore,  and  in  order  to  be  an 
up-to-date  co-worker  with  an  up-to-date  physician,  a  pharmacist  should  be  a 
bacteriologist. 

The  paper  was  discussed  by  Messrs.  Whelpley,  Alpcrs,  Prescott  and  Hall- 
l>erg.  It  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  report  of  Professor  Kremers,  a  member  of  the  Si>ecial  Kesearcii 
Committee,  on  the  volatile  oils  which  were  considered  last  year  in  the  report 


486  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.      {  'september^^?.'' 

of  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopceia.  He  mentioned  the 
ambiguity  of  the  term  "volatile  oil,"  and  spoke  of  the  care  that  should  be 
used  in  deciding  on  the  particular  constituent  by  the  estimation  of  which  it  is 
sought  to  value  the  oil.  The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publica- 
tion Committee.  The  second  annual  report  of  the  Research  Committee  was 
then  presented  by  Chairman  Prescott.  It  considered  the  pharmaceutical  assay 
of  and  the  limitations  of  the  percentage  of  essential  constituents  of  volatile  oils 
at  large.  The  Chairman  also  reported  that  the  constitution  of  commercial  oil 
of  bay  was  under  investigation  by  a  member  of  the  committee.  The  following 
subjects  were  also  reported  by  him  as  under  investigation  :  Standards  for  Lin- 
seed and  White  and  Black  Mustard  Seed  ;  (he  reported  that  Professor  Lloyd 
had  accepted  this  subject  so  far  as  the  mustard  seed  were  concerned  ;)  stand- 
ardization of  Powdered  Acacia  and  Gamboge,  giving  Limitations  for  the  Amount 
of  Starch  Allowable  ;  Investigation  of  Syrups  Made  with  Cane  Sugar,  and  a 
report  on  the  desirability  of  using  glycerin  in  place  of  cane  sugar  in  syrups  \ 
(the  chairman  of  the  committee  had  done  something  toward  working  this  sub- 
ject;) the  Chemistry  of  Cascara  Sagrada  ;  (Dr.  Dohme  is  investigating  this 
matter;)  Chemistry  of  Taraxacum  ;  (Professor  Sayre  has  this  subject;)  the 
Perhalides  of  Alkaloids  in  Relation  to  their  Volumetric  Estimation  ;  (the 
chairman  has  this;)  Toxic  Action  of  Phenol  on  Living  Plants;  (under  the 
supervision  of  Professor  Kremers; )  Comparative  Structure  of  Hyoscyamus, 
Belladonna  and  Stramonium  Leaves;  (assigned  to  J.  O.  Schlotterbeck  ;)  A 
Chemical  Bibliography  of  Morphine  from  1875  to  1896  ;  (compiled  by  H.  E. 
Brown.)  The  report  was  received  and  approved.  The  thanks  of  the  Section 
were  extended  the  committee.  The  Secretary  was  then  asked  to  cast  an  affirma- 
tive ballot  in  order  to  elect  Messrs.  Kremers  and  Dohme  members  of  the 
Special  Research  Committee  for  a  term  of  two  years  and  to  fill  the  vacancies 
of  Messrs.  Kremers  and  Coblentz,  whose  terms  had  expired.  Professor  Good 
moved  that  the  chairman  of  the  committee  be  empowered  to  fill  any  vacancy  in 
the  committee  until  the  next  meeting,  should  one  occur  in  the  intervals  of  the 
meetings.  The  following  two  papers  from  the  Special  Research  Committee 
were  then  read  in  abstract,  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee: 

ALKYL  BISMUTH  IODIDES. 
By  a.  B.  Prkscott. 

The  paper  dealt  with  the  theories  of  the  structure  of  this  class  of  compounds 
and  with  work  upon  bismuth  iodides  of  nitrogen  bases,  both  of  fatty  alkyls  and 
those  of  pyridine  and  pyridine-derived  alkaloids.  The  interest  attached  to 
pharmacy  in  the  paper  laid  in  the  fact  that  the  alkaloidal  bismuth  iodides  were 
shown  not  to  be  quantitatively  uniform  enough  to  be  entirely  satisfactory  for 
alkaloidal  assay,  but  were  shown  to  be  more  stable  and  uniform  than  the  alka- 
loid mercuric  iodides  formed  by  Mayer's  reagent.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
are  more  bulky,  less  easy  to  gather  into  compact  mass,  and  less  manageable 
in  filtration.  On  the  whole,  the  author  believed  that  the  use  of  Dragen- 
dorfPs  reagent  (potassium  bismuth  iodide)  for  alkaloidal  assay  affords  no 
general  advantages  over  that  of  Mayer,  which  is  well  known  to  be  unsatis- 
factory. 

Following  this  paper  came  one  on 


A'li.Juiir   Pharni  ) 
September.  l8i*7.  . 


American  Pharmaceutical  Association. 


487 


ARAI.IA  XUDICAULIS. 
By  William  C.  Alpers  ani>  Benjamin  L    Mi.rray. 

The  botany  of  the  entire  plant,  and  the  microscopy,  chemistry  and  pharma- 
ceutical preparations  of  the  rhizome  were  treate<l.  Drawings  of  a  cross-section 
of  the  corky  layer  of  the  old  bark,  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  outer  bark,  also 
one  of  the  wood  from  pith  to  bark,  and  a  segmentary  cross-section  of  the  entire 
root  showing  pitted  vessels,  lignified  cells,  cork  cells,  medullary  rays,  medullary 
rays  prolonged  in»^o  bark,  cambium  layer,  resin  and  oil  cells,  phellogen,  bark, 
wood  and  p  th,  accompanied  the  paper. 

As  a  summary  of  the  systematic  analysis  and  estimation  of  the  constituents, 
the  following  table  was  presented  : 


Extract  with 


Pf  rcentage  of 
Dry  Drug. 


Chloroform 

Alcohol,  80  percent. 

Water 

Acid  I,  water  \  .       . 
Alkaline  solution 
(By  subtraction)   .   . 


338 
875 
358 

56- 10 
6-89 

21  30 


Containing 


Resin,  305  per  cent.;  oil,  0*33  per  cent. 

Tannin  ;  organic  acid  ;  acid  resin  (neutral  resin?) 

Albuminous  bodi? s  ;  coloring  matter. 

Mucilaginous  matter. 

Crude  fibres,  etc. 

Cellulose. 


Regarding  the  pharmaceutical  preparations,  the  authors  said  a  quantity  of  the 
fresh  rhizome  gathered  in  the  fall  was  digested  with  alcohol,  according  to  the 
directions  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  making  fresh  tinctures.  This  tincture, 
after  standing  nearly  a  year,  exposed  to  the  varying  temperatures  of  winter 
and  summer,  showed  no  precipitate,  and  possessed  the  odor  and  taste  of  the  plant. 
Mixed  with  water  it  formed  a  milky  precipitate,  indicating  the  presence  of  oil 
and  resin.  It  had  a  beautiful  gold-yellow  color,  which  seems  to  be  permanent. 
A  fluid  extract  was  prepared  from  the  rhizome  gathered  in  the  spring.  A  men- 
struum of  four  parts  of  alcohol  and  one  of  water  was  used,  and  the  general 
directions  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  making  fluid  extracts  were  followed.  The 
evaporization  of  the  second  percolate  was  performed  at  a  very  low  temperature, 
in  order  not  to  drive  ofl^  oily  or  resinous  parts.  The  fluid  extract  resembled 
the  tincture,  but  is  darker,  owing  to  the  solution  of  the  coloring  matter  of  the 
plant,  and  more  aromatic. 

Although  this  fluid  extract  appears  to  be  an  elegant  and  highly  concentrated 
preparation,  and  to  possess  all  the  properties  of  the  <lrug,  it  is  doubtful,  in  the 
writers'  minds,  if  therajjeulically  it  would  be  the  most  desirable  form  of  admin- 
istering the  drug.  The  virtues  of  the  drug  depend,  they  believe,  on  the  oil  and 
resins.  The  properties  of  the  drug,  judging  from  some  crude  experiment.^. 
seemed  to  be  .stimulant,  diaphoretic  and  probably  neurotic. 

Professors  Sayre  and  Lloyd  spok**  of  the  compound  syrup  of  arali.i  bring 
used  as  an  alterative  by  the  Eclectics,  instead  of  the  compound  syrup  of  sary.i- 
parilla. 

Mr.  Alpers  said  he  had  been  unable  to  procure  Aralia  nudicaulis  in  the 
market,  but  that  each  time  he  had  ordered  it  another  <lrug  liad  been  sent.     In 


488  American  Pliarniaccutical  Association.      { '"s^pimbe^S"- 

explanation  of  this,  Prof.  Lloyd  said  that  what  Mr.  Alpers  had  received  when 
he  ordered  Aralia  uudicanlis  was  probably  Aralia  hispida  ;  and  he  also  said  that 
the  Eclectics  have  carefully  distinguished  between  the  two,  and  that  they 
refuse  to  accept  spikenard  for  the  plant  under  consideration. 

By  a  special  action  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the  United 
States  Pharmacopoeia  was  presented  at  this  stage  by  Chairman  Eliel,  who  said 

in  effect : 

Podophyllum.— k.%  podophyllin  is  the  active  principle,  a  podophyllin  require- 
ment should  be  established.  As  the  process  of  assaying  the  drug  and  obtain- 
ing the  purified  Podophyllin,  U.S  P.,  is  a  simple  one,  it  should  be  adopted  as 
such,  or  in  a  modified  form.  Four  per  cent,  of  purified  U.S  P.  podophyllin 
appears  to  be  an  average  good  yield  from  resinous  prime  root. 

Prunus  Virgifiiana. — It  has  been  established  that  wild  cherry  bark  can 
readily  be  assayed  and  its  value  be  determined  A  process  of  assay  should 
therefore  be  adopted  and  a  standard  hydrocyanic  acid  requirement  be 
established. 

Sajigui naria. —'Q\oo^  root  has  an  active  principle,  sanguinarine,  and  as  this 
can  readily  be  determined,  a  process  of  assay  should  be  adopted,  and  a  sangui- 
narine requirement  established. 

Sarsaparilla,  Quillaja  and  Senega  have  similar  properties,  and  their  active 
principles  are  similar  and  allied.  These  principles  should  be  investigated  and 
closely  compared.  Methods  of  assay  and  standard  requirements  should  be 
established  so  as  to  give  pharmacists  a  means  of  determining  their  merits  and 
value  independently  of  the  crude  microscopical  methods  now  necessarily  and 
onl}'  employed,  and  which  can  have  no  real  value.  If,  as  has  been  maintained, 
soap  bark  and  senega  root  have  the  same  therapeutic  value,  and  can  be  inter- 
changed, the  more  valuable  one  should  be  determined  and  adopted,  and  the 
less  valuable  one  droppe  d    . 

Slrophanthus. — The  most  valuable  variety  of  this  drug  should  be  adopted  and 
the  less  valuable  varieties  excluded  by  the  Pharmacopoeia,  and  a  method  of 
assay  for  determining  the  strophauthin  adopted,  as  well  as  a  minimum  content 
of  the  same. 

Syrupus  Acidi  Hydriodici  is  not  a  stable  preparation,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  it 
can  be  made  such.  A  concentrated  solution  of  hydriodic  acid  can  be  made 
that  is  stable,  and  from  which  the  syrup  can  be  made  as  wanted  for  dispensing. 
Such  a  solution  should  be  substituted  for  the  syrup.  Prof.  Ryan  suggested,  if 
the  syrup  be  continued,  that  its  strength  be  increased. 

Syrup  of  Garlic. — This  syrup  is  practically  obsolete,  as  far  as  usefulness  is 
concerned,  and  should  be  dropped;  but  if  retained  in  the  Pharmacopoeia,  the 
quantity  of  dilute  acetic  acid  should  be  reduced,  for  if  made  with  a  good  quality 
of  garlic,  the  finished  product,  according  to  quantities  now  directed  to  be  used, 
will  yield  about  looc.c.  more  than  the  looo  c.c.  that  the  Pharmacopoeia  directs. 
Vanillin  has  been  recognized  as  the  odoriferous  and  valuable  principle  of 
vanilla  beans,  and  is  a  definite  chemical  compound  whose  purity  can  readily  be 
determined.  It  should  be  made  official,  especially  as  its  use  is  becoming  gen- 
eral among  pharmacists. 

Mucilago  Acacice  may  be  kept  for  an  indefinite  time  if  25  per  cent,  of  the 
■water  directed  to  be  used  is  replaced  with  liquor  calcis,  and  we  recommend  its 
adoption  in  the  Pharmacopoeia. 


^'J^t'^mberiao™}      American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  489 

Tinctura  Moschi. — The  pharmacoprcial  requirement  of  5  per  cent,  stren^^th 
is  too  great  and  wasteful,  as  this  amount  of  musk  will  not  be  exhausted  by  the 
process  now  directed.  The  strength  should  be  reduced  to  2  per  cent,  and 
100  c.c.  of  the  water  replaced  by  liquor  calcis. 

Methyl  Alcohol  may  now  be  obtained  of  a  high  degree  of  purity,  and  the  use 
of  such  purified  wood  alcohol  should  be  sanctioned  in  the  manufacture  of  such 
preparations  as  linimentum  saponis,  linimentum  saponis  mollis,  linimentum 
sinapis  compositum,  spiritus  myrcice,  tinctura  arnicae  florum,  tinctura  benzoini, 
tinctura  cantharidis  and  tinctura  iodi.  Samples  of  these  preparations  made  with 
purified  wood  alcohol  were  submitted  for  inspection  by  Mr.  Eliel. 

It  was  the  intention  to  submit  at  this  meeting  aline  of  samples  of  fluid  and 
solid  extracts  of  alkaloidal  drugs  with  wood  alcohol  as  a  solvent,  but  in  order 
to  obtain  trustworthy  results,  the  committee  found  that  individual  experiments 
have  to  be  repeated  a  great  many  times.  The  practicability  of  using  methyl 
alcohol  in  the  manufacture  of  alkaloidal  solid  extracts  was  tested  on  the  follow- 
ing drugs : 

Aconite,  belladonna,  cinchona,  henbane  and  stramonium.  Methyl  alcohol 
does  wholly  extract  the  alkaloids  of  these  drugs. 

In  the  cases  of  aconite,  belladonna  and  nux  vomica,  the  volume  of  menstruum 
for  complete  exhaustion  was  ascertained.  Two  portions  of  the  drug  (100  gm. 
each)  were  packed  in  separate  percolators  and  were  exhausted  under  the  same 
conditions  and  at  the  same  rate  of  flow,  one  portion  being  exhausted  with 
official  menstruum,  the  other  with  a  menstruum  differing  from  the  otTicial  in 
containing  purified  methyl  alcohol  in  place  of  official  ethyl  alcohol. 

The  percolation  was  conducted  with  ordinary  percolators,  and  in  the  manner 
ordinarily  employed  in  retiiil  stores,  who  follow  the  specifications  of  the 
U.S.  P. 

The  results  were  as  follows  : 

Volume  of  menstruum  required  for  complete  exhaustiuu. 

Htbyl  Methyl 

Drugf.  Alcohol  Menstruum.  Alcohol  Menstruum. 

Aconite 450  c.c.  550  c.c. 

Belladonna 695  c.c.  700  c.c. 

Nux  vomica 950  c.c.  1060  c.c. 

The  first  and  the  second  100  c.c.  of  percolate  were  assayed  for  total  alkaloids, 
with  the  following  results  : 

First  100  c.c.  of  Fir«t  too  c.c.  of 

Kthyl  Methyl 

Drug.  .Alcohol  Percolate.  Alcohol  Percolate. 

Aconite 0*49    gm.  043    gm. 

Belladonna 0*437  gra.  0458  gm. 

Nux  vomica  1437  gra.  i'437  gm. 

Second  100  c  c.  of  Second  lOo  c  c.  of 
Ethyl  Methyl 

DruK.  Alcohol  Percolate.  Alcohol  Percolate. 

.\conite 0135    gm.  0135      gm. 

Belladonna '0578  gm.  '048i4gm. 

Nux  vomica  '733    gm.  '668      gm. 


490  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.      { ^sTp/emberfsg"* 

The  solvent  power  of  methyl  alcohol  for  non-alkaloidal  plant  constituents  is 
not  identical  with  the  so  vent  power  of  ethyl  alcohol.  As  a  consequence,  the 
mass  of  extract  obtained  from  a  given  quantity  of  drug  is  not  the  same  as  that 
obtained  from  the  same  quantity  of  drug  by  means  of  an  ethyl  alcohol  men- 
struum. The  dose  of  the  extract  would,  therefore,  have  to  be  ascertained  and, 
perhaps,  changed  if  methyl  alcohol  be  adopted  as  the  solvent. 

The  weights  of  extract,  calculated  as  pilidar  extract,  obtained  from  loo  gm. 
of  drug  by  completely  exhausting  loo  gm.  of  drug  with  the  ethyl  alcohol  men-, 
struutn  and  with  the  methyl  alcohol  menstruum,  were  : 

Drug,  Ethyl  Alcohol  Extract.  Methyl  Alcohol  Extract. 

Aconite 7'57gai.  14  gm. 

Belladonna 54       gm.  25708  gm. 

Nux  vomica 12-55  gm.  20*4      gm. 

Cinchona  ......    .  54-62  gm.  53-134  gm. 

The  Committee  stated  they  had  made  arrangements  for  further  work  on  this 
subject. 

The  toxicity  of  methyl  alcohol  was  discussed  by  several  of  the  members. 
Mr.  Puckner  reported  having  taken  30  c.c.  of  a  purified  methyl  alcohol,  with  a 
slight  increase  in  pulse  and  temperature  as  the  only  results.  On  other  occa- 
sions he  took  15  c.c.  every  three  hours  with  the  same  effect.  He  believed 
methyl,  ethyl  and  propyl  alcohols  are  all  about  alike  in  their  physiological 
effects.  Prof.  Kremers  pointed  out  that  it  had  been  determined  that  the  toxi- 
city of  alcohols  of  the  paraffin  series  increases  with  the  number  of  carbon 
atoms  ;  and  he  said,  if  this  was  true,  methyl  alcohol  must  be  less  toxic  than 
ethyl  alcohol.  Contrary  to  all  this,  Prof.  Hallberg  reported  a  case  where  two 
persons  had  died  from  the  drinking  of  10  ounces  of  commercial  methyl  alcohol. 
It  was  the  opinion  of  some  present  that  the  same  amount  of  ethyl  alcohol 
might  have  caused  the  same  result.  The  members  differed  in  their  experience 
with  the  so-called  "  Columbian  Spirit."  Some  had  found  it  to  contain  acetone, 
while  others  had  not.  Prof.  Hallberg  said  that  tincture  of  iodine  made  with 
purified  methyl  alcohol  became  colorless,  or  nearly  so,  on  standing,  while  Mr. 
Ebert  said  he  had  a  sample  of  that  tincture  made  in  January,  and  that  it  had 
not  lost  color.  The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Com- 
mittee.    A  paper  on 

PEANUT  OIL. 

By  S,  p.  Sadtler, 
was  then  read. 

The  author  dealt  with  the  source  and  preparation  of  the  oil.  He  stated  the 
results  of  his  analysis  of  the  oil  of  Virginia  peanuts  in  tabular  form,  and  also 
placed  alongside  for  comparison  some  partial  analyses  of  peanut  oil  from  for- 
eign sources,  as  follows  : 


Am.  Joar.  Pbann. 
!:ieptember.  IRW. 


}      American  Pliartnaceutical  Association. 


491 


Specific  gravity  at  I5°C 

Saponification  value 

Iodine  value 

Hehner  value  .   .       . 

(Percentage  of  insoluble  acids) 

Reichert-Meissl  vnlue 

Percentage  of  free  acid  as  oleic  . 

Cold  test  of  the  oil 

Maumen^  Test 

Melting  point  of  fatty  acids    .   . 

Solidifying  point  of  fatty  acids  . 


Oil  from       Oil  from        Oil  from 

Virjfinia        Spanish         African 

Nuts.  Nuts.  Nuts. 


Oil  from       Commer- 
Puducheri. ;    cial  Oil. 


o'93r9 
1921 
98-4 

95-86 

6ao 
+  10°  C. 

45  5°  C. 

25°  C. 


He  also  said  the  production  of  peanut  oil  in  this  country  has  hitherto  been, 
unless  secretly,  only  carried  on  in  a  desultory  way,  and  it  has  not  been  much 
known  as  a  commercial  article.  However,  as  the  chemical  composition  of  the 
peanut  has  become  better  known,  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  food  value 
of  the  peanut  meal  and  the  peanut  grits.  It  has  been  found  that  they  are 
richer  in  nitrogenous  principles  than  any  of  the  vegetable  seed  cakes,  and  a 
demand  has  sprung  up  for  them.  So  the  expression  of  the  oil  has  now  been 
undertaken  on  a  larger  scale  and  with  more  suitably  designed  presses. 

The  sample  which  was  shown  was  cold-pressed  oil  from  Virginia  peanuts, 
and  about  38  per  cent,  by  weight  is  obtained  in  the  first  cold-pressing.  By  a 
second  hot-pressing  nearly  10  per  cent,  more  can  be  obtained.  The  cold- 
pressed  oil  is,  as  seen,  of  a  pale  yellow  color,  and  of  pleasant  flavor  and  o<lor.  A 
very  slight  refining  makes  from  it  a  very  agreeable  table  oil  for  salads  and  general 
culinary  purposes.  It  has  already  been  noted  with  the  European  peanut  oil 
(and  the  author  said  he  could  confirm  it  from  his  experiments  with  the  Amer- 
ican oil)  that,  when  once  freed  from  the  free  acid  found  in  the  raw  state,  it 
does  not  tend  to  l)ecome  rancid  as  easily  as  olive  oil.  The  author  said  he  had 
exposed  samples  to  strong  sunlight  for  weeks  without  developing  the  slightest 
rancidity. 

Now,  asked  the  author,  as  this  is  an  abundant  American  product  1  the  annual 
product  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  peanuts  is  over  two  million  bushels), 
why  should  the  oil  not  be  used  in  pharmacy  where  olive  oil  is  now  used  ?  The 
investigator  had  prepared,  in  an  experimental  way,  a  soda  soap  from  this  oil,  a 
sample  of  which  was  shown,  and  a  sample  of  lead  plaster  from  the  same. 
With  this  latter  for  comparison  was  put  lead  plaster,  made  from  a  sample  of 
pure  California  olive  oil.  He  thought  these  showed  that  the  p)€anut  oil  will 
make  at  least  as  good  products  as  the  official  olive  oil. 

As  regards  the  soap,  it  is  an  open  secret  that  the  bulk  of  the  castile  soap 
made  in  Marseilles  to-day  is  made  from  .\frican  peanut  oil. 

The  author  said,  in  conclusion,  that  when  he  a^kcd  permission  of  the  com- 
pany,  who  arc  now  starting   iu   to   tiianufaclure   this  oil   in  this  country,  lo 


492  American  PharmacetUical  Association.      {^^^^^.t^^f^xl^: 

present  an  account  of  his  examination  of  the  oil  before  the  Association,  he  was 
told  that  they  would  cheerfully  send  samples  of  the  oil  in  response  to 
inquiries  Irom  any  one  interested.  He  stated  the  cost  of  peanut  oil  is  much 
below  that  of  olive  oil. 

The  paper  was  followed  by  some 

PRACTICAL  NOTES. 
By  Joseph  Feil. 

A  series  of  experiments  indicated  to  the  author  that  under  the  ordinary  con- 
ditions of  most  drug  stores,  tincture  of  iodine  will  remain  of  U.S. P.  strength  for 
about  one  month — that  is  to  say,  if  the  bottle  is  opened  once  or  twice  a  day,  and 
if  kept  on  a  shelf  exposed  to  diffused  daylight  ;  if,  however,  the  container  is 
kept  in  a  dark  closet,  exposed  to  the  same  conditions  of  occasionally  being 
opened,  it  remains  unchanged  for  two  months.  The  author  suggested  that  the 
Pharmacopoeia  require  the  preparation  to  be  kept  in  a  dark  place. 

In  regard  to  the  variation  in  strength  of  tincture  of  opium,  he  stated  that 
inquiry  seemed  to  clearly  indicate  careless  manipulation  in  the  preparation  of 
the  tincture  as  almost  the  only  reason  for  this  condition  of  affairs. 

The  author  stated  that  powdered  cinchona  of  a  quality  far  exceeding  U.S. P. 
requirements  is  readily  obtainable  at  a  moderate  price,  yet  the  ordinary  article 
is  only  50  to  70  per  cent,  of  what  it  should  be  in  alkaloidal  strength.  He 
believed  a  possible  cure  for  this  condition  of  affairs  would  be  a  shorter  method 
of  assay  for  the  drug,  if  it  is  possible  to  devise  one,  even  if  it  does  not  give 
absolute  results. 

The  writer  said  although  the  U.S. P.  recommends  excellent  wines,  such  as 
California  Reisling  and  Ohio  catawba,  from  which  to  prepare  the  vina,  yet  the 
favorite  article  used  extensively  to-day  is  sherry  wine,  an  article  notoriously 
impure.  He  found  pharmacists  consider  the  preparations  made  by  the  latter  as 
better.  He  considered  this  doubtful,  and  added  that  he  had  failed  to  find  any 
proof  that  the  newer  wines  make  better  preparations  ;  undoubtedly  they  are 
purer,  but  this  does  not  prove  that  for  medicinal  purposes  they  are  better,  unless 
clinical  evidence  can  be  shown  to  this  effect. 

In  the  discussion  that  followed  the  reading  of  the  paper,  Mr.  Payne  referred 
to  the  frequent  habit  of  some  druggists  making  the  tincture  of  opium  from  the 
gum  opium  instead  of  from  an  equal  weight  of  the  powdered  drug,  as  the  prob- 
able cause  of  the  varying  strength.  Professor  Hemm  stated  that  he  had  obtained 
the  strongest  tincture  by  using  maceration  instead  of  percolation.  He  believed 
that  the  calcium  phosphate  of  the  official  method  was  often  a  disturbing  feature 
that  prevented  solution  of  the  morphine,  possibly  through  being  alkaline  in 
reaction,  and  therefore  causing  the  alkaloid  to  be  liberated  from  its  salts  and 
remain  undissolved.  He  said  if  this  did  not  account  for  the  deficiency  in 
strength  the  official  process  of  percolation  must  yield  an  incomplete  extraction. 
Professor  Hallberg  spoke  of  the  use  of  granulated  opium  with  the  omission  of 
calcium  phosphate  in  the  process  of  maceration  with  water  as  having  been 
reported  on  favorably  by  many  pharmacists.  Regarding  Mr.  Feil's  note  on 
wines,  Dr.  A.  \\.  Lyons  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  using  wines  containing  16 
per  cent,  of  alcohol  instead  of  12  per  cent  ,  if  permanent  preparations  were 
desired. 


'^si'ptlmber^rjwr  }      ^tfterican  Pharmaceutical  Association.  493 

CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION  OF  COMMERCIAL  EXTRACT  OF  WITCH- 
HAZEL. 
Bv  Joseph  Feil.  Ph.O. 
The  author  gave  the  tests  by  which  he  found  what  was  believed  to  be  pro- 
tocatechuic  acid,  and  he  considered  that  substance  to  represent  the  peculiar 
properties  of  extract  of  witch-hazel.     The  extractive  matter  found  averaged 
about  I  part  in  3,000  parts  of  the  liquid. 
These  papers  were  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee. 
A  paper  entitled 

BOILER-SHOP  PHARMACY. 
Bv  C.  S.  N.  Hallberg, 

was  then  read.  The  author  had  tabulated  the  percentage  of  disintegration  and 
solution  in  acid  and  alkaline  aqueous  liquids  of  mass-made  pills  and  friable  pills. 
The  results  were  in  favor  of  the  former  kind.  After  considerable  discussion  by 
Messrs.  Caspari,  Werner,  Kuhn,  Payne,  Sayre.Whelpley,  Hallbeig,  Lyons,  Good 
and  Prescott,  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  title  and  contents  of  the  paper,  it  was 
referred  to  the  Publication  Committee  and  business  again  proceeded. 

SOME  MEDICINES  OF  THE  SWAMPY  CREE  INDIANS  OF  THE 

NORTH. 

Bv  C.  Flf.xon, 
was  then  presented.  The  paper  gave  some  particulars  furnished  l)y  Mr. 
Strath,  Medical  Officer  at  Norway  House,  which  is  located  about  400  miles 
north  of  Winnepeg,  Manitoba.  These  Indians  administer  most  of  iheir  medi- 
cines in  the  form  of  infusions.  A  combination  of  malefern.  senna  and  wild 
indigo  is  used  for  worms.  Wild  indigo  is  also  use<l  as  an  antiseptic.  Cala- 
mus is  used  as  a  specific  in  all  throat  troubles,  except  diphtheria,  which, 
however,  is  not  known  to  them.  The  calamus  is  chewed  and  the  saliva  swal- 
lowed. The  Indians  are  not  easily  induced  to  gargle.  Great  difficulty  is  also  ex- 
perienced in  getting  them  to  take  the  salts.  Pills,  however,  are  swallowed  with 
a  relish.  Podophyllum,  spearmint,  sarsaparilla  and  dandelion  are  used  by 
them.  Caraway  is  used  as  a  remedy  for  colic.  Hlue  cohosh  is  used  in  obste- 
trics and  female  complaints,  also  for  the  production  of  abortion,  in  which  case 
it  is  mixed  with  an  unknown  powder  ;  an  oil  from  a  mixture  of  hemlock 
spruce,  poj)lar  and  black  birch  is  used  for  the  same  purpose.  Cypripedium  is 
used  for  rheumatism  ;  the  Indians  will  not  take  salicin  or  salicylates.  He- 
deoma  is  given  as  an  aromatic  stimulant  and  to  produce  abortion.  Plantain  is 
chewed  and  applied  by  the  doctor  in  the  form  of  paste  as  a  hitrtnostatic  ;  willow 
bark  is  used  for  the  same  purpose.  Juniper  berries  are  used  as  a  diuTetic  ;  the 
leaves  are  drie<l  and  dusted  over  indolent  sores  ;  the  root  is  infused  and  given 
for  gravel.  The  rotten  interior  of  the  hemlock  spruce  '\%  used  as  an  agreeable 
al>sorbent  toilet  powder.  The  Crees  believe  that  fever  can  only  be  cure<l  by 
vomiting  it  up,  and  the  powdered  rhizome  and  rootlets  of  Veratruni  viride  arc 
used  to  produce  vomiting  to  relieve  fever.  The  same  medicine  is  used  as  a 
snnfF  to  reduce  hernia  ;  to  do  this  the  naked  patient  is  elevate*!  to  a  horizontal 
position  ;  he  then  takes  a  pinch  of  the  snuff  and  during  the  intense  snec/ing 
which  follows,  R  companion  standing  ready  at  the  side  plunges  back  the  rupture 
with  his  fist.  It  is  said  that  if  it  l)e  not  a  strangulated  case,  the  treatment  b 
sufficient.     Gunpowder  and  lanl  in  equal  quantities  arc  used  for  skin  diMafre^. 


494  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.      {^Si'^^ZhS^S^ 

Sturgeon  oil  is   used  in    i -ounce  doses  as   a   cathartic.     Wild  raspberry  and 
willow  bark  are  used  for  cholera  infantum.     Rumex  is  used  as  a  laxative  and 
for  poultices.     The  Crees  look  upon  wild  carrot  as  their  most  fatal  poison. 
A  paper  entitled  the 

PREPARATION  OF  FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  WILD  CHERRY  FOR 

SYRUP. 
By  J.  M.  Good, 
was  read  by  title. 

THE  IMPORTANT  CONSTITUENTS  OF  TARAXACUM  ROOT. 

By  Iv.  E.  Sayre, 
was  then  read  by  the  author.  This  work  of  Prof.  Sayre  on  taraxacum  has  been 
that  of  several  years  past ;  but  during  the  last  two  years  he  has  connected  this 
investigation  with  the  work  of  the  Special  Research  Committee  of  the  Associa- 
tion. The  author  has  come  nearer  crystallizing  the  bitter  principle  taraxacin  than 
ever  before.  He  does  this  from  a  solution  m  acetone,  but  the  crystals  are 
unstable;  the  presence  of  the  least  particle  of  moisture  breaks  them  down  into 
oleoresinous  globules.  He  crystallized  the  fatty  substance  known  as  taraxa- 
ceriu  in  the  pure  state  and  submitted  it  to  ultimate  analysis,  which  indicated 
the  substance  to  have  the  empirical  formula  (CgHijOx ). 

THE  PREPARATION  OF  SOLUBLE  FERRIC  PHOSPHATE. 

By  W.  a.  Puckner. 
The  following  formula,  aiming  at  the  production  of  a  preparation  of  less 
variable  composition,  as  well  as  a  simplification  of  the  process,  was  submitted 
for  trial  and  criticism  : 

SOLUBLE   FERRIC   PHOSPHATE. 

Ferrous  sulphate,  in  clear  crystals 156  gm. 

Sulphuric  acid 20  c.c. 

Potassium  chlorate 12  gm. 

Ammonia  water 34°  c.c. 

Citric  acid 120  gm. 

Sodium  phosphate,  uueffloresced 200  gm. 

Water A  sufficient  quantity. 

Add  the  sulphuric  acid  to  240  c.c.  of  water,  contained  in  a  glass  or  porcelain 
vessel,  to  this  add  the  ferrous  sulphate,  warm  gently  until  all  is  dissolved,  then 
add  the  potassium  chlorate  and  continue  the  heat  for  one-half  hour,  or  until  a 
drop  of  the  solution  added  to  potassium  ferricyanide  test  solution  no  longer 
produces  a  distinct  green  or  bluish-green  color.  Add  this  solution,  slowly  and 
with  constant  agitation,  to  the  ammonia  water  contained  in  a  suitable  vessel ; 
to  this  mixture  add  hot  water  4,000  c.c,  and  allow  to  subside  and,  after  one-half 
hour,  decant  or  siphon  off  the  clear  supernatant  liquid.  To  the  residue  add 
2,000  c.c.  hot  water,  allow  to  subside  and  decant ;  repeat  this  washing  with  six 
portions  of  hot  water,  allowing  the  last  portion  to  subside  for  at  least  six  hours 
or  over  night.  Decant  or  siphon  off  the  clear  liquid  as  closely  as  possible,  then 
add  to  the  remaining  magma  the  citric  acid  and  the  sodium  phosphate,  warm 
geatly  until  solution  results,  and  then  evaporate  on  a  water-bath  at  a  tempera- 
ture not  exceeding  60°  C,  until  the  solution  weighs  500  grammes,  and  spread  it 
on  plates  of  glass,  so  that,  when  dry,  the  salt  may  be  obtained  in  scales. 


'^'ept^e^mberf'^ }      Aviericafi  Pharmaceutical  Association.  495 

To  obtain  a  solution  of  which  2  c.c.  are  equivalent  to  i  gramme  of  soluble 
ferric  phosphate,  U.S. P.,  1890,  evaporate  on  a  water-bath  at  a  temperature  not 
exceeding  60°  C.  until  the  solution  measures  500  c.c. 

SELENIUM  IN  COMMERCIAL  SULPHUR. 

Bv  T.  D.  Reei>.  M.D.. 
and 

SULPHUR  PRECIPITATUM. 

Bv  T.  D.  Reed,  M.D. 
were  then  read  by  title,  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee. 

It  was  then  moved  to  proceed  with  the  election  of  officers  for  the  Section 
during  the  coming  year.  Mr.  Alpers  withdrew  his  name,  and  the  Secretary  was 
ordered  to  cast  a  unanimous  ballot  for  Prof.  Kremers,  of  Madison,  Wisconsin, 
as  Chairman.  Dr.  A.  B.  Lyons,  of  Chicago,  111.,  was  then  nominated  for  Secre- 
tary ;  nominations  were  closed,  and  the  Secretary*  asked  to  ballot  affirmatively 
for  Dr.  Lyons,  who  was  thereafter  declared  elected.  The  election  of  Prof. 
Kremers  to  the  Chairmanship  having  caused  a  vacancy  in  the  Special  Research 
Committee  previously  elected  at  the  session  (for  the  Chairman  of  the  Section 
is  an  ex  officio  member  of  the  said  committee  1,  Dr.  A.  B.  Lyons  was  substituted. 
There  beiug  no  reports  of  committees,  the  newly  elected  officers  were  installed, 
and  a  vote  of  thanks  was  given  the  retiring  officers.  It  was  moved  and  carried 
that  the  Chairman  of  the  Scientific  vSection  make  such  arrangements  with  the 
Chairman  of  the  Section  on  Pharmaceutical  Education  and  Legislation  as  to 
obtain  time  to  deal  with  the  unfinished  business  of  the  Scientific  Section.  The 
reading  of  the  minutes  was  dispensed  with,  and  on  motion  the  Section 
adjourned. 

SECTION  ON  PHARMACEUTICAL    LEGISLATION    AND   EDUCATION. 

Chairman  Hallberg  called  the  section  to  order  at  9.45  a.m.,  on  Friday, 
August  27th.  Professor  Whelpley  then  took  the  chair  while  Professor  Hallberg 
delivered  his  address.  The  speaker  recommended  that  the  Slate  Hoards  of 
Pharmacy  be  again  requested  to  send  the  Section  one  or  more  sets  of  the  ques- 
tions which  they  have  asked  applicants  ;  that  the  orthography  and  pronuncia- 
tion of  chemical  terms  as  adopted  by  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  be  reported  on  at  the  next  meeting  ;  that  the  feasi- 
bility of  establishini;  a  memorial  to  Hager  l>e  considered  ;  that  rules  in  detail 
for  the  conduction  and  working  of  the  Section  on  Pharmaceutical  Education 
and  Legislation  be  presented  at  the  next  meeting  for  consi<leration  and  adop- 
tion. The  atldress  was  received  and  referre<i  to  a  committee  composed  of 
Messrs.  Prescott,  Parisen  and  Purkner.  The  Secretary  of  the  Section  then 
read  his  report,  which  gave  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  pharmacy 
laws  during  the  past  year,  as  well  as  other  measures  uhich  hav.-  been  pro- 
posed in  the  legislation  of  the  affairs  of  pharmacy.  Statistics  rega  ding  the 
number  of  registered  and  unregistere<l  pharmacists  in  the  United  States  i»ere 
also  presented.  These  showe<l  that  fewer  applicants  are  registere<l  on  dipl  ma 
every  year.  The  author  said  there  was  a  lack  of  interest  in  the  work  of 
gathering  this  information  by  some  V>oards  of  pharmacy.  Mr.  El>ert  propo«cd 
that,  in  order  to  obtain  the  ntcessary  information,  a  circular  letter  be  i»e»  I  to 
the  secretary  of  each  board  of  pharmacy  early  in  the  year.     The   report  was 


496  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.     { IsTptimbe^iSg™* 

received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee,  and  Professor  Beal  was 
given  a  vote  of  thanks  for  his  laborious  work. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Preliminary  Education  of  Apprentices 
was  referred  back  to  the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  Pharmacy  Laws. 

A  SUMMARY  OF  ANSWERS   TO   MAIN   QUESTIONS    OF   THE   COM- 
MITTEE'S CIRCULAR  OF  INTERROGATORIES. 

Compiled  by  C.  S.  N.  Hallberg, 
was  read  by  that  gentleman.  This  consisted  of  a  tabulated  statement  of 
responses  to  questions  regarding  pharmacy  laws,  boards  of  pharmacy,  require- 
ments for  registration,  methods  of  registration,  examinations,  examination 
fees,  registration  of  licenses,  revocations,  titles  and  privileges,  poison  laws  and 
label  provisions,  adulteratioa,  limited  license  and  exemptions.  Thirty-one 
replies  expressing  opinions  were  received  from  various  boards,  associations  and 
schools  of  pharmacy.  The  paper  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publica- 
tion Committee.  Messrs.  Hallberg  and  Beal  were  then  nominated  for  the 
chairmanship  of  the  Section  for  the  ensuing  year,  while  Messrs.  Oldberg,  Hall- 
berg, Hereth,  Beal,  Whelpley,  Puckner,  Kaufmann,  Mason  and  Webster  were 
named  for  the  secretaryship,  and  these  names  were  posted  until  the  second 
session  of  the  Section. 
The  next  business  was  the  reading  of  a  paper  entitled 

SHOULD   A   PHARMACY   LAW   BE   UNIFORM   TERRITORIALLY? 

By  Edw.  S.  Dawson,  Jr. 

This  paper  was  in  answer  to  the  query  :  "  Should  a  pharmacy  law  be  uniform 
in  its  application  throughout  the  State,  or  should  a  distinction  be  made  for 
smaller  towns?" 

The  author  gave  his  reasons  for  and  against  such  applications,  and  concluded 
by  saying  :  "  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  a  pharmacy  law  should  be  framed  so  as 
to  secure  greater  protection  to  public  health,  and  afford  protection  to  the  legiti- 
mate druggist  up  to  a  point  where  the  cry  of  '  monopoly  for  the  drug  business  ' 
cannot  be  set  up  ;  but  care  should  be  taken  that  the  druggist  who  receives  the 
least  benefit  from  the  operation  of  the  law  should  not  have  his  hands  legally 
fettered." 

Following  this  was  another,  called 

SHOULD  PHARMACISTS  OR  THE  STATE  SUPPORT  THE  PHARMACY 

LAW   AND   THE   BOARD? 
By  H.  M.  Whitney. 

The  writer  maintained  that  all  examinations  to  secure  a  personal  State  certifi- 
cate of  registration,  conveying  a  special  and  legalized  position,  with  its  rights 
and  privileges,  should  be  paid  for  by  the  applicant.  But  he  believed  that  the 
enforcement  of  the  pharmacy  law,  poison  law,  or  any  other  special  duty  placed 
by  the  vState  upon  the  board  should  be  supported  and  paid  from  the  State 
treasury. 

Professor  Kremers  suggested  that  the  applicant  be  not  allowed  more  than 
three  opportunities  to  pass  the  examination.  Mr.  Ebert  was  opposed  to 
pharmacists  supporting  the  board  unless  the  latter  did  more  to  enforce  the  law 
and  detect  adulteration.  Mr.  Mason  believed  two  opportunities  sufficient  for 
an  applicant  to  show  his  fitness  for  registration,     Mr.  Whitney  said  measures 


^ptimbef^iS^}      American  Pharviaccutical  Association.  497 

would  be  taken  in  Massachusetts  to  limit  the  number  of  opportunities  allowed 
the  applicant.     Messrs.  Bartells  and  Webster  also  spoke  on  the  subject. 
A  paper  on 

PROVISIONS   OF    A    POISON    LAW,  AND    MEASURES    FOR    ITS 

ENFORCEMENT. 

By  Albert  B.  Prescott, 

was  then  read.  The  author  said  the  registration  of  sale  of  poisons  is  upon 
about  the  same  footing  that  it  was  before  the  advent  of  State  boards  of  phar- 
macy. It  depends  largely  upon  the  will  of  the  pharmacist.  In  this  situation 
it  seemed  to  the  writer  the  better  way, y^ri/,  to  propose,  as  a  general  State  law 
upon  this  subject,  one  that  is  simple  and  moderate  in  its  demands,  and  second^ 
to  undertake  vigorous  measures  for  the  enforcement  of  registration  laws. 

In  the  provisions  of  the  law,  as  to  rules  of  registration  of  a  given  poison,  the 
writer  said  he  would  adopt  those  of  Number  79  of  the  Legislation  Committee 
circular.  He  said  it  is  of  the  first  importance  to  the  business  interests  of  phar- 
macy that  local  druggists  should  all  act  alike  in  registration,  and  as  to  what 
articles  to  register.  He  suggested  that  the  druggists  of  a  town  or  city,  if  not 
organized  into  a  society,  might  well  call  a  meeting  and  confer  upon  what  shall 
be  the  list  of  medicines  to  be  always  registered  as  poisons  when  sold  without  a 
prescription.  Such  an  agreement  gives  a  most  satisfactory  explanation  to  the 
purchaser,  who  may  ask:  "Why  do  I  have  to  answer  these  questions  here 
when  I  have  not  been  asked  the  same  at  other  places  ?  " 

As  to  the  second  named  undertaking,  that  of  vigorous  measures  for  the 
enforcement  of  registration  laws,  it  seemed  to  the  author  certain  thai  this  should 
be  the  duty  of  the  State  Board  of  Pharmacy. 

The  next  paper  presented  was  on 

UNIFORM  PHARMACY  LAW— AS  TO  PLACE  OF  REGISTRATION. 

By  Jos.  Jacobs. 

The  author  thought  it  desirable  that  every  licentiate  should  be  required 
to  register  at  the  county  seat  of  the  county  of  his  residence.  This  would 
be  a  wise  provision,  because  it  would  make  it  clear  to  the  licentiates 
themselves  who  were  their  legitimate  co  workers,  and  the  public  at  large  could 
easily  ascertain  whether  they  were  dealing  with  a  pharmacist  duly  qualified  or 
with  an  impostor.  He  suggested  that  the  place  of  registration  be  designated 
in  a  clause  similar  to  the  following: 

"  All  persons  qualified  by  law  to  practice  pharmacy  in  this  State  shall,  before 
entering  upon  such  practice,  cause  their  names  to  be  entered  upon  a  book  to 
be  kept  for  that  purpose  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  that  court  in  which  wills 
arc  filed  for  probate  and  record,  in  the  county  of  the  residence  of  such  licen- 
tiate, and  of  the  county  in  which  he  does  business  as  a  pharmacist."  Then 
follow  with  appropriate  penalty  for  violation. 

Mr.  I\bert  said  this  suggestion  should  be  taken  into  consideration  by  the 
Committee  who  are  to  draft  the  uniform  pharmacy  law,  and  he  believed  it 
should  l)e  aflopted,  and  that  the  secretaries  of  the  l>oards  should  Ik*  instrucle<i 
to  send  the  names  of  the  registere<l  pharmacists  to  the  clerk  of  the  court. 

Prof.  Oldberg  then  moved  that  the  discussion  of  these  papers  be  postponed 


498  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.     { ^s^pimbef.^sg?!'" 

till  the  report  on  the  revision  of  the  pharmacy  laws  and  the  presentation  of 
the  model  pharmacy  law  had  been  submitted. 

The  next  paper  presented  was  in  answer  to  the  query  : 

SHALL  A  COMPULSORY  CURRICULUM  BE   ESTABLISHED    IN  LIEU 
OF  REGISTRATION  BY  DIPLOMA? 
By  I^.  K.  Sayre. 

The  author  said  he  interpreted  the  term  curriculum  to  be  a  systematic  course 
of  training  under  competent  instructors  in  pharmacy,  materia  medica,  chemis- 
try, toxicology,  and  such  allied  branches  as  are  taught  in  the  reputable  col- 
leges of  pharmacy.  The  author's  ideal  method  was  that  the  candidate  for 
recognition  as  registered  pharmacist  by  the  State  Board  of  Pharmacy  must  first 
have  a  systematic  course  of  training  in  a  reputable  school  of  a  certain  stand- 
ard and  must  possess  a  diploma  certifying  to  this  fact,  and  then  be  examined. 

Following  the  last  paper  was  one  on 

PRACTICE  AND  OWNERSHIP  IN  PHARMACY. 
By  Joseph  Jacobs. 
The   author  defined  what  constitutes   the   practice  of  pharmacy,  and   also 
defined  and  distinguished  between  to  own,  open,  operate,  manage,  conduct, 
direct  or  supervise  a  pharmacy.     In  reply  to  the  question  :  "  Which,  if  any,  of 
these  provisions  should  be  enjoyed  by  non -pharmacists  ?"  he  answered  :  none 
but  ownership. 
The  next  paper  read  was  : 

CONCERNING  THE  QUESTIONS  GIVEN  IN  STATE  BOARD  OF  PHAR- 
MACY EXAMINATIONS. 

By  Harry  B.  Mason, 

The  author  discussed  the  character  of  the  oral  and  written  questions  asked  by 
boards,  and  then  said:  "Such  questions  should  be  asked  as  require  the  use, 
first,  of  trained  pharmaceutical  faculties,  and  next,  of  such  knowledge  only  as 
is  likely  to  be  retained  in  the  mind  by  its  constant  application.  Questions  dealing 
with  memory  alone  should  be  subjugated  instead  of  given  precedence.  Then  an 
examination  would  demand  of  a  pharmacist  just  what  practice  does,  and  if 
really  competent  he  would  be  able  any  minute  to  step  from  behind  his  prescrip- 
tion desk  and  pass  it.  He  would  be  put  to  no  necessity  of  acquiring  the  diffi- 
cult art  of  preparing  for  an  examination,  and  would  be  relieved  of  the  injustice 
of  going  through  a  special  '  cramming '  process  for  months.  And  the  quiz 
compend  student,  skilled  in  the  art  of  preparing  for  the  examination,  but  woe- 
fully deficient  in  the  art  of  preparing  for  practice,  would  find  himself  wallow- 
ing beyond  his  depth." 

The  foregoing  papers  were  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee 
and  then  discussed.  Dr.  Lyons  thought  it  might  be  well  to  ascertain  the  ability 
of  the  candidate  to  consult  books,  by  allowing  him  to  refer  to  a  library,  and 
thereafter  write  a  short  dissertation  on  a  given  subject.  Mr.  Feil  thought  like- 
wise, Mr,  Helfman  referred  to  a  paper  on  the  subject  of  examinations  by  Peter 
T.  Austen,  and  published  in  the  Chemical  News  about  a  year  or  so  ago.  Prof. 
Oldberg  said  more  practical  examinations  should  be  given  and  less  questions 
re<juiring  the  mere  act  of  memorizing ;  he  also  suggested  that  the  examinations 


'^sepfember^»7! }      American  Pharfnaceutical  Association.  4199 

be  held  at  places,  say  colleges,  where  facilities  for  practical  work  are  accessible. 
Prof.  Whelpley  thought  it  would  be  well  iu  all  cases  to  ascertain  the  qualifica- 
tions of  the  board  to  examine.     Mr.  Ford  thought  one  of  the  main  troubles  is 
that  some  boards  have  too  many  applicants  at  a  time  to  examine  them  properly. 
Messrs.  Hammel,  Flexon  and  Parisen  also  spoke  on  the  matter.     It  was  finally 
suggested  that  a  set  of  instructions  be  prepared  by  the  Association  and  furnished 
the  persons  who  appoint  the  members  of  the  boards.    The  Committee  on  Chair- 
man's Address  reported  their  approval  of  the   recommendations  made  therein, 
with  the  exception  of  the  one  regarding  the  orthography  and  pronunciation  of 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.    They  suggested  that 
this  one  be  reported  on  at  the  next  yearly  meeting.     This  action  was  approved 
and  the  report  was  adopted.     The  Section  then  adjourned.    The  second  session 
of  the  Section  convened  on  the  same  day  at  2.50  p.m.     Chairman  Hallberg  pre- 
sided and  read  the  report  of  the  committee  on  a  model  pharmacj'  law.    A  num- 
ber of  propositions  for  a  model  pharmacy  law  were  made.     The  chairman  pro- 
posed a  division  or  separation  of  the  drug  business  into  two  classes,  the  persons 
conducting  these  classes  of  business  to  be  known  as  pharmacists  and  druggists, 
and  their  places  of  business  to  be   designated  pharmacies  and    drug  stores 
respectively.     The  report  was  received.     It  was  moved  that  the  report  be  not 
acted  on  at  once,  but  that  the  Section  request  the  Association  to  have  500  copies 
of  the  report  printed,  and  that  the  officers  of  the  Section  be  instructed  to  send 
them  to  all  the  State  Boards  and  Associations,  to  all  colleges  of  pharmacy,  and 
to  supply  them  to  members  and  others  desiring  them   for  study  and  thought; 
that  such  recipients  be  asked  for  their  opinions  ;  also  that  the  matter  be  taken 
up  at  the  next  meeting.    The  motion  prevailed,  and  the  Association,  at  a  subse- 
quent meeting,  granted  the   foregoing  request.     The  session   then   adjourned. 
In  the  afternoon,   a  steamer  ride,   including  the  upper   and   lower  lakes,  was 
enjoyed  by  the  Association,  and  in  the  evening,  a  concert  in  the  hotel  parlors, 
under  the  direction  of   the   Ladies'  Auxiliary,  was  listened  to  by  a   large  and 
appreciative  audience. 

Chairman  Hallberg  called  the  third  session  on  Saturday  at  10.25  A.M.  The 
reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  previous  session  was  dispensed  with.  A  paper 
entitled 

A  STATISTICAL  RKPORT  OF  THK  USK  OF  THE  MFTRIC  SYSTEM  IN 

233,000  PRESCRIPTIONS. 

By  H.  M.  Whf.i.plev, 

was  read.  Reports  had  been  received  from  233  drug  stores,  and  each  dealt  with 
the  last  1,000  prescriptions  on  its  file.  These  stores  were  located  in  lyi  cities 
and  towns  of  thirty  States  and  Territories.  Gypsum  City,  Kansas,  led  the 
list  with  100  per  cent,  of  prescriptions  written  in  the  metric  system.  The 
average  use  of  the  system  during  the  past  year  amounted  to  6*27  per  cent. 
The  report  also  contained  the  expressions  of  opinions  of  many  pharmacists  on 
the  clesirability  and  feasibility  of  adopting  the  system  as  the  official  one.  The 
report  indicated  that  the  druggists  generally  arc  ready  and  prepared  to  fill 
prescriptions  written  in  the  metric  system,  but  that  the  system  is  not,  as  n. 
rule,  used  by  physicians.  Mr.  liartells  said  that  in  his  experience  the  younger 
graduates  in  medicine  uaed  the  system  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  older 
practitioners.     Prof.  Hallberg  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  system  is  the  more 


500  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,     {UptimbeKT"' 

popular  among  students  of  pharmacy.     The  paper  was  received  and  referred  to 
the  Publication  Committee. 
The  next  paper  was  entitled 

SHALL  PHARMACISTS  PRESCRIBE  OVER  THE  COUNTER? 

By  F.  E.  Stewart. 

He  "  advocated  that  the  druggist  shall  be  educated  in  medicine  and  taught 
to  prescribe  intelligently  over  the  counter  in  minor  ailments,  for  which  the 
public  now  consult  the  apothecary,  not  charging  for  his  advice,  but  receiving 
his  pay  in  the  medicines  he  has  for  sale  ;  this  he  will  be  obliged  to  do  if  the 
times  demand  it,  and  this  is  virtually  what  he  is  doing  every  time  he  recom- 
mends a  medicinal  preparation  of  any  kind  to  his  customers.  " 

Following  this  came  a  paper  entitled 

A  DISTINGUISHED  PHYSICIAN-PHARMACIST— HIS  GREAT  DISCOV- 
ERY, ETHER-ANESTHESIA. 
By  Joseph  Jacobs. 

He  concluded  by  saying  :  "  Whatever  credit  may  be  due  Jackson  and  Morton 
and  Wells  for  their  researches  and  their  use  of  anaesthetics,  and  whatever  honor 
may  attach  to  the  eminent  surgeons  of  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  for 
publishing  the  facts  at  home  and  abroad,  the  real  glory  of  the  first  discovery 
and  proof  of  the  efficacy  of  ether  for  the  prevention  of  pain  in  surgery  must 
be  finally  awarded  to  Crawford  W.  Long,  the  eminent  Georgian  and  lamented 
physician-pharmacist. ' ' 

The  paper  was  received  and  a  special  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to  the 
author.  It  was  also  moved  that  the  Association  be  requested  to  have  500  copies 
of  the  paper  printed,  and  that  a  copy,  properly  inscribed,  be  sent  to  each  of 
the  domestic  and  thereafter  to  foreign  medical  journals  by  the  General  Secre- 
tary, in  order  to  give  it  wide  distribution.  This  request  was  subsequently 
granted. 

A  paper  entitled 

IS   IT   ETHICAL   FOP.    MEDICAL   MEN    TO  PATENT   MEDICAL 

INVENTIONS  ? 
By  F.  E-  Stewart, 
was  then  read  by  title. 

The  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  Pharmacy  Laws  then  reported.  Prof. 
Oldberg  moved  that  the  report  be  referred  to  a  sub-committee,  to  be  appointed 
by  the  incoming  Chairman  of  the  Section,  and  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  con- 
tinue the  work  during  the  coming  year.     It  was  so  ordered. 

The  attention  of  the  Association  was  then  called  in  a  note  on  the 

REAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  PHARMACIST  TO  THE  PHARMACY  LAW. 

By  J.  H.  Beal, 
to  the  fact  that  the  required  registration  of  poisons  and  keeping  of  qualified 
clerks  are  not  legal  persecutions,  as  many  pharmacists  seem  to  think,  but  are 
really  in  the  first  instance  a  legal  protection,  and  in  the  second  instance  to  the 
best  interest  of  the  pharmacist,  because  it  makes  the  public  recognize  and 
appreciate  the  responsibility  of  his  occupation.  Some  business  remaining  over 
from  the  Scientific  Section  was  then  allowed  to  be  brought  up,  and  Mr.  Alpers, 
of  New  York  City,  explained  in  detail  the  system  of  filing  and  checking  of 
prescriptions  which  he  uses.     It  was  regarded  by  many  as  the  best  system  ever 


I 


^?ptimbef.^i897°}     American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  501 

proposed.  Mr.  Ebert,of  Chicago, explained  his  method,  which  was  also  considered 
a  good  one.  The  minutes  of  the  second  and  third  sessions  were  then  read  and 
approved.  Mr.  Thompson  suggested  that  in  the  model  pharmacy  law  the 
exemption  of  poisons  dispensed  on  physicians'  prescriptions  from  the  list  of 
articles  required  to  be  registered,  should  be  qualified  to  read  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  prescription  is  specified  to  be  intended  for  a  patient.  Mr.  Thompson 
also  suggested  that  the  law  be  constructed  so  as  to  restrict  the  use  of  narcotics, 
like  opium  and  cocaine.  The  suggestions  were  referred  to  the  Committees  on 
the  Revision  of  Pharmacy  Laws  and  on  a  Model  Pharmacy  Law.  Prof,  Hallberg 
then  withdrew  his  name  as  nominee  for  Chairman.  The  Secretary  was  then 
instructed  to  cast  a  ballot  for  Prof.  Beal  as  Chairman.  Messrs.  Oldberg,  Hall- 
berg, Puckner,  Whelpley,  Beal,  Mason,  Hereth  and  Kaufmann  withdrew  their 
names,  and  Mr.  Webster,  of  Minnesota,  was  declared  unanimously  elected  for 
Secretary.  The  newly  elected  officers  were  then  installed,  and  the  retiring 
officers  were  given  a  vote  of  thanks.  Adjournment  was  then  ordered.  Presi- 
dent Morrison  called  the 

THIRD   AND    FIXAI.   GENERAI,   SESSION   OF   THE   ASSOCIATION 

to  order  at  2.55  r.M.,  on  Saturday,  August  28th.  Secretary  Caspari  read  the 
minutes  of  the  second  general  session,  and  they  were  approve<l.  Secretary 
Kennedy,  of  the  Council,  followed  with  the  minutes  of  the  sessions  of  that  body. 
He  reported  that  a  communication  had  been  received  from  IL  L.  Palmer  and 
E.  L.  Ruddy  in  regard  to  publishing  a  history  of  the  Association.  Prof.  Hall- 
berg had  proposed  that  a  semi-centennial  of  the  organization  of  the  Association 
be  held  in  I9fj2.  A  Committee  on  Semi-Centennial  Celebration  was  appointed 
and  these  matters  were  referred  to  it.  Mr.  H.  P.  Hynson,  of  Haltimore,  Md., 
was  then  elected  Local  Secretary  for  1898.  An  appropriation  was  made  for 
the  support  of  the  bills  of  the  Committee  on  the  Status  of  Pharmacists  in  the 
United  States  Army  and  Navy.  Secretary  Kennedy  also  reported  the  names  of 
27  new  applicants  for  membership.  The  total  new  applicants  at  the  meeting 
numbered  130,  and  over  100  had  paid  their  first  annual  dues. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  officers  of  the  Council  for  the  coming 
year:  Chairman,  \V.  S.  Thompson,  Washington,  D.  C;  Vice-Chairman,  J.  M. 
Good,  St  Louis,  Mo.;  Secretary,  Geo.  W.  Kennedy,  Pottsville,  Pa.  The  Com- 
mittee on  Transportation  then  made  its  report.  Following  this  the  Committee 
on  Tax-Free  .\lcohol  reported  that  Congress  had  attempted  no  legislation  on 
the  question  except  to  impose  a  tax  on  wood  alcohol,  and  that  this  measure 
was  defeated.  The  committee  had  no  recommendations  to  make,  but  it  men- 
tioned the  various  methods  that  are  adopted  in  European  countries  to  prepare 
alcohol  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  it  unfit  for  internal  use,  but  still  retain  it  in 
a  condition  fit  for  use  in  the  arts.  It  was  also  pointed  out  that  tax-free  alcohol 
would  render  wood  alcohol  (|uite  unnecessary,  as  it  costs  about  three  times  aa 
much  to  produce  wooti  alcohol,  and  l>esides,  the  latter  is  not  so  useful  as  ethyl 
alcohol.  The  report  was  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee.  The  Com- 
mittee on  National  Legislation  reported  that  the  matters  which  had  engaged 
its  attention  during  the  past  year  were  the  tax  on  alcohol,  the  retention  of 
alcoholic  beverages  in  the  I'nited  States  Phannacopeeia,  and  the  question  of 
patents  and  trade-marks  as  applied  to  me<licincs.  The  report  was  received  and 
referred  for  publication.     It  was  moved  and  carried  to  continue  the  Special 


502  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,     {^^^l^^^i^xm: 

Committee  on  National  Ivegislation,  that  its  personnel  be  increased  to  seven, 
and  that  this  be  appointed  by  the  President. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Beneficiary  Features  was  then  presented. 
The  committee  had  collected  information  concerning  such  features  as  are  carried 
on  in  foreign  countries.  The  committee  recommended  that  a  committee  be 
appointed  to  present  a  working  plan  at  the  next  meeting,  and  that  an  appro- 
priation of  $50  be  made  to  permit  them  to  engage  an  expert  insurance  agent  to 
formulate  this  plan.  The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication 
Committee.  There  was  objection  to  making  the  appropriation,  and  after  some 
discussion  as  to  whether  the  committee  could  not  devise  its  own  plan,  the 
motion  to  make  the  appropriation  was  tabled.  The  Committee  on  Meeting  in 
1900  reported  that  they  had  made  inquiry  in  regard  to  the  proposed  meeting  on 
board  of  a  steamer  en  route  to  Paris,  but  that  they  had  no  plan  to  submit,  for 
none  of  the  steamship  lines  are  ready  to  arrange  for  it  so  far  in  advance.  They 
had  learned  that  prices  will  not  be  higher  than  at  present,  that  a  steamship 
will  be  able  to  accommodate  300  persons,  that  the  expense  of  going  and  return- 
ing will  not  exceed  |ioo,  and  that  the  Hamburg- American  Steamship  Com- 
pany's line  would  probably  be  the  best  to  take. 

The  Special  Committee  on  Weights  and  Measures  then  reported  as  follows  : 

The  report  presented  by  this  committee,  at  the  meeting  held  in  Montreal, 
expressed  a  hope  that  some  substantial  progress  might  be  made  in  the  adoption 
of  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  in  this  country  during  the  year 
to  come. 

Those  who  have  followed  the  proceedings  of  Congress  for  the  past  year  will 
readily  understand  why  this  work  has  not  been  accomplished,  or  any  material 
advancement  made  in  it. 

At  the  first  session  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress,  the  Metric  Bill  was  passed 
by  a  very  small  majority,  but,  upon  reconsideration  of  the  vote,  the  Bill  was 
referred  back  to  the  Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights  and  Measures,  where  it 
still  remains. 

The^second  and  short  session  of  the  same  Congress  was  occupied  with  the 
consideration  of  subjects  of  greater  interest  to  the  members,  and  it  was  not 
thought  wise  to  bring  the  matter  forward. 

At  the  special  session  of  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress,  recently  closed,  the  consid- 
eration of  such  a  measure  would  have  been  impossible,  consequently  the  past 
year  has  been  one  altogether  unfavorable  to  securing  any  definite  action  upon 
the  bill  in  question. 

Hon.  C.  W.  Stone,  Chairman  of  the  House  Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights 
and  Measures,  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress,  has  been  continued  in  the  same 
position  in  the  present  Congress,  and  the  Chairman  of  the  reporting  commit- 
tee is  informed  that  this  gentleman  will  take  the  first  available  opportunity  to 
bring  the  matter  forward  for  consideration. 

During  the  past  year  a  number  of  interesting  reports  have  been  made  by 
consuls  representing  the  United  States  in  foreign  countries  now  using  the 
metric  system,  as  to  the  methods  employed  and  inconvenience  experienced 
in  the  change  from  their  customary  systems.  These  reports  will  be  used  as 
additional  arguments  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country. 

On  account  of  the  large  number  of  changes  in  the  membership  of  both  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  caused  by  the  elections  of  last  year,  it 


\™ptimber,*i88^}      American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  503 

will  be  necessary-  for  the  members  of  the  reportinj^  committee,  and  all  others 
interested,  to  do  active  work  whenever  it  is  thought  wise  to  brinj^  the  subject 
forward  for  consideration. 

Many  of  the  new  members,  as  well  as  some  of  the  old,  will  have  to  be  con- 
vinced of  the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  making  the  metric  system  the  legal 
system  in  this  country. 

Although  there  has  been  very  little  that  the  committee  could  do  during  the 
past  year,  the  members  thereof  are  ready  to  take  active  interest  in  the  matter 
whenever  there  appears  to  be  an  opportunity  for  securing  favorable  consider- 
ation of  the  subject. 

The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Status  of  Pharmacists  in  the  Army  and  Navy 
was  next  presented.  Chairman  Payne  reported  that  there  were  three  bills  bearing 
on  the  subject  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  that  the  outlook  is  far  more 
encouraging  than  ever  before.  The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the 
Publication  Committee  ;  the  reporting  committee  was  ordered  to  be  continued, 
and  a  vote  of  thanks  was  given  it.  The  Chairman  of  Council  reported  that 
there  had  been  no  change  in  the  investment  of  the  funds  of  the  Associa- 
tion, and  that  the  present  funds  were  invested  in  4  per  cent,  trust  companies' 
del>enture  bonds.  Mr.  Kennedy  moved  that  the  Local  Secretary  of  next  year's 
meeting  be  made  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  with  authority 
to  apjxjint  the  other  members  of  the  committee.  The  motion  was  carried. 
The  delegates  to  the  National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Association  were  ordered 
to  report  in  writing  to  the  General  Secretary.  The  delegates  to  the  American 
Medical  Association  then  made  their  report  through  their  Chairman,  Dr.  F.  E. 
Stewart.  The  following  subjects  were  referred  to  the  Section  on  Materia 
Medica,  Pharmacy  and  Therapeutics  of  the  American  Medical  Association  by 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  at  its  last  annual  meeting,  held  in  the 
city  of  Montreal  :  I.iquor-selling  in  drug  stores  ;  dismissal  of  Spiritus  I'rumenti 
and  Spiritus  Vini  Crallici  from  the  United  States  Pharmacopccia  ;  dismissal  of 
Vinum  Rubrum  and  Vinum  Album  from  the  United  States  Pharmacop(L'ia  ; 
dismissal  of  all  tinctures  having  a  fluid  extract  of  the  same  drug  official,  and 
all  fluid  extracts  having  a  tincture  of  the  same  drug  official,  and  substitute 
for  such  tinctures  and  fluid  extracts  50  per  cent,  tinctures  under  a  distinctive 
title ;  and  the  return  to  potassium  sulphate  as  a  diluent  in  making  Dover 
Powder,  in  place  of  sugar  of  milk,  used  since  1880.  The  Section  concurred  in 
the  dropping  of  licjuors  from  the  Pharmacopcuia,  and  in  the  restoration  of 
potassium  sulphate,  but  did  not  agree  to  the  other  changes. 

The  report  was  received,  accepted  and  referred  to  the  Publicuiun  v^onimiiiee. 
The  Committee  on  Time  and  Place  of  Next  Meeting  reported  that  the  .\ssmMa- 
tion  would  convene  on  the  last  Monday  of  August,  1898,  in  Haltimore,  Md.  Sec- 
retary Caspari  then  read  a  communication  from  the  South  Carolina  Pharmaceuti- 
cal Association,  in  the  form  of  a  telegram,  expressing  the  best  wishes  of  that  Asso- 
ciation. He  also  read  invitations  from  Galveston,  Tex.,  and  lUiflfalo,  N.  Y.,  for 
the  Association  to  hold  its  meetings  in  these  respective  places.  The  Sccrctju-y 
was  authorized  to  reply  to  all  of  these  courtesies.  An  acknowledgment  by 
Prof.  J.  U.  Lloyd,  on  behalf  of  the  Lloyd  Library,  of  the  receipt  of  the  various 
books  from  the  libraries  of  the  Association,  and  from  some  of  its  members,  was 
read,  received  and  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee.  Mr.  Alpers  then 
presented  the  following  resolution  : 


504  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.     {i^ptimbe^^ss^T" 

Resolved,  That  in  accordance  with  the  recommendatioji  of  the  Chairman  of 
the  Scientific  Section,  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  during  the  coming 
year  by  the  President-elect  of  the  Association,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
action  to  give  pharmacy  its  due  recognition  and  representation  in  the 
proposed  National  Department  of  Health  ;  and  that  the  President  of  the 
Association  and  the  Chairman  of  the  Section  on  Legislation  be  members 
of  this  committee  ex  officio.  It  was  adopted.  Mr.  Sheppard  moved  that 
Local  Secretary  Shumpik  be  empowered  to  call  meetings  and  act  as  presiding 
officer  during  the  social  week  following  the  regulat  business  of  the  Associa- 
tion. Secretary  Kennedy  then  invited  the  applicants  for  membership  whose 
names  had  been  posted  during  the  session  to  complete  their  membership  and 
become  active  members  of  the  Association.  A  preamble  and  accompanying 
resolutions  which  had  been  drafted  by  the  American  Medical  Association  were 
then  presented  to  the  session  by  the  delegates  to  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. This  document  had  been  considered  by  the  Council  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  but  not  being  disposed  to  act  on  it,  that  body  had 
referred  it  to  the  Association  proper  for  discussion.  The  preamble  explained 
that  the  intention  of  the  resolutions  was  the  formation  of  a  code  of  ethics 
which  should  govern  physicians  and  pharmacists  alike  in  the  matters  considered 
in  the  resolutions.  These  resolutions  dealt  with  the  subjects  of  the  relation  of 
physicians  and  pharmacists  to  each  other  and  to  the  public  at  large  ;  the  pre- 
vention of  secrecy  and  monopoly  in  the  manufacture  and  use  of  medicines  ; 
the  granting  of  patents  on  medicines,  machinery  and  methods  of  preparation  ; 
a  commission  of  medical  men  to  regulate  the  publication  of  certain  trade 
secrets  ;  the  sanctioning  of  the  specification  by  ph^'sicians  on  prescription  of 
the  products  of  those  pharmacists  who  conform  to  the  code  of  ethics  ;  the 
teaching  of  sufficient  pharmacy  in  colleges  of  medicine  to  enable  the  graduates 
thereof  to  distinguish  between  legitimate  pharmacy  and  pharmaco-quackery  ; 
and  the  use  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  as  a  text  book  in  both 
colleges  of  medicine  and  pharmacy.  After  discussing  the  resolutions,  certain 
of  them  were  amended  and  then  adopted  ;  others  were  stricken  out  as  impractic- 
able or  antagonistic  to  certain  efforts  of  the  Association,  while  still  others  were 
adopted  as  presented.  The  adopted  resolutions  were  then  referred  to  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  and  Dr.  Stewart,  the  chairman,  was  given  a  special 
vote  of  thanks.  It  was  moved  and  adopted  that  a  delegation  of  five  members 
be  appointed  by  the  President  to  visit  the  National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Asso- 
ciation, and  carry  the  fraternal  greetings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation. On  motion  of  Mr.  Thompson,  a  resolution  of  appreciation  was  offered 
to  the  Local  Committee  of  Arrangements,  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  Committee,  and 
all  others  who  had  taken  part  in  providing  the  hospitable  entertainment  which 
the  Association  had  received  during  the  meeting.  Mr.  Frost  replied  to  the  reso- 
lution in  some  well-chosen  words.  A  recess  of  five  minutes  was  then  granted 
by  the  Chair.  The  first  business,  when  the  session  was  thereafter  called  to 
order,  was  the  installation  of  the  officers-elect.  President  Whitney  now  occu- 
pied the  chair,  and  Mr.  Main  moved  that  a  vote  of  thanks  be  tendered  the  retir- 
ing officers  for  the  able  manner  in  which  they  had  carried  out  their  duties. 
This  action  was  heartily  approved  by  the  session.  The  meeting  then  adjourned, 
subject  to  the  call  of  the  Chair,  on  September  6,  1897. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 


OCTOBER,  iSgy. 


thp:  tannin  of  ceriops  candolleana. 

By  Henry  Trimble. 

Contribution  from   the   Chemical    Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.     No.  170. 

Havinf^  received  two  samples  of  the  bark  from  this  member  of 
the  mangrove  group,  which  had  been  collected  in  widely  separated 
localities  in  India,  it  was  thought  that  an  investigation  of  the  princi- 
pal constituent,  tannin,  might  prove  of  interest. 

One  sample  was  received  from  A.  E.  Wild,  Conservator  of  Forests, 
Bengal  ;  it  was  collected  in  that  locality  in  February.  The  other 
sample  was  sent  from  Singapore,  and  was  collected  there  in  Novem- 
ber;  it  was  forwarded  to  me  by  M.  N.  Ridley,  of  the  Botanic 
Gardens  at  that  place.'' 

Ceriops  Candolleana,  like  many  other  members  of  the  Rhizo- 
poraceai,  is  found  in  nearly  all  the  low  muddy  shores  of  India,  and 
the  Andaman  Islands.  It  is  known  under  the  vernacular  names  of 
Kirrari,  Goran,  Mada  and  Tcngah,  according  to  the  locality  in 
which  it  grows.  It  is  a  small,  evergreen  tree,  with  dark  red  hark 
and  hard  red  wood.  The  pores  of  the  wood  are  very  small,  and 
the  medullary  rays  very  fine,  slightly  wavy  and  equidistant.  Pores 
jo  ned  by  fine,  wavy,  interrupted,  concentric  bands. 

The  bark  is  of  a  deep  reddish-brown  color,  and  is  covered  on  the 
outer  surface   with   numerous    conspicuous    lentircls.       U    yields  a 


'  To  both  Mr.  Wild  .lud  .Mr.  Kuilev  the  author  is  under  obln;.itionb  for  other 
valu;il)U*  samples. 

(505) 


5o6  Tannin  of  Ceriops  Candolleana.  {^"o/tSerfisgy."'' 

deep  port  wine  coloring  to  water,  and  contains  large  quantities  of 
both  coloring  matter  and  tannin.  On  these  two  substances  depends 
the  use  of  the  bark  for  both  dyeing  and  tanning.  It  is  by  far  the 
most  valuable  one  of  the  mangrove  barks  for  tanning.  The  claim 
is  made-  that  it  imparts  a  fine  red  color  to  leather.  It  may  be  said, 
in  regard  to  this,  however,  that  tanners  usually  object  to  a  reddish 
color  imparted  by  tanning  materials,  and  the  objection  heretofore  to 
all  mangrove  barks  has  been  the  tendency  they  have  to  produce  a 
red  color  and  a  soft  leather.  Another  real  objection  to  the  man- 
grove extract  sent  from  a  tropical  climate  has  been  noted  by  Mr. 
Ridley,  who  says  the  stuff  has  generally  been  so  abominably  pre- 
pared that  no  one  will  look  at  it.  At  the  present  time  attempts 
are  being  made  to  manufacture  a  good  quality  of  extract  in  southern 
India  and  Borneo  for  export.^ 

The  wood  is  used  in  the  province  of  Sind  for  the  knees  of  boats 
and  several  other  purposes,  and  in  Lower  Bengal  for  house  posts 
and  for  firewood. 

Each  of  the  two  samples  yielded  the  following  percentages  of 
moisture,  ash  and  tannin  : 

Ash  in  Tannin  in        Tannin  in 

absolutely  original         absolutely 

Moisture.        dry  sample.  sample.        dry  sample. 

Sample  from  Bengal    .    ,    .1370  5*83  27-24  31*56 

Sample  from  Singapore  .    .13*34  io*6o  20*00  23*07 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  tannin  percentages  that  Ceriops  well  de- 
serves the  reputation  it  has  for  being  the  most  valuable  one  of  the 
mangroves.  The  per  cent,  of  tannin  is  more  than  is  usually  found 
in  barks,  and  is  perhaps  only  equalled  by  the  wattle  barks  of  Aus- 
tralia. The  differences  of  both  tannin  and  ash  in  the  above 
samples  are  considerable,  but  not  more  than  is  found  in  our  oaks 
when  collected  at  different  seasons  of  the  year. 

A   quantity  of  tannin  was  prepared  from  the  Bengal  sample.     It 

was   thoroughly   purified    and    submitted    to    elementary  analysis, 

yielding  the  following  percentage  results  : 

Carbou 61*13 

Hydrogen 5*29 

These   figures,   with   the  reactions   towards  iron   salts,   bromine 

water  and  calcium  hydrate,  prove  it  to  belong  in  the  class  of  oak 

bark  tannins. 

'  Watt,  Dictionary  of  the  Economic  Products  of  India,  Vol.  II,  p.  261. 
'  Kciu  Bulletin  for  February  and  March,  1897,  contains  a  report  by  Professor 
Hummel  on  the  value  of  Ceriops  bark  for  dyeing  purposes. 


^"cS.V^^"-}  Camphor   Tree.  507 

thp:  camphor  tree.^ 

{^Cinnamomum  camphora,  Nees  &  Eberm.) 

By  Lyster  H.  Dewey. 

DESCRIPTION. 

The  camphor  tree  is  a  broad-leaved  evergreen,  related  to  the  red 
bay  and  to  the  sassafras  of  the  United  States.  In  its  native  habitat 
it  attains  a  height  of  60  to  100  feet,  with  wide-spreading  branches 
and  a  trunk  20  to  40  inches  in  diameter.  Its  general  habit  is  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  basswood.     The  leaves  are  broadly  lanceolate  in 


Fig.    I. — Camphor   tree  :  a,  young,   lealy   shoot,  scale  one-third  ;  ^,  flower 
cluster,  life  size  ;  c,  fruit,  life  size. 

form,  with  acuminate  points  at  both  base  and  apex,  of  a  light  green 
color,  smooth  and  shining  above  and  whitish,  or  glaucous,  on  the 
under  surface.  The  lower  pair  of  lateral  veins  arc  more  prominent 
than  the  others,  but  the  leaves  are  not  as  distinctly  thrce-ncrved  as 

^  United  Sutes   Department  of  Agriculture,   Division  of  Botany.     Circular 
No.  12. 


5o8  Camphor   Tree.  {'^''l^i^.r^^^r' 

those  of  the  cinnamon  and  many  other  species  of  the  genus.  The 
small  white  or  greenish- white  flowers  {Fig.  i,  b)  are  borne  in  axillary- 
racemes  from  February  to  April,  on  shoots  of  the  previous  season, 
and  are  followed  in  October  by  berry-like,  one-seeded  fruits  about 
^  inch  in  diameter  {Fig.  /,  c).  The  fruiting  pedicels  terminate  in 
a  saucer-shaped  disk,  persisting  after  the  mature  fruit  has  fallen. 

NATIVE    RANGE. 

The  camphor  tree  is  native  in  the  coast  countries  of  Eastern  Asia 
from  Cochin  China  nearly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yang-tse-kiang,  and 
on  the  adjacent  islands  from  the  southern  part  of  the  Japanese  Em- 
pire, including  Formosa  and  the  Ryukyu  Islands,  to  Hainan,  off  the 
coast  of  Cochin  China.  Its  range  also  extends  into  the  interior  of 
China  as  far  as  the  province  of  Hupeh,  about  500  miles  from  the 
coast  on  the  Yang-tse-kiang,  in  latitude  30°  north.  This  area,  ex- 
tending from  10°  to  34°  north  latitude,  and  from  105°  to  130°  east 
longitude,  is  all  embraced  in  the  eastern  monsoon  region,  which  is 
remarkable  for  abundant  rains  in  summer. 

The  camphor  trees  growing  wild  in  the  native  range  are  usually 
most  abundant  on  hillsides  and  in  mountain  valleys,  where  there  is 
good  atmospheric  as  well  as  soil  drainage.  The  temperature  in  the 
greater  part  of  this  region,  which  is  partly  within  the  tropics  and 
partly  subtropical,  rarely  falls  below  freezing.  The  tree  is  an  ever- 
green, changing  its  leaves  generally  in  April,  and  therefore  the 
winter  temperature  is  a  factor  of  more  importance  than  would  be 
the  case  with  a  deciduous  tree. 

RANGE    UNDER    CULTIVATION. 

Notwithstanding  the  comparatively  narrow  limits  of  its  natural 
environment,  the  camphor  tree  grows  well  in  cultivation  under 
widely  different  conditions.  It  has  become  abundantly  naturalized 
in  Madagascar.  It  flourishes  at  Buenos  Ayres.  It  thrives  in  Egypt, 
in  the  Canary  Islands,  in  southeastern  France,  and  in  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley,  in  California,  where  the  summers  are  hot  and  dry.  Large 
trees,  at  least  200  years  old,  are  growing  in  the  temple  courts  at 
Tokyo,  where  they  are  subject  to  a  winter  of  seventy  to  eighty 
nights  of  frost,  with  an  occasional  minimum  temperature  as  low  as 
12°  to  16°  F.  The  most  northern  localities  in  the  United  States, 
so  far  as    known  at  this  Department,  where  the  camphor  tree   has 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October.  1897. 


CampJior   Tree. 


509 


been    grown  successfully  out  of  doors,  are  Charleston  and  Summer, 
ville,  in  South  Carolina,  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  Oakland,  Cal. 

At  Charleston,  Summerville  and  Augusta  the  trees  have  with- 
stood a  minimum  temperature  of  15°  F.,  but  they  have  been  pro- 
tected by  surrounding  trees  and  buildings.  At  Mobile,  Ala.,  the 
trees  have  grown  and  fruited  in  protected  situations,  while  in  ex- 
posed places  they  have  been  repeatedly  destroyed  by  frosts.  While 
the  camphor  tree  will  grow  on  almost  any  soil  that  is  not  too  wet, 
it  does  best  on  a  well-drained  sandy  or  loamy  soil,  and  it  responds 
remarkably  well  to  the  application  of  fertilizers.  Its  growth  is  com- 
paratively slow  on  sterile    soils,  but    under  favorable  conditions  it 


Fif[.  2. — Map  showing  approximate  areas  where  the  camphor  tree  may  be 
grown  in  the  United  States.  In  the  dotted  area  protection  from  cold  will  be 
require<l.  In  the  line-shaded  area  protection  will  not  often  be  required,  except 
in  exposed  situations  and  on  the  mountains  of  California. 

sometimes  grows  very  rapidly.  An  instance  is  recorded  of  a  cam- 
phor tree  in  Italy  a  foot  in  diameter  and  90  feet  high,  eight  years 
from  the  seed.  Under  ordinary  conditions,  however,  such  a  girth 
is  not  often  attained  in  less  than  twenty-five  years,  and  such  a  height 
is  rarely  attained  in  a  century.  Under  favorable  conditions  an  aver- 
*^gc  of  30  '^cet  in  height,  with  trunks  6  to  8  inches  in  diameter  at  the 
base,  may  be  expected  in  trees  ten  years  from  the  seed. 


510  Camphor   Tree,  { ^"ocSr .^im"' 

USES  OF  THE  TREE  AND  ITS  PRODUCTS. 

The  principal  commercial  uses  of  the  camphor  tree  are  for  the 
production  of  camphor  gum  and  camphor  oil.  Camphor  gum  is 
employed  extensively  in  medicine.  It  enters  into  the  composition 
of  many  kinds  of  liniments  for  external  application.  For  liniment 
it  is  used  especially  in  combination  with  olive  oil.  It  is  taken  inter- 
nally for  hysteria,  nervousness,  nervous  headaches,  diarrhoea  and 
diseases  affecting  the  alimentary  canal.  It  is  a  specific  in  cases  of 
typhoid  fever  and  cholera.  Camphor  fumes  have  been  used  with 
success  in  cases  of  asthma.  It  has  been  used  very  extensively  to 
keep  insects  out  of  furs,  woollens,  etc.  In  Japan  camphor  and  cam. 
phor  oil  are  used  in  lacquer  work.  The  oil  is  somewhat  similar  to 
turpentine,  and  could  doubtless  be  used  to  advantage  in  varnishes 
and  shellacs.  It  is  now  used  in  the  manufacture  of  toilet  soaps.  In 
Japan  and  China  it  has  been  used  for  illuminating  purposes,  but  it 
produces  a  smoky  flame. 

Among  the  secondary  uses  of  the  camphor  tree  the  most  im- 
portant is  for  ornamental  planting.  Its  bright  evergreen  leaves, 
rapid  growth  and  long  life  make  it  valuable  for  this  purpose.  In 
Japan  and  China  it  has  been  the  principal  tree  planted  in  the  temple 
courts  for  many  centuries,  and  in  those  countries  it  takes  the  place 
of  the  historic  oaks  of  England.  It  has  been  extensively  introduced 
into  Southern  Europe  and  South  America  for  ornamental  purposes. 

The  wood,  with  its  close  grain,  yellow  color,  and  susceptibility  to 
polish,  taking  a  kind  of  satin-like  finish,  is  exceedingly  valuable  in 
cabinetwork,  especially  for  making  drawers,  chests  and  cupboards 
proof  against  insects.  The  leaves  and  young  branches,  although 
they  have  but  a  slight  odor  of  camphor,  are  packed  with  clothing 
or  scattered  about  unused  rooms  to  guard  against  insects. 

The  tree  produces  an  abundance  of  berry-like  fruits,  which  are 
used  in  Japan  and  China  to  make  a  kind  of  tallow.  The  fruits  are 
greedily  eaten  by  chickens  and  birds,  especially  mocking  birds, 
which  often  select  camphor  trees  for  nesting  places. 

CONDITIONS   OF   SUCCESSFUL    CULTIVATION. 

For  most  of  the  secondary  purposes,  the  camphor  tree  may  well 
be  cultivated  wherever  it  can  be  made  to  live ;  but  for  the  distilla- 
tion of  gum  and  oil  with  a  commercial  view,  and  for  the  production 
of  wood  for  cabinet  purposes,  it   must   be   grown   under   the  most 


-""ocrXr^^T-}  Camphor   Tree,  511 

favorable  conditions.  The  minimum  winter  temperature  should  not 
be  below  20°  F.,  and  this  minimum  should  be  of  rare  occurrence. 
The  soil,  preferably  sandy  and  well  drained,  should  be  irrigated 
unless  there  are  abundant  rains.  Fifty  inches  of  water  during  the 
warm  growing  season  is  desirable,  and  much  more  may  well  be  used 
where  the  air  is  very  dry. 

An  abundance  of  plant  food,  rich  in  nitrogen,  is  required  for  rapid 
growth  ;  but  the  kind  of  fertilizer  that  can  be  most  profitably  applied 
will  vary  according  to  the  character  of  the  soil  in  each  locality.  In 
the  absence  of  definite  information  in  this  regard,  the  kind  of  fertilizer 
producing  most  rapid  growth  of  wood  in  the  orange  or  in  other 
fruit  trees  may  be  taken  as  an  index. 

The  northern  boundary  of  the  dotted  area  on  the  accompanying 
map  i^Fig.  2)  marks,  approximately,  the  limit  within  which  the  cam- 
phor tree  may  be  grown  in  situations  protected  by  buildings  or  by 
other  trees,  while  the  northern  limit  of  the  area  shaded  by  lines 
marks  the  approximate  boundary  of  the  area  within  which  it  may 
be  grown  without  protection.  Further  experiments  in  planting  the 
camphor  tree  will  doubtless  modify  both  of  these  lines  somewhat. 
It  is  hoped  that  by  continued  selection  of  seeds  from  the  most  hardy 
trees  plants  may  be  bred  up  to  endure  more  cold. 

PROPAGATION. 

Camphor  trees  may  be  grown  either  from  seed  or  from  cuttings. 
They  are  usually  grown  from  seed,  as  the  trees  fruit  abundantly,  and 
seedlings  can  be  grown  more  easily  than  cuttings.  The  seeds  are 
collected  at  maturity  in  October  and  November,  and,  after  drying, 
are  packed  in  sharp  white  sand  or  some  similar  material  to  keej) 
them  fresh  until  the  time  of  planting  in  spring.  About  the  last  of 
March  they  are  sown  in  drills  in  the  seed  bed. 

The  soil  of  the  seed  bed  should  be  a  good  sandy  loam  mixed  with 
about  one-third  leaf  mould.  The  seed  bed  should  be  kept  moist, 
but  not  too  wet,  and  should  be  shaded  from  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun  if  the  weather  is  warm.  The  best  soil  temperature  for  germi- 
nating camphor  seeds  is  from  70°  to  75°  F.  The  temperature  of 
the  atmosphere  may  be  10  degrees  higher.  The  seedlings  will 
grow  well  at  higher  temperatures,  but  are  likely  to  lack  vigor  and 
hardiness. 

The  seedlings  may  be  grown  in  pots,  which  will  facilitate  trans- 


512  Camphor  Tree.  {^"^cfober.^sQr' 

planting  at  any  time,  or  they  may  be  transplanted  in  nursery  rows 
early  in  April  when  one  year  old.  Plants  two  years  old  are  gene- 
rally regarded  as  best  for  final  planting.  At  this  age  they  vary  from 
20  to  40  inches  in  height. 

PLANTING   AND    CULTIVATION. 

When  set  out  for  ornamental  purposes,  the  camphor  tree  may  be 
expected  to  grow,  in  favorable  situations,  about  as  rapidly  as  a  Le 
Conte  pear,  and  to  require  about  as  much  room.  In  Japan,  where 
the  law  requires  that  a  new  tree  shall  be  set  out  for  every  one  cut, 
they  are  not  generally  set  in  straight  orchard  rows,  but  cultivation 
there  is  performed  almost  exclusively  by  hand  labor.  There  are  no 
records  showing  results  of  regular  orchard  planting,  hence  the  dis- 
tances at  which  trees  should  be  planted  must  be  determined  by  the 
size  and  form  of  the  trees  and  the  methods  of  cultivation,  and  of  pro- 
curing the  gum.  They  may  be  set  closely  in  rows  about  10  feet 
apart,  and  alternate  rows  cut  and  reset  every  five  years,  thus  pro- 
ducing bush-like  plants  of  ten  years'  growth.  They  may  be  planted 
in  checks  10  feet  square,  and  alternate  trees  cut  every  ten  or  twelve 
years,  or  they  may  be  planted  in  larger  checks,  and  all  of  the  trees 
be  cut  at  the  age  of  fifteen  or  twenty  years. 

There  are  not  sufficient  data  obtainable  upon  which  to  base 
definite  statements  as  to  the  best  methods  of  planting  or  the 
age  at  which  the  trees  may  be  cut  with  greatest  profit  for 
the  production  of  gum.  A  recent  English  consular  report  from 
Japan  states  that  "  although  hitherto  the  youngest  wood  from  which 
camphor  was  extracted  was  about  seventy  to  eighty  years  old,  it  is 
expected  that  under  the  present  scientific  management  the  trees  will 
give  equally  good  results  after  twenty-five  or  thirty  years."  Cam- 
phor of  good  quality  has  been  produced  in  Florida  from  the  leaves 
and  twigs  of  trees  less  than  twenty  years  old,  I  pound  of  crude 
gum  being  obtained  from  seventy-seven  pounds  of  leaves  and  twigs. 

The  trees  will  endure  severe  pruning  with  little  apparent  injury. 
One-third  of  the  leaves  and  young  shoots  may  be  removed  at  one 
time  without  materially  checking  the  growth  of  the  tree.  The 
largest  proportion  of  camphor  is  contained  in  the  older,  larger  roots; 
the  trunk,  limbs,  twigs  and  leaves  containing  successively  a  decreas- 
ing proportion.  When  the  camphor  tree  is  killed  nearly  to  the 
ground  by  frost  it  sends  up  vigorous  shoots  from  the  base.     It  may 


""^cforr.*;^'"}  Camphor   Tree,  513 

be  expected  to  do  the  same  when  cut,  especially  if  cut  late  in  the 
fall.  Experiments  are  needed  to  determine  whether  this  growth 
may  be  depended  upon,  or  whether  it  will  be  more  profitable  to  dig 
out  the  larger  roots  and  set  out  new  seedlings. 

DISTILLATION    OF    CAMPHOR    IN    JAPAN. 

In  the  native  forests  in  Formosa,  Fukien  and  Japan  camphor  is 
distilled  almost  exclusively  from  the  wood  of  the  trunks,  roots  and 
larger  branches.  The  work  is  performed  by  hand  labor,  and  the 
methods  employed  seem  rather  crude.  Different  methods  of  distilla- 
tion are  employed  in  different  districts,  but  those  in  use  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Tosa,  in  Japan,  appear  to  be  the  most  skilful.  The  camphor 
trees  are  felled,  and  the  trunk,  larger  limbs,  and  sometimes  the  roots, 
are  cut  into  chips  by  hand  labor  with  a  sharp  concave  adz. 

The  fresh  chips  are  placed  in  a  wooden  tub  about  40  inches  high 
and  20  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base,  tapering  toward  the  top  like 
an  old-fashioned  churn.  The  perforated  bottom  of  the  tub  fits  tightly 
over  an  iron  pan  of  water  on  a  furnace  of  masonry.  The  tub  has  a 
tight-fitting  cover,  which  may  be  removed  to  put  in  the  chips.  It  is 
surrounded  by  a  layer  of  earth  about  6  inches  thick  to  aid  in  retain- 
ing a  uniform  temperature.  A  bamboo  tube  extends  from  near  the 
top  of  the  tub  into  the  condenser.  This  consists  of  two  wooden  tubs 
of  different  sizes,  the  larger  one  right  side  up,  kept  about  two-thirds 
full  of  water  from  a  continuous  stream  which  runs  out  of  a  hole  in 
one  side.  The  smaller  one  is  inverted  with  its  edges  below  the 
water,  forming  an  air-tight  chamber.  This  air  chamber  is  kept  cool 
by  the  water  falling  on  the  top  and  running  down  over  the  sides. 
The  upper  part  of  the  air  chamber  is  sometimes  filled  with  clean 
rice  straw,  on  which  the  camphor  crystallizes,  while  the  oil  drips 
down  and  collects  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  In  some  cases  the 
camphor  gum  and  oil  are  allowed  to  collect  together  on  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  are  afterward  separated  by  filtration  through  rice 
straw  or  by  pressure. 

About  twelve  hours  are  required  for  distilling  a  tubful  by  this 
method.  Then  the  chips  are  removed  and  dried  for  use  in  the  fur- 
nace, and  a  new  charge  is  put  in.  At  the  same  time  the  camphor 
and  oil  arc  removed  from  the  condenser.  By  this  method  20 
to  40  pounds  of  chips  are  required  for  I  pound  of  crude  camphor 
gum. 


514 


Camphor   Tree. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

1      October,  1897. 


The  principles  orenerally  held  to  be  essential  in  distilling  camphor 
of  good  quality  are :  (i)  The  heat  must  be  uniform  and  not  too 
great,  producing  a  steady  supply  of  steam ;  (2)  the  steam,  after 
liberating  the  camphor,  must  not  come  in  contact  with  metal,  that  is, 
the  tub  and  condensing  apparatus  must  be  of  wood. 

SUGGESTED    IMPROVEMENTS. 

Many  improvements  upon  the  methods  described  can  doubtless 
be  made,  tending  both  to  a  reduction  in  cost  and  an  increase  in  the 
proportion  of  crude  gum  obtained.  Instead  of  an  adz  wielded  by 
hand  labor  a  machine  similar  to  the  •*  hog  "  used  for  grinding  up 
waste  slabs  in  saw-mills  may  be  used  to  reduce  camphor  limbs  to 
the  requisite  fineness  for  distillation.  Better  distilling  apparatus  can 
probably  be  devised.  Thermometers  may  be  introduced  to  deter- 
mine the  heat  in  the  distilling  tub,  and  the  furnace  may  be  so  arranged 
as  to  permit  better  control  and  greater  economy  in  fuel.  Camphor 
and  camphor  oil  are  both  slightly  soluble  in  water,  and  the  con- 
densing chamber  should  be  improved  so  as  to  recover  the  product 
that  is  being  constantly  carried  off  in  the  running  stream  which 
cools  the  chamber. 

OUTLOOK    FOR    FUTURE    MARKET. 

The  consumption  of  camphor  in  this  country,  as  measured  by  the 
importations,  has  been  decreasing  during  the  past  ten  years,  while 
the  price  has  been  increasing,  as  indicated  by  the  following  table: 

IMPORTS,  VAI.UES  AND  APPROXIMATE;  VAI^UES  P^R   POUND    OF  CAMPHOR  FOR 

YEARS    ENDED    JUNE    30,    1887-1896,    AND    FOR    NINE 

MONTHS  ENDED  MARCH  31,   1897. 


Crude  Camphor— Duty  Free. 


Years. 


Quantities. 


Pounds. 

1887 2,873,184 

1888 2,779,719 

1889 I  1,974,500 

'890 2,061,370 

'891 1,666,074 

'^92 1,955,787 

1893 1,723,425 

'894 1,323,932 

*°95 1,509,713 

*^6 943,205 

For 9 months,  March, 
31.  1897  (latest  re- 
ports obtainable)  .  855,284 

•Ten  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 


j  Value 
Values.    [     per 
pound. 


$352,861.00 
304,460.00 

293,031.44 
421,385.00 
468,025.00 
447,634.00 
446,548.00 
309,407.00 
284,958.00 
328,457.00 


207,137-77 


$0.12 

•  II 

.15 
.20 
.28 

•  23 
.26 

.23 
•19 

•35 


.24 


Refined  Camphor— Dutiable. 


Quantities, 


Pounds. 

307 
61 

72 

87 

63 

56,820 

156,291 

137,882 

271,164 

1.53,912 


155.027 


Value 

Values. 

per 

pound. 

$45.00 

$0.15 

7-77 

-13 

10.50 

•  15 

37-75 

-43 

21.23 

•33 

17,361.00 

.31 

51,229.33 

•33 

44-233.00 

.32 

8^,382.00 

.31 

68,785.00 

•45 

52,811.00 

.34 

Rates  of 
Duty. 


Per  lb, 

5  cents. 

do 

do 

do 
4  cents. 

do 

do 

do 

(*) 

(*) 


(*) 


^"dctXr.^^^"}  Camphor   Tree.  515 

The  Tariff  Act  approved  July  27,  1S97,  imposes  a  duty  of  6  cents 
per  pound  on  refined  camphor  and  leaves  crude  camphor  on  the  free 
list,  as  heretofore. 

There  has  been  an  increase  in  importations  of  refined  camphor, 
due  to  improved  methods  of  refinin^r  and  packing  in  Japan  and  to 
changes  in  the  tariff;  but  this  increase  has  been  much  more  than 
counter-balanced  by  the  decrease  in  importations  of  crude  camphor. 

The  decrease  may  be  attributed  to  the  following  causes:  (i)  The 
exhaustion  of  the  supply  oi  the  available  camphor  trees  near  the 
shipping  ports ;  (2)  the  governmental  restrictions  on  the  trade  in 
camphor  in  Formosa  :  (3)  government  taxes  on  the  exportation  of 
camphor  from  Formosa  ;  (4)  hostilities  and  wanton  destruction  of 
camphor  stills  by  the  natives  in  Formosa;  (5)  disturbances  in  the 
camphor-producing  district  of  China  ;  (6)  the  China-Japan  war  ; 
(7)  attempts  by  speculators  to  corner  the  market. 

These  causes  have  increased  the  price  of  camphor,  and  this  in 
turn  has  led  to  the  introduction  of  substitutes.  Menthol  and  other 
peppermint  derivatives  or  compounds,  carbolic  acid  and  its  deriva- 
tives, naphthalin,  formalin  and  insect  powder  are  now  used  for  various 
purposes  where  camphor  was  former!)'  employed.  Camphor  has 
been  manufactured  artificially  at  a  cost  leaving  a  margin  of  profit  at 
present  prices.  It  is,  therefore,  apparent  that  if  the  production  of 
camphor  from  the  trees  is  to  be  carried  on  with  profit  in  this 
country,  and  the  industry  increased  to  any  considerable  extent,  the 
price  of  camphor  must  be  reduced  to  compete  with  the  prices  of 
substitutes  now  taking  its  place. 

Camphor  has  been  obtained  from  several  other  plants  not  at  all 
related  to  the  ordinary  camphor  tree;  but  only  two  kinds,  Borneo 
camphor  and  Hlumea  camphor,  are  of  any  importance  commer- 
cially. 

Borneo  camphor  is  obtained  from  the  camphor  tree  of  Horneo 
and  Sumatra,  Dryobalanops  aromatica.  It  is  deposited  in  clefts  and 
hollows  in  the  wood,  and  has  simply  to  be  taken  out.  This  cam- 
phor is  comparatively  rare  and  the  supply  is  consumed  almost  ex- 
clusively in  China,  where  it  is  valued  at  from  thirty  t(i  ninct\'  times 
as  much  as  ordinary  camphor. 

Blumea  camphor  is  obtained  by  distillation  from  Blumea  balsami- 

fera,  a   shrub  growing  in  Hurmah    and  the  Malay  Peninsula.     This 

is    usually  refined  in  Canton,  whence   about  10,000  pounds  are  ex- 


5i6  Therapeutic  Properties  of  Alcohol,     { ^'^.cioberasg/"- 

ported  annually.  The  source  of  this  supply  is  abundant,  and  as  the 
industry  develops  it  is  likely  to  enter  more  into  competition  with 
ordinary  camphor.  Neither  of  these  plants  can  be  grown  in  the 
United  States,  except  possibly  in  southern  Florida,  without  protec- 
tion against  cold. 
Approved  : 

James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
Washington,  D.  C,  August  12,  1897. 


ON  THE  THERAPEUTIC  PROPERTIES  OF  ALCOHOL 

AND  THE  REASONS  WHY  THE  FERMENTED  AND 

DISTILLED  LIQUORS  USED  AS  BEVERAGES 

SHOULD  NOT  BE  RECOGNIZED  IN  THE 

PHARMACOPCEIA    AS    MEDICINAL 

AGENTS.i 

ByN.  S.  Davis,  A.M.,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

Pure  ethyl  alcohol,  undiluted,  is  regarded  by  all  chemists  and  in- 
telligent physicians  as  an  active  poison,  rapidly  destructive  of  both 
vegetable  and  animal  life  whenever  brought  into  contact  with  either. 
The  presence  of  absolute  alcohol  in  contact  with  any  living  tissue 
immediately  arrests  all  natural  metabolic  and  vital  processes  in  such 
tissue,  and  causes  it  to  become  corrugated  or  shrunken  and  dead. 
Swallowing  absolute  alcohol,  undiluted,  as  quickly  destroys  the 
vitality  of  the  membranes  of  the  mouth,  throat  and  stomach,  and 
kills  the  individual,  as  does  pure  carbolic  acid.  Consequently,  alco- 
hol, in  its  pure  and  undiluted  state,  is  not  capable  of  being  used  as 
a  medicine,  but  when  largely  diluted  with  water,  as  it  is  in  all  the 
fermented  and  distilled  beverages,  its  direct  corrosive  or  corrugating 
effect  upon  the  membranes  it  comes  in  contact  with  is  so  much 
diminished  that  it  is  capable  of  being  absorbed  and  conveyed  in  the 
blood  to  all  parts  of  living  body.  In  this  diluted  condition,  there- 
fore, it  early  began  to  be  used  both  as  a  medicine  and  as  a  popular 
drink;  and  as  the  most  readily  appreciable  effect  was  to  diminish  the 

^  Presented  to  the  Section  on  Materia  Medica,  Pharmacy  and  Therapeutics  at 
the  Forty-eighth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  held 
at  Philadelphia,  June  1-4,  1897,  and  taken  from  \he  Journal  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  o{  August  21,  1897. 


^°octXr!'f^.'"' }      Therapeutic  Properties  of  Alcohol.  517 

individual's  consciousness  oi  impressions,  not  only  from  without,  but 
also  from  within,  it  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  universal  tonic 
and  restorative.  Its  supposed  tonic  and  restorative  effects  were 
based  wholly  on  the  sensations  and  movements  of  patients  or  indi- 
viduals under  the  influence  of  moderate  doses,  for  it  was  soon  demon- 
strated that  large  doses  directly  diminished  strength,  sensibility  and 
action.  But  when,  under  the  influence  of  moderate  doses,  the 
patient  said  he  felt  less  weak  or  weary,  felt  the  sensation  of  cold  or 
heat  as  painless,  felt  lighter  or  more  buoyant,  and  his  heart  was 
found  to  beat  faster,  it  was  perfectly  natural  for  both  physician  and 
patient  to  think  the  alcohol  was  acting  as  a  tonic  or  stimulant  and 
general  restorative.  It  was  not  until  the  advancement  in  analytic 
chemistry  and  the  physiology  ot  all  parts  of  the  nerve  structures  of 
man,  coupled  with  the  researches  in  physics  and  biology  of  the  last 
half  century,  that  we  have  had  it  in  our  power  to  prove  the  incor- 
rectness of  these  conclusions  founded  on  the  sensations  and  actions 
of  the  patient  under  its  influence.  The  more  recent  chemico  physi- 
ologic researches  have  shown  more  clearly  the  composition  of  the 
blood  and  the  various  tissues  of  the  body,  and  especially  the  exist- 
ence and  functions  of  the  haemoglobin,  leucocytes  and  other  corpus- 
cular elements  of  both  blood  and  tissues,  and  the  part  each  plays  in 
the  reception  and  internal  distribution  of  oxygen,  with  its  effects  on 
all  the  metabolic  changes  in  living  bodies.  By  the  same  class  of  re- 
searches it  is  shown  that  alcohol,  diluted  with  water  and  taken  into 
the  stomach,  is  rapidly  absorbed  by  the  capillaries  and  is  conveyed 
in  the  blood  to  every  tissue  in  the  body,  and  by  its  presence  retards 
the  natural  metabolic  changes,  lessens  the  processes  of  oxidation  and 
elimination,  diminishes  nerve  sensibility  and,  when  repeated  from 
day  to  day,  induces  cell  and  tissue  degeneration.  By  the  more  re- 
cent studies  in  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  several  parts  of 
the  nervous  system,  it  has  been  shown  not  onh'  that  the  action  of  the 
heart  and  the  movement  of  the  blood  in  the  vessels  are  directly 
under  the  control  of  the  cardiac  and  vasomotor  nerves,  some  of  the 
fibres  of  which  are  exciters  of  action,  while  others  are  inhibitors,  by 
which  uniformity  and  harmony  is  maintained  in  the  circulation  of 
the  blood,  but  also  that  our  voluntary  movements  and  sensations  are 
manifested  by  the  cerebro-spinal  nerves,  having  their  exciters  and 
inhibitors  by  which  we  are  enabled  to  co-ordinate  muscular  contrac- 
tions   and    relaxations   in  executing    all    complex  movements,  and 


5i8  riurapeutic  Properties  of  Alcohol.         {^^ctoberS™'' 

equally  so  it  is  that  our  mental  actions,  manifested  through  the  con- 
volutions of  the  brain,  are  regulated  by  exciters  and  inhibitors. 
Every  individual  whose  brain  is  in  its  normal  condition  has  fre- 
quent sensations,  impulses  or  exciters  of  mental  actions  which  he 
promptly  inhibits  or  disregards.  Indeed,  it  is  on  the  proper  devel- 
opment of  this  mental  inhibition  that  every  person's  self-control  and 
sense  of  propriety  depends. 

If  it  is  true,  as  has  been  already  stated,  that  alcohol,  when  taken 
into  the  living  system  in  large  doses,  is  an  active  poison,  quickly 
destroying  animal  life,  and  in  smaller  doses  is  an  anaesthetic,  directly 
diminishing  cerebral  sensibility  and  mental  consciousness  and  retard- 
ing all  metabolic  changes,  both  in  the  blood  and  tissues,  it  follows  as 
a  logical  and  necessary  inference  that,  if  administered  as  medicine,  it 
should  be  done  with  the  same  care  and  exactness  in  regard  to  purity, 
dose  and  time  that  we  exercise  in  prescribing  morphine,  quinine, 
aconite,  arsenic  or  any  other  active  drug.  This  cannot  be  done  by 
using  any  of  the  various  fermented  and  distilled  liquors  ordered 
either  from  drug  stores  or  liquor  dealers,  since  they  are  kept  at  no 
uniform  standard  of  either  strength  or  purity.  The  present  Pharma- 
copoeia recognizes  as  medicines,  vinum  or  wine,  spiritus  frumenti  or 
whiskey,  and  spiritus  vini  gallici  or  brandy,  but  does  not  give  a  defi- 
nite official  standard  of  alcoholic  strength  for  either  of  them.  Neither 
does  it  give  any  reliable  and  readily  available  tests  by  which  the 
strength  and  purity  of  the  articles  can  be  determined  by  the  ordinary 
practitioner  of  medicine.  Repeated  analyses  have  shown  that  the 
amount  of  alcohol  in  difierent  samples  of  wine  varies  from  6  to  25 
per  cent.;  in  whiskey,  from  35  to  50  per  cent.,  and  in  brandy,  from 
40  to  60  per  cent.  Such  variations  in  the  strength  of  any  other  medi. 
cine  would  quickly  cause  its  standard  to  be  corrected,  or  its  exclusion 
from  the  official  list  of  drugs.  As  alcohol  is  the  only  important 
therapeutic  agent  in  all  these  liquors,  why  not  let  pure  alcohol 
of  fixed  strength  be  officially  recognized  to  the  exclusion  of  all  the 
varieties  of  both  fermented  and  distilled  drinks?  Then  every  practi- 
tioner desiring  to  give  alcohol  as  a  remedy  could  order  it  with  any 
desired  degree  of  dilution  with  water,  and  he  would  know  what  his 
patient  was  getting  and  how  much,  and  the  pharmacist  would  no 
longer  need  to  pay  for  a  license  to  sell  liquors,  or  to  be  classed  with 
the  ordinary  dealers  in  such  beverages.  One  of  the  most  important 
improvements  in  modern  pharmacology  consists  in  the  separation  of 


'^'ocfoberriSS-'"''}      Therapeutic  Properties  of  AlcoJwl.  519 

the  active  therapeutic  agents  from  the  more  complex  or  crude  drugs, 
and  thereby  enables  the  physician  to  administer  them  with  far 
greater  convenience  and  certainty.  Very  few  intelligent  physicians 
of  the  present  day  would  think  of  prescribing  crude  opium  when 
they  desired  to  produce  only  the  anodyne  effects  of  the  morphine  it 
contained,  certainly  not  without  knowing  what  per  cent,  of  morphine 
would  be  in  the  crude  drug.  Why,  then,  should  he  prescribe  the 
uncertain  mixtures  called  beer,  wine,  whiskey  or  brandy,  when  his 
sole  object  is  to  obtain  the  therapeutic  effects  of  alcohol?  If  it  is 
claimed  that  these  several  fermented  and  distilled  liquors  contain 
other  therapeutic  agents  in  addition  to  the  alcohol,  we  answer  that, 
so  far  as  any  such  agents  exist,  their  proportionate  quantity  and 
quality  are  far  more  variable  and  uncertain  than  is  their  per  cent,  of 
alcohol.  Almost  the  only  constituents  found  in  whiskey  and  brandy, 
besides  the  alcohol  and  water,  are  very  variable  quantities  of  fusel 
oil,  tannin  and,  in  very  old  specimens,  a  trace  of  some  ethereal  sub- 
stance to  which  connoisseurs  attribute  the  special  bouquet.  So  far 
from  adding  to  the  therapeutic  value,  the  first  two  substances  are 
regarded  as  very  undesirable  impurities,  and  the  last  named  has 
never  been  isolated  in  sufficient  quantity  to  have  its  medical  quali- 
ties tried.  Much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning  valuable 
nutritive  constituents  in  the  different  varieties  of  wine,  but  the 
numerous  analyses  on  record  show  onl\'  very  variable  quantities  of 
fecula,  saccharine  matter,  tannin,  some  vegetable  acids  and  potassium 
salts,  in  addition  to  the  alcohol  and  water.  Of  these  extra  ingred- 
ients the  fecula  and  saccharine  matter  are  the  only  ones  that  could  be 
classed  as  nutritive  or  capable  of  being  converted  into  any  natural 
element  of  the  blood  or  tissues  of  the  body. 

The  quantity  of  these  in  any  variety  of  wine  is  so  limited  that  it 
would  require  several  barrels  of  the  wine  to  furnish  the  equivalent 
of  a  pound  of  bread.  Consequently,  it  would  be  far  more  economic, 
as  well  as  more  scientifically  accurate,  for  every  physician  to  pre- 
scribe such  doses  of  pure  alcohol  and  water  to  be  given  witli  such 
quantity  of  sugar,  milk  or  meat  broth,  as  he  thought  his  patient 
might  need.  The  physician  who  cannot  do  this,  and  thereby  accu- 
rately adjust  the  proportion  of  all  the  elements  his  patient  may  need, 
has  certainly  received  a  very  defective  professional  education.  It 
would  be  a  long  and  very  important  step  in  advance,  both  in  the 
interests  of  .scientific   accuracy  and   of  humanity,   if  all   physicians, 


520  Strophanthus  Nicholsonu  {^"oiobeA^r' 

when  they  thought  alcohol  was  needed,  would  prescribe  it  in  the 
manner  just  indicated,  and  if  in  the  next  revision  of  the  Pharma- 
copoeia, only  alcohol  of  standard  strength  was  retained  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  all  fermented  and  distilled  liquors.  If  these  changes  were 
adopted  and  carried  into  general  practice,  the  result  would  be  a 
more  complete  separation  of  both  pharmacist  and  physician  from 
connection  with,  or  responsibility  for,  the  general  traffic  in  and  uses 
of  the  various  alcoholic  liquors  in  popular  use. 


STROPHANTHUS  NICHOLSONI— A   NEW  SPECIES.^ 

By  B.  M.  Hoi^mes. 

For  some  years  past  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  obtain  herbarium 
specimens  in  flower  and  fruit  of  the  species  yielding  the  kombe 
seed  of  commerce,  and  the  ••  white  woolly  "  strophanthus  seeds  im- 
ported from  the  same  district,  but  hitherto  without  success.  Dr.  T» 
G.  Nicholson,  who  has  lately  returned  from  Central  Africa,  kindly 
promised  to  endeavor  to  obtain  specimens,  and  has  brought  back 
flowers  and  fruit  of  a  strophanthus,  the  seeds  of  which  appear  to  be 
identical  with  those  of  the  "  white  woolly"  strophanthus.  The  plant 
proves  to  be  a  new  species  hitherto  undescribed.  Dr.  Nicholson 
has  given  me  the  following  description  of  the  plant :  It  is  a  small 
bush  or  shrub,  about  3  or  4  feet  high,  having  the  habit  of 
growth  of  the  flowering  currant  (Ribes  sanguineum,  Pursh.),  but  the 
main  branches  curve  slightly  outwards,  and  the  slender  twigs  are 
patent  at  an  obtuse  angle. 

It  grows  in  alluvial  plains  at  the  base  of  granite  hills,  intersected 
by  quartz  veins.  These  plains  are  at  an  altitude  of  about  2,200  feet 
above  sea- level.  The  ground  is  sodden  from  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber until  the  beginning  of  April.  It  is  sparsely  covered  with  bush, 
and  there  is  very  little  shade  where  the  strophanthus  grows.  The 
temperature  averages  about  105*^  F.  in  the  sun  and  50°  F.  in  the 
night.  The  specimens  in  flower  were  gathered  at  the  end  of  Octo- 
ber. There  are  the  pods  of  the  previous  year  opening  on  the  bush 
at  the  same  time  that  the  flowers  are  in  blossom,  and  in  December 
the  flowers  are  over  and  the  seeds  scattered.  At  the  time  the  plant 
flowers  there  are  no  leaves  formed,  or  they  are  only  very  slightly 
developed. 


Pharmaceutical  Journal,  September  4,  1897. 


Am.  Jour.  Phartn. 
October,  1897. 


StrophantJius  Nicholsoni. 


21 


The  general  color  of  the  flowers  is  of  a  pink  hue,  with  a  tinj^e  of 
dusky  fawn.  The  throat  of  the  corolla  is  yellow,  with  dark  purple 
lines  and  spots.  The  thread-like  corolla  segments  or  "  streamers  " 
are  of  a  pinkish  purple.  The  whole  corolla  in  withering  fades  to 
yellow,  but  does  not  readily  fall  off.     The  fruit  is  of  a  purplish  plum 


Strophanthus  Nicholsoni,  n.  sp. — a,  leafy  twig  with  leaves  undeveloped  ;  ^, 
leafless  inflorescence  ;  r,  unopened  flower  ;  d,  calyx  ;  e,  corolla,  with  tails  re- 
moved ;  y,  anthers  ;  g^  seed  ;  a,  b^  r,  g^  about  two-thirds  natural  size  ;  d,  e,  /, 
enlarged. 

color,  and  marked  with  linear  oval  lenticcls,  S(^me  of  which  are 
nearly  i  centimeter  long.  The  district  in  which  he  found  the  plant 
extends  from  Lusengasia,  in  the  Senega  country,  in  a  southwest 
direction  to  the  Loangwa  River. 

The  Ozimba  natives  would  not  admit  that  they  used   it  as  an 


522  Strophanthus  Nicholsoni.  {^'octobeVisw.'"- 

arrow  poison,  but  stated  that  it  was  so  used  by  the  Chipeta  people. 
The  plant  is  most  nearly  allied  to  S.  schuchardti,  Pax.,  and  may  be 
characterized  by  the  following  description  : 

Strophanthus  Nicholsoni,  n.  sp. — Frutex  dumosus,  ramis  griseofuscis,  vetustis 
glabris,  novellis  dense  tomentosio  ;  folia  (juuiora  solum  visa,  ad  i  centimeter 
longa),  brevissime  petrolata,  crassa,  ovata,  basi  cordata,  obtusa,  utraque  facie 
velutina,  grisea,  nervis  in  conspicuis ;  cymae  secus  ramos  denudatos,  ramulum 
abbreviatum  terminantes,  abortu  1-3  floras,  pedunculo  calycem  subsequante, 
bracteis  augiiste  linearibus  ;  calycis  segmenta  erecta,  linearia,  ijiequalia,  acuta 
duo  latiora,  diametro  millimetrum  aequantes,  corollse  tubo  paulo  breviora ; 
corolla  tola  pubescens,  fauce  interno  tenuissime  pubescente,  tubo  inferne  cylin- 
drico,  fauce  dilatato,  lobis  lanceolatis  ad  15  millimeters,  in  caudam  elongatam 
6-10  centimeters,  productis  ;  faucis  squatnce  tenuissime  pubescentes,  parvae,  ad 
2  millimeters  longae,  lauceolatae,  obtusae,  antherse  sagittatae  filamentis  glabris; 
ovarium  hirsutum  ;  fructus  purpureus  lenticellosus,  14-27  centimeters  longus  ; 
semina  i  j^  centimeters  longa  5  millimeters  lata,  dense  velutina,  pallide  brun- 
neo  alba,  aristae  parte  nuda  4>^  centimeters,  comosa  6  centimeters  longa. 

The  main  branches  are  about  i^  centimeters  thick,  with  slightly 
swollen  internodes,  at  a  distance  of  about  4-7  centimeters,  dull  pur- 
plish-brown with  a  glaucous  surface,  but  strongly  marked  with  elon- 
gated brownish,  narrow  lenticels.  The  young  leafy  twigs  and  the 
pedicels  and  bracts  are  densely  velvety.  The  anthers  have  a  pro- 
jecting appendage  or  rib  at  the  back  near  the  base. 

This  species  resembles  S.  sarmentosus  in  flowering  before  the 
leaves  appear,  but  differs  in  its  erect,  bushy  habit,  small  flowers  and 
more  slender  flowering  branches.  From  S.  schuchardti  it  differs  in 
the  lateral  leafless  inflorescence,  the  linear  bracts  and  unequal  calyx 
segments,  in  the  latter  nearly  equalling  the  corolla  tube,  in  the 
whole  of  the  corolla  being  pubescent,  in  the  much  longer  tails  to  the 
segments  of  the  corolla,  and  in  the  pubescent  glands.  With  sul- 
phuric acid  the  section  of  the  seeds  gives  the  same  rose  color  as  the 
"  white  woolly"  strophanthus  seed  of  commerce.  The  velvety  coat- 
ing of  the  seeds  hides  the  base  of  the  awn,  and,  like  that  of  the 
"  white  woolly  "  strophanthus  seeds,  the  hairs  look  white  when  their 
bases  are  presented  to  the  light,  and  brownish-fawn  color  when 
their  apices  are  turned  to  the  light.  The  average  measurements  of 
the  seeds  are  the  same. 


An  adulteration  of  magnesium  sulphate  with  zinc  sulphate  has  been  observed 
by  P.  A.  Ivamanna,  Boll.  Chim.  Farm.,  36,  198.  The  zinc  salt  maybe  detected 
by  the  addition  of  one  drop  of  solution  of  potassium  ferricyanide  to  a  solution 
of  the  suspected  salt,  when,  if  zinc  is  present,  a  brownish-yellow  precipitate  is 
produced. 


^"ociobe/lltr}  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs.  523 

EXAMINATION  OF  POWDERED  VEGETABLE  DRUGS. 

By  Henry  Kr^,mer. 

Powdered  drugs  and  "  pressed  herbs  "  will,  no  doubt,  at  a  not 
very  distant  day,  be  the  form  in  which  most  of  the  vegetable  drugs 
will  be  bought  and  sold  by  the  apothecary.  It  seems  reasonable  to 
suppose,  however,  that  a  few  drugs,  as  licorice  root,  slippery  elm 
bark,  chamomile  flowers,  rhubarb,  orris  root,  Canada  snake  root, 
senna  leaves,  manna,  etc.,  will  always  be  obtainable  in  a  more  or  less 
crude  condition,  as  most  of  these  require  that  they  be  broken  as 
little  as  possible  for  some  of  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  used. 
But  even  these  may  be  ground  and  compressed  into  forms,  as  "  rhu- 
barb fingers,"  that  may  be  in  keeping  with  more  elegant  pharmacy. 
Some  of  the  manufacturers,  at  least,  of  powdered  vegetable  drugs  and 
*♦  pressed  herbs  "  have  overcome  probably  nearly  every  objection 
that  might  be  raised  against  their  products.  They  have  done, 
moreover,  the  art  of  healing  an  immense  amount  of  good,  inasmuch 
as  their  products  are  sold  in  proper  containers  or  are  wrapped  so  as 
to  insure  against  the  maximum  amount  of  deterioration. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  average  pharmacist  pays  very  little 
attention  to  the  preservation  of  all  his  stock  of  crude  vegetable 
drugs.  The  number  of  suitable  containers  are  generally  few,  and 
the  stock  is  necessarily  in  much  greater  excess  of  these.  Those 
that  have  no  proper  receptacles,  as  well  as  the  over-abundance  of 
drugs  purchased  for  which  no  suitable  containers  are  provided,  are 
wrapped  in  what  is  by  no  means  impervious  paper  and  stored  away 
either  on  top  of  each  other  or  side  by  side,  or  both,  in  an  ••  out-of- 
the-way  "  place. 

Some  of  the  advantages  in  the  buying  of  powdered  drugs  are  : 

(1)  That  they  are  ground  by  the  manufacturer  of  pharmaceutical 
products  to  the  fineness  specified  by  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopo-Ma,  or, 
when  the  drug  is  not  official,  to  that  which  is  generally  used. 

(2)  The  pharmacist  is  saved  the  expense  for  apparatus,  as  a  drug- 
mill,  sieves,  etc. 

(3)  He  furthermore  saves  time  in  grinding  the  crude  drugs  or 
attending  to  the  same. 

(4)  The  powdered  drugs  which  he  purchases  are  in  impervious 
containers,  and  of  such  a  form  that  he  does  not  hesitate  to  place 
them  on  his  shelves  or  his  "  out-of-the-way"  place,  be  it  the  hottest 
part  of  his  store  (over  the  cases)  or  the  most  humid  part. 


524  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs.  {^"^/tXerf'^sir- 

(5)  No  additional  expense  may  be  felt  by  the  pharmacist  for  secur- 
ing other  containers  than  those  in  which  his  products  come  to  him. 

Some  of  the  disadvantages  in  the  purchasing  of  powdered  drugs 
are : 

(i)  That  the  drug  in  this  condition  costs  from  5  to  50  per  cent, 
more. 

(2)  The  apprentice  does  not  obtain  the  kind  of  practical  experi- 
ence in  grinding  drugs  that  will  be  always  of  inestimable  value  to 
him  in  determining  either  their  identity  or  quality. 

(3)  The  product  which  has  been  ground  by  someone  else  is  likely 
to  be  more  uncertain  than  one  ground  by  the  pharmacist  himself 
from  crude  drugs  of  which  he  can  so  readily  test  the  quality. 

(4)  There  is  at  present  no  easy  method  for  the  average  pharma- 
cist to  determine  the  purity  of  the  powdered  drugs  he  purchases. 

Now,  some  pharmacists  have  the  idea  that  a  large  sum  of  money 
must  be  expended  in  order  to  be  able  to  grind  one's  own  drugs — 
that,  for  instance,  steam-power  is  necessary,  an  expensive  mill  must 
be  provided  and  a  special  room  set  apart  for  doing  this  kind  of 
work.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  such  an  expensive  and  elabo- 
rate plant  is  impracticable  as  well  as  unnecessary.  Comparatively 
little  money  need  be  expended  to  purchase  a  good  hand-mill  and 
the  necessary  sieves.  With  but  very  little  outlay,  the  retail  pharma- 
cist can  grind  his  own  drugs  and  overcome  the  disadvantages  above 
noted.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  paper,  however,  to  discourage 
the  buying  of  powdered  drugs  or  even  to  compare  the  expense  of 
grinding  either  commercial  drugs  or  those  of  one's  own  collecting 
with  that  of  commercial  powdered  products,  but  to  consider  the 
qualitative  and  quantitative  investigation  of  powdered  drugs. 

QUALITATIVE    EXAMINATION. 

We  are  indebted  particularly  to  the  labors  of  Pliickiger,  Wigand, 
Vogl,  Arthur  Meyer,  Moeller,  Tschirch,  Schrenck  and  others,  who, 
during  the  past  ten  years,  chiefly  have  given  to  us  in  their  publica- 
tions the  characteristic  structures  of  many  of  our  crude  drugs.  All 
this  has  been  necessary  and  is  a  preparation  for  the  study  of  pow- 
dered drugs.  While  much  has  been  done,  even  in  the  study  of 
powdered  products,  there  still  remains  much  to  be  done  in  the  study 
of  both  crude  (particularly  American)  and  powdered  drugs.  Sev- 
eral things  are  necessary  for  the  study  of  powdered  drugs: 


'"'ocfober.'i'slr'.'" }  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs.  525 

(i)  Suitable  methods  for  the  rapid  discrimination  and  study  of 
the  characteristic  tissues  and  contents  of  the  powder.  While  sec 
tions  of  the  fine  particles  can  be  made  (by  holding  the  particle  be- 
tween the  forefinger  and  thumb  and  drawing  the  razor  through  the 
specimen),  still  this  is  laborious  and  requires  considerable  practice, 
time  and  confidence.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  to  devise  means  and 
employ  reagents  which  shall  make  the  specimen  transparent  and  not 
destroy  either  the  tissues  or  contents  that  need  to  be  seen.  The 
most  satisfactory  reagent  for  general  purposes  in  the  hands  of  the 
writer  has  been  the  employment  of  the  following  solution : 

CHLOR.AL-GLVCERIN    SOLUTION. 

Glycerin  (C.  P.)  l.^q^^lp^^ 
Distilled  water     > 
Chloral — sufficient  to  saturate  the  solution. 

A  few  drops  of  this  solution  are  placed  on  the  slide  and  from 
0002  to  o  008  gramme  of  the  powder  added.  The  cover-glass  is 
put  on  the  specimen  and  the  preparation  is  heated  gently  over  either 
a  spirit  lamp,  gas  flame  or  oil  lamp  until  it  begins  to  boil.  This  is 
then  allowed  to  cool  and  e.xamined.  If  not  sufficiently  transparent 
it  is  heated  again.  This  is  generally  not  necessary,  as  with  but  one 
heating  the  tissues  are  transparent  and  contents  may  be  examined. 
It  is  true  that  this  treatment  causes  a  slight  swelling  of  the  cell- 
wall,  and  is  not  applicable  in  testing  for  starch  ;  but  this  reagent 
has  the  advantages  of  clearing  the  specimen  and  preventing  it, 
without  further  treatment,  from  drying  out. 

When  examining  specimens  containing  starch  another  solution  is 
used,  as  follows  : 

CHLORAL-GLYCERIN    SOLUTION  +   IODINE. 

Chloral-glycerin  solution — any  con^enient  quantity. 

Iodine — a  sufficient  quantity  is  added  to  saturate  the  solution.        ' 

This  .solution  is  placed  on  the  slide  and  the  same  quantity  of 
powder  used  as  before,  but  heat  is  not  applied.  The  starch  grains, 
with  all  of  the  characteristic  markings,  will  be  brought  out  and  may 
be  studied. 

When  lignified  cells  are  sought,  the  powder  must  first  be 
moistened  with  a  drop  or  two  of  the  following  solution  of  anilin 
hydrochloride,  and  then  after  a  few  minutes  a  few  drops  of  the 
chloral-glycerin  solution  may  be  added  : 


526  Pimdered  Vegetable  Drugs.  {^^^'i^^^ 

ANTLEN'   HYDROCHLORIDE   SOLUTTOX. 

Anilin  hjrdrochloride -    •  5  g""- 

Hydrochloric  addi  C- P.) 25  cc. 

Alcohol  i  95  per  cent.) --  25  cc. 

Distilled  water .        . 50  cc. 

The  anilin  hydrochloride  is  diss-z.vcd  in  :he  alcohol,  and  to  this 
solution  the  water  containing  the  hydrochloric  acid  is  added.  When 
this  solution  is  used,  of  course,  cn.-stals  of  calcium  oxalate  or 
calcium  carbonate  are  destroyed. 

The  author  is  at  present  at  work  upon  other  solutions  ha^-in^ 
the  same  principle  in  their  coniposition  as  the  above :  but  those 
mentioned  are  all  that  are  necessary'  gener ;.  .--  \     —  : 

with  success. 

(2)  All  investigators  should  record  the  sa&  of  the  tissues  or  their 
contents  in  microns.  The  lengtii  of  bast  or  wood  fibres,  size  of 
pores,  cr>'stals,  starch  grains,  stone  cells,  etc,  arc  all  more  or  less 
characteristic  for  the  drugs  we  have  to  consider.  It  is  not  suflBdent 
to  say  that  drawings  were  made  by  the  use  of  a  ^indi  objective 
and  a  i-inch  ocular.  The  objectives  and  oculars  of  the  various 
makes  of  microscopes  not  only  magnify  difierently,  but  the  question 
of  tube  length  is  also  important  in  this  connection.  But  even  if  all 
of  these  data  were  given,  it  must  be  conceded  as  beii^  tedious  to  the 
reader  to  calculate  the  size  of  the  elements,  which  might  be  so 
easily  done  by  the  author.  Even  for  an  investigator  to  say  that  his 
drawings  are  magnified  so  many  diameters  <ioes  not  give  us  tihe  true 
and  scientific  idea  of  the  elements  which  the  author  has  seen  and 
we  are  to  use  in  the  study  of  powdered  drugs.  We  need  records 
in  microns  of  the  size  of  tissues  and  constituents  of  drugs  from 
many  sources  for  comparison,  so  that  another  investigator  may 
readily  get  at  the  facts.  This  is  the  only  scientific  method  for  the 
prosecution  of  this  kind  of  work,  and  must  be  rigidly  pursued  bjr 
alL 

(3)  A  scheme  for  the  logical  quaiitatiYe  determination  of  a 
powder  is  necessary.  It  will  be  somewhat  difficult  to  work  out  a 
scheme  that  will  be  of  practical  benefit,  because  it  is  necessary  to 
begin  with  the  consideration  of  the  characteristics  of  all  dn^s  and 
adulterants  that  may  be  used.  It  will  not  be  possiUe,  for  instance, 
to  separate  the  leaves  from  roots,  etc.,  as  is  done  in  the  study  of 
crude  drugs.    Many  points,  such  as  color,  taste,  odor,  as  well  as  con- 


^'october.?8^':'"}  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs.  527 

stituents  and  structural  characteristics  must  be  considered.  The  author 
is  at  present  engaged  in  a  work  having  for  its  object  the  identifi- 
cation of  a  powder  and  quahty  of  it,  and  hopes  to  have  it  completed 
during  the  coming  year. 

(4)  Furthermore,  it  is  necessary  for  all  those  who  have  to  do  with 
the  training  of  the  apprentice,  and  buying  and  selling  of  powdered 
drugs,  to  engage  in  the  study  of  the  same  until  the  most  satisfactory 
methods  for  determining  the  identification  and  quality  be  ascertained. 
In  our  educational  institutions  there  is  little  or  nothing  being  done, 
apparently,  in  this  direction.  It  seems  that  the  time  is  ripe  for 
some  time  to  be  given  to  the  study  of  powdered  drugs  in  connection 
with  that  of  crude  drugs.  This  will  undoubtedly  be  of  the  most 
practical  benefit,  as  powdered  drugs  are  already  handled  by  most 
pharmacists  to  some  extent  at  least. 

This  subject  of  the  investigation  of  powdered  drugs  is  one  of  great 
importance  to-day.  The  older  method  of  teaching  pharmacognosy 
in  this  country  must  be  supplanted  by  the  new,  having  for  its  object 
the  study  of  the  powdered  commercial  drugs.  This  knowledge 
ought  to  be  demanded  by  our  State  boards  of  pharmacy.  It  is  in 
keeping,  too,  with  the  desires  of  the  professional  pharmacist,  as  it 
will  tend  to  keep  out  the  competing  ^'merchant"  and  "grocer."  Our 
♦' pure  food  laws  "  will  require  the  pharmacist  to  know  the  value 
of  the  drugs  and  foods  he  sells.  This  may  be  required  also  of  the 
grocer,  but  he  can  buy  and  sell  in  original  packages.  The  pharma- 
cist is  hardly  in  the  same  position,  as  he  cannot  always  dispense  in 
original  packages,  and  he  is  responsible  for  the  purity  of  the  goods 
that  he  possesses  and  sells.  The  conscientious  pharmacist  wants 
this  knowledge,  desires  stringent  examinations  and  just  laws,  and 
will  in  his  everyday  dealings  live  up  to  what  he  knows.  He  has 
nothing  to  lose;  it  is  only  the  incompetent  or  dishonest  dealer  in 
drugs  and  foods  who  will  suffer. 

QUANTITATIVE    EX  AMI. NATION. 

In  a  paper  presented  to  the  A. Ph. A.  in  1894,  a  preliminary  notice 
of  a  method  for  securing  appro.ximatc  quantitative  results  of  the 
examination  of  a  powder  by  means  of  the  microscope  was  given.  After 
a  few  years  of  deliberation  and  some  practice  the  principles  of  the 
process  are  somewhat  more  satisfactorily  developed  and  the  results 
will  be   given.     Since   1894  the  results  of  several  workers — Day 


528  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs,  { 


A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1897. 


(A.Ph.A.  Proc,  i896)andKebler(AMER.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1897,  p.  244) — 
as  well  as  the  labors  of  some  students  during  the  past  year,  indicate 
that  the  principle  of  the  process  suggested  is  satisfactory,  whatever 
the  modifications  recommended.  The  following  are  the  important 
points  embracing  the  principles  of  the  process  as  developed  thus 
far: 

(i)  The  same  reagents  and  mounting  media  are  employed  in  doing 
quantitative  work  as  were  considered  in  the  qualitative  examination 
of  the  powder.  In  quantitative  work,  not  only  some,  but  all  of  the 
important  characteristic  tissues  and  contents  are  to  be  rendered 
visible. 

(2)  The  quantity  of  powder  to  be  examined  by  means  of  the 
microscope  must  represent  the  sample  in  every  particular ;  in  other 
words,  the  sampling  must  be  done  properly  and  in  accordance  with 
the  methods  used  in  the  assay  of  ores.  While  the  quantity  to  be 
examined  may  consist  of  but  a  few  grammes,  it  must  thoroughly 
represent  the  lot  of  powder  on  which  value  is  to  be  given. 

(3)  The  standard  powders,  with  which  the  powder  under  investi- 
gation is  to  be  compared,  must  thoroughly  represent  the  drug  in  the 
various  ways  in  which  it  may  be  treated.  The  degree  of  fineness 
must  especially  be  carefully  borne  in  mind.  A  sample  of  a  drug  of 
No.  40  powder  cannot  be  compared  with  one  of  No.  60.  If  the  sam- 
ple of  a  drug  to  be  examined  is  of  a  No.  40  powder,  the  standards 
must  also  be  of  the  same  degree  of  fineness.  If  extraction  of  active 
principles  is  suspected  in  the  powder,  it  must  be  compared  with  a 
standard  that  has  been  extracted.  In  fact,  every  treatment  that  is 
possible  in  a  sample  to  be  analyzed  must  be  given  to  a  standard,  if  pos- 
sible, with  which  the  comparison  is  made. 

(4)  The  amount  of  powder  used  in  the  examination  is  generally 
about  ^^^  gramme  (==  0-0039  gramme  =  006  grain).  In 
some  cases  twice  this  quantity  (y^^  gramme)  or  but  one-half  this 
amount  {^\^  gramme)  may  be  used  to  greater  advantage.  The 
quantity  of  powder  may  be  weighed  out,  or,  what  is  more  conven- 
ient, with  practice  a  gramme  is  weighed  out  and  divided  with  a 
spatula  with  the  eye,  as  follows  : 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
October.  1S97. 


}  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs, 


529 


\ 

i 

i 

1- 

ife 

il 

h 

jt  01 

^  =  o"5oo  gramme, 
X=-- 0-250 
>^  =  o-i2S 

tV  =  o-c62S  •• 

,ij  =  0-03125  " 

yiy  =  0-0078  " 

ik  =  o'oo39  " 


(5)  The  cover-glasses  used,  whether  round  or  square,  should  be 
uniform  in  size  and  tJiickness  for  comparison  of  the  mounts  of  the 
standard  with  those  of  the  specimen  to  be  tested. 

(6)  The  amount  of  rfr7^i7// employed  in  making  a  mount  must  be 
just  sufficient  to  float  the  cover-glass,  and  as  few  air-bubbles  as  pos- 
sible are  permitted  to  be  formed. 

(7)  A  homogeneous  mixture  of  powder  with  reagent  must  be  formed 
before  the  cover-glass  is  put  down.  This  is  best  done  by  taking  the 
edge  of  the  cover-glass  in  a  pair  of  forceps  and  distributing  the 
powder  in  the  mounting  media  or  reagent 

(8)  After  the  mount  has  been  made  and  the  powder  examined 
previously  qualitatively,  the  quantitative  estimation  of  the  powder  is 
determined.  This  is  based  on  one  or  more  of  the  structures  or  con- 
stituents that  are  characteristic  of  the  drug  or  drugs  that  may  be 
present.     A  few  examples  may  be  given  : 

In  Cinchona,  the  bast  fibres  are  best  selected. 

In  Quillaja,  the  monoclinic  calcium  oxalate  crystals  are  most 
characteristic. 

In  Belladonnce  folia,  the  pieces  of  tissues,  with  some  cells  contain- 
ing the  characteristic  grayish  sand.like  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate, 
are  selected. 

In  Hyoscyami  folia,  the  pieces  of  tissues,  with  some  cells  con- 
taining the  characteristic  cubical  or  tetragonal  crystals  of  calcium 
oxalate,  are  used. 

In  Stramonii  folia, XhQ  pieces  of  tissues,  with  some  cells  containing 
the  characteristic  "  rosette-shaped  "  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate, are 
most  characteristic. 

In  Zingiber,  the  estimation  is  based  on  the  starch  grains,  or  better, 
the  oil-secreting  cells. 


530 


Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1897. 


In  Scilla,  the  number  of  cells  with  groups  of  acicular  crystals 
are  best  selected. 

In  Bcllado7incB  radix,  the  starch  grains  are  most  easily  used,  but  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  Belladonna 
root  in  the  market. 

In  JSlux  Vomica,  the  lignified  hairs  are  most  characteristic. 

In  Rheum,  the  large  ''rosette-shaped  "  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate 
are  best  selected. 

In  Caryophyllus,  the  oil-secreting  reservoirs  are  used. 

In  Cinnainomum,  the  groups  of  stone  cells  or  starch  grains  are 
characteristic,  taken  in  connection  with  the  presence  or  absence  of 
cork  cells. 

In  Sarsapanlla,  the  starch  grains  are  considered  after  the  kind  of 
root  has  been  ascertained. 


X           X 

X 
X           X 

Fig.  2. 

In  Glycyrrhiza,  the  characteristic  fibres  with  calcium  oxalate  crys- 
tals adjoining  them,  or  the  starch  grains,  are  employed. 

(9)  The  method  consists  in  counting  the  number  of  characteristic 
elements  in  several  portions  of  the  slide,  and  may  be  performed  in 
several  ways : 

{a)  By  the  use  of  an  ocular  micrometer  ruled  in  lOO  square  milli. 
meters,  as  proposed  in  1894.  Five  portions,  at  least,  of  the  mount 
are  examined,  as  in  the  places  marked  X  (Fig.  2). 

The  number  of  characteristic  elements  that  appear  in  each  of 
these  places  in  certain  portions  of  the  ocular  micrometer  are  counted, 
as,  for  instance,  those  that  appear  in  the  square  millimeters  marked 
X  (Fig  J). 

The  low  power  (>^  to  ^-inch  objective)  is  used  in  some  cases,  as 
in  the  estimation  of  rheum,  scilla,  etc.;  but  in  most  instances,  espe- 
cially when  starch  grains  are  to  be  counted,  a  higher  power  (}(  to 
^-mch  objective)  is  preferred,  as  in  Belladonnae  radix.  Zingiber,  etc. 


Am.  J  oar.  Pharm. 
October.  1897. 


}  Powdered  Vegetable  Drugs. 


531 


(b)  While  these  ocular  micrometers  ruled  in  square  milhmeters 
are  easily  made,  still  the  makers  of  microscopical  accessories  charge 
such  a  very  high  price  for  the  same  that  it  has  been  found  desira- 
ble to  devise  another  way  for  doing  the  same  kind  of  work.  An 
ordinary  ocular  micrometer  divided  into  tenths  of  millimeters  is 
taken,  and  the  number  of  elements  between  the  outer  portions,  ruled 
to  a  less  number  of  divisions  (as  those  marked  X,  Fig.  ^),  are 
counted. 

It  is  better,  when  using  this  ocular  micrometer,  to  turn  the  latter 
around  i8o°  after  counting  in  the  one  direction,  and  counting  again. 
In  other  words,  an  additional  count  is  made,  i.  c,  ten  are  made  upon 
each  mount. 

(r)  There  are  some  cases  when  it  is  not  desirable  to  use  either  (^) 
or  {o),  as  when  the  elements  or  tissues  are  so  large  that  it  is  more 
practicable  to  exclude  the  ocular  micrometers,  and  to  count  all  of  the 
tissues  or  constituents  as  they  appear  in  the  whole  field  of  view  of 
X  in  Fig.  I. 

The  low  power  (-^  to  ^A  inch)  ma)-  be  used  sometimes,  as  in  the 


— 

r- 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X, 

y, 

x* 

,x 

X 

X 

x; 

•^ 

> 

X 

fi 

X 

X 

X 

X 

_, 

_j 

Fig.  3. 

estimation  of  cinchona,   quillaja,   glycyrrhiza,  etc.,  while   in    other 
drugs,  as   Hyoscyami  folia,   Bclladonn;u  folia,  etc.,  a  higher  power 

(i  ^^  i)  *^  used. 

(10)  The  number  of  mounts  \o  be  made  of  the  standard  and  the 
powder  under  examination  should  generally  not  be  less  than  twelve 
each.  But  as  two  to  three  mounts  can  be  made  upon  the  same  slide, 
from  four  to  six  slides  only  are  necessary  for  each  powder. 

(11)  If  the  powder  is  found  to  be  a  mixture,  a  similar  compound, 
representing  the  proportions  found,  should  be  made  up,  and  the 
powder  under  investigation  be  compared  with  it. 

(12)  It  is  apparent  that  the  quantitative  results  are  purely  com- 
parisons of  an  unknown  with  a  known  powder.  The  conditions 
must  be  nearly  the  same  in  both.  The  sampling  must  be  done 
similarly ;  the  same  amount  of  powder  must  be  used  in  both,  and 


532  Poivdered  Vegetable  Drugs,  { ^"^ctoberasQ/"' 

no  more  reagent  or  mounting  media  should  be  used  than  is  neces- 
sary to  hold  the  cover-glass  without  any  air  being  impinged.  The 
same  microscope  and  powers,  as  well  as  other  conditions,  must  be 
employed  to  secure  even  approximate  results,  as  this  is  all  that  can 
be  expected  at  present. 

It  would  be  useless  for  the  author  to  record  some  of  his  standards 
and  results;  but  it  no  doubt  will  be  profitable  to  give  the  records  of 
one  or  two  instances  where  a  number  have  worked  upon  the  same 
powder. 

STANDARD    OF    NUX    VOMICA. 
No.  Hairs. 

1.  Mean  of  lo  readings 12 

2.  "         8  "  12'^ 

3.  "10        "        io*9 


X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

Fig.  4. 

A  sample  of  cinchona,  that  contained  75  per  cent,  of  cinchona 
and  25  per  cent,  of  wheat  starch,  was  assayed  by  the  process  given 
under  9  (b)  for  starch  and  9  (c)  for  bast  fibres,  and  gave  the  follow- 
ing results  to  nine  different  workers : 


No 

I 
2 

3 
4 
5 
6 

7 


Cinchona. 
Per  Cent. 
Mean  of  20  readings 74 


9- 
Total 


10 
20 
12 
16 
12 
II 
20 
28 

149 


67 
82 

77 
66 

77 
69 
80 
75 


Starch. 
Per  Cent. 

23 

25 
28 

35 

27 

23 
30 

22 


74-11 


26-66 


Conclusion. — We  need  more  effective  work  in  the  qualitative  study 
of  powdered  drugs,  and  we  have  some  recent  evidences  that  this 
will  be  done  in  this  country. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharru.)  I^itt^e  ..  ^  * 

October.  1897.       /  KftlOS.  533 

Approximate  quantitative  results  may  be  obtained  in  the  exami- 
nation of  unknown  powders  b\'  the  methods  j^iven.  There  are  some 
cases,  at  least,  where  the  quantitative  determinations  of  admixtures 
and  adulterations,  if  they  are  to  be  determined  at  all,  can  be  done 
so  only  by  means  of  a  microscopical  method. 

It  is  possible  that  a  microscopical  separation  of  active  principles 
may  be  effected  of  both  drugs  as  well  as  their  preparations.  This 
would  be  the  desideratum  in  quantitative  microscopical  work.  Thus 
far,  the  work  of  the  author  has  been  unsatisfactory  in  this  direction, 
because,  while  at  times  results  come,  still  the  products  disappear  as 
quickly,  owing  no  doubt  to  microscopic  conditions  of  heat  and 
moisture  altering  the  products  formed. 


KINOS.^ 
By  Joseph  Bosisto,  C.M.G. 

The  question  whether  the  place  of  the  official  variety  of  kino, 
which  is  now  almost  unobtainable,  can  be  effectively  supplied  by 
others  met  with  in  commerce  (B.P.C.  Blue  List,  No.  49),  is  answered 
from  Victoria,  Australia,  to  the  following  extent.  Although  the 
Pterocarpus  marsupium,  and  other  species  of  the  natural  order  Legu- 
minosai  yielding  kino,  are  not  known  to  exist  in  Australia,  yet  the 
natural  order  Myrtaceae,  which  exists  throughout  Australia,  contains 
many  species  which  exude  kinos  and  some  catechus.  Those  have 
not,  so  far  (save  and  except  one),  been  found  of  commercial  value, 
owing  to  their  sparse  solubility  in  water,  and  in  all  other  known 
cheap  solvents.  This  arises  from  the  gum  kino  not  being  collected 
within  a  few  days  after  its  appearance  on  the  outer  bark.  The 
extreme  bright  sunlight  of  Australia,  together  with  the  warm  ther- 
mal lines  existing  both  night  and  day,  causes  it  rapidly  to  degenerate 
into  a  degraded  bassorin,  which  is  insoluble. 

Quantities  of  such  kinos  exist  throughout  Australia,  obtainable 
chiefly  from  Eucalyptus  marginata,  K.  amygdalina,  E.  sideroxylon, 
E.  fissilis,  and  many  others.  The  one  I  have  already  indicated  is 
Eucalyptus  rostrata,  from  which  is  exported  annually  about  two 
tons  of  its  gum;  this  is  almost  entirely  soluble  in  water,  and  is  a  true 
kino.  It  is  mentioned  in  Scjuire's  "Companion  to  the  H.r.,"  1882, 
and  in  Martindale's  ••  Extra  Pharmacopceia,"  as  gummi  rubrum  from 
Eucalyptus  rostrata. 

^  Pharmaceutical  Journal ,  August  28,  1897. 


534  ^^^^^'^    NudlCaulis.  {^^cSer.'isyT'."" 

Eucalyptus  rostrata  is  one  of  the  leading  trees  in  many  of  the 
forests  of  Victoria,  and  is  productive  of  this  kinic  substance,  which, 
being  unable  to  force  its  way  through  the  hard,  tough  outer  bark, 
lodges  itself  in  treacly  form  in  large  orifices  or  carbuncles  between 
the  wood  and  the  bark  in  such  quantities  that  I  have  known  one 
and  two  bucketfuls  of  the  liquid  to  be  obtained  by  boring  a  small 
orifice  in  the  swollen  part.  This  liquid  kino,  when  evaporated  in  a 
vacuum  pan,  is  obtained  as  beautiful  ruby-red  gum  kino  entirely 
soluble  in  water  or  spirit.  The  supply  from  Australia  would  be  very 
great  if  only  a  remunerative  market  opened. 


ARALIA   NUDICAULIS.^ 
By  William  C.  Alpkrs  and  Benjamin  L.  Murray. 

Aralia  nudicaulis  grows  abundantly  in  the  New  England  and 
Middle  States,  extending  north  into  Canada,  south  as  far  as  North 
Carolina,  and  west  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  selecting  principally 
rich  hilly  woods.  It  is  indigenous  to  the  United  States,  not  being 
mentioned  in  European  text-books,  and  has  a  number  of  synonyms, 
as  wild  licorice,  shotbush,  small  spikenard,  false  sarsaparilla,  Vir- 
ginia sarsaparilla,  and  wild  sarsaparilla,  the  latter  being  the  term 
more  commonly  used.  While  country  people  know  this  aromatic 
herb  well  under  the  name  of  wild  sarsaparilla,  or  simply  sarsaparilla, 
and  use  it  "  to  purify  the  blood  and  cleanse  the  skin,"  it  has  attracted 
but  little  attention  by  the  medical  profession ;  its  only  use  in  medi- 
cine seems  to  be  to  serve  as  an  adulterant  of  the  official  sarsaparilla, 
in  several  lots  of  which,  purchased  in  the  New  York  market,  the 
writers  have  discovered  it. 

The  late  Professor  Bastin  examined  Aralia  nudicaulis  microscopi- 
cally, and  published  the  results  of  his  examination  in  The  Western 
Druggist,  Vol.  VII,  1885,  P-  SM-  This  is  the  only  literature  that 
the  writers  were  able  to  find  on  this  interesting  plant,  and  a  chemi- 
cal examination  of  its  rhizome  was  probably  never  made  before. 
There  is  a  slight  difference  in  the  description  of  the  leaves  and  the 
rhizome  between  Bastin's  paper  and  ours,  which  suggests  the  idea 
that  possibly  the  Western  species  varies  from  the  Eastern,  Bastin 
having  collected   his  specimens   in   the   vicinity  of  Chicago,  while 

^  Read  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association, 
August,  1897. 


^"'/toTr.';^':"}  ^ralia  Nudicaulis,  535 

ours  were  gathered  near  New  York.  Bastin,  for  instance,  says  that 
the  rhizome  will  reach  a  length  of  from  3  to  5  feet,  and  Gray,  in 
his  text-books,  makes  the  same  statement,  while  we  have  hardly 
found  any  rhizome  shorter  than  5  feet,  and  have  a  specimen  here  of 
29  feet.  The  description  of  the  leaves  also  shows  some  points  of 
difference,  the  leaves  of  our  specimens  being  more  divided  than  the 
ones  that  Bastin  describes.  This  latter  observation  was  also  made 
by  Professor  A.  C.  Apgar,  who  proposed  the  name  of  Aralia  mtdu 
caidis  prolifera  i^BulL  Torr.  Bot.  CL,  14:  166,  1887)  for  the  species 
found  in  New  Jersey,  while  Professor  N.  Britton,  in  his  ♦'  Illustrated 
Flora,"  calls  this  kind  •'  a  mere  form." 

BOTANY. 

Aralia  nudicaulis  belongs  to  the  order  Araliacec-e,  and  shares  with 
the  other  members  of  the  order  the  warm,  aromatic,  almost  pun- 
gent, taste  of  some  parts,  principally  the  rhizome.  Early  in  the 
spring  a  petiole  and  a  scape  grow  near  each  other  from  the  rhizome, 
which  lies  from  i  to  4  inches  under  the  ground,  and  only  rises 
occasionally  a  little  above  the  soil.  The  straight  petiole,  swollen  at 
the   base,  rises   from  8  to   18    inches   high   and   divides   into   three 


Fig.  I. — Corky  layer  of  old  hark,  cross-section. 

divisions,  which  at  this  point  of  divergence  thicken  like  the  base  of 
the  main  petiole  ;  each  division  bears  a  compound  leaf  of  from  three 
to  five  leaflets.  Occasionally  one  of  the  lower  leaflets  is  again  com- 
pound. The  leaflets  are  from  2  to  5  inches  long,  and  from  i  to  2^ 
inches  wide,  pinnate  with  one  terminal  one,  the  lower  pair  on  short 
petioles,  the  upper  one  mostly  sessile,  oblung-ovate,  one  of  the 
lower  ones  occasionally  almost  round,  acuminate,  finely  serrate, 
smooth  on  both  surfaces.  The  scape  is  a  few  inches  shorter  than 
the  petiole,  and  therefore,  together  with  the  flower,  or  later,  the 
fruit,  hidden  under  the  spreading  leaves.  It  has  neither  leaf  nor 
bract,   hence   the   name   nudicaulis,  and   bears   from   three  to  seven 


536 


Aralia  Nudicaulis. 


/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      October,  1897. 


small,  simple  umbels,  each  consisting  of  from  five  to  twenty-five 
crreenish  flowers.  Occasionally  there  is  one  or  more  odd  flowers, 
with  rather  long  stalks  growing  at  right  angles  out  of  the  scape 
below  or  between  the  umbels.  The  flowers  are  perfect  or  poly- 
gamous, with  both  fertile  and  sterile  ones  on  the  same  plant.  The 
calyx  is  destitute  of  lobes  or  teeth  ;  the  petals,  stamens,  and  styles 
are  five  in  number.  During  the  summer  a  dark  purple,  nearly 
black,  drupe  develops  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  This 
fruit  is  probably  a  welcome  food  for  birds,  as  it  disappears  soon  after 
ripening,  and  can  only  seldom  be  found  on  the  ground  under  the 


Fig.  2. — Outer  bark,  longitudinal  section. 

leaves.     It  does  not  seem  to  serve  for  the  propagation  of  the  plant, 
the  creeping  root-stock  performing  this  function. 

The  most  interesting  part  in  which  the  peculiar  aroma  of  the 
plant  is  best  noticeable  is  the  rhizome.  It  grows  horizontally  and 
spreads  very  quickly  over  a  large  area,  reaching  a  length  of  more 
than  25  feet,  branching  abundantly  and  producing  small  hairy  root- 
lets rather  sparingly.  The  parts  of  the  rhizome  that  rise  out  of 
the  soil  harden  and  afterwards  die  off,  producing  by  their  decadence 
two  new  growing  plants  in  place  of  one.     The  rhizome  is  nearly 


^"^ociTeJi^"^-}  Ara/m  Nudicaulis.  537 

cylindrical,  with  many  concave  leaf-scars,  corresponding  in  shape  to 
the  swollen  end  of  the  petioles.  The  outer,  very  thin,  grayish, 
somewhat  glossy  layer  of  the  bark  is  easily  detachable,  and  the 
lower,  thick,  fibrous  layer  can  readily  be  peeled  off  the  white  or 
slightly  yellowish  wood,  as  long  as  the  rhizome  is  fresh  and  moist. 
A  white  and  spongy  pith  forms  the  interior  of  the  wood.  On  drying, 
the  rhizome  becomes  wrinkled  and  brittle,  and  is  from  y^  to  |<  inch 
in  diameter.  The  taste  of  the  fresh  rhizome  is  peculiarly  aromatic, 
similar  to  that  of  ginseng,  leaving  no  bad  after-taste. 

MICROSCOPY. 

A  cross-section  of  a  segment  of  the  rhizome  shows  under  the 
microscope  three  distinct  parts,  the  pith,  the  wood  and  the  bark. 
The  pith  consists  of  rather  large,  granular  cells,  containing  starch 
with  occasional  crystals  of  oxalate  of  calcium. 

The  pith  is  surrounded  by  a  wood  zone  which  varies  in  thickness 
according  to  the  age  of  the  specimen.  In  old  rhizomes  the  wood  is 
about  twice  as  thick  as  the  bark,  while  in  very  young  specimens  a 
cross-section  shows  a  large  pith,  a  thick  bark,  and  very  little  wood. 

The  thick-walled  woody  edges  of  irregular  size  are  separated  by 
medullary  rays  of  one  or  two  rows  of  cells.  Sometimes  these  rays 
are  prolonged  into  the  bark.  A  layer  of  cambium  cells  in  a  double 
row  surrounds  the  wood. 

The  bark  consists  of  a  fibrous  layer,  a  corky  layer  and  an  epidermis. 
The  parenchyma  cells  are  rich  in  starch  anc*  contain,  like  the  pith, 
crystals  of  calcium  oxalate.  The  characteristic  part  of  the  fibrous 
layer  of  the  bark  is  the  great  number  of  oil  or  resin  cells,  the  largest 
cells  of  the  plant,  resembling  tubes  that  can  often  be  traced  quite  a 
distance  in  longitudinal  sections.  They  are  intrenched  by  a  wall  of 
small  cells  that  undoubtedly  secrete  oil  and  resin,  while  the  large 
inner  cells  serve  as  reservoirs.  The  medullary  rays  often  extend 
into  this  layer,  taking  an  irregular,  somewhat  tortuous  course,  and 
sometimes  their  two  rows  ot  cells  separate  and  encase  one  of  these 
large  oil  cells.  The  resin  is  probably  held  in  solution  by  the  oil. 
Between  the  fibrous  and  corky  layers  of  the  bark,  a  double  row  of 
peculiarly  shaped  cells  are  observable,  probably  a  layer  of 
phellogen. 

The  corky  cells  are  empty  and  rather  large,  presenting  no  points 
of  particular  interest.  A  thin  epidermis  covers  the  corky  layer, 
easily  detachable  and  often  wanting. 


538 


A  ra  Ha  Nu  die  a  u  lis. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October.  1897. 


CHEMISTRY. 

Samples  of  Aralia  nudicaulis  were  gathered  in  the  fall  in  the  hilly 
woods  in  Bergen  County,  N.  J.,  and  most  of  the  chemical  exami- 
nations were  made  on  these  samples.  A  further  supply  was  collected 
in  the  following  spring,  when  the  flowers  of  the  plant  were  in 
bloom. 

The  general  plan  of  the  work  was : 

(i)  To  determine  the  presence  or  absence  of  alkaloids  or  gluco- 
sides. 

(2)  To  determine  the  presence  of  other  important  constituents. 


O0o0o<^n^^0°p^^^''n000n  toU 


o  o  OOqOoO  (^n^  Of)L 


Fig.  J. — Wood,  from  pith  to  bark,  longitudinal  section. 

(3)  To  undertake  a  systematic  analysis  and  estimation  of  the 
constituents. 

For  the  first  part  of  the  work,  testing  for  alkaloids  and  glucosides, 
samples  of  the  drug  gathered  in  the  fall  as  well  as  in  the  spring 
were  finely  ground  and  digested  for  three  days  in  a  closely  stoppered 
flask  with  Prollius'  fluid.  After  filtering,  the  liquid  was  treated  with 
acidulated  water  (sulphuric  acid  i  part,  water  5  parts)  and  the  aque- 
ous liquid   submitted  to  examination.     Wagner's  reagent,  tannin, 


^"?JcioTr.?8«"r-}  Aralia  Nudicaulis.  539 

picric  acid,  platinic  chloride,  sodium  phospho-molydate,  and  Mayer's 
reagent,  gave  no  precipitate.  All  the  tests  were  repeatedly  verified 
by  using  larger  quantities  of  acidulous  solutions. 

For  the  further  determination  of  important  constituents,  together 
with  alkaloids  and  glucosides,  the  following  experiments  were 
made : 

Large  samples  of  the  finely  ground  rhizome  of  the  plant,  gathered 
both  in  spring  and  fall,  were  digested  in  benzene  for  three  days. 
After  filtering  and  evaporating  to  dryness,  a  yellowish-brown,  resin- 
ous mass  was  obtained.  This  residue  was  treated  with  warm  water, 
filtered  and  tested  for  alkaloids,  glucosides  and  organic  acids.  The 
still  insoluble  residue  was  treated  with  acidulous  water,  and  this 
acidulous  liquid  tested  like  the  preceding  one.  The  reagents 
applied  were  salts  of  lead  and  calcium,  tannic  acid,  Wagner's 
reagent,  platinic  chloride,  gelatin  solution,  and  Fehling's  solution. 
No  reaction  was  obtained,  except  a  slight  change  of  color  in 
Fehling's  solution.  To  still  further  verify  the  above  results  and 
avoid  the  uncertain  action  of  water  upon  the  resinous  matter,  which 
became  soft  with  heating,  another  benzene  e.xtract  was  made  and 
treated  directly  with  water  and  then  with  acidulated  water.  These 
aqueous  solutions  caused  no  new  changes,  the  color  of  Fehling's 
solution  alone  being  affected. 

Tests  for  tannin  were  then  made.  A  finely  ground  sample  of  the 
drug  was  digested  with  a  good  grade  of  absolute  alcohol  and  the 
liquid  filtered.  This  alcoholic  liquid  caused  a  slight  reduction  of 
P'ehling's  solution,  and  likewise  precipitated  a  solution  of  gelatine, 
starch  paste,  and  antimony  and  potassium  tartrate.  A  solution  of 
potassium  hydrate  was  darkened,  a  solution  of  potassium  perman- 
ganate reduced  in  about  two  minutes,  solution  of  silver  nitrate 
reduced,  and  a  solution  of  ferric  chloride  rendered  green.  Confirma- 
tory tests  were  made  on  two  additional  samples  of  the  drug,  in  both 
cases  with  the  same  result.  The  same  reagents  were  also  applied  to 
the  alcohol  alone,  used  for  digesting,  without  showing  any  reaction. 
The  presence  of  a  small  percentage  of  tannin  was  therefore 
determined. 

The  residue  of  the  drug  left  in  the  experiment  mentioned  above, 
after  treating  the  Aralia  with  absolute  alcohol,  was  washed  thor- 
oughly with  more  absolute  alcohol,  dried,  and  then  digested  twenty- 
four  hours  in  cold  water.     The  aqueous  liquid  alter  filtration  wa.^  of 


540 


A  ralia  Nudicaii lis. 


Am.  Tour,  Pharm. 
October,  1897. 


brown  color.  Upon  application  of  heat  it  reduced  Fehling's  solution 
and  precipitated  with  a  solution  of  basic  acetate  of  lead,  with  a 
solution  of  borax,  with  alcohol,  and  with  ether.  With  a  solution  of 
ferric  chloride  in  the  cold  it  caused  no  precipitate.  The  presence 
of  mucilaginous  matter  was  thus  shown. 

As  the  next  experiment,  a  sample  of  coarsely  cut  Aralia  nudi- 
caulis  was  distilled  with  steam,  the  distillate  showing  the  presence 
of  an  agreeable-smelling  volatile  oil.    The  liquid  comes  over  milky, 


Fig.  ^. — Entire  rhizome,  segment,  cross-section. 

A,  pitted  vessels  ;  B,  lignified  cells  ;  D,  cork  cells  ;  E,  medullary  rays  ;  E^ 
medullary  rays,  prolonged  into  bark  ;  F,  cambium  layer  ;  G,  resin  and  oil  cells  ; 
Hy  phellogen  ;  D  to  F,  bark  ;  Fto  /,  wood  ;  I\.o  K,  pith. 

and  oily  globules  soon  collect,  floating  upon  the  surface.  The 
microscopical  examination  had  already  revealed  that  this  oil  resides 
in  the  bark  of  the  rhizome,  and  upon  distilling  some  of  the  fresh 
bark  alone,  without  the  wood  and  pith  of  the  rhizome,  quite  appre- 
ciable quantities  of  oil  were  found. 

Whether  the  rhizome  gathered  in  the  fall   contains  more  or  less 


^'ociXr!'m-r }  ^raiia  Nudicaulis.  541 

volatile  oil  than  the  spring  drug  has  not  been  determined ;  our 
impression,  based  on  the  odor  and  taste  of  the  samples  of  various 
seasons,  is,  however,  that  the  oil  is  more  abundant  in  the  fall  than 
in  the  spring.  In  working  with  the  fresh  bark  alone  the  distillate 
became  more  milky  and  the  oil-drops  solidified  at  about  20°  C, 
showing  a  light  yellow  color.  Further  investigations  of  this  oily 
portion  led  us  to  believe  that  some  of  the  resins  present  in  the  plant 
were  carried  over  in  the  distillation,  though  precautions  were  taken 
against  it.  The  odor  of  the  oil  is  persistent  and  gives  the  drug  its 
characteristic  smell,  noticeable  even  in  the  air  of  places  where  the 
plant  grows  abundantly. 

After  having  determined  the  absence  of  alkaloids  and  glucosides, 
and  the  presence  of  tannin,  starch,  volatile  oil  and  resins  m  the 
rhizome  of  Aralia  nudicaulis,  examinations  were  made  for  some  of 
the  more  important  constituents  according  to  Parson's  scheme.  At 
a  temperature  of  98°  to  100°  C,  the  drug  lost  6-50  per  cent,  of 
moisture,  and  the  dry  sample,  on  which  all  future  percentage  calcu- 
lations were  based,  contained,  on  incineration,  547  per  cent,  of  ash- 
This  ash  yielded  2482  per  cent.,  equal  to  1-36  per  cent,  of  the 
original  dry  sample,  of  soluble  matter,  consisting  of  chlorides  and 
sulphates  of  sodium  and  potassium.  The  drug  yields  to  chloroform 
3-38  per  cent,  of  a  soft,  brown,  resinous  and  oily  matter.  This 
chloroformic  extract  was  dried  for  two  months  over  sulphuric  acid 
without  hardening.  At  a  temperature  of  110°  C,  it  suffered  a  loss 
equal  to  0-33  per  cent,  of  the  original  dry  drug,  which  amount 
represents  the  volatile  oil  present.  Subsequent  estimations  of  this 
oil  were  not  successful. 

After  the  treatment  with  chloroform,  the  residue  was  exhausted 
with  80  per  cent,  alcohol,  yielding  875  per  cent,  of  brown  resinous 
matter,  of  which  6-66  per  cent,  was  ash.  The  portion  of  this  alco- 
holic extract,  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  and  again  soluble  in  water, 
forming  neutral  solutions,  gives  tests  with  the  following  reagents 
for  tannin  :  Hasic  acetate  of  lead — light  yellowish  precipitate  ;  gela- 
tine, starch,  potassium  and  antimony  tartrate — precipitates  ;  potas- 
sium permanganate,  silver  nitrate-  reductions;  ferric  chloride — 
green  color.  Further  examination  of  this  extract,  omitting  con- 
fusing details,  shows  the  presence  of  acid  resins  and  indications  of 
neutral  resins.     An  organic  acid  is  also  present. 

After  the  chloroform  and  alcohol  extractions,  a  water  extract  was 


542 


Aralia  Nudicaulis. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1897. 


made,  yielding  3- 5 8  per  cent,  of  the  dry  Aralia,  of  which  24-36  per 
cent,  was  ash. 

The  next  extraction,  made  with  an  acid  menstruum  of  i  part  of 
sulphuric  acid  and  5  parts  of  water,  yielded  56-10  per  cent,  with 
11-67  per  cent,  of  ash. 

The  final  extraction,  with  an  alkaline  menstruum,  yielded  689 
per  cent. 

As  a  summary  the  following  table  is  presented  : 


Extract  with 


Chloroform     .    .    . 
Alcohol,  Sopercent. 
Water    . 

Acid  I,  water  ^  .  . 
Alkaline  solution  . 
( By  subtraction )    . 


Containing 


Resin,  3*05  per  cent.;  oil,  0-33  per  cent. 

Tannin  ;  organic  acid  ;  acid  resin  (neutral  resin  ?). 

Albuminous  bodies  ;  coloring  matter. 

Mucilaginous  matter. 

Crude  fibres,  etc. 

Cellulose. 


Further  investigation  will  be  conducted,  especially  on  the  oil  and 
resins  in  which  the  active  medicinal  properties  seem  to  reside. 

PHARMACEUTICAL  PREPARATIONS. 

A  quantity  of  the  fresh  rhizome  of  Aralia  nudicaulis,  gathered  in 
the  fall,  was  digested  with  alcohol,  according  to  the  directions  of 
the  Pharmacopoeia  for  making  fresh  tinctures.  This  tincture,  Tinc- 
tura  Araliae  Nudicaulis  Recentis,  after  standing  nearly  a  year, 
exposed  to  the  varying  temperatures  of  winter  and  summer,  showed 
no  precipitate,  and  possessed  the  odor  and  taste  of  the  plant  in  a 
marked  degree.  Mixed  with  water  it  forms  a  milky  precipitate  indi- 
cating the  presence  of  oil  and  resin.  It  has  a  beautiful  gold- 
yellow  color  which  seems  to  be  permanent.  A  fluid  extract  was 
prepared  from  the  rhizome  gathered  in  the  spring.  A  menstruum 
of  4  part  s  of  alcohol  and  i  of  water  was  used,  and  the  general 
directions  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  making  fluid  extracts  were 
followed.  The  evaporization  of  the  second  percolate  was  performed 
at  a  very  low  temperature,  in  order  not  to  drive  off  oily  or  resinous 
parts.     The  fluid    extract   resembles    the    tincture,  but   is    darker, 


^"ctefober jSS!^™  }     Important  Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.     543 

owing  to  the  solution  of  the  coloring  matter  of  the  plant,  and   is 
more  aromatic. 

Although  this  fluid  extract  appears  to  be  an  elegant  and  highly 
concentrated  preparation,  and  to  possess  all  the  properties  of  the 
drug,  it  is  doubtful,  in  the  writers'  minds,  if  therapeutically  it  would 
be  the  most  desirable  form  of  administering  the  drug.  If  the  virtues 
of  the  drug  depend,  as  we  believe,  on  the  oil  and  resins,  the  sepa- 
ration of  these  constituents,  if  possible,  seems  to  be  the  most  advis- 
able step.  The  properties  of  the  drug,  judging  from  some  crude 
experiments,  seem  to  be  stimulant,  diaphoretic,  and  probably 
neurotic. 

THE  IMPORTANT  CONSTITUENTS  OF  TARAXACUM 

ROOT.» 
By  L.  E.  Savre. 

According  to  the  promise  made  at  the  meeting  of  this  Section 
last  year,  the  investigation  upon  Taraxacum  has  been  continued. 
It  was  begun,  not  without  considerable  misgiving,  but  with  the 
hope  that  some  process  for  crystallizing  the  bitter  principle  would 
be  found,  so  that  a  more  accurate  study  of  its  chemical  and  physical 
properties  could  be  accomplished,  and  that  a  method  of  accurately 
standardizing  this  much-used  drug  could  be  furnished. 

Briefly  summarizing  the  work  of  which  this  is  a  continuation,  it 
will  be  seen,  by  referring  to  the  papers  previously  published  in  the 
Association  Proceedings,'  that  the  following  constituents,  among 
others  less  important,  have  been  identified:  (i)  A  resin  soluble  in 
chloroform  and  ether,  insoluble  in  alcohol ;  (2)  A  resin  soluble  in 
alcohol ;  (3)  Taraxacerin,  a  white,  waxy  substance,  separating  from 
alcoholic  solution  in  cauliflower-like  forms;  (4)  A  bitter  principle, 
which,  in  somewhat  concentrated  solution,  is  precipitated  by  a 
number  of  alkaloidal  reagents.  Solutions  containing  the  seemingly 
pure  principle,  when  evaporated,  produced  a  film  which,  under  the 
microscope,  revealed  oftentimes  crystals  of  acicular  form  mixed 
with  globules  of  oleoresinous  aj)pearance.  When  this  mixture  was 
treated  with  oxidizing  agents — even  by  hydrogen  peroxide — it  was 
gradually  converted  into  a  crystalline  mass,  which  proved  to  be 
oxalic  acid.     Attempts  to  separate  the  crystals  found  in  the  unoxi- 

'  Presented  at  the  meeting  of  the  .American  Pharmaceutical  Aasociation.  1897. 
'See  Proc.  A.  Ph.  A.,  1896,  p.   160. 


544     Important  Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.     { ^'oSera897.'°* 

dized  evaporate  were  unsuccessful.  To  decide  whether  these 
crystals  or  the  oily  globules  were  the  bitter  principle,  or  whether 
the  one  was  derived  from  the  other,  was  little  more  than  a  con- 
jecture. Slow  evaporations  of  chloroformic,  ethereal,  alcoholic  and 
aqueous  solutions  failed  to  produce  crystals  free  from  oleoresinous 
globules.  Evaporation  of  aqueous  solution  in  vacuo  was  no  more 
successful. 

The  work  was  begun  this  year  by  making  an  ultimate  analysis 
of  taraxacerin.  Slowly  evaporating  its  impure  alcoholic  solution, 
the  cauliflower-like  crystals  separated  as  stated  in  paper  of  last  year. 
The  taraxacerin  thus  freed  from  extraneous  matter  was  collected, 
dried  over  sulphuric  acid,  and  a  number  of  combustions  made. 
The  result  of  these  combustions  will  be  subjoined  to  this  paper. 
A  quantitative  analysis  of  the  inorganic  constituents  of  taraxacum 
root  will  also  be  appended. 

For  the  further  investigation  of  the  bitter  principle  an  extraction 
of  taraxacum  root  was  made  for  me  by  J.  U.  Lloyd,  as  follows: 
Forty  pounds  of  the  powdered  root  were  percolated  with  chloro- 
form, and  the  dregs  were  then  exhausted  with  alcohol.  The  chloro- 
formic and  alcoholic  tinctures  were  separately  distilled,  leaving 
behind  in  each  case  a  residue  of  thick,  syrupy  consistence.  These 
syrupy  extractives  were  used  as  a  starting  point  for  the  further 
investigation  of  taraxacin  and  other  constituents. 

Taraxacin,  Bitter  Principle. — Further  efforts  have  been  made  to 
bring  the  bitter  principle  to  the  crystalline  form.  Thus  far  these 
efforts  have  been  only  partially  successful ;  a  detailed  description  of 
this  work  is  unnecessary.  Suffice  it  to  say  for  the  present,  acetone 
as  a  solvent  seems  to  promise  some  aid  in  its  isolation.  An  acetone 
solution  of  the  yellowish,  amorphous,  viscid  and  extremely  bitter 
extractive  (corresponding  to  crude  taraxacin)  was  made.  On  slowly 
evaporating  this  solution,  a  thin,  syrupy,  transparent  film  was  left 
which  contained  imperfectly  formed  stellar  crystals — tufts  imbedded 
in  viscid  media.  On  adding  a  drop  of  water,  the  film  and  crystals 
immediately  broke  down  into  yellowish  oleoresinous-like  globules. 
The  most  satisfactory  method  thus  far  employed  for  purifying  this 
principle  is  to  dissolve  the  crude  principle  (extractive)  in  20  per 
cent,  alcohol ;  treat  this  with  specially  purified  animal  charcoal  until 
the  solution  loses  its  bitterness  ;  carefully  wash  the  carbon  with 
water ;  dry,  and  treat  it  with  boiling  alcohol;  evaporate  the  alcoholic 


^  oc"!ober/iS97""  [      Important  Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.     545 

solution  at  a  low  temperature,  and  dry  the  residue  over  sulphuric 
acid.  This  has,  however,  the  disadvanta^^e  of  being  a  wasteful  pro- 
cess.  The  dried  product  dissolved  in  acetone  behaves  as  stated  above. 

Althou<^h  the  crj'stallization  of  taraxacin  at  present  seems  almost 
impossible,  it  has  not  been  given  up  as  hopeless. 

Analysis  of   Taraxacerin. — The  result  of  the  combustion  of  this 

principle  may  be  here  stated.     Several  combustions  were  made,  but 

only  three  recorded  ;  of   these  three,  the  second  and  third  seemed 

to  be  the  most  reliable.     A  tabular  statement  of  the  percentages  is 

as  follows : 

I.                   2.  3. 

Carbon 7736  77'i6  77*32 

Hydrogen ii'SS  "'13  "*^3 

Oxygen 11  09  11 71  ii'55 

Mean  of  i,  2,  3  :  Mean  of  2  and  3  : 

C 77'28         C 77'24 

H    . .  11-27  H 1113 

O 11*45  O         11-63 

Reducing  the  percentages  of  the  last  table,  the  following  amounts 

appear : 

77*24 
C  =  „.9i  =  64803 

H=-'-'3  =  n-.3 
11-63 

Taraxacerin  would  therefore  correspond  to  the  empirical  formula 
CjHj^O,  or  a  multiple  thereof. 

The  melting  point  of  this  substance  was  about  45°  C.  Its  chem. 
istry  will  probably  be  worked  out  in  detail  in  the  future.  For  aid 
in  this  work  in  combustion  I  am  especially  indebted  to  Mr.  W.  M. 
Whitten,  Assistant  in  Chemistry  of  the  Kansas  University,  who 
promises  in  the  future  to  aid  in  its  further  study. 

Inorganic  Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root. — Ash  in  dried  root 
(dried  at  100°  C).  11  13  per  cent. 

CONSTITUENTS    Ol-    ASH. 

Per  cenl. 

SiOj  and  8an<l  43**7 

A1,0,  »8o7 

Fe,0,  080 


6-4803 
7324 

=  885 

II-I3 
•7324 

i5'2o 

•7324 
•7324 

I -GO 

546         Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.       {^Vtoberfi'str* 

Per  cent. 

CaO 575 

MgO 6-6o 

KoO I3"83 

SO^ 4'22 

P2O5 trace. 

CO2      6'53 

CI I'20 

Total 10*027 

This  latter  work  was  performed  by  Mr.  C.  M.  Palmer,  a  senior 
student  of  the  School  of  Pharmacy. 

The  examination  of  the  chloroformic  and  alcoholic  extractions  was 
carried  beyond  the  report  made  in  this  communication,  but  the 
interesting  work  is  not  yet  completed,  and  will  be  made  the  subject 
of  another  paper  at  the  coming  meeting  of  the  society. 


RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

SYNTHETIC   REMEDIES. 

Lactophenin,  according  to  Dr.  George  Thompson  (Universal 
Medical  journal,  August,  1897),  possesses  several  advantages  over 
phenacetin.  As  is  well  known,  lactophenin  is  a  definite  chemical 
compound,  differing  from  phenacetin  by  containing  lactic  instead  of 
acetic  acid.  The  substitution  of  lactic  acid,  it  is  claimed,  overcomes 
almost  entirely  the  possibility  of  cardiac  depression  or  the  conver- 
sion of  haemoglobin  into  methsemoglobin,  an  attribute  only  too  fre- 
quently met  with  in  antipyrin,  acetanilid  and  phenacetin.  As  an 
analgesic  it  is  equal,  according  to  the  author,  to  the  best  pain  reliever 
in  the  materia  medica,  and  it  may  be  given  with  confidence  in  neu- 
ralgia from  any  other  cause  than  traumatic. 

Thiol  has  been  found  by  Dr.  Wirz  (Deut.  Med.  Wochenschrifly 
July,  1897)  to  be  superior  to  ichthyol  in  some  hundreds  of  cases.  It 
is  odorless,  so  that  patients  who  could  not  bear  the  odor  of  ichthyol 
improved  under  thiol.  It  can  be  used  in  every  description  of  inflam- 
mation, in  carbuncles,  erysipelas,  typhilitis,  furunculosis,  etc.  The 
best  results  are  obtained  with  liquid  thiol  as  supplied  by  the  manu- 
facturers, not  by  that  prepared  from  powdered  thiol  with  an  addi- 
tion of  water. 


^"icfoTr.7^""'}  Editorial.  547 

EDITORIAL. 

READ   BY   TITLE. 

The  custom  of  reading  papers  by  titles  before  the  sections  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association  is  a  growing  one,  and,  at  the  same  time,  it  is  one 
much  to  be  deplored.  For  what  purpose  is  a  paper  presented  to  a  scientific 
body  unless  it  be  for  the  discussion  ?  The  matter  of  publication  is  a  secondary 
one  ;  for,  if  valuable,  the  paper  finds  its  way  into  print  rapidly  enough,  either 
in  part  or  in  abstract.  From  the  journals  in  which  it  appears  it  is  copied  by 
foreign  periodicals,  and  thus  it  becomes  distributed  over  a  large  part  of  the 
world.  Except  for  purposes  of  reference,  the  paper  has  served  its  purpose  long 
before  the  bulky  Proceedings  appear.  If,  for  any  reason,  the  title  is  the  only 
accessible  part  of  a  paper  at  the  meeting,  and  thereby  the  journals  fail  to  print 
it,  it  takes  a  short  cut  to  oblivion;  for  neither  journals  nor  individuals  ever 
attempt  to  do  anything  with  papers  after  they  appear  in  the  Proceedings;  they 
are  considered  stale  by  that  time,  and  certainly  foreign  journals  never  abstract 
from  such  a  source  ;  they  would  be  pretty  sure  to  be  reprinting  old  matter,  and 
avoid  it. 

At  the  recent  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  over 
twenty  papers  were  presented  to  the  Scientific  Section,  yet  something  like  half 
of  these  were  read  by  title  and  passed  on  to  obscurity.  Some  others  were 
crowded  into  the  Section  on  Education  and  Legislation,  and  one  has  appeared  in 
full  in  at  least  one  drug  journal  as  having  been  presented,  which  was  only  read 
in  abstract  by  the  author,  he  having  decided,  after  reaching  the  meeting,  to 
withhold  part  of  it  for  one  year. 

Presumably  the  sessions  of  the  .\ssociation  lasted  a  week.  The  work,  how- 
ever, was  condensed  into  parts  of  five  days;  still  there  was,  apparently,  not  time 
to  read  and  discuss  the  papers  presented  to  the  two  sections,  amounting  to  some- 
thing over  thirty.  It  has  been  said  that  this  was  due  to  an  accident,  whereby 
certain  social  features  occurred  concurrent  with  the  sessions  of  the  Scientific 
Section,  but  such  accidents  occur  almost  every  year.  Members  must  naturally 
ask  themselves  whether  attendance  at  the  American  Pharmaceutical  .Association 
is  to  listen  to  and  discuss  papers  or  to  take  trolley  rides.  In  the  case  referred  to, 
the  meml)ers  elected  in  favor  of  the  trolley,  and  the  work  which  was  mapped 
out  for  three  sessions  was  crowded  into  one  and  continued  past  the  midnight 
hour,  with  everybody  tired  out  after  a  day  of  sightseeing.  Naturally,  the  man 
who  travelled  i.cxxjor  2,oori  miles  to  attend  the  meeting  was  disgusted. 

The  fact  has  been  deplored  that  the  retail  pharmacist  is  every  year  l)ecouiing 
more  conspicuous  by  his  al)sence  from  the  meetings.  He  attends  the  sessions 
for  the  purpose  of  learning  something  that  will  be  of  value  to  him  in  his  busi- 
ness. In  what  part  of  the  programme  will  he  find  it  ?  Certainly  not  in  that 
devote<l  to  social  features. 

The  real  earnest  members  are  not  utircasonablc  in  recjuesting  that  no  social 
features  be  introduced  until  all  the  business  has  l>een  trans.icled.  or  else  that 
there  be  no  simultaneous  meetings  for  business  and  pleasure.  Papers  should 
he  in  the  hands  of  the  chairman  of  the  section  to  wlr  are  to  be  pre- 

sented, at  least  ten  days  Ixrfore  the  meeting,  and  an    .  only  Kbould  be 

read  by  the  author  ;  this  would  help  to  do  away  with  the  custom  of  some 


^     o  IPi^'-iia^-cc  f  Aui.  .)our.  Pharm. 

54S  KeOiecVS.  \       October.  1S97. 

authors  of  writing  their  papers  on  the  way  to  the  meeting.  It  is  safe  to  say- 
that  the  author  who  is  so  terribly  pushed  for  time  as  to  be  compelled  to  call  in 
the  services  of  a  stenographer  and  typewriter  after  he  reaches  the  place  of 
meeting,  is  not  going  to  produce  anything  that  will  prevent  the  section  from 
disintegrating  into  a  trolley  party,  if  such  an  opportunity  occurs. 

A   COMPARISON. 

The  editor  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal  has  expressed  a  fear  that  our 
remarks  in  the  August  number  on  the  ability  of  the  British  Pharmaceutical 
Conference  to  transact  a  large  amount  of  scientific  work  in  a  short  time  were 
sarcastic  rather  than  complimentary,  and  we  are  desirous  of  assuring  him  that 
he  may  interpret  in  favor  of  the  Conference.  The  assertion  was  made  with  a 
comparison  in  mind,  which  has  been  made  during  the  past  several  years,  while 
the  two  great  English-speaking  pharmaceutical  bodies  have  been  holding  their 
annual  meetings.  The  developments  this  year  at  Minnetonka  still  more  empha- 
sized the  difference  in  the  manner  of  conducting  the  two  associations.  At  Glas- 
gow the  Conference  lasted  three  days,  the  last  of  which  was  devoted  to  pleasure- 
seeking,  and  seventeen  papers  were  read  and  discussed.  The  report  in  the 
Pharuiaceuiical  Journal  does  not  record  that  any  were  read  by  title  ;  one, 
making  eighteen  in  all,  arrived  from  Australia  too  late  for  the  meeting,  but  was 
accepted  by  the  Publication  Committee.  At  Minnetonka  five  days  were  set 
down  for  business,  and  two  more,  with  Sunday,  for  pleasure  ;  about  thirty 
papers  were  disposed  of,  many  of  them  being  merely  read  by  title,  and  dis- 
cussion was  much  curtailed  on  the  others.  Certainly  no  sarcasm  can  be  found 
in  our  remarks  after  making  this  comparison. 


REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

SuR  UN  Strophanthus  dq  Congo  Fran^aise. — Par  MM.  les  professeurs 
Schlagdenhauffeu  et  Louis  Planchon.  Reprint  from  Annates  de  L' Institute 
Colonial,  Marseilles.     1897. 

The  authors  studied  this  new  species  because  they  believe  that  strophanthus 
will  be  an  important  medicine  of  the  future,  and  because  every  new  variety 
of  such  a  valuable  remedy,  which  appears  in  commerce,  should  have  its  fit- 
ness for  medicinal  use  established.  From  the  several  botanical  characters 
clearly  shown  in  the  beautiful  illustration  which  accompanies  the  contribution, 
the  authors  feel  justified  in  declaring  this  to  be  a  new  species,  which  they  have 
designated  Strophanthus  d'Autran,  after  the  botanist  who  collected  it. 

In  Chapter  I  the  fruit  and  seed  are  described,  and  the  anatomic  differences 
between  this  and  other  species  illustrated.  Chapter  II  is  devoted  to  the  chemical 
analysis  of  the  fruit  and  seed  ;  and  Chapter  III  describes  the  physiological 
action  of  the  several  commercial  species  compared  with  the  new  species,  and 
their  influence  on  the  heart  action  of  a  frog  is  illustrated. 

The  conclusions  reached  are  that  there  is  a  close  resemblance,  chemically, 
between  the  new  species  and  the  Strophanthus  hispidus,  analyzed  by  Fraser, 
and  that  the  physiological  actions  of  S.  Kombe,  hispidus,  glabre,  Zambese  and 
d'Autran  are  identical. 


Am.  Jour.  I'Lianu.  I  J?j^"')f/y>':ie  r  m^ 

October.  1»97.      )  KlcneixJS.  549 

The  whole  is  a  creditable  piece  of  research  work,  which,  in  view  of  the 
growing  popularity  of  the  drug,  is  worth  the  while  of  pharmacognosists  to 
study. 

Anniversary  Address  before  the  Royal  Society  of  New  South  Wales,  by 
the  president,  J.  H.  Maiden,  Government  Botanist  and  Director  of  the  Botanic 
Oardens,  Sydney,  May  5,  1897. 

This  comprehensive  pamphlet  of  sixty-nine  pages  is  composed  as  follows  : 
"  History  of  the  Society  during  the  past  year,"  "  Progress  of  Science  in  New 
South  Wales  during  the  past  year,"  "Some  Botanical  Matters,"  "Forestry, 
etc.,"  "Australian  Timbers,"  "Botanical  Teaching  in  New  South  Wales," 
"A  Plea  for  a  Botanical  Survey." 

Under  botanical  matters,  a  fitting  allusion  is  made  to  the  life  work  of  the  late 
Baron  von  Mueller.  Every  part  of  the  address  contains  valuable  information 
about  Australia. 

Contributions  from  the  U.  S.  National  Herbaril  m,  Vol.  V,  No.  3 
Studies  of  Mexican  and  Central  American  Plants.  By  J.  N.  Rose, 
Washington,  1897. 

The  similarity  in  the  flora  between  the  Southwestern  Inited  States  and  the 
regions  covered  in  the  above  contribution  makes  this  number  of  considerable 
interest.     The  illustrations  are  numerous  and  well  executed. 

Age  of  Trees  and  Time  of  Blazing  Determined  by  Annual  Rings. 
By  B.  K.  Fernow,  Chief  of  Division  of  Forestry.  Circular  No.  16,  issued  by  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Division  of  Forestry. 

The  author  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  method  of  determining  the  age  of  trees 
by  counting  the  annual  rings  ;  indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  there 
can  be  any  controversy  on  the  subject.  Mr.  Fernow,  after  a  close  study  of  the 
objections,  has  written  a  clear  and  concise  account  of  how  to  overcome  the 
difiiculties.  The  part  devoted  to  the  covering  of  blazes,  wounds  and  knots  is 
also  valuable.     The  circular  is  remarkably  well  illustrated. 

Cider  Vinegars  of  Pennsylvania.  By  Dr.  William  Frear,  Bulletin  No. 
22,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Agriculture. 

While  much  of  this  report  is  especially  of  value  to  the  farmer  in  determining 
the  value  and  ripeness  of  his  product,  still  the  chemist,  after  reading  it,  cannot 
but  be  better  prepared  to  identify  a  true  cider. 

Salicylic  Acid  and  Calcium  Sulphite  as  Preservatives  of  Cider.  By 
E.  H.  S.  Bailey  and  Chas.  M.  Palmer.  From  the  Kansas  University  Quarterly, 
Vol.  VI,  No.  3,  1897. 

Bulletin  of  the  Bussey  Institution,  Jamaica  Plain,  Boston,  Vol.  II, 
Part  VI,  1897. 

This  numl>er  is  devoted  to  "Observations  on  Some  of  the  Chemical  Substances 
in  the  Trunks  of  Trees."  By  F.  H.  Storer,  Professor  of  .\gricultural  Chemistry. 
It  is  of  especial  interest  liecause  of  its  record  of  the  investigation  of  cellulose  and 
closely  allied  bo<lies. 

Medical  Botany.  By  William  Trelcasc,  Sc.D..  Direclor  of  the  Mis.<(ouri 
Botanical  Garden. 

Coming  from  such  a  source,  this  contribution  should  l>c  rcail  with  more  than 


550  y'otes  and  yeus.  {^^JSSJ^ST' 

ordinary  interest  bv  pharmacists  and  physicians.  The  author  points  out  that 
the  study  of  medical  botany  of  to-day  has  fallen  to  the  pharmacist  to  a  larger 
extent  than  to  the  medical  student ;  he,  however,  states  that  the  growing 
knowledge  of  bacteria  is  a  necessary  branch  of  medical  botany,  and  that  the 
physician  cannot  ign<»e  this  subject.  The  paper  was  originally  read  before  the 
Section  on  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, at  the  1S97  meeting,  in  Philadelphia. 


NOTES  AND  NEWS. 


Professor  Oscar  Loew,  who  has  been  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  Agricul- 
tural Department  of  the  Imperial  University  at  Tokio,  Japan,  for  the  last  four 
years,  has  returned  to  Germany  and  is  again  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  Univer- 
sity at  Munich.  His  successor  in  Tokio  is  Ihr.  Bieler.  fcrrrter'. v  2=;- -taut  in  the 
Agricultural  Laboratory  at  Halle. 

The  i7ic(h[grr  itfJafa/ was  awarded  by  •. .        ,  .  nz.::  r!i^r~r.:r_  ^^'^cia- 

tion,  during  its  recent  meeting,  to  E.  M.  Hohnes,  Curator  of  the  31  of 

the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  (^^eat  Britain. 

This  medal  is  awarded  once  in  fire  years,  for  distinguished  services  in  the 
promotion  of  pharmaceutical  research.  In  selecting  Mr.  Holmes  as  the  subject 
of  this  honor,  the  society  did  credit  to  itself,  and  at  the  same  time  acknowl> 
edged  the  eminent  worth  of  a  man  whose  researches  have  been  so  numerous 
and  productive  of  results  that  if  the  titles  alone  were  given  they  would  fill  some 
pages  of  this  Jourxai.. 

Citric  acid  by  fermentation  of  carbohydrates  is  claimed  by  German  patent 
^o-  72,957»  April  5,  1893,  and  species  of  citromyces  are  especially  mentioned  as 
bringing  about  this  fermentation.  The  patent  is  now  supplemented  by  a  new 
claim  German  patent  91,891!!,  based  upon  the  discovery  that  the  same  result 
may  be  obtained  by  means  of  Mucor  piriformis.  The  latter  fungus  is  found  on 
putrefying  fruit,  especially  on  pears  and  apples ;  its  spore  carriers  only  grow  in 
a  moist  atmosphere,  and  form  long,  white  filaments,  terminated  by  brownish- 
black  heads.  It  can  readily  be  obtained  in  pure  culture  by  sowing  the  spcH^s 
in  a  suitable  medium,  such  as  sugar  solution,  beer  wort,  steamed  rice,  starch 
paste,  etc,  the  ordinary  room  temperature  being  favorable  for  its  growth.  The 
solution  becomes  add  from  the  formation  of  citric  ^xA'^.—Jour.  Soc.  Chem, 
Industry^  June  30,  1897. 

The  BiU  of  Serpents  is  found  by  Professor  Fraser  to  have  the  power  of 
neutralizing  serpent  venom,  whilst  ox  bile  has  the  same  property  in  a  lesser 
d^ree.  This  neutralizing  action  is  manifested  to  a  wonderful  degree  when  the 
bile  is  injected  along  with  the  venom,  and  to  a  less  extent  when  it  is  injected 
after  the  venom.  In  a  paper  treating  of  this  subject,  read  by  the  Professor 
before  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh,  on  Monday,  July  5th,  he  stated  that  he 
had  separated  the  water-soluble  part  of  the  bile  from  the  alcohol-soluble  part, 
and  found  it  quite  equal  to  the  best  antivenene  in  its  immnniTing  effects  with 
regard  to  serpent  venom.  These  are  very  interesting  results  of  the  investiga- 
tion upon  which  Professor  Fraser  has  been  engaged  so  long,  and  it  is  to  be 


Am.  Jour.  PbATin.  \  NnffK    ntiii    JV^iti  - '•  i 

October.  le97       ]  l^Ol€S    UflU    IWrWS.  55  I 

hoped  that  they  may  prove  capable  of  practical  application. — Phann.  Journal^ 
July  17,  1897. 

Ginseng  is  one  of  Corea's  most  valued  products,  and  during  1S96  realized 
ftome  £30,000.  For  centuries  past  red  ginseng  has  gone  to  Pekin  with  the 
annual  overland  embassy,  the  trade  in  ginseng  being  a  royal  monopoly,  from 
which  the  King  of  Corea  derived  a  considerable  portion  of  his  revenue,  and 
its  export  by  sea  was  prohibited.  In  November,  1S95,  however,  an  ordinance 
was  promulgated  legalizing  its  export,  the  king  receiving  compensation  by  an 
addition  to  his  privy  purse,  which  now  stands  at  some  £60,000  a  year.  The 
annual  crop  of  ginseng  is  limited  in  quantity  to  about  15,000  catties,  upon 
which  an  excise  duty  of  l^io  a  catty  is  charged  under  the  new  regulations,  to 
which  is  added  an  import  duty  of  5  per  cent,  ad  valorem,  levied  on  its  arrival 
at  a  treaty  port  in  China.  The  prescribed  scale  of  taxation  is  not  rigidly 
adhered  to,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  in  practice  the  amount  raised 
exceeds  considerably  15,000  catties. — Pharm.  Jour.,  August  7,  1897. 

A  Monument  to  Pelletier  and  Caventou  has  been  proposed  in  Paris,  and  the 
following  committee  has  been  appointed  : 

Honorary  President,  M.  A.  Chatin. 

President,  M.  Planchon. 

Vice-Presidents,  MM.  Moissan  and  Marty. 

General  Secretary-,  M.  Behal. 

Assistant  Secretary,  M.  de  Mazieres. 

Treasurer,  M.  Bocquillon-Limousin. 

The  committee  feels  justified  in  calling  on  all  those  who  have  been  benefited 
by  the  discovery  of  Pelletier  and  Caventou.  These  scientists  gave  to  the 
world,  unencumbered  by  trade-mark,  patent  or  any  other  reservation,  one  of 
the  greatest  of  remedies — quinine.  It  is  proposed  to  erect  the  monument  in  front 
of  the  Ecole  de  Pharmacie  de  Paris.  The  address  of  the  Treasurer  is  2  bis,  Rue 
Blanche,  Paris. 

The  thirteenth  annual  meeting  of  the  Minnesota  State  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation met  at  Lake  Park  Hotel,  Lake  Minnetonka,  August  23d  and  24th,  with 
thirty-five  members  in  attendance  at  the  opening  session,  and  nearly  100  were 
in  attendance  before  the  meeting  closed. 

Secretary  C.  T.  Heller,  reported  286  members  on  the  roll  ;  lost  by  death,  5. 
Treasurer  H.  W.  Rietzke  reported  a  balance  of  |i6o.  Twenty-five  new  mem- 
bers were  elected  at  the  first  day's  meeting,  and  five  at  an  adjourned  imretiii^' 
held  .\ugust  2Sth. 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  Presideul,  1  red. 
Scott,  Stillwater;  First  Vice-President,  H.  T.  Holverson,  Alexandria  ;  Second 
Vice-President,  F.  \V.  Finch,  Hastings  ;  Third  Vice-President,  Miss  Jo»ie  A. 
Wanous,  Minneapolis  ;  SccreUn',  Charles  T.  Heller,  St.  Paul  ;  Treasurer,  IL 
W.  RieUke,  St.  Paul ;  Executive  Committee,  John  F.  Dauek,  Minneapolis  ;  A. 
T.  Hall.  St.  Paul,  and  A.  J.  Lckstein,  New  Ulm. 

Committee  on  National  Legislation  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  unanimously  adopted  : 

Whkrkas,  it  is  customary  for  the  Government  to  grant  a  trademark  or 
copyright  to  manufacturers  of  articles  made  in  foreign  countries  where  said 
articles  are  not  protected  by  trade-mark  or  copyright,  thus  restricting  compe- 
tition in  the  manufacture  of  said  articles  iu  this  country.     Therefore,  l)e  it 


^  _  _  nhifu/i'TM  (A.in.  Jour.  Pharm. 

552  UOUUary.  \     October,  isa?. 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  Minnesota  State  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, in  convention  assembled  at  Lake  Park,  August  23d,  do  earnestly  urge 
the  Committee  on  National  Legislation  of  the  A.  Ph.  A.  to  see  that  a  bill  is 
drafted  and  presented  to  Congress  prohibiting  the  future  granting  of  such  copy- 
right or  trade-mark  for  goods  manufactured  in  foreign  countries,  and  not  thus 
protected  in  the  countries  where  made,  and  thereby  remove  the  excessive  cost 
on  such  goods  in  this  country,  whereas  as  the  law  now  stands  an  alien  can  intro- 
duce articles  into  this  country  for  four  or  five  times  the  price  in  his  own  coun- 
try, while  our  Government  hardly  receives  a  cent  of  revenue. 

A  committee  of  three  was  appointed  to  formulate  a  price-mark  to  be  used  in 
marking  copies  of  prescriptions,  so  that  there  will  be  more  uniformity  of  prices 
throughout  the  State  on  prescriptions,  the  Secretary  to  be  the  custodian  of  the 
mark,  and  to  be  given  only  to  those  who  will  agree  to  use  it. 

Meeting  adjourned  to  meet  at  Lake  Minnetonka,  June  14,  1898. 


OBITUARY. 


Professor  Dr.  Victor  Meyer,  whose  brilliant  discoveries  in  the  field  of  chemi- 
cal research  won  for  him  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  his  fellow-laborers  in 
this  branch  of  science,  died  unexpectedly  at  his  home  in  Heidelberg,  Germany, 
August  7th. 

He  had  been  suffering  from  nervous  troubles,  accompanied  by  insomnia, 
brought  on,  no  doubt,  by  excessive  work,  and  it  is  sad  to  reflect  that  a  man  of 
such  energy  and  ability  as  Professor  Meyer  should,  perhaps,  during  a  tempor- 
ary aberration  of  mind,  end  his  own  career,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  his  death. 

Professor  Meyer  was  born  at  Berlin,  September  8,  1848.  He  entered  the 
university  there  in  his  sixteenth  year,  but  remained  only  a  short  time,  when 
he  went  to  Heidelberg,  where  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  chemistry 
under  Bunsen.  After  graduation  at  the  latter  institution  he  continued  his 
study  of  chemistry  under  Baeyer,  at  Berlin.  In  1867  he  became  assistant  to  Bun- 
sen,  and  in  187 1  was  made  professor  of  chemistry  at  the  Polytechnic  School  at 
Stuttgart,  and  in  1872  at  the  Polytechnic  School  at  Ziirich.  In  1855  he  removed 
to  Gottingen,  and  in  1889  was  appointed  successor  to  Bunsen  at  Heidelberg, 
the  latter  recommending  him  for  the  position.  As  an  instructor  he  was  singu- 
larly gifted,  and  the  study  of  chemistry  at  Heidelberg  received  a  great  impetus 
through  his  teachings. 

His  scientific  papers  were  numerous  and  covered  a  wide  range  of  subjects  in 
the  domain  of  chemistry,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  a  few  of  the 
results  accomplished  by  him  to  show  the  importance  of  his  work.  Of  particu- 
lar significance  was  his  study  on  the  subject  of  vapor  density;  for  not  only  did 
he  devise  a  method  for  determining  vapor  density,  which  has  largely  supplanted 
other  methods,  but  the  principles  of  pyro- chemistry  were  more  thoroughly  and 
clearly  established  by  the  results  obtai  ed  by  him  at  high  temperatures.  By 
his  discovery  of  thiophene  in  benziy--,  and  the  subsequent  study  of  its  properties 
and  derivatives,  he  added  to  organic  chemistry  an  entirely  new  series  of  com- 
pounds. 

In  1893  Professor  Meyer  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Philadel- 
phia College  of  Pharmacy. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 


NOVEMBER,  iSgj, 


INTERNATIONAL   CONGRESSKS. 
By  Prof.  Joseph  P.  Remington,  Philadelphia. 

A  great  deal  of  misconception  evidently  exists  in  the  minds  of 
many  upon  the  objects  and  aims  of  international  congresses  of 
various  kinds. 

This  is  not  only  the  case  in  relation  to  pharmaceutical  conferences, 
but  medical  and  professional  international  gatherings  of  all  kinds. 
The  absence  of  a  universal  language  must  always  continue  to  be  the 
principal  bar  to  effective  intercourse  between  representatives  of 
mixed  nationalities,  and  the  larger  the  attendance  at  a  congress  the 
greater  becomes  the  babel  of  tongues,  with  its  necessary  confusion. 
The  International  Medical  Congress  at  Moscow  had  an  immense  at- 
tendance, a  very  large  number  of  papers  were  read  of  unequal 
value  and  although  the  Russian  Government  provided  most  liberally 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  delegates,  it  was  found  impossible  to 
send  invitations  to  each  member  for  every  official  function.  This 
necessarily  j)roduced  heart  burnings  which  even  Russian  diplomacy 
could  not  entirely  soothe. 

The  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  which  met  at  lirus- 
sels,  has  been  criticised  by  a  German  editor  in  America,  who  found 
fault  with  it,  for  ••  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  not  a  German  word 
was  heard  in  the  deliberations  of  ti'^'^-Congress,"  and  "  because  the 
subjects  on  the  programme  were  princ  j)ally  of  interest  to  Belgium, 
and  almost  exclusively  presented  from  the  Belgium  standpoint,"  and 
the  writer   consequently  argues   ••  that  it  could  not  be  international 

(553) 


554  International  Congresses.  [%^ 


Am.  Jour.  Phartu. 

ovember,  1897. 


in  character."  Thus  we  have  two  contrasts  presented.  One  con- 
gress was  too  international  and  suffered  from  unwieldiness,  and  the 
confusion  incident  upon  the  attendance  of  too  many  foreigners,  and 
the  other  could  not  be  international  because  no  German  voice  was 
heard  in  its  deliberations,  and  too  much  local  flavoring  was  injected 
into  its  composition. 

It  will  always  be  a  question  for  many  generations  to  come,  whether 
the  world  would  be  likely  to  flourish  better  under  one  supreme 
mundane  ruler  or  a  number  of  rulers  governing  as  many  separate 
nations.  The  German  nation  itself  is  wrestling  with  this  problem, 
and  many  of  its  best  citizens  are  asking :  "  Are  we  better  off"  to-day 
under  the  Empire  than  we  were  before  consolidation  was  effected?" 
and  this  condition  exists  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  same 
language  is  spoken  by  all.  Is  it  strange,  then,  that  an  international 
gathering  largely  attended  by  men  of  one  profession  like  the  one 
at  Moscow  should  be  criticised  by  some  of  its  own  members,  who 
have  been  heard  to  say :  "  I  have  derived  more  benefit  from  my 
own  County  Medical  Society  than  from  the  deliberations  of  the 
great  Congress  which  I  have  travelled  7,000  miles  to  attend  ?" 
The  truth  is,  that  international  congresses  must  not  be  judged  from 
a  local  standpoint.  The  ideal  congress,  either  pharmaceutical  or 
medical,  would  probably  be  one  in  which  all  civilized  nations  were 
equally  represented  and  equal  prominence  given  to  each,  papers 
read  and  discussed  only  by  the  most  distinguished  representatives 
from  each  nation,  and  each  one  bristling  with  original  observations 
or  newly  discovered  facts,  while  the  decision  of  the  congress  upon 
general  questions  should  be  such  as  would  deal  fairly  and  justly  with 
every  nation,  and  accepted  as  final  by  the  subordinate  bodies  in  each 
country.  Finally,  every  member  should  return  home,  perfectly  satis- 
fied that  he  had  received  every  attention  due  him  as  the  representa- 
tive of  his  nation,  and  the  action  which  he  especially  desired  the 
congress  to  take  was  adopted,  and  what  he  did  not  want  adopted 
was  rejected.     No  one  can  ever  hope  to  see  such  an  ideal  realized. 

Unfortunately,  those  who  desire  to  accomplish  any  good,  no  mat- 
ter how  high  their  ideal  may  be,  must  be  prepared  to  accept  the 
conditions  whiclL  exist,  and  strive  earnestly  to  bring  about  the  ideal. 
If  a  congress  is  not  international  the  cause  should  be  sought  for  and 
removed  if  possible.  \\\  pro.dhsional  gatherings,  political  differences 
should  be  ignored  ;  "  Science  knows  no  language  and  no  country." 


iber.'^ti*:!''}  International  Congresses.  555 


A  ni.  Jour.  Phariu 
Noven 


The  earnest  seeker  for  truth  is  rewarded  by  makinf;  a  discovery 
which  will  rescue  many  a  valuable  life  or  alleviate  suffering  wherever 
it  exists ;  a  liberal  profession  should  embrace  in  its  membership 
those  who  are  willing  to  labor  for  the  benefit  of  all,  and  until  such  a 
motive  actuates  the  members  of  the  pharmaceutical  profession 
throughout  the  world,  and  unless  the  true  international  feeling  is 
cultivated,  the  ideal  can  never  be  approached.  If  rejoicing  is  in 
order  and  congratulations  tendered,  because  the  representatives  of  a 
great  nation  decline  the  invitation  to  attend  a  congress,  then  is  the 
first  principle  sacrificed.  Some  one  spot  in  the  world  must  always 
be  selected  as  the  place  of  meeting,  and  long  distances  travelled  by 
some  delegates,  of  course,  loyalty  to  the  international  spirit  should 
overcome  personal  feeling,  and  if  members  have  grievances,  nothing 
can  be  gained  by  staying  away  from  the  meeting  ;  there  is  really 
more  necessity  for  activity  and  personal  interest.  It  is  deplorable 
that  international  pharmacy,  standing  as  it  does  to-day,  more  in  need 
thiii  any  other  profession,  of  united  effort,  seems  to  possess  a  greater 
proportion  of  iconoclasts  and  pessimists  than  any  other;  this  is 
especially  the  case  in  America  ;  it  an  organization  for  mutual  benefit 
is  started,  more  hands  seem  to  be  at  once  raised  to  tear  it  to  pieces, 
than  to  build  it  up.     Will  it  be  thus  always? 

International  congresses,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  serve  a  most 
valuable  purpose  in  bringing  together  pharmacists  of  different 
nations;  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  of  interchanging  thought 
fluently,  it  is  worth  something  to  realize  that  progress  in  education, 
in  scientific  research  and  social  advancement  is  constantly  going 
forward,  and  if  abuses  and  obstacles  are  found  in  one's  own  country, 
it  is  some  consolation  to  hear  (even  in  a  foreign  tongue),  that  efforts 
are  made  to  reform  the  abuses  and  to  overcome  the  obstacles,  and 
*'  the  fellow-feeling  that  makes  one  wondrous  kind  "  is  kindled.  In 
all  international  and  national  gatherings,  whether  professional  or 
otherwise,  the  social  features  are  claiming  more  attention  and  rcC'>g- 
nition.  It  is  true  that  there  are  many  scientists  who  stand  aloof 
from  social  entertainment  of  all  kinds,  others  rail  at  them  in  public 
and  private,  but  nevertheless  are  seen  always  at  these  entertainments. 
It  may  be  assumed,  however,  that  without  social  functions,  con- 
gresses would  be  very  poorly  attended.  The  pharmacist,  over- 
worked, confined  during  the  day  and  often  a  large  part  of  the  night 
within  the  walls  of  his  dingy  shop  or  laboratory,  looks  forward  lo  a 


556  International  Congresses.  {^No/embeMsg"' 

vacation  in  the  heated  term  for  a  relief;  if  he  can  combine  mental 
and  physical  recreation  by  associating  with  his  fellows  and  kindred 
spirits,  and  thus  gaining  by  social  intercourse  and  rational  pursuits 
the  much  needed  rest,  he  has  enlarged  his  horoscope  and  becomes 
much  better  qualified  to  deal  with  the  perplexing  problems  which 
threaten  his  existence,  and  has  taken  the  preliminary  steps  toward 
that  organization  and  united  effort  which  will  make  him  a  power  in 
the  community,  instead  of  a  disorganized  mass  of  disjointed  entities. 
Eight  International  Pharmaceutical  Congresses  have  come  and 
gone,  and  while  it  can  be  truly  said  that  not  one  has  reached  the 
ideal,  it  must  be  remembered  that  great  difficulties  have  stood  in 
the  way.  Some  of  these  have  already  been  noted.  Such  gather- 
ings suffer  greatly  from  the  impossibility  of  organizing  them  com- 
pletely until  the  first  day  of  the  meeting,  for  it  can  never  be  told  in 
advance  with  certainty  how  many  foreign  delegates  can  be  present. 
Necessary  delays  in  travel  and  many  other  contingencies  prevent  the 
local  committees  from  arranging  satisfactory  programmes  for  each 
day.  There  is  a  difficulty  of  finding,  even  in  a  large  city,  competent 
interpreters  who  have  a  knowledge  of  the  technical  subjects  dis- 
cussed ;  then  again,  no  one  person  has  ever  been  found  who  has  a 
complete  knowledge  of  the  abilities  and  capacities  of  each  delegate, 
and  hence  it  must  follow  that  committees  are  not  always  appointed 
which  embrace  the  best  available  material;  in  short,  all  of  the 
responsible  organizing  authorities  are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
selecting  those  whom  they  know  and  whom  they  believe  to  possess 
the  necessary  qualifications.  Hence  it  will  always  be  found  that 
each  pharmaceutical  congress  must  suffer  from  what  is  called  "  local 
flavoring."  In  conclusion,  the  writer  does  not  share  in  the  belief 
that  international  gatherings  should  be  discontinued.  The  faults 
are  capable,  in  a  large  measure,  of  being  corrected  or  minimized 
when  they  are  fully  recognized,  and  greater  experience  will  lead  to 
their  elimination,  but  one  valuable  consideration  stands  out  promi- 
nently which  overshadows  the  minor  faults.  Pharmacy  is  recog- 
nized officially  by  European  Governments  as  a  profession,  and,  as  in 
the  case  of  pharmacy  laws  which  are  admittedly  imperfect,  it  must 
be  said  that  the  steady  advancement  in  the  recognition  by  the  peo- 
ple of  the  important  relations  which  the  pharmacist  sustains  toward 
them  is  one  of  the  greatest  value.  Is  it  not  possible  we  have  had 
too  much  criticism  of  the  detail  in  judging  such  gatherings,  and  too 
little  real  appreciation  accorded  to  the  greater  results  accomplished  ? 


^i?ovi';;;^er'.l!;?;'}  Destruction  of  Tobacco.  557 

THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  TOBACCO  IN  VIRGINIA  BY  ACT 

OF  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY,  JANUARY  6,  1639,  UNDER 

SIR  FRANCIS  WYATT,  GOVERNOR.^ 

By  John  Uri  Li.oyd,  Ph.M.,  Ph.D. 

Query  by  Professor  Fluckiger. — "  In  Alonzo  Calkins  (Opium  and 
the  Opium  Appetite),  Philadelphia,  1871,  p.  373,  there  is  a  state- 
ment to  the  effect  that  in  1639,  by  authority  of  the  •  Virginia  As- 
sembly *  there  went  out  a  decree  that  all  the  tobacco  then  standin^j 
in  cultivated  fields  should  be  duf;j  up  and  exterminated.  Is  this 
correctly  abstracted  from  some  official  records  ?" 

Answer  by  John  Un  Lloyd. — In  reply  to  this  question,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  evidence  is  conclusive  that  only  part  of  the  tobacco 
was  destroyed.  This  was  because  tobacco  was  too  abundant  to 
command  a  good  price  in  the  market,  and  7iot  with  a  view  to  its 
extermination.  By  destroying  a  large  share  of  the  crop  the  remain- 
der was  enhanced  in  value.  In  support  of  my  view,  I  offer  testi- 
mony which  seems  to  me  conclusive. 

The  subject  may  be  traced  as  follows  : 

G.  Bancroft  makes  only  general  allusion  to  the  laws  restricting 
the  planting  of  tobacco  in  Virginia  at  that  time. 

Robert  R.  Howison,  A  History  of  Virginia,  2  Vols.,  and 

Henry  Hczve,  Historical  Collection  of  Virginia,  1856,  both  point 
to: 

Hening,  Statutes  at  Large,  ist  Vol.,  pp.  224  and  225,  as  a  book  of 
reference  on  the  records  of  Virginia  administration.  In  this  publi- 
cation, jst  Vol.,  pp.  22^  and  22 j,  we  find  the  following  Acts  by  the 
Grand  Assembly  of  Virginia,  January  6,  1639,  under  Sir  Francis 
Wyatt,  Governor: 

ACT    I. 

•'  Tobacco,  by  reason  of  excessive  quantities  being  made,  being  so 
low  that  the  planters  could  not  subsist  by  it,  or  be  enabled  to  raise 
more  staple  commodities,  or  pay  their  debts: 

'  When  Professor  FliickiKer  visited  America  (July,  1894)  he  hoped  to  obtain 
historical  data  that  would  enable  hini  to  give  the  records  of  several  interesting 
American  productions.  In  this  he  faile<l,  and  he  then  associate*!  in  his  Iwhalf 
the  services  of  the  author  of  this  paper.  After  much  of  the  work  had  In-en 
done,  the  death  of  Professor  Pliicki>;er  iuterrtipted  the  invesli)4atiou.  This 
piper  on  tobacco  was  one  of  the  subjects  consideretl. — Ivditor  Am.  Jour. 
Ph.\km. 


558  Destruction  of  Tobacco.  {^nov 


Jour.  Pharm. 
ember,  1897. 


"  Enacted,  that  the  tobacco  of  that  year  be  viewed  by  sworn 
viewers,  and  the  rotten  and  unmerchantable  and  half  the  good  to  be 
burned." 

"So  the  whole  quantity  made  would  come  to  1,500,000  pounds 
without  stripping  and  smoothing,  and  the  next  two  years  170  pounds 
tobacco  per  poll,  stripped  and  smoothed,  was  to  be  made,  which 
would  make,  on  the  whole,  about  1,300,000  pounds,  and  all  creditors 
were  to  take  40  pounds  for  lOO." 

ACT    II. 

'•  No  man  should  be  obliged  to  perform  above  half  his  covenants 
about  freighting  tobacco  in  1639." 

Adjoined  to  the  copy  of  these  Acts  we  find  the  following,  added 
by  Hening,  to  show  his  authority: 

"These  acts  are  printed  from  a  MS.  which  belonged  to  Thomas 
Jefferson,  President  of  the  United  States,  and  which  is  now  in  the 
Library  of  Congress  at  Washington. 

"This  MS.  volume  is  lettered  'Writings  Related  to  Virginia'  and 
contains  most  of  the  old  charters,  instructions  to  the  governors,  etc. 
At  the  end  of  the  volume  is  an  abstract  of  public  papers,  taken  from 
the  rolls,  the  number  and  page  of  which  are  referred  to,  but  without 
regard  to  chronological  order.  The  Acts  of  1639  appear  to  be  a 
mere  abridgement,  and,  from  the  handwriting  and  orthography,  it 
seems  to  have  been  made  long  posterior  to  their  date. 

"  This  abstract  concludes  with  a  list  of  the  governors  of  Virginia 
down  to  the  year  1722,  at  which  time,  or  shortly  afterwards,  it  was 
probably  compiled. 

"  The  handwriting,  on  comparison,  appears  to  be  that  of  '  R.  Hick- 
mann,'  by  whom,  as  '  clerk  of  the  secretary's  office,'  several  public 
papers  are  attested." 

In  connection  with  the  foregoing,  as  an  evidence  that  "  history 
repeats  itself,"  we  find  that  the  president  of  the  Cotton  Growers' 
Association  has  recently  (1897)  advocated  the  destruction  of  part  of 
the  cotton  crop  of  the  South,  in  order  to  increase  the  price  of  that 
which  remains.  A  paper  headed  "  Signs  of  the  Times,"  in  the 
Nation,  March  4,  1897,  prints  the  following,  thus  showing  that  the 
method  adopted  250  years  ago  has  met  the  theorist  of  to-day: 

'' Signs  of  the  Times — The  Southern  farmers  are  again  showing 
that  it  is  not  the  principle  of  combination  to  which  they  are  opposed, 
but  the  use  of  that  principle  by  any  other  class  of  people  than  farmers 


Vovember.?8^"}  Official  Lead  Preparations.  559 

— except  *  org^anized  labor.*  They  denounce  bitterly  any  union  on  the 
part  of  those  who  buy  their  cotton  to  raise  the  price  of  products 
manufactured  from  it,  but  they  earnestly  advocate  the  adoption  of 
measures  to  make  the  manufacturers  pay  hi^^her  prices  for  the  staple. 
The  president  of  the  Cotton  Growers*  Association  has  issued  an 
address  callinor  conventions  of  the  Texas  farmers  at  Waco,  Texas, 
March  8th ;  of  those  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  at  Memphis,  March 
lOth,  and  of  those  east  of  the  Mississippi  at  Augusta,  March  i  5th,  to 
secure  '  concert  of  action,'  as  '  by  a  systematic  and  judicious  market- 
ing of  our  crops  we  can  realize  inestimable  benefits  that  never  can  be 
secured  permanently  otherwise.'  The  method  urged  upon  the  cot- 
ton growers  is  that  which  is  so  bitterly  complained  of  when  applied 
to  the  cotton  manufacturers — a  restriction  of  the  output  in  order  to 
secure  higher  prices.  '  Destroy  the  annual  surplus  of  cotton  '  is  the 
watchword.  •  You  will  be  better  off  with  a  7,000,000-bale  crop  sell- 
ing at  10  cents,  supplemented  by  ample  food  crops,  than  with  a 
10,000,000-bale  crop  selling  at  5  cents.'  " 


AN    EXAMINATION    OF   SOME   OFFICIAL   LEAD 

PREPARATIONS. 

By  Frederick  W.  Haussmann. 

Sub-Committee  of  Research  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopceial  Committee 

of  Revision. 

The  observation  that  certain  official  preparations  prepared  from 
lead  salts  differed  from  the  standard  prescribed  by  the  Pharma- 
copoeia, induced  the  writer  to  inc[uire  into  the  cause  of  such 
variations. 

Continued  investigations  revealed  the  fact  that  the  statements  of 
the  Pharmacopcuia,  regarding  the  preparations  under  examination, 
were  also  open  to  criticism,  and  in  the  course  of  this  paper,  altera- 
tions and  additions  which  may  be  regarded  necessary  will  be 
mentioned. 

The  experience  of  other  pharmacists  is  invited  to  be  rendered 
for  comparison  either  to  corroborate  or  disprove  the  conclusions 
arrived  at  by  the  writer. 

The  original  researches  were  confined  to  Goulard's  extract,  the 
liquor  plumbi  subacetatis  of  the  Pharmacopcria,  where  the  first 
deviations  from  the  official  standard  were  noticed.  It  was  soon 
found,  however,  that,  to  determine  the  exact  causes  thereof,  it  was 
also  necessary  to  examine  the  metallic  ingredients,  lead  acetate  and 
oxide. 


56o  Official  Lead  Preparations.  {^^To/embeTS' 

LIQUOR    PLUMBI    SUBACETATIS. 

If  it  were  possible  to  realize  the  idea  of  an  international  Pharma- 
copoeia, this  preparation  deserves  attention  among  the  first  to  secure 
uniformity  in  method  of  preparation  as  well  as  in  the  proportion  of 
basic  salt. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  point  out  the  respective  variations  in  different 
pharmacopoeias,  and  only  sufficient  to  call  attention  to  varying 
degrees  of  specific  gravity,  volumetric  strength  and  method  of  prepa- 
ration. 

Even  in  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  the  United  States  the  two  last 
revisions  have  been  productive  of  deviation  in  strength  from  the  pre- 
vious editions. 

The  subject  of  Goulard's  extract  may  be  treated  under  the  follow- 
ing heads,  viz.:  preparation,  specific  gravity  and  volumetric  strength. 

PREPARATION. 

The  following  are  the  full  pharmacopceial  directions : 

Grammes. 

Lead  acetate 170 

Lead  oxide c 100 

Distilled  water  to  make 1,000 

Dissolve  the  lead  acetate  in  800  grammes  of  boiling  distilled 
water,  in  a  glass  or  porcelain  vessel.  Then  add  the  lead  oxide,  pre- 
viously passed  through  a  fine  sieve,  and  boil  for  half  an  hour,  occa- 
sionally adding  hot  distilled  water  to  make  up  the  loss  by  evapora- 
tion. Remove  the  heat,  allow  the  liquid  to  cool  and  add  enough 
distilled  water,  previously  boiled  and  cooled,  to  make  the  product 
weigh  1,000  grammes. 

Finally  filter  the  liquid  in  a  closely  covered  funnel. 

In  these  directions  the  amount  of  insoluble  basic  lead  subacetate 
is  included  in  the  final  weight,  and  the  solution  is  directed  to  be 
filtered  therefrom. 

The  filtrate  weighs,  according  to  the  National  Dispensatory, 
approximately  950  grammes. 

An  inquiry  among  a  number  of  pharmacists  revealed  that  the 
pharmacopceial  directions  are  interpreted  by  several  to  read  to 
make  the  filtrate  weigh  1,000  grammes.  This  would  result  in  a 
preparation  approximately  5  per  cent,  weaker  in  strength. 

The  basis  for  this  opinion  is  furnished  by  the  official  direction  of 
boiling  the  oxide  in  800  grammes  of  distilled  water,  in  which  the 


"^November't^"-}  Official  Lead  Preparations,  561 

acetate  has  previously  been  dissolved,  and  making  up  the  loss  by 
evaporation  by  the  occasional  addition  of  hot  distilled  water. 

The  exact  observation  of  the  original  volume  in  this  manner,  it  is 
claimed,  would  necessarily  produce  an  aggregate  weight  of  1,070 
grammes.  To  substantiate  this  claim,  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
solution  thus  prepared  is  advanced,  which  closely  approximates  that 
stated  by  the  Pharmacopctia. 

Determinations  by  the  writer  in  instances  where  cold  maceration 
was  employed,  with  the  stated  increase  in  the  amount  of  the  water, 
again  where  the  pharmacopoeial  method  of  preparation  under  like 
conditions  was  followed,  and  finally  in  another  process,  to  be  de- 
scribed subsequently,  it  was  found  that  the  specific  gravity  remained 

within  pharmacopoeial  bounds,  although  a  less  quantity  of  —  sul- 
phuric acid  was  required  for  the  complete  precipitation  of  13  67 
grammes  of  the  solution. 

Goulard's  extract  may  also  be  prepared  by  cold  maceration,  viz.: 
by  introducing  the  lead  salts  in  a  bottle  with  the  water,  with  occa- 
sional agitation,  until  the  yellow  color  of  the  oxide  is  changed  to 
white. 

This  is  the  process  of  the  Austrian  Pharmacopoeia,  and  two  to 
three  days  are  stated  to  be  required  for  completion.  Positive  asser- 
tion is  made  that  with  the  disappearance  of  the  yellow  color  of  the 
oxide  no  more  enters  into  solution.  The  chief  objection  to  this 
method  is  the  time  it  requires. 

While  preparing  the  solution  by  cold  maceration,  it  occurred  to 
the  writer  to  try  if  the  substitution  of  hot  or  even  boiling  for  the 
cold  water  would  accelerate  the  solution  of  the  oxide. 

This  was  determined  to  be  the  case,  and  it  was  found  possible  to 
prepare  Goulard's  extract  in  a  comparatively  short  time,  avoiding 
the  troublesome  boiling  and  the  difficulty  experienced  in  the  pres- 
ervation of  a  definite  volume. 

The  following  are  the  directions  : 

A  strong  bottle — a  fruit  juice  bottle  holding  a  full  quart  will  an- 
swer— is  graduated  to  730  c.c. 

Distilled  water  is  heated  to  boiling  and  poured  into  the  bottle 
up  to  the  graduation  mark. 

170  grammes  of  selected  crystallized  lead  acetate,  previously 
broken  into  small  pieces,  are  ncnv  quickly  added  and  the  bottle 
corked. 


562  Official  Lead  Preparations.  { Vo v^embe^.Ysl^' 

A  few  turns  of  the  vessel  will  dissolve  the  salt. 

lOO  f^rammes  of  lead  oxide,  previously  sifted,  are  now  added  in 
divided  portions,  thoroui^hly  shaking  the  bottle  after  each  addition. 

In  from  five  to  ten  minutes,  on  repeated  thorough  agitation,  the 
yellow  color  of  the  oxide  will  have  changed  to  white. 

The  mixture  is  allowed  to  stand  two  hours  or  until  cold,  with  oc- 
casional agitation,  and  filtered,  with  observation  of  the  usual  precau- 
tions. 

The  solution  thus  prepared  will  fulfil  the  requirements  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia  in  all  particulars. 

The  only  precautions  necessary  are  the  observation  of  the  liability 
of  fracture  of  the  bottle,  unless  the  same  is  previously  warmed,  and 
the  protection  of  the  hands  with  gloves  or  a  towel  to  prevent 
burning. 

The  oxide  must  be  added  in  divided  portions,  as  the  full  addition 
is  liable  to  be  followed  by  caking,  with  consequent  less  rapid 
solution. 

The  question  may  be  raised — will  this  comparatively  brief  contact 
of  the  lead  salts  sufifice  to  complete  the  solution,  or,  by  further 
prolonged  maceration,  will  more  of  the  oxide  be  not  taken  up  ? 

To  determine  this  point,  the  following  trial  was  made :  The  pro- 
cess described  was  employed,  preparing  i,ooo  grammes  of  the 
solution. 

After  a  contact  of  exactly  two  hours  1 00  c.c.  of  the  solution  were 
filtered  off  and  marked  filtrate  No.  i. 

The  remainder  of  the  solution  was  allowed  to  stand  twenty-four 
hours  longer,  with  occasional  agitation. 

An  additional  lOO  c.c.  were  again  filtered  and  marked  No.  2. 

The  remaining  portion  was  allowed  to  stand  forty  eight  hours 
more,  and  a  third  portion  of  lOO  c.c,  marked  No.  3,  filtered  off.  j 

The  final  remaining  mixture  was  allowed  to  stand  eight  days,  with  I 

occasional  agitation,  making  the  total  time  of   maceration  from  the  1 

time  of  preparation  about  twelve  days,  and  filtered. 

The  solutions  were  each  examined  in  turn  as  to  specific  gravity 
and  percentage  of  basic  salt,  according  to  pharmacopoeial  direc- 
tions. 

The  respective  specific  gravities  were  all  found  to  be  identical,  and 
the  estimation  with  normal  sulphuric  acid  gave  little  variation,  in  no 
case  being  more  than  a  fraction  of  a  cubic  centimetre,  and  none 


"^i/e'r^berilS-:"  }  Official  Lead  Preparations.  563 

were  found  to  require  less  than  25  c  c.  for  precipitation  of  13-67 
grammes  of  the  solution. 

Similar  experiments  were  repeatedly  performed,  and  it  was  invari- 
ably found  that  after  a  contact  of  two  hours,  little  or  no  oxide 
passes  into  solution. 

In  one  instance,  the  mixture  of  lead,  salts  and  water  was  allowed 
to  stand  three  weeks  before  filtration,  but  no  difference  was  found 
between  this  and  a  filtrate  of  two  hours'  standing. 

Various  modifications  of  this  .process,  such  as  trituration  of  the 
mixed  lead  salts  in  a  mortar  and  subsequently  adding  boiling  dis- 
tilled water,  were  also  tried,  but  furnished  no  improvement  over  the 
method  described. 

OTHER    METHODS   OF    PREPARATION. 

Acetates  of  the  alkaline  earth  metals  also  possess  the  power  of 
dissolving  lead  oxide. 

Of  these,  magnesium  acetate  has  been  suggested  to  prepare  a 
modification  of  Goulard's  extract,  and  particularly^  lead  water. 

This  process,  as  given  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Phar- 
maceutical Association  of  1893,  possesses  no  advantage.  It  is 
tedious  and  does  not  furnish  an  official  preparation. 

Of  greater  importance  is  a  process  which  is  based  on  the  fact 
that  if  ammonia  water  is  added  to  a  solution  of  lead  acetate  in  the 
proper  proportion,  a  solution  of  the  basic  salt  is  immediately  pro- 
duced. 

The  following  is  the  process  recommended: 

Seventy-five  parts  of  pure  crystallized  lead  acetate  are  dissolved 
in  165  j)arts  of  distilled  water  and  1 1  parts  of  water  of  ammonia, 
20°  B.,  sp.  gr.  0923,  are  added. 

In  place  of  the  ammonia  water  of  this  strength,  22  parts  of  the 
official  10  per  cent,  water  can  be  added,  deducting  11  parts  from 
the  amount  of  water  employed  to  dissolve  the  acetate.  The  prep- 
aration is  stated  to  be  immediately  ready  for  use. 

Goulard's  extract,  thus  prepared,  resembles  the  official  prepara- 
tion in  appearance,  has  no  odor  of  ammonia,  but  in  point  of  stability 
possesses  no  advantage,  also  depositing  lead  carbonate  on  prolonged 
standing. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  solution  was  found  to  be  i'2oS. 

In  the  volumetric  estimation  of   Goulard's  extract,  prepared  by 


564  Official  Lead  Preparations,  { ^^-  •^«"^-  ^^*^"^- 


November,  1897. 


the  ammonia  process,  several  conditions  were  noted,  which,  when  dis- 
regarded, are  liable  to  lead  to  error. 

Titrated  with      sulphuric  acid,  using  methyl-orange  as  indicator, 

it  was  found  that  nearly  30  c.c.  were  required  before  the  orange 
color  was  changed  to  crimson,  while  in  precipitation  without  the 
indicator,  only  22  to  23  c.c.  were  required  for  13-67  grammes  of  the 
solution. 

Both  estimations  were  found  erroneous,  the  ammonia  probably 
influencing  the  reaction  with  the  indicator,  while  in  the  simple  acid 
estimation  the  fact  must  be  considered  that  ammonium  acetate, 
which  necessarily  is  present  in  the  preparation,  has  the  property  of 
dissolving  lead  sulphate. 

If  the  lead  is  completely  precipitated  by  means  of  sulphuric  acid, 
the  sulphate  removed  by  filtration  and  the  filtrate  examined,  the 
presence  of  the  metal  is  revealed  by  every  reagent,  excepting  sul- 
phuric acid. 

To  accurately  estimate  an  ammonia-prepared  Goulard's  extract 
by  means  of  volumetric  analysis,  it  is  therefore  necessary  to  employ 
a  different  precipitant. 

Volumetric  -oxalic  acid  solution  was  substituted  for  sulphuric 

acid,  and  it  was  found  that  1367  grammes  of  the  preparation 
required  23  to  24  c.c.  for  complete  precipitation. 

COMMERCIAL    GOULARD's    EXTRACT. 

A  number  of  specimens  of  Goulard's  extract,  procured  from  vari- 
ous sources,  were  also  examined  as  to  their  specific  gravity  and 
volumetric  strength. 

In  appearance,  considerable  difference  was  noticed,  some  being 
clear  and  perfectly  colorless,  while  one  sample  was  of  a  decidedly 
yellowish-brown  color. 

All  degrees  of  intensity  in  precipitation  of  lead  carbonate  were 
also  observed. 

The  liability  of  the  preparation  to  deposit  the  carbonate  on  stand- 
ing must  be  considered  when  comparing  commercial  samples  with 
the  pharmacopoeial  standard. 

This  takes  place  even  when  every  precaution  is  employed  to  pre- 
vent the  access  of  air. 


^:?;>\Se?S}  Ojgicial  Lead  Preparations  565 

As  a  necessary  consequence,  decrease  both  in  specific  gravity  and 
volumetric  strength  will  result. 

This  was  noticed  by  Prof.  J.  U.  Lloyd  in  a  paper  published  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  and  in  a  number  of  observations 
the  writer  can  only  record  a  similar  experience. 

SPECIFIC   gravity    OF   GOULARD's   EXTRACT. 

The  specific  gravity  of  commercial  Goulard's  extract  varies 
widely. 

One  sample,  which  was  stated  to  be  of  recent  preparation,  had  a 
specific  gravity  of  1-270,  and   13-67  grammes  required  between  29 

and  30  c.c.  of       sulphuric  acid  for  precipitation. 

This  specimen  was  evidently  prepared  according  to  the  Pharma- 
copoeia of  1870. 

On  the  other  hand,  one  solution  was  found  of  the  specific  gravity 
of  ri28,  which  required  only  15  c.c.  of  the  normal  acid  for  the  pre- 
cipitation of  1367  grammes. 

This  preparation  was  cloudy,  and  bore  evidence  of  careless 
preservation. 

The  present  Pharmacopoeia  states  the  specific  gravity  to  be  about 
I- 195,  while  the  edition  of  1880  requests  the  same  to  be  1-228. 

The  latter  employs  a  larger  quantity  of  lead  oxide,  but  both  are 
unanimous  in  the  amount  of  basic  salt,  each  demanding  25  per 
cent. 

A  number  of  determinations  have  led  the  writer  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  specific  gravity  point  of  the  present  PharmacoptL-ia  is 
placed  too  low. 

This  was  first  suggested  while  e.xamining  a  commercial  speci- 
men, which  possessed  the  specific  gravity  of  11875,  but  only 
required  20  c.c.  of  normal  sulphuric  acid  for  precipitation  of  1367 
grammes. 

Several  samples,  with  specific  gravities  closely  approximating  the 
official  figure,  were  invariably  found  to  require  less  than  25  c.c.  of 
the  normal  acid  for  precij^itation. 

It  was  also  found  that  considerable  variation  in  specific  gravity 
took  place  if  lead  acetate  was  employed  obtained  from  different 
sources. 

It  was,  in  fact,  found  impossible  to  purchase  this  salt  in  the  mar- 


566  Official  Lead  Preparations.  { ^^o/embef.X'"- 

ket,  to  employ  it  with  any  degree  of  confidence  for  the  accurate 
determination  of  the  specific  gravity  of  Goulard's  extract. 

The  results  of  the  writer,  pertaining  to  the  quality  of  commercial 
lead  acetate,  will  be  treated  of  subsequently. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Prof.  H.  Trimble,  the  writer  prepared  lead 
acetate  from  a  sample  of  litharge,  which  assayed  99  per  cent,  of 
lead  oxide,  crystallizing  the  salt  from  a  slightly  acid  solution. 

The  air-dried  salt  was  obtained  in  silky  masses,  considerably  more 
bulky  than  the  commercial  salt. 

Goulard's  extract  was  prepared  from  this  salt. 

For  the  accurate  determination  of  the  specific  gravity  maceration 
was  first  employed,  each  step  in  the  process  being  carefully  checked 
and  every  precaution  observed. 

About  I  litre  of  distilled  water  was  heated  to  boiling,  and,  while 
hot,  poured  into  a  previously  sterilized  bottle  and  allowed  to  cool. 

730  c.c.  of  the  water  were  measured  out  and,  to  determine  the 
exact  quantity,  weighed. 

To  further  prove,  the  amount  was  calculated  to  troy  weight,  and 
compared. 

170  grammes  of  the  acetate  were  dissolved  in  the  water,  and  to 
this  solution  lOO  grammes  of  the  99  per  cent,  lead  oxide  were 
added  in  divided  portions. 

The  mixture  was  allowed  to  stand  in  a  well-closed  bottle  for  five 
days,  agitating  repeatedly,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  the  mix- 
ture was  again  weighed  and  no  loss  noticed. 

It  was  then  filtered  with  the  usual  precautions. 

The    specific   gravity  of  the  finished  solution   was   found   to   be 

1-230,  and    13  67  grammes  required  between    25  and  26  c.c.  of  - 

H.SO^  for  complete  precipitation,  using  methyl-orange  as  indicator. 

To  verify  the  above  result  the  solution  was  prepared  by  the  phar- 
macopojial  process,  with  scrupulous  observation  of  all  details,  em- 
ploying the  same  salts  as  in  the  foregoing  operation. 

The  specific  gravity  of  this  solution  was  1-229,  and  13-67  grammes 
also  required  between  25  and  26  c.c.  of  the  normal  acid  for  precipi- 
tation, thus  obtaining  almost  identical  results. 

Various  similar  experiments  were  also  made  with  acetates  and 
oxides  of  lower  percentage  than  employed  in  the  foregoing.  The 
results  thus  obtained  were  deemed  of  importance,  as  the  lead  acetate 


VoVi^^beni^"-}  Official  Lead  Preparations.  567 

of  commerce  is  usually  prepared  from  litharge  more  or  less  impure, 
and  this  may  influence  the  specific  gravity  of  lead  subacetate  solu- 
tion prepared  from  such  salts. 

For  instance,  the  solution  was  made  from  an  acetate  which  the 
writer  prepared  from  a  sample  of  litharge  assaying  96  5  per  cent,  of 
oxide,  the  latter  being  also  employed. 

The  finished  preparation  had  the  specific  gravity  of  1*225,  ^"^  re- 
quired exactly  25  c.c.  of  normal  sulphuric  acid  for  the  precipitation 
of  13-67  grammes. 

The  specific  gravity  of  lead  subacetate  solution  will  not  answer 
either  for  an  identity  test  or  a  criterion  as  to  percentage 
strength. 

An  aqueous  solution  of  lead  acetate  containing  between  25  and 
28  per  cent,  of  the  salt  will  have  a  specific  gravity  closely  approxi- 
mating I  195,  the  official  figure  for  Goulard's  extract. 

A  17  per  cent,  solution  of  lead  acetate  was  found  to  have  the 
specific  gravity  of  1-123,  and  13-67  grammes  required  lor  precipita- 
tion about  14  c.c.  of       H.,SO,. 

An  addition  of  100  grammes  of  lead  oxide  to  1,000  grammes  of 
this  solution,  allowed  to  stand  one  week  with  occasional  agitation, 
yielded    a   filtrate  of    the  specific   gravity    1207,   which,   however, 

only  required  23  c.c.        H.^SO^  for    precipitating  the    usual  amount. 

It  will  be  seen  that  although  the  specific  gravity  of  this  solution 
is  in  excess  of  the  pharmacopceial  figure,  it  fell  short  in  the  percent- 
age of  basic  salt,  while  having  a  10  per  cent,  increase  in  water  over 
the  official  amount. 

From  tJie  above  and  other  results  obtained,  the  writer  draws  the 
conclusion  that  the  specific  gravity^  of  liquor  plumbi  subacetatis 
must  be  placed  as  about  1-225.  in'^tead  of  I -195,  the  pharmaco[:a.Mal 
figure. 

LIQUOR    PLUMBI    SUBACETATIS    DILUTUS. 

The  official  lead  water  is  one  of  the  preparations  for  which,  due 
to  its  liability  to  chemical  change,  it  is  alike  impossible  to  suggest 
improvement  or  to  fix  a  definite  standard. 

When  recently  prepared,  a  clear  solution  is  obtained.  I^ut  aside 
fruin  tlic  procedure  o(  many  pharmaci.sls  to  draw  their  distilled  water 


568  Official  Lend  Preparations.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
November,  1897. 


for  this  preparation  from  the  water  spigot,  it  still  remains  that  the 
solution  cannot  be  kept  long  in  a  cloudless  condition. 

Many  prefer  to  dispense  a  cloudy  solution,  to  lessen  the  liability 
of  error  in  connection  with  lime  water. 

In  the  Aqua  plumbi  Goulardi,  a  spiritous  form  of  lead  water  of 
several  continental  pharmacopoeias,  ordinary  soft  water  is  directed. 

An  important  feature  is  thereby  lost  sight  of,  namely  the  impair- 
ment of  the  efficacy  of  the  preparation  as  a  local  application,  the 
insoluble  lead  sulphate  and  carbonate  not  possessing  an  equal  value. 

For  the  Pharmacopoeia  to  direct  recent  preparation  is  also  imprac- 
ticable and  would  be  disregarded. 

The  writer  attempted  to  estimate  the  percentage  of  basic  lead  sub- 
acetate  in  samples  of  lead  water  procured  from  the  shops,  but,  due  to 
the  constantly  decreasing  strength  of  the  official  preparation,  found 
it  impracticable  to  fix  a  definite  standard. 

It  was  found,  however,  that  commercial  lead  water  presents  even 
greater  variations  in  strength  than  Goulard's  extract. 

In  view  of  the  liability  of  confounding  the  solution  with  liquor 
calcis,  it  is  perhaps  not  out  of  place  to  call  attention  to  the  direction 
of  the  French  codex  to  add  a  small  quantity  of  vulnerary  spirit,  an 
alcoholic  solution  of  the  oils  of  lavender,  sage  and  rosemary. 

In  connection  with  the  official  lead  solutions,  the  writer  would 
finally  call  attention  to  a  preparation  recently  published  in  Diete- 
rich's  Manual,  namely,  a  dried  lead  subacetate,  plumbum  aceticum 
siccum.  As  the  quantities  of  the  ingredients  are  based  upon  the 
German  Pharmacopoeia,  it  is  unnecessary  to  reproduce  them  here. 

From  this  dried  salt,  both  Goulard's  extract  and  lead  water  may 
be  made  extemporaneously,  and  as  its  preparation  presents  no  diffi- 
culty to  the  practical  pharmacist,  a  similar  compound,  based  on 
U.S. P.  quantities  can  easily  be  furnished. 

The  salt  would  solve  a  problem  which,  as  long  as  the  solutions 
are  official,  will  always  confront  the  pharmacist,  namely,  rapid  and 
recent  preparation. 

THE    LEAD    ACETATE    OF    COMMERCE. 

By  far  the  greatest  importance,  and  of  paramount  influence  upon 
Goulard's  extract  and  similar  preparations,  is  found  in  the  quality  of 
the  lead  salts. 

P'irst  attention  is  claimed  by  the  acetate. 


^Novem'^K"}  Officmi  Lead  Preparations.  569 

Every  pharmacist  has  undoubtedly  observed  the  physical  and 
chemical  variations  in  commercial  su<^ar  of  lead.  In  the  price  lists  of 
wholesale  drug  firms  we  find  quoted  several  varieties,  among  which 
we  find  the  white  and  brown.  That  the  latter  has  been  used  in 
making  Goulard's  extract  in  some  instances  was  revealed  by  the 
examination  of  commercial  samples. 

But  not  only  careless  selection  of  the  salt,  but  the  inherent  phys- 
ical properties,  as  well  as  the  liability  of  chemical  change,  have  a 
material  influence,  and  may  either  increase  or  diminish  the  strength 
of  the  preparations  made  therefrom. 

Treating  first  of  the  liability  of  increase,  we  find  that  lead  acetate 
contains  14-25  per  cent,  of  water  of  crystallization. 

The  Pharmacopoeia  states  that  this  is  lost  at  a  temperature  of  40°C., 
and  Ladenburg  states  that  the  salt  loses  its  water  of  crystallization 
in  dry  air. 

As  in  our  climate  the  summer  temperature  falls  but  a  few  degrees 
short  of  the  above  figure,  the  liability  of  the  loss  of  water  must  be 
borne  in  mind. 

This  will  result  in  an  increase  in  the  lead  strength  of  a  salt  thus 
exposed,  and  is,  in  not  a  few  instances,  in  consequence,  the  result 
of  keeping  the  salt  in  packages  in  place  of  well-closed  vessels. 

To  substantiate  this  point,  the  writer  made  the  following  obser- 
vation: 

Goulard's  extract  was  prepared  from  a  specimen  of  lead  acetate 
obtained  from  a  reputable  manufacturer  and  labelled  C.P.,  U  S.P.,  put 
up  in  paper  cartoons. 

The  solution  had  the  specific  gravity  of  1-253,  and  13  67  grammes 

;/ 
required  27  c.c.      HjSO^  for  precipitation. 

But  the  prolonged  exposure  of  the  salt  to  air  is,  on  the  other 
hand,  liable  to  cause  a  decrease  in  the  lead  strength. 

Lead  acetate  absorbs  CO.^  from  the  atmosphere,  giving  the  salt  a 
white  crust  of  carbonate. 

Prolonged  exposure  results  in  partial  conversion  into  lead  carbon- 
ate, and  as  the  latter  is  insoluble  in  water,  a  deficiency  in  the  lead 
strength  of  the  salt  takes  place. 

This  is  probably  the  cause  of  the  diminished  strength  of  commer- 
cial Goulard's  extract,  and  is  the  result  of  the  not  unusual  procedure 
of  using  the  effloresced,  unsalable  scraps  and  refuse  of  packages  in 
the  sugar  of  lead  drawer. 


570  Official  Lead  Preparations,  {^Njv'Lmber.mT"- 

To  obtain  a  satisfactory  lead  subacetate  solution,  it  is,  therefore, 
necessary  to  employ  only  crystallized  lead  acetate,  free  from  efflor- 
escence or  carbonate,  in  its  preparation. 

The  writer  has  examined  fifteen  samples  of  lead  acetate,  purchased 
in  open  market,  with  avoidance  of  duplication  of  source. 

In  the  course  of  these  examinations  the  advisability  of  introduc- 
ing some  means  of  estimating  the  lead  strength  of  the  salt,  either 
gravimetrical  or  volumetric,  became  apparent,  and  a  consideration 
of  the  subject  may  be  urged  upon  the  Committee  of  Revision 
of  the  Pharmacopoeia. 

The  British  Pharmacopoeia  has  given  directions  for  the  volumetric 
estimation  of  the  salt  by  means  of  sulphuric  acid. 

In  an  examination  of  fifteen  samples  of  lead  acetate,  the  writer 
found  calcium  in  every  specimen  in  varying  amounts. 

As  the  presence  of  this  impurity  may  interfere  slightly  with  an 
accurate  estimation  by  means  of  normal  sulphuric  acid,  decinormal 
potassium  bichromate  solution  was  employed  as  precipitant,  and  the 
number  of  c.c.  necessary  to  precipitate  i  gramme  of  the  salt 
determined. 

This  precipitant  was  suggested  by  the  method  of  F.  Lux  m  the 
valuation  of  red  lead. 

This  author  directs  the  decinormal  solution  to  contain  14-761 
grammes  to  i  litre,  each  c.c.  being  equivalent  to  -0207  gramme 
of  lead. 

If  the  decinormal  solution  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  containing 
14-689  grammes  to  the  litre,  be  employed,  each  c.c.  is  approxi- 
mately equivalent  to  -02064  of  lead,  and  consequently  0378  of 
lead  acetate. 

Before,  however,  giving  directions  for  a  volumetric  estimation,  a 
standard  of  purity  for  the  acetate  must  be  fixed. 

If  allowance  is  made  for  impurities  amounting  to  2  per  cent.,  we 

•98 
have  the  foUowinc^  calculation: =  2';-Q  c.c. 

Nitrate  of  silver  is  used  as  an  indicator  to  determine  the  end 
of  the  reaction,  and  as  a  slight  excess  of  the  bichromate  solution  is 
necessary  for  the  development  of  the  red  silver  chromate,  it  may 
safely  be  made  26  c.c. 

The  following  addition  may,  therefore,  be  recommended  to  the 
Pharmacopoeia : 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm.') 
.November,  1897.   / 


Official  Lead  Preparations. 


571 


One  gramme  of  lead  acetate,  dissolved  in  15  c.c.  of  water  and 
acidulated  with  acetic  acid,  should  require  at  least  26  c.c.  of  decinor- 
mal  potassium  bichromate  solution  for  complete  precipitation  (pres- 
ence of  98  per  cent,  absolute  lead  acetate). 

Special  directions  for  determining  the  end  of  the  reaction  by 
means  of  silver  nitrate  may  also  be  added. 

A  number  of  commercial  samples  of  lead  acetate  were  examined 
in  the  following  manner: 

4  grammes  of  the  salt  were  dissolved  in  sufficient  recently-boiled 
distilled  water  to  measure  40  c.c. 

The  degrees  of  opalescence  of  the  solutions  were  noted. 

10  c.c.  of  the  solution  were  acidulated  with  acetic  acid  and  esti- 
mated by  means  of  the  bichromate  solution. 

10  c.c.  more  wtvG  filtered  2t.r\d  also  precipitated  in  the  same  manner. 

This  procedure  was  employed  with  the  object  of  determining  the 
difference  between  the  acetate  as  found  and  the  actual  amount  of 
soluble  acetate  in  the  sample. 

EXAMI.VATION  OF  COMMERCIAL  LEAD  ACETATE. 


n 

Treatment 

1 

Appear- 
auce. 

Appearan'e 

of  Sol.  in 

llaO 

Precipita'n 
with  Pot. 

Ferro- 
cyanide. 

10 

K,Cr„0, 

Titrate  of 

Acidulated 

Un  filtered 

&0I. 

Titration 

of  Filtered 

Sol. 

with 

NH^OH 

after  Ppig. 

with 

H,SO*. 

Fe.         Ca. 

Granular 

marked 

Ver>' 

Flocculent 

I 

C.  P. 

opalescent 

Pure  white 

268 

265 

reddish 

Present  Present 

3 

do 

do 

do 

28  6 

Vi 

do 

do            do 

3 

Granular 

do 

do 

269 

265 

do 

do            do 

Slightly 

1 

4 

Crystals     opalescent 

do 

270         1 

27S 

27-2 

do 

do     !      do 

5 

do 

do 

do 

27-3 

do 

do     1      do 

Somewhat 

1 

6 

do 

opalescent 
Slightly 

do 

26 '9 

367 

do 

do     '      do 

7 

do 
Mixture  of 
powd.  and 

opalescent 

do 

270 

265 

do 

do           do 

8 

crystals 
Mixture  «>f 
opalescent 

Opalescent 

do 

263 

26'0 

do 

do             do 

9 

andcryst'ls 
Upnlescent 

do 

do 

26-8 

1 

26s 

do 

do             do 

10 

piece* 

do 

do 

28  0 

27'a 

do 

do            do 

XI 

do 
Marked 

C.  P. 
U.  S.  P. 

do 

do 

267 

26-4 

do 

do            do 

i 

12 

mucbefnor 

do 

do 

^97 

29'a 

do 

do          do 

13 

CryktaU 
Mixtureof 
powd.  and 

do 

do 

30' 1 

277 

do 

do           do 

>4 

crystals               do 

do 

27-9 

27- 1 

do 

do            do 

SliKhtly 

IS 

CrysUls 

opalcscciit 

do 

271         , 

2^'-: 

do 

«!»•             do 

572  Official  Lead  Preparations.  {"^W^sS^^S^xm: 

In  the  table  furnished  above  the  results  obtained  are  recorded. 

A  portion  of  the  remaining  solution  was  precipitated  by  potas- 
sium ferrocyanide  solution,  as  directed  by  the  Pharmacopoeia. 

The  remaining  solution,  acidulated  with  acetic  acid,  was  precipi- 
tated by  means  of  sulphuric  acid. 

The  filtrate  from  the  precipitated  sulphate  was  examined  for  iron 
and  calcium  in  the  usual  manner. 

COMMERCIAL   LITHARGE. 

A  good  quality  of  lead  oxide  is  indispensable  in  the  preparation 
of  Goulard's  extract  and  similar  galenicals.  Among  the  queries 
presented  to  the  A.  Ph.  A.,  the  following  is  found  : 

Commercial  litharge  is  grossly  adulterated.  What  are  the  adulter- 
ants and  in  what  quantity  are  they  present  ? 

The  writer  examined  twenty- five  samples  of  litharge,  obtained  in 
each  case,  as  far  as  known,  from  a  different  source.  Physically  the 
respective  specimens  differed  little,  but  evident  carelessness  in  keep- 
ing the  oxide,  especially  when  procured  from  paint  shops,  was 
apparent. 

The  color  varied  in  few  instances;  several  samples,  however,  con- 
tained red  lead,  which  was  revealed  by  special  examination. 

The  specimens  were  examined  according  to  the  pharmacopoeial 
directions  as  to  the  amount  insoluble  in  acetic  acid. 

A  portion  of  the  acetic  solution  was  precipitated  by  means  of 
sulphuric  acid,  and  the  filtrate  examined  for  copper  and  iron  by 
means  of  ammonia  water. 

Further  examinations  for  zinc,  aluminum  and  calcium,  were  also 
made  in  the  usual  manner. 

Every  sample  of  litharge  examined  contained  iron  and  calcium  ; 
aluminum  was  present  in  some,  while  copper  and  zinc  were  either 
absent  or  present  only  in  trifling  amounts. 

During  the  course  of  these  examinations  the  pharmacopoeial 
directions  were  found  inadequate  for  complete  valuation  of  com- 
mercial litharge,  and  thenecessityofdirectionsforgravimetricor  volu- 
metric estimation  became  apparent.  The  Pharmacopoeia,  for  instance, 
gives  directions  for  the  determination  of  impurities  insoluble  in 
acetic  acid,  but  fails  to  recognize  the  liability  of  the  presence  of  I 
soluble  impurities  or  adulterants.  \ 

The  logical  deduction  from  this  omission  is  the  necessary  intro- 
duction  of  a  fixed  valuation. 


NSvim^n^T}  Official  Lead  Preparations.  573 

As  in  the  case  of  the  acetate,  calcium  is  present  in  the  lead  oxide 
of  commerce,  and  is  liable  to  interfere,  if  normal  sulphuric  or  oxalic 
acid  is  employed  as  precipitant. 

A  gravimetric  estimation,  by  means  of  sulphuric  acid  and  weigh- 
ing the  dried  precipitated  sulphate,  from  a  solution  of  the  litharge 
in  acetic  acid,  was  originally  employed  by  the  writer,  but  was  dis- 
carded for  the  less  tedious  volumetric  estimation  with  decinormal 
potassium  bichromate  solution. 

Before  directing  the  proper  precipitant,  however,  the  Pharma- 
copoeia must  fix  a  standard  and  require  a  definite  per  cent,  of  lead 
oxide  in  commercial  litharge. 

The  pharmacopceial  limit  as  to  the  amount  of  moisture  and 
carbonate  is  2  per  cent.,  that  of  insoluble  impurities  15  per  cent. 

If,  in  addition  to  this,  another  allowance  of  1-5  per  cent,  is  made 
for  impurities  soluble  in  acetic  acid,  such  as  zinc,  calcium,  iron, 
aluminum,  etc.,  an  actual  percentage  of  95  of  lead  oxide  can  be 
demanded  in  litharge. 

If  decinormal  potassium  bichromate  solution  is  employed,  95 
gramme  of  absolute  lead  oxide,  when  in  solution,  should  require 
for  complete  precipitation  428  c.c. 

As  each  c.c.  is  equivalent  to  -02064  Pb,  it  is  equivalent  to  022236 
of  lead  oxide. 

We  have,  consequently,  the  following  division  : 

'95        ^  427 


•022236 


and  as  a  slight  excess  of  the  dichromate  solution  is  necessary,  the 
above  amount  can  be  demanded. 

The  following  addition  to  the  pharmacopceial  description  of  lead 
oxide  may  be  introduced  : 

One  gramme  of  lead  oxide,  dissolved  in  5  c.c.  of  acetic  acid, 
diluted  with  5  c.c.  of  water,  by  means  of  a  gentle  heat,  should 
require  for  complete  precipitation  at  least  42  8  c.c.  of  the  decinormal 
potassium  bichromate  solution,  using  silver  nitrate  solution  as 
indicator. 

In  the  following  examination  of  twenty-five  specimens  of  litharge, 
the  pharmacopoeia!  directions  were  followed,  except  in  the  determi- 
nation of  carbonate  and  moisture. 

As  volumetric  determinations  were  made,  this  was  not  deemed 
necessary. 


574 


Official  Lead  Preparations. 


{ 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
November,  1897. 


In  the  samples  of  litharge  examined,  not  one  was  found  which 
could  be  considered  as  grossly  adulterated. 


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^^ovSeriS^^-}  Official  Lead  Preparations.  575 

CERATUM    PLUMBI    SUBACETATIS. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  unsatisfactory  official  preparations  used 
for  inunction  is  Goulard's  cerate. 

Its  liability  of  becoming  rancid  in  a  comparatively  short  time  is  a 
source  of  annoyance  to  many  pharmacists  who  are  compelled  to 
keep  a  stock  of  the  cerate  on  hand. 

The  alkaline  nature  of  the  lead  subacetate  solution  has  the  ten- 
dency to  saponify  the  fat  employed,  and  in  our  older  text-books  on 
pharmacy  the  statement  is  found  that  a  kind  of  lead  soap  is  formed. 

Continental  pharmacopoeias  endeavor  to  overcome  this  difficulty 
by  the  substitution  of  paraffin  ointment  bases  for  animal  or  vege- 
table fats,  changing  the  preparation  from  the  nature  of  a  cerate  to 
that  of  an  ointment. 

But  in  the  employment  of  petrolatum  and  similar  ointment  bases 
one  of  the  most  important  objects  of  Goulard's  cerate,  its  cooling 
property,  is  impaired,  and  this  substitution  is,  therefore,  of  doubtful 
value. 

The  following  is  the  official  formula  : 

Grammes. 

Solution  of  lead  subacetate 200 

Camphor  cerate 8(X) 

Mix  them  thoroughly. 

This  cerate  should  be  freshly  prepared  when  wanted  for  use. 

The  PharmacopcL'ia  gives  the  operator  no  special  directions  how 
to  mix  the  cerate. 

Mixing  without  melting,  with  the  usual  method  of  incorporation 
with  a  spatula  on  an  ointment  slab,  is  doubtlessly  to  be  understood. 
It  is  questionable,  however,  if  this  method  is  exclusively  followed, 
especially  when  large  quantities  of  the  cerate  are  prepared. 

The  ease  and  rapidity  of  incorporating  the  subacetate  solution 
with  the  melted  cerate  is  too  tempting,  particularly  if  the  Pharma- 
copoeia does  not  furnish  prohibitory  directions. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  stated  saponification  is  more  liable  to  occur 
by  the  employment  of  this  process  than  where  mixture  without  heat 
is  effected. 

An  objectionable  feature  of  animal  fats  in  this  preparation  lies  in 
the  production  of  a  yellow  or  reddish  color  on  standing.  This  is 
not  only  likely  to  occur  in  the  stock  jar  of  the  pharmacist,  but  in 
the  ointment  container  of  the  patient  as  well,  frequently  giving  rise 
to  unpleasant  suspicions. 


5/6  Official  Lead  Preparations,  {""^o'^^^S^f: 

To  prevent  this  discoloration,  the  addition  of  acetic  acid  to  the 
the  fresh  cerate  is  recommended,  but  it  must  be  considered  that  this 
addition  is  Hable  to  change  the  chemical  character  of  the  lead  so- 
lution. 

The  writer  has  employed  various  ointment  bases  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  Goulard's  cerate. 

Petrolatum,  either  yellow  or  white,  will  not  answer  on  therapeu- 
tical £^rounds. 

The  substitution  of  olive,  almond,  lard  or  cotton-seed  oil  in  place 
of  lard  in  camphor  cerate,  similar  to  one  of  the  1870  Pharmacopoeia 
methods,  appears  to  furnish  no  improvement  concerning  preserva- 
tion. 

Some  months  ago  the  writer  suggested  to  several  physicians  the 
substitution  of  hydrated  wool  fat  for  the  camphor  cerate,  but  invari- 
ably recommended  recent  preparation. 

The  results  have,  as  far  as  known,  been  satisfactory,  both  from 
the  standpoint  of  preservation  as  well  as  therapeutic  action. 

More  recently  anhydrous  wool  fat  has  been  substituted,  with  the 
object  of  doing  away  with  the  excess  of  aqueous  liquid. 

Eighty  grammes  of  the  wool  fat,  commercially  known  as  Adeps 
Lanae,  were  melted  at  a  low  heat,  and  20-0  grammes  of  lead  sub- 
acetate  solution  incorporated  by  stirring  until  cool. 

The  finished  ointment  closely  resembles  lanolin  in  appearance, 
has  a  satisfactory  therapeutic  action,  and  does  not  show  any  signs 
of  deterioration  on  two  months'  standing.  This  time  is,  however, 
too  brief  to  draw  any  definite  conclusions. 

The  disadvantage  of  the  lanolin  substitute  for  Goulard's  cerate 
may  be  found  in  the  ropy  consistence  of  the  ointment  base. 

Unless  warmed,  satisfactory  inunction  cannot  be  accomplished. 

Finally,  the  writer  would  suggest  the  following  rough  valuation  of 
the  quality  of  Goulard's  cerate : 

Two  grammes  are  introduced  into  a  wide-mouthed  vial,  holding 
about  15  c.c. — a  half-ounce  homoeopathic  bottle  will  answer — and  10 
c.c.  of  chloroform  added. 

The  mixture  is  shaken  occasionally,  until  the  fat  is  dissolved  by 
the  chloroform. 

If  the  cerate  is  of  recent  preparation  or  of  good  quality,  the 
milky  mixture  will  separate  into  two  layers  on  standing,  the  lower 
but  slightly  milky,  and  no  precipitation  will  be  found  on  the  bottom 
of  the  vial. 


i 


^^Jremhet  i-^y]      BalsajH  Copixtha  and  Giirjun  Balsam.  577 

In  an  old,  rancid  or  ropy  cerate,  similarly  treated,  a  white  precipi- 
tate will  be  found,  and  if  the  cerate  is  discolored,  the  varying 
degrees  of  intensity  will  be  revealed  in  the  chloroform  solution. 


BALSAM    COPAIBA,  OIL   OF   COPAIBA,  MASS   COPAIBA, 
RESIN    COPAIBA    AND   GURJUN    BALSAM. 

BV  LVMAN   F.   Kebijcr. 

The  1890  U.S.P.  recognizes  the  first  four  of  the  above-named 
products.  These  are  supplied,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  leguminous 
shrubs  and  trees  of  the  genus  Copaiba,  all  natives  of  tropica) 
America,  excepting  two  African  species.  According  to  the  investi- 
gations of  J.  C.  Umney,^  the  African  species  supply  a  very  different 
product  from  those  met  with  in  commerce  coming  from  tropical 
America.  All  these  varieties  and  the  unknown  composition  of  any 
of  them  contribute  materially  to  the  difficulties  attending  a  quali- 
tative analysis  of  the  oleoresins. 

In  1895  I  made- a  careful  comi)arison  of  the  available  methods  for 
detecting  gurjun  balsam  in  balsam  copaiba.  The  conclusion  arrived 
at  then  was  that  a  modification  of  the  glacial  acetic  acid  test  gave 
the  most  trustworthy  results.  Since  contributing  the  article  referred 
to  above,  I  have  tested  many  samples  of  copaiba,  some  of  which 
were  reported  as  coming  to  hand  in  original  packages.  In  every 
case  the  glacial  acetic  acid  test  was  relied  on  to  reveal  the  presence 
of  gurjun  balsam. 

Having  had  an  opportunity  for  accumulating  ample  material,  and 
to  make  a  further  study  of  the  commercial  products,  it  was  thought 
tlie  results  and  some  comments  might  be  of  service  for  future  refer- 
ence.    The  results  of  this  examination  are  tabulated  below. 

The  articles  examined  two  years  ago,  and  the  samples  in  the  table, 
marked  copaiba,  represent  the  commodity  largely  used  in  commerce. 
Sample  collected  in  1S46  was  kindly  furnished  by  Prof.  Remington, 
from  his  cabinet.  The  Para  samples  were  very  good,  except  one, 
which  had  a  specific  gravity  of  09874  at  15°  C.  This  was  probably 
not  a  normal  Para  copaiba,  but  a  more  concentrated  olcoresin.  The 
solidifiable  copaiba  fairly  represents  the  commercial  article.  I  have 
never  examined  a  sample  that  had  a  specific  gravity  below  09800  at 
15°  C.  and  solidified  well. 

'  1891,  Phann.  / ,  Trans.  (3),  »a.  449.    Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  o«,  33.     ii>v3, 
IVtarm.J.  Trans.  (3),  24.  215.     Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  03,  544. 
2  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  «7.  394. 


578 


Balsam  Copaiba  and  Gurjun  Balsam.      { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
November,  lb97. 


1 

i 
\ 
TCinrt  nf 

Specific 

Specific 

Per  cent 

of  Oil 
Distilled 

Boiling 
Point  of 

Specific 

Gravity 

of  such 

Oil  at 

15°  c. 

Specific 

Gravity 

of  Steam- 

Specific 

Gravity 

of  Steam- 

Source. 

Balsam. 

Gravity 
at  15°  C. 

Gravity 
at  250  C, 

from 
Metallic 

such  Oil, 
C°. 

Distilled 
Oil  at 

Distilled 
Oil  at 

Bath. 

15°  c. 

25°  c. 

Carthagena  . 

Copaiba 

0-9560 

0  9506 

53 

250-265 

0*9207 

0*8997 

0-8981 

South  America   Copaiba 

0'94i6 

0-9372 

56 

253-268 

0-9174 

0*9014 

o-gooo 

Cent.  America    Copaiba 

0-9526 

0-9467 

76 

250-274 

0-9231 

09132 

0*9067 

Collected  in 

1846 Copaiba 

0-9410 

0-9381 

62 

25^-270 

0*9036 

08978 

South  America      Para 

0-9254 

0-9200 

90 

258-270 

0-9116 

0-9079 

0*9066 

South  America      Para 

0-9661 

0-9583 

88 

254-268 

0*9100 

0*9093 

09037 

South  America      Para 

0-9874 

0-9818 

54 

253-265 

0*9346 

09019 

0*9100 

Sovith  America      Para 

0-9176 

0-9116 

92 

256-268 

0-9150 

0-8951 

0*9043 

South  America      Para 

09146 

0-9101 

90 

254-264 

— 

0*8936 

0*8904 

i  Solidifi- 

South  America 

able 

0*9926 

I  -0000 

23 

260-269 

0-9283 

0*9201 

0-9172 

Commerce    .  . 

Gurjun 

09576 

0  9516 







0*9200 

0*9146 

Commerce    .   . 

Gurjun 

0-9796 

0-9722 

54 

245-263 

0-9202 

0-9192 

0-9141 

Commerce    .   .     Gurjun 

09531 

0-9476 

66 

240-260 

B.  P.  of 

Oil 

0*9146 

0-9093 

0-9176 

Commerce   .   .  !        — 

— 

— 

— 

2:18-263 

— 

0-9104 

0-9087 

Commerce   .  -          — 

~ 

260-269 

09133 

0-9101 

The  samples  of  gurjun  were  all  secured  in  New  York.  The  two 
latter  items  represent  commercial  oil  of  copaiba,  the  last  is  adulter- 
ated with  oil  of  gurjun  and  the  other  is  pure.  The  specific  gravi- 
ties at  25°  C.  were  sim.ply  taken  for  data. 

There  is  a  very  limited  demand  for  solidifiable  copaiba,  mass 
copaiba  and  resin  copaiba.  The  article  of  which  large  quantities 
are  used  is  a  copaiba  containing  from  40  to  60  per  cent,  of  oil.  The 
representative  of  a  large  essential  oil  firm  informed  me  that  1,000 
pounds  of  the  latter  were  sold  to  Jive  pounds  of  the  solidifiable,  and 
three  and  one-half  ^^ouwds  of  the  resin.  This  included  the  territory 
from  Detroit,  Mich.,  east  to  the  Atlantic,  through  Canada  and  south 
to  Philadelphia  and  vicinity.  If  the  above  territory  is  at  all  repre- 
sentative of  the  country  covered  by  the  U.S.P.,  it  would  appear  that 
the  commodity  which  is  used  more  than  all  the  other  copaiba 
compounds  ought  to  have  been  recognized  by  our  Pharmacopoeia. 

The  present  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  balsam  copaiba 
(properly  an  oleoresin  of  copaiba)  have  undoubtedly  wrought  hard- 
ships for  some  well-meaning  druggists.  Only  the  solidifiable  is 
recognized,  and  practically  nothing  but  an  unofficial  article  is  used. 
From  this  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a 
hundred  the  average  druggist  is  violating  the  requirements  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia  when  he  dispenses  copaiba,  and  is  thus  rendered  cul- 
pable, especially  in  some  states. 


I 


^^^■vimb^J!*i8^•}      Balsam  Copaiba  and  Gurjini  Balsam.  579 

The  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  oleoresin  of  copaiba 
(balsam  copaiba)  are  also  quite  inadequate  for  the  end  in  view.  The 
range  of  specific  gravity  for  solidifiable  is  rather  too  low ;  0-9800- 
1-0173  would  be  better.  On  removing  the  oil,  the  residue  may  or 
may  not  be  brittle,  in  the  absence  of  any  fixed  oil.  I  have  removed 
90  and  92  per  cent,  of  oil  from  Para  copaiba,  and  the  residue  was 
even  then  far  from  being  brittle. 

The  test  for  detecting  gurjun  balsam  when  the  article  is  heated  to 
130°  C.  must  be  in  error,  since  none  of  the  samples  of  gurjun  sub- 
mitted to  this  test  by  me  have  ever  congealed,  but  became  only 
slightly  more  viscous.  Such  a  test  becomes  worthless  in  mixtures. 
The  other  test  for  gurjun  balsam  is  unreliable. 

The  tests  for  oil  of  copaiba  are  fairly  good.  According  to  my 
work,  the  range  of  specific  gravity  ought  to  be  a  little  greater.  A 
test  for  oil  of  gurjun  should  be  given.  The  specific  gravity  of  the 
latter  is  a  little  higher  than  that  of  the  oil  of  copaiba ;  gurjun  oil  is 
also  somewhat  darker  in  color,  but  in  mixtures  these  can  readily  be 
adjusted. 

Resin  copaiba  might  well  be  dismissed  from  the  Pharmacopoeia 
without  any  inconvenience  to  the  drug  trade.  If  it  is  retained, 
more  stringent  requirements  ought  to  be  added.  As  it  is,  almost 
any  resin  will  answer. 

The  therapeutical  side  of  the  copaiba  compounds  is  an  interesting 
one.  The  various  authorities  are  generally  agreed  that  an  oleoresin 
containing  from  40  to  60  per  cent,  of  oil  is  the  one  best  suited  for 
gonorrhceal  affections  and  kindred  diseases.  Those  writers  who 
make  any  comparisons  between  the  oil  and  the  oleoresin  almost 
universally  concede  the  oil  to  be  less  efficient  than  the  oleoresin. 
One  recent  eminent  authority  says  the  oil  distilled  from  the  oleo- 
resin is  of  little  value.  The  same  writer  considers  mass  copaiba  as 
a  useless  and  clumsy  form  of  giving  the  pill. 

In  U.  S.  Dispensatory,  17th  edition,  foot-note,  page  445,  is  the 
following  :  "As  the  virtues  of  copaiba  depend  mainly  on  the  oil, 
this  variety  (Para)  should  be  more  efficacious  than  the  copaiba  in 
common  use."  Here  is  room  for  more  therapeutical  study.  It  is 
evident  that  the  oleoresin  containing  from  40  to  60  per  cent,  of  oil, 
and  the  oil  ought  to  be  recognized  by  the  U.S. P.,  but  the  other 
copaiba  compounds  could  be  dismissed. 


580  Fermented  and  Distilled  Liquors.  {^No/e^mberlm?!" 

SHALL    FERMENTED    AND    DISTILLED    LIQUORS    BE 

DISMISSED  FROM  THE  UNITED  STATES 

PHARMACOPOEIA  ? 

By  Joseph  W.  EngIvAnd. 

The  recommendation  of  the  President  of  the  American  Pharma. 
ceutical  Association,  Mr.  J.  E.  Morrison,  in  his  annual  address  dehv- 
ered  before  the  recent  meeting  of  that  body,  held  at  Lake  Minne- 
tonka,  that  fermented  and  distilled  "  liquors  "  be  not  recognized  by 
the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  as  medicinal  agents — which  recommenda- 
tion, by  the  by,  was  voted  down  by  the  Association — and  the  paper 
by  N.  S.  Davis,  A.M,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  on  "  The  Therapeutic  Proper- 
ties of  Alcohol  and  the  Reasons  why  the  Fermented  and  Distilled 
Liquors  used  as  Beverages  should  not  be  Recognized  in  the  Phar- 
macopoeia as  Medicinal  Agents,"^  have  both  excited  interest  in  the 
medical  and  pharmaceutical  professions. 

President  J.  E.  Morrison,  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, takes  the  ground  that  the  sale  of  *•  liquors  "  by  druggists 
has  done  an  incalculable  amount  of  injury  to  American  pharmacy, 
that  the  Government  has  placed  pharmacists  who  sell  "  liquors  " 
on  the  same  footing  as  saloon-keepers ;  that  this  condition  of  affairs 
should  be  terminated  by  the  complete  abolition  of  every  form  of 
dealing  in  fermented  or  spirituous  liquors,  and  that  a  great  advance 
in  this  direction  would  be  taken  if  it  were  decided  to  discard  all 
such  preparations  from  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia. 

The  question  as  to  whether  fermented  and  distilled  liquors  shall  be 
dismissed  or  not  from  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  is,  to  my  mind, 
wholly  a  medical  question.  If  these  liquors  have  sufficient  thera- 
peutic worth  to  warrant  their  use  in  medical  practice,  they  should 
be  retained.  If  they  have  not,  they  should  be  dismissed.  It  is  not 
a  matter  of  sentiment  either  for  or  against  the  liquor  traffic.  It  is 
a  matter  of  simple  justice  to  the  sick.  So  long  as  "liquors"  are  pre- 
scribed by  a  majority  of  physicians  and  used  by  the  sick,  so  long 
should  our  national  guide-book  recognize  them,  and  demand  a  cer- 
tain standard  of  quality,  the  same  as  it  does  for  any  other  drug. 
The  mere  fact  that  "  liquors  "  are  recognized  by  the  Pharmacopoeia 

^  Read  before  the  Section  on  Materia  Medica,  Pharmacy  and  Therapeutics  of 
the  American  Medical  Association,  at  the  meeting  held  June  1-4,  1897.  Journal 
of  American  Medical  Association,  August  21,  1897.  American  Journai,  of 
Pharmacy,  October,  1897. 


^^ovimber^.^^}        Fermented  and  Distilled  Liquors.  581 

does  not  compel  a  druggist  to  keep  or  sell  them  if  he  does  not  wish; 
but  it  does  compel  him,  if  he  sells  them  on  the  orders  of  physi- 
cians, to  sell  them  of  a  certain  quality,  or  violate  official  standards. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  "  liquors  "  were  not  officially  recognized,  there 
would  be  no  medicinal  standards,  and  the  sick  would  suffer.  A 
••  liquor  "  is  sold,  or  should  be  sold,  by  pharmacists  only  as  a  drug. 
If  sold  for  any  other  reason,  then  the  liquor-dealers  masquerading  as 
druggists  should  be  legislated  out  of  the  business.  The  sick  should 
not  be  punished  for  needing  liquors,  nor  denied  the  privilege  ot  ob- 
taining them  of  standard  quality. 

Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,  in  his  paper,  claims  that  physiological  experi- 
ments have  shown  that  the  presence  of  alcohol  in  human  tissues 
retards  natural  metabolic  changes,  lessens  the  processes  of  oxida- 
tion and  elimination,  diminishes  nerve-sensibility,  and  when  re- 
peated from  day  to  day,  induces  cell  and  tissue  degeneration.  What 
the  changes  would  be  in  human  tissues  undergoing  abnormal  meta- 
bolic changes,  he  does  not  refer  to,  and  yet  the  clinical  value  of  a  drug 
is  an  all-important  factor.  Physiological  experiments  are  necessary, 
and  are  good  enough,  as  far  as  they  go;  but  unless  confirmed  by 
clinical  results,  the)'  are  not  conclusive. 

Further,  Dr.  Davis  alleges  that  while  the  present  United  States 
Pharmacopoeia  recognizes  wine,  whiskey  and  brandy,//  ''docs  not 
give  a  definite  official  standard  of  alcoholic  strength  for  cither  of 
them.''  This  is  an  error.  While  no  fixed  standard  is  given, 
yet  it  is  demanded  that  white  and  red  wine  shall  contain  10 
to  14  per  cent.,  whiskey  45  to  50  per  cent.,  and  brandy  39  to  47 
per  cent,  of  alcohol.  The  most  radical  claim,  however,  in  Dr. 
Davis'  paper,  and  the  one,  doubtless,  that  will  be  most  disputed  by 
clinicians,  is  the  assertion  that  alcohol  is  the  only  important  thera- 
peutic agent  in  all  •'  liquors,"  and  if  other  therapeutic  agents  exist 
in  addition  to  alcohol,  that  their  proportionate  quantity  and 
quality  is  far  more  variable  than  is  their  per  cent,  of  alcohol. 

••  Almost  the  only  constituents,"  he  writes,  ••  found  in  whiskey  and 
brandy,  besides  the  alcohol  and  water,  are  very  variable  quantities 
oi  fusel  oil,  tannin  and,  in  very  old  specimens,  a  trace  of  some  ethe- 
real substance  to  which  connoisseurs  attribute  the  special  bouquet. 
So  far  from  adding  to  the  therapeutic  value,  the  first  two  substances 
are  regarded  as  very  undesirable  impurities,  and  the  last  named 
has  never  been  isolated  in  sufficient  quantity  to  have  its  medical 
qualities  tried." 


582  Fermented  and  Distilled  Liquors.      { "^Novimbe^S?" 

Let  us  first  note  the  inaccuracies  of  these  statements.  While 
fusel  oil  or  amylic  alcohol  is  found  in  recently  distilled  whiskeys,  it 
is  not  found  in  those  that  have  been  properly  aged,  or,  if  present, 
it  is  present,  as  stated  by  the  Pharmacopoeia,  in  traces  only.  The 
Pharmacopoeia  requires  the  absence  of  all  fusel  oil  from  the  official 
brandy.  As  to  the  oak  tannin  in  whiskey  and  brandy,  from  the 
casks,  it  is  only  present  in  traces,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  it  can 
be  regarded  as  a  very  undesirable  impurity. 

If  "  liquors "  have  therapeutic  worth  over  simple  mixtures  of 
alcohol  and  water  in  fixed  strengths — and  the  burden  of  clinical 
evidence  is  that  they  have — this  value  must  be  due  to  the  extractive 
matters  contained  in  them ;  and  it  is  upon  this  line,  with  regard  to 
a  certain  constituent  of  whiskey,  that  a  few  words  may  be  said. 

During  the  past  five  years  the  writer  has  examined  many  samples 
of  whiskey  chemically,  and  next  to  the  alcoholic  strength  and  the 
absence  of  fusel  oil,  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  such 
examinations  has  been  the  determination  of  the  total  acidity.  The 
importance  of  this  factor  has  been  generally  overlooked,  and  was 
pointed  out  to  me  by  the  late  Prof.  John  M.  Maisch,  who  said  that 
he  had  examined  many  barrels  of  whiskey  during  the  Civil  War, 
tor  the  Government,  and  always  found  that  the  best  whiskeys  had 
the  highest  acidity.  He  referred  me  to  a  paper  in  the  American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy  (1859,  p.  573),  which  he  had  translated  from 
the  German,  wherein  S.  J.  Kappel  showed  the  presence  of  valerianic 
acid,  and  the  absence  of  acetic  acid,  in  potato  and  in  rye  whiskeys, 
and  expressed  the  opinion  that  while  valerianic  acid  was  probably 
the  main  acid  of  whiskeys,  this  had  not  been  positively  deter- 
mined. Since  then,  the  writer  has  been  especially  observant  of  the 
acid  factor  in  whiskey  examinations,  and  has  found  that,  generally, 
the  oldest,  fusel-oil-free,  highest-priced,  and  most  strongly  alcoholic 
whiskey  has  the  highest  acidity.  Occasionally  there  is  an  exception. 
A  raw  whiskey  may  be  so  refined  before  aging  that  it  will 
not  have  the  usual  amount  of  the  acid-forming  compounds,  and 
hence  show  a  low  acidity. 

The  Pharmacopoeia  of  1890  demands  a  whiskey  "at  least  two 
years  old,"  and  requires  that  to  render  100  c.c.  of  whiskey  dis- 
tinctly alkaline  to  litmus  there  should  be  required  not  more  than 
1-2  c.c.  of  normal  potassium  hydrate  solution. 

To  determine  the  acidity,  a  very  much  better  way  than  the  official 


^z^ov^emberi^"'}        Fermented  and  Distilled  Liquors.  583 

method  is  to  use  a  dccinormal  solution  of  sodium  hydrate,  rather 
than  the  official  normal  solution  of  potassium  hydrate,  and  to 
employ  10  c.c.  of  whiskey,  rather  than  100  c.c.  Place  the  sample 
to  be  examined  in  a  flat-bottomed  test  tube,  resting  on  a  piece  of 
white  paper,  add  a  few  drops  of  phenolphthalein  solution — do  not 
use  litmus,  as  it  is  not  sufficiently  delicate — and  run  in  the  soda 
solution  from  a  burette  (graduated  to  a  tenth  c.c).  By  a  little 
practice,  and  especially  by  *'  checking"  results,  the  end  reaction  may 
be  very  quickly  and  accurately  determined.  To  measure  the  whis- 
key the  writer  uses  a  5  c.c.  pipette,  graduated  to  the  twentieth  of  a 
c.c.  Probably  one  graduated  to  the  one-tenth  would  answer  equally 
as  well. 

The  results  had,  during  the  past  five  years,  in  determining  the 
total  acidity  of  some  seventy-five  samples  of  whiskey,  according 
to  the  above  method,  in  the  number  of  cubic  centimetres  of  deci- 
normal  sodium  hydrate  solution  needed  to  neutralize  10  cubic 
centimetres  of  a  sample,  were  as  follows : 

jSgj.—i,  I'l,  1-4,  1-8,  1-2,  0-6,  I,  i-i,  1-2,  1-3,  iS,  1-5,  1-5,  1-5,  1-5,  1-5,  1-5, 

7^9/ .-—I '4,  1-2,  16,  1-3,  1-3,  0-9,  0-9,  1-3,  13,  1-6,  1-6,  1-6,  17,  17,  1-6. 
/Sgj.—i-j,  1-6,  1-4,  1-3,  1-3,  1-3,  1-8,  1-4,  1-5,  r6,  19,  v6,  rS,  17,  1-4,  1-4. 
J896:— 1-2,  1-2,  II,  13,  17,  17,  1-2,  1-5,  1-5,  1-5,  15,  14. 
/<?P7.-— 1-6,  1-3,  1-3,  17,  13,  1-2,  13,  15,  13,  04,  05,  06,  1-6,  17. 

It  is  imi)ortant  to  note  that  the  acidity  of  whiskey  does  not 
increase  with  age  beyond  a  certain  point.  In  May,  1895,  ^^^  writer 
examined  ten  samples  of  whiskey.  None  of  the  samples  were  less 
than  three  years  old.  The  results  were  in  cubic  centimetres  of 
decinormal  sodium  hydrate  solution  used  to  neutralize  10  c.c.  of 
whiskey,  as  JoUows: 

17,  1-6,  14,  1-3,  1-3,  1-8  1-4,  1-5,  1-6,  1-6. 

The  same  samples  were  examined  a  few  days  since  (October,  1897), 
and  the  acidity  was  found  to  be  unchanged. 

If  valerianic  acid  is  the  main  acid  in  whiskey,  the  reaction  in  neu- 
tralization with  sodium  hydrate  would  be  as  follows: 

I1C,U,0,        NallO  =  NaC.HA  -:    li.O 
10177  39-96  12377  \7<j6 

Assuming  that,  in  good  whiskey,  an  average  of  /f  c.c.  of  dcci- 


584  -^^7  Bean,  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
November,  1897. 


normal  sodium  hydrate  solution  (or  1-5  c.c.  of  normal)  was  required 
to  neutralize  100  c  c.  of  whiskey,  this  would  be  equal  to  o-o6  gramme 
of  NaHO.  And  if  39-96  grammes  of  NaHO  neutralize  10177 
grammes  of  valerianic  acid,  006  gramme  should  neutralize  01 5 
gramme  of  acid,  as  follows: 

39-96  :  o-o6  ::  10177  :  0-15. 

In  other  words,  ^2ic\\  fluid  ounce  of  whiskey  would  contain  nearly 
3/  of  a  zrain  of  free  valerianic  acid. 

The  U.S  P.  (1890)  standard  of  i-2  c.c.  is,  in  the  writer's  judgment, 
too  low  for  a  good  whiskey.  It  should  be  at  least  1*4  or  1-5,  and  a 
three  or  four-year-old  whiskey  should  be  required  instead  of  a  •'  not 
less  than  two-years-old "  product.  The  U.S  P.  of  1880  required 
that  100  c.c.  of  whiskey  should  be  rendered  distinctly  alkaline  to 
litmus  by  2  c.c.  of  the  volumetric  solution  of  soda.  What  the  exact 
chemical  changes  are  that  take  place  in  whiskey  on  aging,  whether 
or  not  any  acetic  acid  is  formed  from  the  ethyl  alcohol  by  oxidation 
from  the  air  during  the  process  of  fermentation,  whether  acetic  ether 
is  produced  with  acetic  acid  as  an  ultimate  product,  and  whether 
the  fusel  oil  or  amylic  alcohol  present  in  raw  whiskey  is  directly 
oxidized  by  age  into  valerianic  acid,  or  is  first  converted  into  valeri- 
anic ether  and  then  into  acid,  are  all  questions  which  have  not  yet 
been  solved  by  chemical  science,  and  remain  for  future  work. 

The  extractive  of  whiskey  most  probably  has  therapeutic  worth,  as 
has  also  the  extractives  in  wines  and  brandies,  and  before  any  action 
is  taken  by  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia, 
looking  toward  the  dismissal  of  these  products,  there  should  be  a 
thorough  and  extended  examination  made  of  them  chemically  and 
therapeutically. 


THE  SOY  BEAN. 
By  Henry  TrimbIvE. 
In  this  Journal  for  June,  1896,  the  writer  published  a  summary  of 
the  literature  of  this  bean,  which  bean  is  of  especial  interest  to  phar- 
macists because  of  the  digestive  ferment  said  to  exist  in  it.  Recently 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  has  issued  Farmers'  Bulletin  No. 
58,  entitled  "The  Soy  Bean  as  a  Forage  Crop,"  by  Thomas  A.  Wil- 
liams, under  the  direction  of  F.  Lamson-Scribner,  with  an  appen- 
dix on  "Soy  Beans  as  Food  for  Man,"  by  C.  Y.  Langworthy,  Ph.D. 


Am.  Jour.  Pn>«rra. 
November.  1897. 


Sojf  Bean, 


585 


While  not  addinfr  anything  new  to  the  knowledge  of  the  digestive 
ferment,  still  there  is  so  much  valuable  information  in  the  report  as 
to  make  it  desirable  to  reproduce  it  in  abstract. 

General  Characteristics  and  Origin. — The  Soy  Bean,  Glycine  his- 
pida,  previously,  but  incorrectly,  called  soja  bean,  is  a  leguminous 


Soy  bean  :  a,  flowering  branch  (reduced  -3);  b,  one  of  the  flowers 
(enlarged);  c,  pods  of  soy  bean  (reduced  ']). 

plant,  native  of  Southeastern  Asia.  De  Candolle  says  that  it  orig- 
inally occurred  in  the  wild  state  in  the  region  "  from  Cochin  China 
to  the  south  of  Japan  and  to  Java  "  It  has  been  cultivated  from 
very  ancient  times,  and  in  some  countries,  notably  Japan,  it  is  a  very 
important   food   plant,    an  1    its    cultivation    has    reached    such    an 


586  Soy  Bean,  {""Woil^^^^?: 

advanced  stage  that  innumerable  varieties  and  forms  have  been 
developed.  Professor  Rein  says  it  is  the  most  important  legume  in 
extent  of  varieties,  uses,  and  value  grown  in  China  or  Japan.  It  is 
supposed  to  have  been  used  for  food  in  China  even  before  the  time 
of  Confucius.  Although  it  has  been  grown  in  China  and  Japan  for 
such  an  extended  period,  its  cultivation  seems  to  have  spread  very 
slowly  to  the  surrounding  countries.  Its  introduction  into  India 
seems  to  have  taken  place  in  comparatively  modern  times.  More 
recently  it  was  brought  to  Europe,  where  it  was  grown  in  botanic 
gardens  for  more  than  lOO  years  without  attracting  attention  as  a 
plant  of  much  economic  importance.  Aiton  says  in  his  Hortus 
Kewensis  that  it  v/as  first  brought  to  England  in  1790.  In  1875 
Professor  Haberlandt  began  an  extensive  series  of  experiments  with 
this  plant  in  Austria-Hungary,  and  in  a  work  published  in  1878  he 
gave  the  results  of  his  studies  and  strongly  urged  the  cultivation  of 
the  soy  bean  as  a  food  plant  for  both  man  and  beast.  Although  he 
succeeded  in  exciting  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  its  cultivation  while 
making  his  experiments,  and  distributed  a  considerable  amount  of 
seed,  very  little  seems  to  have  come  of  it ;  for  at  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1878,  the  interest  flagged,  and  the  soy  bean  has  failed 
to  obtain   the  place  as  a  staple  crop  which  he   prophesied  for  it. 

In  our  own  country  soy  bean  has  been  grown  for  a  great  many 
years,  chiefly  in  the  South,  but  it  is  only  within  the  last  fifteen  years 
that  it  has  received  much  attention  as  a  forage  crop.  Recently  it 
has  been  the  subject  of  considerable  experimentation  at  a  number 
of  the  experiment  stations,  and  its  great  value  as  a  crop  has  been 
clearly  demonstrated. 

The  term  "  soy"  applied  to  this  bean  is  derived  from  a  Japanese 
word  ''  shoyu,"  denoting  a  certain  preparation  from  the  seeds  which 
is  a  favorite  article  of  diet  in  that  country.  The  term  **  soja  "  is 
often  used  in  connection  with  this  plant,  but  Professor  Georgeson, 
who  spent  some  time  in  Japan,  and  who,  since  his  return  to  this 
country,  has  experimented  extensively  with  this  plant,  says : 

The  term  soja,  often  applied  to  this  bean,  is  misleading,  inasmuch  as  the 
species  named  by  Siebold  and  Zuccarini  Glycine  soja  is  not  cultivated  there 
(Japan),  or  at  least  rarely  cultivated,  though  wild  in  the  South  ;  and  later  this 
species  was  confounded  with  the  cultivated  species,  G.  hispida  Moench., 
whence  the  origin  of  the  term  soja,  as  applied  to  the  cultivated  bean. 

Recent  works  on  Japanese  botany  seem  to  substantiate  this  posi- 


Am.  Joiir.  Pharm.l  C  , ,,     R/>nn  "Rt 

November.  1897.  /  -^^J     DCaH.  557 

tion,  though  it  is  still  a  matter  of  doubt  as  to  what  botanical  name 
properly  belongs  to  the  cultivated  species. 

The  soy  bean  is  an  erect,  annual  plant,  with  branching  hairy 
stems,  trifoliate,  more  or  less  hairy  leaves,  rather  unconspicuous  pale 
lilac  or  violet-colored  flowers,  and  broad,  two  to  five-seeded  pods 
covered,  like  the  stem,  with  stiff,  reddish  hairs.  The  seeds  vary  in 
color  from  whitish  and  yellowish  to  green,  brown  and  black,  and 
in  shape  from  spherical  to  elliptical  and  more  or  less  compressed. 
Under  favorable  conditions  the  plant  may  reach  a  height  of  four  feet 
or  more. 

In  Professor  Haberlandt's  experiments  in  Austria- Hungary  the 
plants  yield  about  200  pods  and  450  seeds  each,  and  though  this  is 
probably  considerably  above  the  average,  it  shows  them  to  be 
remarkably  prolific. 

Tiie  fact  that  the  flotvers  are  self-pollinated  makes  the  yield 
entirely  independent  of  insects,  and  renders  the  soy  bean  free  from 
an  important  obstacle  in  the  way  oi  the  introduction  of  many 
legumes  into  new  regions. 

Varieties — The  different  varieties  of  soy  bean  are  distinguished 
largely  according  to  the  color,  size  and  shape  of  the  seed  and  the 
time  required  for  the  plants  to  reach  maturity.  The  names  applied 
in  the  United  States  are,  for  exampje,  **  Early  White,"  "  Medium 
Late  Green,"  "  Medium  Black,"  etc.  The  early  varieties  generally 
fruit  heavier  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  plant  than  the  later 
ones,  and  hence  are  better  to  grow  for  seed,  while  the  medium  or 
late  varieties  are  better  for  forage,  on  account  of  the  larger  yield  of 
fodder  that  may  be  obtained. 

Conditions  of  Growth. — It  is  believed  in  Japan  that  in  northern 
climates  soils  of  a  rather  strong  character  are  best  adapted  to  the 
soy  bean.  It  is  usually  sown  about  the  end  of  May,  and  when  used 
for  hay  cut  early  in  August.  In  both  Europe  and  America  it  has 
been  found  to  thrive  best  on  soils  of  medium  texture,  that  are  well 
sup[)lied  with  potash,  phosphoric  acid  and  lime.  Fairly  good  results 
have  been  obtained  in  Kansas  on  very  poor  soils,  and  under  very 
adverse  conditions  as  to  moisture.  In  South  Carolina  the  soy  bean 
gives  excellent  crops  on  sandy  limestone  or  marshy  soils,  and  also 
on  drained  swamps  or  peaty  lands  that  are  well  marled.  The  tem- 
perature should  be  about  the  same  as  that  required  for  corn.  The 
methods  of  culture  are  such  as  are  usually  recommended  for  ordi- 
nary field  beans. 


588 


Soy  Bean. 


Ana.  Jour.  Pliaip  . 
November,  1897 


Chemical  Coviposition. — The  following  tables  on  the  chemical 
composition  of  the  various  parts  of  the  soy  bean  used  for  feeding 
purposes,  have  been  arranged  with  great  care,  to  show  as  far  as 
possible  the  latest  and  best  results  obtained  by  experimenters  in  the 
United  States  during  the  course  of  their  studies  of  this  plant: 

CHEMICAIv  COMPOSITION    OF  THE  VARIOUS  KINDS  OF  FORAGE  MADE  FROM 

THE  vSOY  BEAN. 


Soj'-Bean  Forage. 


Fresh  or  Air-dry  Substance.      Water-free  Substance. 


Fodder  (earU'  bloom  to 
earU'seed)"^ 

Soy-bean  hay  (Japanese) 

Soy-bean  liaj-  (Mass.)^  . 

Soy-bean  straw  (Mass.)- 

Soy-bean  straw  (hulls 
and  vines  after  thresh- 
ing)=' 


Soy-bean  seed* 

Soy-bean  meaP    .   .   .    . 

So3'-bean  ensilage*'  .   .   . 

Corn   and    so3'-bean   en- 
silage"     

Millet  and  .soy-beau  en- 
silage'     


76-5 
i6'o 

I2'I 

11-4 

57 
10-8 
io"4 
74-2 

76-0 
79 


3-6 
16  9 

I4"2 

4*9 

40 
34'o 
36-0 

4"  I 

2-5 
2-8 


I"0 
2'2 
4*1 
19 

0-8 
i6'9 
18-9 

22 

o-S 

I"0 


O  X 


lO'I 

23-1 
412 

37-8 

36-0 

28-8 

27*0 

7-0 

ii'i 

7-2 


6-5 

35  "9 
21T 

37-6 

49 '5 
4-8 
2-6 
97 

72 
7-2 


2-3  I5'3 
5'9  20-1 
7'3 
6-4 


3'9 
47 


162 

5'5 


4-25 
38-1 


5"i  :  402 


2-8 

2*4 

2-8 


157 


io"4 


I3"3 


i) 

(LI 

1 

<i:^ 

5^ 

V  *- 

t*- 

c  X 

V. 

iw 

r\ 

^ 

^         1 

4"i 
2-6 

47 
2  2 


43'o     27'6  I    10. o 


27"5  427 
46  8  24-0 
42  7  i  42-4 


70 


085    38-2  !   52-6 


189 
210 

87 

3'3 

4-8 


32-2 
30-2 
27-0 


5 '4 

2-9 

376 


46*3      30'o 

i 
34"3  '   34"3 


5'3 

5"3 

57 

iro 


>  Ninth  An.  Rep.  Storrs  Exp.  Sta.,  pp,  281,  285  ( 1896). 

2  tCighth  An.  Rep.  Mass.  Hatch.  Sta.,  p.  87  (1896). 

=>  Second  An.  Rep.  S.  C.  Exp.  Sta.,  p    179  (1890). 

■»  Bull.  15  U.  S.  Dept.  Agric,  Office  Exp.  Stations,  p.  390  (1S93). 

°  Eighth  An.  Rep.  Storrs  Exp.  Sta.,  pp.  1S3,  186  (1895) 

•^  Bull.  Tenn.  Exp.  Sta.,  Vol.  IX.  No.  3,  p.  106  ( 1896) 

^  Ninth  An.  Rep.  Mass.  Hatch   Sta.,  p.  i  \o  (1897). 

If  the  preceding  analyses  are  compared  with  those  of  other  legu- 
minous crops,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  soy  bean  ranks  high  from  a 
chemical  point  of  view.  The  green  fodder  has  much  the  same  com- 
position as  red  clover,  being  slightly  lower  in  crude  protein  and 
higher  in  crude  fiber.  In  the  two  most  important  substances,  crude 
protein  and  fat,  the  soy  bean  is  considerably  richer  than  the  cowpea. 
The  hay  also  shows  a  relatively  high  fat  and  protein  content.  The 
only  available  analysis  of  soy  bean  ensilage  shows  it  to  agree  very 
closely  in  composition   with  red   clover  ensilage,   being  higher  in 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.1  <r^^.     Vi^ntt  '  9rk 

November,  1897    /  -^^J    l:>eafl.  3J^9 

crude  fiber  and  fat,  and  lower  in  extract  matter.  From  the  analysis 
of  the  beans  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  about  two-fifths  protein 
and  one-sixth  fat,  with  but  very  little  fiber  present,  making  them 
almost  as  rich  in  crude  protein  as  the  best  cotton-seed  meal,  with  a 
hic^her  percentage  of  fat.  They  contain  three  times  as  much  crude 
protein  and  nearly  three  and  a  half  times  as  much  fat  as  oats ; 
nearly  three  and  one-half  times  as  much  protein  and  about  three 
times  as  much  fat  as  corn,  and  almost  twice  as  much  crude  protein, 
and  over  twelve  times  as  much  fat  as  peas;  all  of  which  show  them 
to  form  one  of  the  most  concentrated  of  our  feeding  stuffs. 

Digestibility. — The  chemical  analysis  alone  will  not  prove  the  feed- 
ing value  of  a  forage  crop.  Soy  bean  meal  has  a  high  percentage 
of  digestibility.  It  contains  almost  two  and  one-half  times  as  much 
digestible  protein,  and  over  five  times  as  much  digestible  fat  as  the 
common  roller  process,  wheat  bran,  and  its  digestibility  is  decid- 
edly higher  in  everything  but  the  fat  than  that  of  cotton-seed  meal. 
The  experiments  which  confirmed  these  statements  were  made  on 
cattle  and  sheep,  chiefly  the  latter. 

As  a  Soil  Renciver. — One  of  the  great  advantages  in  growing 
leguminous  forage  crops  lies  in  the  benefit  which  the  soil  derives 
from  the  nitrogen  and  other  important  elements  of  plant  food  that 
are  left  in  it  by  the  crops.  Soils  that  have  become  impoverished  by 
continuous  cropping  with  small  grains  of  other  nitrogen-using  crops 
may  be  restored  to  fertility  by  the  use  of  leguminous  crops,  as,  for 
example,  the  clovers,  cowpeas,  vetches,  lupines,  and  the  soy  bean. 
The  value  of  a  crop  as  a  soil  restorer  depends  upon  the  amount  of 
available  plant  food  which  it  adds  to  the  soil,  and  also  upon  the 
effect  which  the  roots  have  upon  the  mechanical  condition  of  the 
soil.  Leguminous  plants,  through  the  aid  of  the  root  tubercle 
organisms,  are  able  to  add  to  the  available  nitrogen  of  the  soil,  and 
hence  are  extensively  used  in  restoring  tho.so  deficient  in  that 
element. 

The  soy  bean  is  highly  valued  in  Japan  as  a  nitrogen  gatherer 
and  is  extensively  grown  in  rotation  with  cereal  crops.  When  the 
soy  bean  was  first  introduced  into  the  United  States  it  did  not  form 
root  tubercles,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  tubercle  organism  from 
the  soil,  and  it  has  been  grown  for  several  years  in  some  localities 
without  the  appearance  of  any  tubercles.  In  other  cases  the  tuber- 
cles have  developed  in  great  abundance  a  ter  a  short  time.     At  the 


590  ^^J^    ^^^^^-  {''November.".s;7:'- 

Massachusetts  (Hatch)  Station  the  medium  green  soybean  produces 
great  numbers  of  the  tubercles.  At  the  same  station  it  was 
found  that  a  liberal  application  of  nitrates  interfered  with  the 
development  of  the  tubercles. 

In  experiments  made  at  the  Storrs  Experiment  Station  soy  beans 
were  planted  in  soil  uninfested  with  the  tubercle  microbes,  and  then 
later  in  the  season  (about  the  middle  of  July)  a  portion  of  the  field 
was  inoculated  with  infected  soil.  Tubercles  were  produced  on  the 
plants  in  the  inoculated  land,  but  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  inocu- 
lation, they  made  but  little  development,  and  no  difference  could  be 
noticed  between  the  crops  grown  on  the  two  parts  of  the  field. 

Soy  Beans  as  Food  for  Man. — The  soy  bean  has  been  used  as  a 
food  for  man  in  Japan,  China  and  neighboring  countries,  from  the 
earliest  times.  In  more  recent  years  it  has  been  cultivated  for  this 
purpose  in  Europe.  Analyses  were  given  in  this  Journal,  June, 
1896. 

Comparatively  little  information  is  available  concerning  the  chemi- 
cal character  of  the  different  constituents  of  the  soy  bean.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Japanese  investigators,  the  bean  contains,  on  an  average, 
7-5  per  cent,  of  nitrogen,  6.9  per  cent,  being  albuminoid  nitrogen, 
exclusive  of  peptones,  o-i  per  cent,  amide  nitrogen,  and  03  per 
cent,  nitrogen  of  peptones.  Osborne  studied  the  nitrogenous  con- 
stituents of  white  or  kidney  beans.  He  found  that  they  contained 
on  an  average  23-5  per  cent,  of  protein,  made  up  of  phaselin  and 
phaseolin.  The  percentage  of  protein  in  the  soy  bean  is  much 
higher  than  this,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  differs  materially 
in  chemical  character.  According  to  Japanese  authors,  the  soy 
bean  contains  no  starch.  No  statements  have  been  found  concern- 
ing the  character  of  the  fat. 

The  fact  is  well  recognized  that  beans  of  all  kinds  are  valuable 
food  because  of  the  large  amount  of  protein  and  fat  which  they  con- 
tain. In  order  that  the  nutrients  may  be  available,  the  beans  must 
be  cooked  or  prepared  in  some  way  so  that  the  cell  walls  may  be 
broken  down  and  the  contents  readily  acted  on  by  the  digestive 
juices.  What  is  true  of  beans  in  general,  is  especially  true  of  the 
soy  bean.  Though  it  is  eaten  more  extensively  in  China  and  Japan 
than  in  any  other  countries,  so  far  as  can  be  learned  it  is  never  eaten 
there  as  a  vegetable,  but  more  or  less  complex  food  products  are 
prepared  from  it.     At  least  five  preparations  are  commonly  made  in 


Am.  Joar.  Phariu 
Novenibtr.  I 


arm.  \ 

*'7.  ; 


So}'  Bean. 


591 


Japan  from  the  soy  bean.  These  are  natto,  tofu,  miso,  whose  prepa- 
ration has  already  been  described  in  this  Journal,  and  yuba  and 
shoyu. 

A  sort  of  film  forms  on  the  surface  of  soy-bean  milk  which  in 
appearance  suggests  cream.  This  material  is  sometimes  prepared  in 
quantity  by  evaporatinj][  the  milk,  and  when  dried  it  is  used  as  an 
article  of  food  under  the  name  oi  yuba. 

Shoyu  is  a  sauce  prepared  from  a  mixture  of  cooked  and  pulver- 
ized soy  beans,  roasted  and  pulverized  wheat,  wheat  flour,  salt,  and 
water.  The  mass  is  fermented  with  rice-wine  ferment  in  casks  for 
from  one  and  a  half  to  five  years,  being  very  frequently  stirred.  The 
resulting  product  is  a  moderately  thick  brown  liquid.  In  odor  and 
taste  it  is  not  unlike  a  good  quality  of  meat  extract,  though  perhaps 
a  trifle  more  pungent.  Under  the  name  of  soy  sauce  it  has  been 
known  in  India,  and  to  some  extent  in  Europe,  for  many  years. 

The  composition  of  each  of  the  above-described  foods  is  given  in 
the  following  table : 


y>oy-bean  food  products. 


Protein. 


Fat. 


Nitrogen- 
free  ex-       Fiber, 
tract. 


Ash. 


Percent.,  Percent     Percent.]  Percent. 


Frc»h  tofu    .  ....  89-00 

Fresh  tofu    .  ^9  29 

Frozen  tofu    .    .  1870 

Natto 15*32 

Yuba 2i"85 

White  miso 5070 

Red  miso  ...  5040 

Swiss  miso  13*53 

Shoyu  .    .  6329 

Sbosm I      67'4a 


500 

4*87 


3 '40 


2  10 
4  35 


Per  cent. 


48*50 

2850 

2 -60 

— 

1  ''-'' 

23'65 

1505 

1*48 

42  60 

24*62 

765 

570 

2440 

1260 

10*08 

1877 

825 

2643 

1391 

I9'54 

'■41 

8-3. 

- 

5  >" 

- 

m 

— 

406 

-- 

Per  cent. 
0*50 
0-48 
I  70 
3o3 

2-SS 
6*60 
I  2  50 

I  -  .5 


It  will  be  noticed  that  most  of  these  soy-bean  products  are  fer- 
mented ;  that  is,  they  are  prepared  with  the  aid  of  microorganisms 
The  cell  walls  and  other  carbohydrate  material  are  broken  down 
and  the  cell-contents  rendered  more  accessible  to  the  digestive 
juices,  and  at  the  same  time  peculiar  and  pleasant  flavors  are  devel- 
oped. The  special  microorganisms  used  m  the  preparation  of  these 
foods  have  been  studied  in  recent  years.     The  manufacture  of  these 


-„-,  C^y     Rpn-H  f  Am. Jour.  Pharm, 

^9^  ^^y    ^'^"'^-  \    November,  1897. 

products  is  of  very  ancient  origin,  and  affords  an  interesting  practical 
illustration  of  the  use  of  bacteria  for  economic  purposes. 

Though  these  soy-bean  products  are  prepared  chiefly  in  Japan  and 
other  eastern  countries,  their  manufacture  has  been  attempted  to 
some  extent  in  Switzerland  and  elsewhere. 

The  statement  is  frequently  made  that  the  Japanese  live  almost 
exclusively  upon  rice,  eating  little  or  no  meat.  It  is  not,  however, 
generally  known  that  the  deficiency  of  protein  in  the  rice  is  made 
up  by  the  consumption  of  large  quantities  of  shoyu,  miso,  or  other 
soy  bean  products.  It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  these  pro- 
ducts actually  take  the  place  of  meat  and  other  nitrogenous  animal 
foods  in  the  Japanese  dietary.  They  are  eaten  in  some  form  or 
other  by  rich  and  poor  at  almost  every  meal. 

A  large  number  of  dietary  and  digestion  experiments  have  been 
made  in  Japan  in  which  soy  bean  preparations  formed  a  considerable 
part  of  the  food  consumed,  although  no  experiments  have  been 
made,  so  far  as  can  be  learned,  in  which  such  preparations  were 
eaten  alone.  Generally  speaking,  the  nitrogen  was  well  assimilated. 
For  instance,  when  12  grammes  of  nitrogen  were  consumed  daily, 
the  dietary  consisting  of  soy  bean  cheese  and  rice,  only  OT  gramme 
of  nitrogen  was  excreted  in  the  feces.  When  13-9  grammes  of  nitro- 
gen was  consumed  daily  in  a  dietary  of  bean  cheese  and  barley, 
only  1*4  grammes  was  excreted  in  the  feces.  According  to  one 
author,  in  a  dietary  containing  a  large  amount  of  bean  cheese,  90 
per  cent,  ot  the  protein,  899  per  cent,  of  the  fat,  and  14-5  per  cent, 
of  the  crude  fiber  are  digestible.  The  general  opinion  of  Japanese 
investigators  and  others  familiar  with  oriental  dietetics  is,  that  the 
protein  in  articles  of  food  prepared  from  soy  beans  is  in  a  very 
available  form,  and  that  these  preparations  are  most  valuable  foods. 

Bean  sausages  in  considerable  variety  are  prepared  in  Germany, 
and  formed  part  of  the  ration  of  the  German  soldier  in  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war.  So  far  as  can  be  learned,  these  are  always  made  from 
ordinary  varieties  of  beans  and  not  from  soy  beans. 

Since  soy  beans  contain  no  starch,  they  have  been  recommended 
as  food  for  persons  suffering  from  diabetes.  A  soy  bean  bread  for 
this  purpose  is  manufactured  in  Paris. 

Under  the  name  of  coffee  beans,  soy  beans  are  eaten  to  some  ex- 
tent in  Switzerland  as  a  vegetable,  and  dried  and  roasted  are  also 
used  as  a  coffee  substitute.     Their  use  for  this  latter  purpose  is  not 


^No\4mbe^.^w7^}        Hyoscinc-Scopolamine  Question.  593 

unknown  in  America.  The  attempt  has  recently  been  made  by  cer- 
tain dealers  to  place  the  soy  bean  on  the  market  as  a  new  substitute 
for  coffee,  and  to  sell  it  under  other  names  at  an  exorbitant   price. 

Bulletin  No.  98,  of  the  North  Carolina  Experiment  Station,  re- 
commends soy  beans  as  a  palatable  vegetable  when  prepared  as  fol- 
lows :  Soak  the  beans  until  the  skins  come  off,  and  stir  in  water 
until  the  skins  rise  to  the  surface  and  then  remove  them.  Boil  the 
beans  with  bacon  until  soft,  season  with  pepper,  salt  and  butter,  and 
serve  hot.  If  the  beans  are  green  the  preliminary  soaking  may  be 
omitted.  No  other  references  to  the  use  of  soy  beans  for  human 
food  in  the  United  States  have  been  found. 

Several  of  the  Bulletins  issued  by  the  College  of  Agriculture  of 
the  Imperial  University  of  Japan  contain  valuable  articles  on  the 
soy  bean  and  its  products. 


THE   PRESENT   STATUS   OF   THE   HYOSCINE-SCOPOLA- 

MINE    QUESTION.^ 

By  Louis  Merck,  Ph.D. 

Hyoscine  has  been  an  object  of  active  controversies,  more  so, 
probably,  than  any  other  one  of  the  notable  alkaloids.  These  con- 
troversies, after  apparently  becoming  dormant  for  a  time,  have  again 
and  again  sprung  up  and  engaged  scientists  of  note  on  opposite 
sides. 

It  was  from  the  so-called  amorphous  hyoscyamine,  the  mi.xture 
of  bases  obtained  from  hyoscyamine  seeds,  that  Ladcnburg  first 
isolated  a  substance  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  hyoscine.  The 
same  discoverer  assigned  to  the  newly-found  base  the  formula 
Ci^H^gNOj,  thus  claiming  it  as  an  isomer  of  atropine  and  hyoscya- 
mine. Hesse,  on  the  other  hand,  contended  that  the  new  base  was 
possessed  of  the  composition  C,-H^,NO^.  He  also  declared  it  to  be 
identical  with  the  substance  which  E.  Schmidt  had  isolated  from 
scopolia  atropoides,  and  which  had  been  named  scopolamine.  Subse- 
quently, E.  Schmidt  found  the  hyoscine  hydrobromatc  of  the  mar- 
kets to  consist  almost  exclusively  of  the  hydrobromatc  of  scopola- 
mine. He  does  not,  however,  consider  the  non-existence  of  a  hyos- 
cine Cj^H^NOg  to  be  thereby  demonstrated.  He  argues  \t\  favor  of 
the  possibility  that  a  ba.se  of  such  composition  may  mdecd  occur  in 

'  The  Journal  of  the  Society  of  L  hem i cat  Industry,  June  30,  1897. 


594  Hyoscinc-Scopolainine  Question.         {^'^ov^^hS^xm.' 

the  mixtures  of  alkaloids  obtained  from  the  solanacere  ;  that  Laden- 
burg  had  actually  got  hold  of  that  base,  which  gave  him  the  data 
for  his  formula  and  description  of  what  he  called  "  hyoscine,"  and 
that  the  same  base  has  since  then  happened  to  be  isolated  again. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  *'  hyoscine  "  put  upon  the  market  by  E. 
Merck  has  been  and  is  assuredly  identical  with  scopolamine.  It  is 
only  for  the  purpose  of  obviating  misunderstandings  in  commercial 
and  medical  circles,  where  a  change  of  name  is  apt  to  create  great 
confusion,  that  our  house  has  retained  in  its  trade-list  the  desig- 
nation of  "  hyoscine  "  for  the  base  from  hyoscyamus,  while  apply- 
ing that  of  ''  scopolamine  "  to  the  base  from  Scopolia  atropoides. 
Since  the  opening  of  this  controversy,  the  Merck  laboratories  have, 
in  working  considerable  quantities  of  the  solanaceous  drugs  for 
alkaloids,  steadily  been  directed  toward  the  object  of  identifying  a 
base  C1.H03NO3,  which  is  to  possess  the  properties  of  hyoscine.  So 
far,  however,  we  have  not  succeeded  in  isolating  such  a  base. 
,  In  the  course  of  these  labors  we  were  indeed  fortunate  enough  to 
isolate  a  base  Ci^H23N03,  thus  isomeric  with  hyoscyamine  and  atro- 
pine, from  Duboisia  myoporoides.  This  base  we  have  named 
"  pseudo-hyoscyamine."  Its  properties,  however,  differ  essentially 
from  those  known  for  hyoscine.  For  instance,  hyoscine  is  an  oily 
liquid,  while  pseudo-hyoscyamine  melts  at  about  132°  to  134°.  Thus, 
the  possibility  of  any  confusion  between  these  two  appears  wholly 
excluded.  The  base  isolated  from  Duboisia  myoporoides  by  J. 
Gadamer  (albeit  in  quantity  insufficient  for  exact  determination)  is 
equally  unlikely  to  represent  Ladenburg's  "  hyoscine,"  inasmuch 
as  Gadamer,  from  his  analytic  results,  concludes  that  it  contains 
but  15  atoms  of  carbon.  Our  own  investigations  at  the  works 
covered  these  solanaceous  drugs :  Belladonna,  duboisia,  datura, 
stramonium,  hyoscyamus,  scopolia. 

On  examining  even  very  large  quantities  of  the  bases  residuary 
from  the  manufacture  of  atropine,  we  have  so  far  encountered  no 
substance  which  would,  even  approximately,  be  capable  of  identifi- 
cation with  the  "hyoscine  C17H23NO3."  Furthermore,  repeated 
efforts  were  made  by  us  to  isolate  all  the  alkaloids  from  duboisia. 
All  that  were  obtained  on  such  occasions  were:  hyoscyamine,  hyos- 
cine (or  scopolamine)  C17H21NO4,  considerable  quantities  of  amor- 
phous bases,  and  pseudo-hyoscyamine.  Never  was  an  alkaloid  met 
with  in  this  work  answering  to  the  formula  given  by  Ladenburg  for 


'xovimberilg:'"}        Hyoscine-Scopol amine  Questiou.  595 

hyoscine,  and  at  the  same  time  possessing  its  characteristic  proper- 
ties regarding  salts  and  double  salts — properties  which  would  have 
rendered  such  an  alkaloid  incapable  of  being  overlooked.  The 
same  negative  result  was  had  from  investigation  of  the  alkaloids  of 
stramonium  seeds,  which,  likewise,  were  worked  in  quantities  of 
thousands  of  kilogrammes.  The  Merck  laboratories  are  also  con- 
tinually working,  for  alkaloids,  large  quantities  of  hyoscyamus  seeds 
and  scopolia  roots.  Also,  in  these  lines  of  manufacture,  we  con- 
stantly kept  our  attention  directed  toward  isolating  the  alkaloids 
occurring  among  the  residuary  bases.  Nevertheless,  the  search  for 
the  particular  base  here  in  question  has  proved  equally  fruitless  on 
these  two  drugs. 

In  this  connection  I  may  be  pardoned  the  liberty  of  alluding  to 
still  another  interesting  fact  developed  at  our  laboratories.  The 
statement  is  frequently  met  with  in  literature,  that  hyoscine  (that  is, 
scopolamine)  has  been  isolated  from  the  residual  bases  obtained  in 
the  manufacture  of  atropine.  Therefore,  it  might  readily  be  inferred 
that  hyoscine  is  a  side-base  to  hyoscyamine  or  atropine  in  the 
belladonna.  We  have  studiously  kept  this  issue  in  view  during  the 
working  of  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  kilos  of  belladonna  roots. 
And  still  we  have  never  been  able  to  discover  hyoscine  (meaning 
scopolamine)  among  the  residual  bases  resulting  from  these  exten- 
sive operations.  This  experience  of  ours  thus  directly  contradicts 
the  inference  before  mentioned.  The  experiences  of  others,  as 
quoted  before,  may  be  presumed  to  have  been  due  to  defective  sort- 
ing of  the  belladonna  roots,  among  which  may  have  remained  roots 
of  other  solanacea^.  Or,  the  residues  remaining  from  the  manufac- 
ture of  various  solanaceous  alkaloids,  and  utilized  for  obtaining  side- 
ba.ses,  may  not  have  been  kept  absolutely  apart. 

It  may  be  contended  that,  in  the  Merck  researches,  the  hyoscine 
or  scopolamine  that  might  have  been  present  could  have  been  over- 
looked in  consequence  of  its  own  minimal  quantity.  This  conten- 
tion, however,  is  met  by  the  fact  that  the  mixtures  of  residual  bases 
were,  at  the  end,  also  subjected  to  splitting;  whereupon  the  appear- 
ance of  scopoline  among  the  products  of  this  operation  must  have 
indicated  that  hyoscine  had  been  present,  if  such  were  indeed  the 
case.  From  a  single  batch,  lor  instance,  of  residual  bases  thus 
treated.  lOO  kilos  of  tropme  were  obtained,  whereas  the  presence 
•of  a  hi^lier-boiling  base  was  not  demonstrable. 


596  H yoscine-Scopolatnine  Questmi.  { ^iK;%4mber!i8}J7"" 

To  return,  after  this  little  digression,  to  my  main  topic,  I  would 
once  more  summarize  our  laboratories'  experiences  regarding  the 
latter,  to  wit:  With  due  consideration  of  the  various  solanaceous 
drugs,  and  with  the  use  of  very  considerable  quantities  of  them,  the 
results  so  far  have  failed  to  show  the  possibility  of  obtaining  a  base 
possessing  the  properties  of  hyoscine  and  answering  to  Ladenburg's 
formula  of  CJ7H23NO3.  Thus,  this  whole  question  has  by  this  time 
dwindled  down  almost  exclusively  to  a  controversy  between  O.  Hesse 
and  E.  Schmidt  as  to  the  propriety  of  designating  the  surely-estab- 
lished alkaloid  QyHgiNO^,  either  as  "  scopolamine  "  or  as  "  hyoscine." 

The  polemics  between  the  two  investigators  named  have,  how- 
ever, recently  extended  into  still  another  chapter  of  the  solanaceae- 
alkaloid  research,  which  bears  close  relations  to  the  one  I  have  here 
discussed.  O.  Hesse  published  an  observation  made  by  him  in  the 
scopolamine  hydrobromate  of  commerce,  to  this  effect :  He  fre- 
quently found  this  salt  to  contain  also  notable  quantities  of  another 
base,  differing  from  scopolamine  by  the  absence  of  optical  rotatory 
power.  This  would,  of  course,  have  the  result  that  such  a  mixed 
salt  would  show  a  smaller  arc  of  rotation  than  that  due  to  the  pure 
scopolamine  hydrobromate. 

He  succeeded  in  isolating  this  inactive  base  and  gave  it  the  name 
ot  "  atroscine."  Hesse  argues  against  any  supposition  of  identity  as 
between  his  "  atroscine  "  and  the  so-called  "  inactive  scopolamine,'* 
found  by  E.  Schmidt.  His  reasons  herefor  are  two :  Firstly,  he  did 
not  succeed  in  obtaining,  by  the  treatment  of  hyoscine  with  alkalies^ 
an  inactive  base  of  equal  composition.  Secondly,  he  claimed,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  the  decrease  in  optical  activity  resulting  in  hyos- 
cine upon  treatment  with  alkalies  is  due  altogether  to  a  splitting  of 
the  hyoscine  into  a  *' split-base,"  which  he  calls  •' oscine,"  and 
tropic  or  atropic  acids.  O.  Hesse's  "  oscine "  is  stated  as  being 
identical  with  E.  Schmidt's  split-base  "  scopoline." 

E.  Schmidt,  again,  gives  the  genesis  of  his  •'  inactive  scopolamine  " 
as  being  likewise  brought  about  through  the  action  of  alkalies  on 
scopolamine,  with  the  additional  statement  that  it  can  also  be  pro- 
duced by  using  silver  oxide  instead  of  the  alkalies.  He  states  that 
he  never  encountered  any ''atroscine  "  in  the  process  of  isolating 
alkaloids  from  commercial  scopolia  roots  or  hyoscyamus  seeds. 
Schmidt  further  explains  that  accordingly  as  the  liquors  from  sco- 
polia root  are  treated  with  less  or  more  intensively-acting  alkalies^ 


^NivimhVf.*i897°'}         H yoscinc-Scopolaminc  Question.  597 

one  may  obtain  at  will  either  a  normal  scopolamine  (rotating  about 
24°  to  25°),  or  a  feebly  rotating  one.  He  succeeded  even  in  directly 
obtaining,  from  one  and  the  same  scopolia  root,  a  normally  (that  is, 
strongly)  rotating  and  a  feebly  rotating  scopolamine.  The  former 
was  obtained  by  alkalinizing  the  liquors  with  sodium  bicarbonate  or 
ammonia ;  the  other  by  employing  strong  bases,  such  as  soda-lye, 
concentrated  solution  of  potassa,  etc. 

It  is  thus  still  an  open  question  whether  or  not  Hesse's  •'  atros- 
cine "  should  be  regarded  as  identical  with  Schmidt's  *'  inactive 
scopolamine."  Upon  considering  the  contradictory  verdicts  of 
medical  authorities  who  have  tested  both  these  substances  as  to  their 
action  on  the  eye,  one  might  almost  incline  toward  the  second 
alternative,  that  is,  non-identity. 

O.  Hesse,  in  his  treatise,  quotes  medical  councillor  Dr.  Konigs- 
hbfer's  conclusions  from  physiological  tests  made  by  him  with 
atroscine,  to  the  effect  that  its  action  differs  in  certain  points  from 
that  of  scopolamine.  The  passage  quoted  reads  as  follows  :  "  We 
thus  find  that  this  remedy  (that  is  atroscine)  acts  identically  with 
atropine  and  scopolamine,  in  so  far  as  its  mydriatic  effect  is  con- 
cerned ;  while  in  the  matter  of  paralyzing  the  accommodation  it 
considerably  surpasses  both  these  substances  in  promptness  of 
action,  as  well  as  in  duration  of  effect,  the  ratio  of  difference  rang- 
ing from  double  to  quadruple." 

E.  Schmidt,  on  the  other  hand,  reports  that  Prof  Dr.  Uhthoff, 
director  of  the  eye  clinic  at  the  University  of  Marburg,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Dr.  Axenfeld,  lecturer,  arrived  at  the  following  important 
conclusion  :  In  comparative  tests  with  a  strongly  rotating  scopola- 
mine hydrobromate  (25-43°)  and  a  very  feebly  rotating  salt  (662°), 
"...  it  was  found  that  no  difference,  whatever,  could  be 
shown  between  the  effects  of  these  two  salts." 

To  these  contradictory  reports  published  by  Schmidt  and  by 
Hesse,  I  can  add  the  following  tacts,  gathered  from  observations 
made  by  us  at  the  Darmstadt  Laboratory.  Kver  since  this  property 
of  hyoscme,  of  strongh'  rotating  the  plane  of  polarization,  has  been 
known,  special  regard  has  been  given  to  this  point  at  our  labor- 
atories in  working  the  side-bases  from  hyoscyamus  seeds  for 
hyoscirte.  The  product  of  each  separate  batch  was  invariably 
examined  for  the  determination  o(  its  optical  properties.  In  the 
course  of  these  observations  it  was  found  that  wc  aUvavs  obtained  a 


598  Hyoscitie'Scopolamine  Question.         {"N^ov^mbefS™' 

hyoscine  of  normal  rotatory  power  with  but  very  slight  variations, 
that  is,  ranging  between  about  24°  and  25°.  We  have  been  unable 
so  far  to  discover  a  feebly  rotating  preparation  obtained  from 
hyoscyamus  seeds. 

In  the  manufacture  of  scopolamine  from  scopolia  roots,  we  made 
the  optical  rotatory  power  a  subject  of  special  research  only  quite 
recently,  and  in  consequence  I  can  give  you  the  results  only  on  an 
aniount  of  scopolamine  obtained  from  about  10,000  kilos  of  the 
roots.  The  scopolamine  hydrobromate  from  this  quantity,  on  being 
crystallized,  was  shown  to  be  absolutely  pure,  but  to  possess  a  laevo- 
rotatory  power  of  only  13-47°. 

In  connection  herewith  I  should  state  that,  in  working  the  sco- 
polia roots  and  in  working  up  the  side-bases  for  scopolamine,  exactly 
the  same  stages  were  adhered  to,  as  in  working  the  hyoscyamus 
seeds  and  in  working  up  their  side-bases  for  hyoscine.  Especially 
in  the  manner  of  using  alkali  in  both  series,  the  most  punctilious 
care  and  attention  were  exercised  in  order  to  make  the  conditions 
in  both  exactly  equal.  Hence,  I  cannot  well  refrain  from  the  con- 
clusion that  the  alkali  can  hardly  have  caused  the  difference  in 
rotatory  power  in  these  cases  of  ours  ;  for  had  it  done  so,  a  more 
feebly  rotating  product  must  have  resulted  in  the  isolation  of  the 
hyoscine  as  well  as  in  the  other  case.  This  experience  seems  to  me 
to  argue  largely  in  favor  of  O.  Hesse's  view,  that  two  chemically 
equal  basic  substances,  which  so  far  can  be  distinguished  from  one 
another  only  by  their  optical  activities,  are  contained  in  the  ordinary 
scopolamine  hydrobromate,  and  that,  quite  possibly,  they  exist  pre- 
formed already  in  the  scopolia  root. 

The  few  observations  so  far  available  cannot,  of  course,  suffice  to 
settle  the  pending  controversy  ;  but  it  affords  me  gratification  to 
be  in  a  position  to  promise  the  early  publication  of  further  results 
from  considerably  larger  batches  of  scopolia  roots,  in  which,  likewL^e, 
the  various  results  will  be  most  carefully  noted,  which  I  hope  may 
contribute  toward  the  elucidation  of  this  question. 


Tonca  or  Tonquin  Beans,  according  to  Bulletin  of  Miscellafteoics  Infornia- 
iion,  Trinidad,  October,  1897,  were  imported  from  Venezuela  in  1896  to  the 
value  of  €130,985.  Rum  to  the  extent  of  11,000  gallons  was  used  in  curing 
them  ;  the  greater  part  of  the  product  was  shipped  to  the  United  States,  only 
£1,091  in  value  going  to  other  places.  See  also  this  Journal,  March,  1897, 
page  157. 


^."oV'e^rll^r.r^iL}  Lactic  Add.  599 

THE   MANUFACTURE  AND   APPLICATIONS  OF  LACTIC 

ACID.^ 
By  Alax  a.  Claflin. 

Tliis  paper  consists  of  extracts  from  notes  on  observations  taken 
during  seven  years*  experience  in  the  manufacture  of  lactic  acid  on 
a  large  scale,  on  lines  laid  down  by  my  predecessor,  Mr.  Chas.  E. 
Avery.  While  some  of  my  facts  are  not  new,  considerable  vork 
having  been  done  very  recently  on  this  subject,  and  while  none  of 
my  investigations  have  been  carried  farther  than  the  daily  exi- 
gencies of  manufacture  required,  yet  I  trust  that  from  the  ex- 
ceptional  opportunities   that    I    have   had,   they   may   be   found   of 

interest. 

« 

The  lactic  acid  industry  dates  back  about  twenty  years,  when  Mr. 
Avery  began  his  investigation,  which  resulted  in  the  process  which  he 
covered  from  1881  to  1885  by  American  and  foreign  patents.  The 
production  of  lactic  acid  on  a  large  scale  by  fermentation  is  interest- 
ing because  it  employs  micro-organisms  to  split  up  the  glucose 
molecule  into  two  molecules  of  ethylidene  lactic  acid.  The  micro- 
organism that  does  this  work  is  well  known  as  the  bacillus  acidi 
lactici.  This  bacillus  has  been  described  variously — not  from  any 
inaccuracy  of  the  observer,  but  because  it  is  of  great  variety  itself, 
a  certain  variety  developing  most  rapidly  in  a  certain  medium.  The 
bacillus  which  does  the  work  in  a  highly  nitrogenous  saccharine 
solution  is  a  large  species.  Its  form  is  a  double  truncated  cone, 
averaging  in  length  2  to  2^2  millimetres,  and  about  i  millimetre  in 
diameter.  It  has  the  tendency  of  all  lactic  bacteria  to  link  itself 
together  in  pairs  or  short  chains.  The  most  abundant  lactic 
bacteria  in  sour  milk  are  only  ^^  millimetre  long,  but  a  little 
thicker  in  proportion  than  those  found  in  my  saccharine  solutions. 

The  manufacture  of  lactic  acid  has  three  divisions:  The  prepara- 
tion of  the  saccharine  solution,  the  fermentation,  the  conversion  of 
the  fermented  liquor  into  commercial  lactic  acid.  The  source  from 
which  the  saccharine  solution  is  obtained  is  not  important.  The 
location  of  the  factory  determines  the  raw  material  that  can  furnish 
a  glucose  liquor  most  cheaply.  The  proportional  composition  of 
the  saccharine  solution  is  very  important.  For  complete  decompo- 
sition  the   saccharine   solution   should    not  vary  between   the   limit 

'  The  Journal  of  th^  SocUty  of  Clumual  Industry,  June  30,  1897. 


6oo  Lactic  Acid.  { iT^^i^e^isIf ' 

105  to  1-075  ^P  ^''•'  '^''^^  technical  reasons  tlie  hi^^her  density  is 
preferable.  A  solution  of  that  density  will  contain  from  7^  to  11 
per  cent,  of  saccharine  matter.  It  is  not  essential  to  have  all 
the  saccharine  matter  in  the  form  of  grape  sugar.  In  fact, 
it  seems  to  be  advantageous  to  have  10  to  15  per  cent,  of  it  as  cane- 
sugar,  which,  becoming  inverted  in  the  process,  furnishes  fresh  mate- 
rial, as  it  were,  for  the  ferment.  To  do  its  work  thoroughly,  the 
lactic  bacillus  needs  to  be  well  nourished  by  nitrogenous  matter. 
The  most  convenient  form  for  this  nitrogenous  material  is  as 
it  comes  from  vegetable  life,  as  extracted,  for  instance,  from  bran 
by  the  action  of  boiling  water  and  dilute  acid.  At  different  times  I 
have  used  material  obtained  from  animal  and  mineral  sources.  In 
the  laboratory  it  is  difficult  to  detect  material  differences.  On  the 
large  scale,  I  prefer  a  vegetable  source  ;  there  seems  to  be  a  com- 
plete utilization  of  the  material.  The  amount  of  nitrogenous  mate- 
rial should  be  at  least  8  per  cent,  of  the  saccharine  constituents.  I 
assume  by  nitrogenous  matter  a  body  of  substantially  the  compo- 
sition of  albumin,  containing  15  to  20  per  cent,  of  nitrogen  in  com- 
plex form.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  accurate  to  say  the  total 
nitrogen  should  be  nearly  2  per  cent,  of  the  saccharine  material, 
and  preferably  combined  with  carbon.  If  a  mineral  food  is  to  be 
employed,  ammonia  salts  should  be  in  larger  proportion  than 
nitrates.  A  low  percentage  of  phosphates  will  suffice,  and  the  pres- 
ence of  such  potassium  does  not  seem  to  be  essential. 

The  requisite  saccharine  solution  made  up  and  boiled  for  at  least 
an  hour,  to  make  sure  of  sterilization,  is  conveyed  into  the  fermen- 
tation tank.  There  it  is  rapidly  cooled  to  55°  C.  or  lower,  not  going 
below  45°,  and  impregnated.  Impregnation  takes  place  at  a  higher 
temperature  than  observers  have  generally  stated,  a  peculiarity  per- 
haps arising  from  the  large  scale  at  which  the  work  is  earned  on.  I 
may  state  here,  in  a  general  way,  that  the  modified  conditions 
caused  by  working  the  bacteria  on  a  large  scale  give  an  oppor- 
tunity for  variation  from  laboratory  results.  A  large  body  of  fer- 
mentable liquor  is  less  susceptible  to  foreign  spores,  more  energetic 
in  its  development,  and  productive  of  more  obvious  results  than  a 
solution  such  as  is  usually  found  in  the  laboratory.  Consequently 
I  feel  that  the  chemist,  who  is  to  investigate  and  utilize,  to  the 
fullest  extent,  nature's  great  oxidizing  agent,  the  mycoderma  aceti, 
and  nature's  great   reducing  agent,  the  bacillus   butyrici,  must  be  as 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarni. )  T  n/-iir      J  ^i,V  ^^-w 

November.  IS.7.    \  iMCtlC    AClct.  60I 

familiar  with  them  in  a  5,000-gallon  vat  as  in  the  pure  culture  state 
in  a  test  tube. 

In  continuous  manufacture  the  ferment  solutions  are  impregnated 
from  a  preceding  ferment  liquor,  in  which  a  lively  fermentation  is  in 
progress.  Decided  advantage  is  obtained  by  using  a  generous 
amount  of  such  liquor.  Twenty  per  cent,  is  none  too  much.  For  an 
original  impregnation,  lactic  bacteria  must  be  obtained  from  an 
outside  source.  I  prefer  to  use  for  that  source  milk  that  has  been 
allowed  to  stand  at  a  temperature  of  45"^  until  slightly  sour.  If  the 
milk  is  allowed  to  sour  too  long,  before  using  as  an  impregnating 
fluid,  a  tendency  is  shown  for  butyric  bacilli  to  develop.  This  same 
objection  is  true  if  rotten  cheese  is  used.  Should  the  saccharine 
solution  be  allowed  to  ferment  spontaneously,  everything  may  hap- 
pen or  nothing.  A  good  lactic  fermentation  may  develop,  a  meagre 
alcoholic  or  a  meagre  viscous,  a  little  butyric,  or  a  little  of  each,  and 
very  much  butj'ric,  the  last  of  which  is  most  probable.  1  he  best 
original  impregnation  I  ever  had  was  obtained  in  the  following 
manner  :  A  pure  culture  of  the  lactic  bacillus  was  obtained  from  the 
bacteria  in  a  ferment  tank  and  preserved.  Previously  sterilized 
milk  was  impregnated  from  this  culture,  and  kept  under  pure  cul- 
ture conditions  for  a  day,  and  then  used  with  noticeable  advantage 
over  the  spontaneously  soured  milk. 

The  impregnation  accomplished  in  the  saccharine  solution,  which 
should  be  neutral  or  faintly  acid,  not  alkaline,  the  main  process  in 
the  manufacture  of  lactic  acid  is  begun.  The  success  or  failure  in 
the  manufacture  depends  wholly  in  the  management  of  the  fermen- 
tation. F*or  economical  production,  over  90  per  cent,  of  the  glucose 
must  be  converted  into  lactic  acid.  Any  unconverted  glucose  works 
a  double  injury,  not  only  being  a  loss  of  material,  but  also  making 
the  resultant  lactic  acid  liable  to  subsequent  decompositions.  In  our 
factory  to  day  we  have  practically  no  residue  of  undecomposed  glu- 
cose, and  the  yield  of  lactic  acid  is  over  98  per  cent.  As  I  have 
said  before,  the  impregnation  takes  place  at  45^  or  above,  and  from 
that  point  the  temperature  is  allowed  to  decrease  somewhat  as  the 
fermentation  solution  grows  older.  If  it  is  desirable,  as  it  usually 
is,  to  have  the  fermentation  proceed  briskly,  the  temperature  must 
be  higher  than  when,  as  is  occasionally  the  case,  it  is  desired  to 
have  a  slow  fermentation.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however, 
that  a  lactic  fermentation  of  itself  gives  out  considerable  heat — the 
more  so  if  quick  running. 


002  I^ULCCL    riLLU.  I    November,  1897. 

As  the  fermentation  progresses,  the  solution  must  be  neutrahzed 
with  milk  of  lime,  or  chalk  in  suspension.  The  limits  of  acidity  in 
which  lactic  bacteria  are  healthy  are  rigidly  confined  between  o  02 
and  05  of  I  per  cent.  Keeping  the  acidity  of  the  fermentation 
between  these  limits  is  the  main  preventive  against  butyric  fer- 
mentation, as  the  regulating  of  the  temperature  is  the  preventive 
against  alcoholic  fermentation.  If  the  fermenting  solution  is  over- 
neutralized,  the  butyric  ferment  will  at  once  begin  to  act,  and,  once 
active,  is  very  difficult  to  control.  It  is  the  greatest  enemy  to  the 
lactic  fermentation,  destroying  the  lactic  acid  that  has  been  made, 
and  devouring  new  quantities  as  fast  as  they  can  be  produced.  In 
twenty-four  hours  one -third  of  the  lactic  acid  may  be  destroyed  by 
the  butyric  bacillus.  Anti-ferments  cannot  be  used  with  much 
safety  in  lactic  fermentation.  The  lactic  bacillus  is  more  susceptible 
than  other  ferments,  and  is  killed  while  others  are  only  stagnated. 
Mustard-seed  oil  is  about  the  only  exception  that  I  know.  This 
has  apparently  a  deadening  effect  on  butyric  fermentation,  with  no 
serious  effect  on  the  lactic  fermentation.  The  lactic  fermentation  is 
best  completed  in  from  three  to  six  days,  although  its  life  may  be 
prolonged  up  to  a  fortnight.  Any  prolongation  of  life  is  attended 
with  danger  of  butyric  invasion.  When  the  fermentation  is  ended, 
the  liquor  must  be  heated  sharply  to  kill  all  bacteria  and  spores 
and  prevent  subsequent  fermentation. 

The  fermented  liquor,  which  is  now  a  solution  of  calcium  lactate, 
with  a  multitude  of  dead  lactic  bacteria  floating  in  it,  is  filtered  and 
evaporated.  If  a  pure  lactic  acid  is  desired,  the  calcium  lactate  is 
allowed  to  crystallize  and  purified  by  repeated  crystallization.  For 
a  commercial  lactic  acid,  decomposition  by  sulphuric  acid  of  the 
dense  uncrystallized  solution  of  calcium  lactate  gives  an  acid  of 
sufficient  purity.  The  free  acid  obtained  from  this  decomposition  is 
further  concentrated  to  such  strength  as  the  market  demands.  In 
evaporating  free  lactic  acid  there  is  danger  of  forming  lactic  anhy- 
dride. It  is  possible  to  have  conditions  such  that  the  longer  evapo- 
ration takes  place  the  less  percentage  of  lactic  acid  is  obtained.  In 
concentrated  solutions  very  little  lactic  acid  is  lost  by  volatilization. 
In  dilute  solutions  much  acid  may  be  mechanically  carried  away  with 
steam,  especially  if  a  blast  is  used.  A  50  per  cent,  solution  is  about 
as  concentrated  as  it  is  economical  to  manufacture.  This  appears 
on   the  market  as  a  syrupy  liquid,  with  more  or  less  brown  color, 


Am.Jour.  Pharra.l  T nrtic    Add  60'1 

November.  1897.    j  l^UCllL    J-iLJU.  UU^ 

and  a  specific   gravity  of  r20,  and  contains  about    7  per  cent,  of 
lactic  anhydride. 

The  appHcations  of  lactic  acid  to-day,  while  limited,  are  increasing. 
The  majority  of  all  that  is  produced  is  used  by  the  woollen  dyer  as 
an  assistant  in  mordanting  with  bichromate  of  potassium.  For  this 
purpose  I  believe  it  has  advantages  which  the  technical  world  is 
beginning  to  appreciate.  Without  discussing  at  length  the  compara- 
tive merits  of  tartaric,  oxalic  and  lactic  acids,  I  will  just  mention 
the  advantages  which  are  claimed  for  lactic  acid,  namely,  greater 
reducing  power,  greater  solubility  of  itself  and  its  salts,  and  less 
corrosive  action.  The  first  claimed  advantage,  the  greater  reducing 
power  of  lactic  acid  toward  chromium  salts  and  chromic  acid,  is 
^^enerally  admitted  in  comparison  with  oxalic  acid,  and  also  in  the 
case  of  tartaric  acid,  although  the  fact  that  tartaric  acid  reduces 
chromium  salts  more  quickly  has  led  to  some  discussion.  Admitted 
that  lactic  acid  has  the  greater  reducing  power,  the  value  of  this 
propeity  in  the  dye-bath  is  not  yet  absolute,  as  with  many  coloring 
matters  I  do  not  find  that  the  best  results  are  obtained  with  the 
chromium  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms.  Yet,  if  lactic  acid  does  the 
most  economical  reducing,  it  is  but  a  question  of  correct  proportion- 
ing of  the  recipe  to  obtain  the  desired  shade  at  the  lowest  cost. 
The  second  and  third  advantages — greater  solubility  and  less  corro- 
sive action — are  unquestioned.  In  corroboration  of  my  estimate  of 
the  value  of  lactic  acid  in  the  woollen  industry,  the  following 
statistics  of  lactic  acid  are  submitted.  In  1894  the  dye-houses  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada  used  about  400,000  pounds  of  lactic 
acid,  while  none  was  used  in  England  or  Europe.  In  1895  there 
was  a  domestic  consumption  of  1,000,000  pounds,  and  a  foreign 
consumption  of  500,000  pounds;  in  1896  the  domestic  consumption 
was  1,200,000  pounds,  and  the  foreign  1,000,000  pounds. 

Lactic  acid  is  used  to  a  very  limited  extent  in  the  calico-printing 
industry.  Some  discharge  effects  can  be  obtained  advantageously 
with  it.  In  most  instances,  however,  the  liygroscopic  nature  of  the 
acid  is  injurious  in  its  effect  on  colors  which  have  to  be  steamed. 

Next  to  the  woollen  indu.stry,  the  most  important  application  for 
lactic  acid  is  in  the  preparation  of  hides  for  tanning.  The  efficiency 
of  the  bian  drench  for  removing  the  lime  from  the  skm,  and  making 
it  porous  and  in  good  condition  for  receiving  the  tannage,  is  due  to 
the  lactic  acid  produced  by  the  fermentation  of  the  bran.     A  dilute 


6o4  A  Soluble  Compound  of  Hydrastine.     {^^jfj/embe^S' 

solution  of  lactic  acid  will  do  this  work  as  well,  and  is  much  easier 
to  control  in  its  action.  The  slightly  higher  cost  is  more  than  com- 
pensated for  by  the  prevention  of  waste.  To  the  researches  of  Mr. 
Wood  and  Mr.  Andreasch  (F.  Andreasch,  Der  Gerber,  21,  506;  22, 
513)  this  application  is  attributable.  In  America  over  300,000 
pounds  of  lactic  acid  have  been  consumed,  mainly  by  a  few  tanneries, 
during  the  last  six  months. 

In  the  household  lactic  acid  is  used  medicinally,  and  it  is  a  substi- 
tute for  other  acids  and  fruit  juices  in  makmg  acid  beverages.  The 
large  possible  application  of  lactic  acid  for  domestic  use — the  re- 
placing  of  cream  of  tartar  by  the  acid  lactate  of  calcium — has  not 
yet  been  put  in  practical  operation. 

With  regard  to  the  analysis  of  lactic  acid,  I  feel  I  can  add  little 
to  what  Allen  has  collected  in  the  latest  volume  of  his  Organic 
Analysis  (A.  H.  Allen,  Commercial  Organic  Analysis,  Vol.  Ill,  Part 
III,  411,  et  seq).  On  account  of  the  solubility  of  all  its  salts,  the 
direct  determination  of  lactic  acid  is  a  long  and  delicate  process. 
Generally  the  indirect  method — determining  total  acidity  and  per- 
centage of  foreign  acids — gives  more  expeditious  results.  There  is 
not  much  sophistication  of  lactic  acid.  Sometimes  acetic  and  mine- 
ral acids  are  found  in  it,  and  now  and  then  samples  of  so-called 
lactic  acid  containing  no  lactic  acid  at  all.  Usually,  however,  com- 
mercial lactic  acid  is  pure,  except  from  products  incident  to  manu- 
facture and  not  deleterious  in  effect.  The  strength  varies  from  20 
to  50  per  cent.,  according  to  the  price  and  for  what  purpose  the  acid 
is  intended  to  be  used. 


OM    A    SOLUBLE   COMPOUND    OF   HYDRASTINE    WITH 
MONOCALCIUM  PHOSPHATE.^ 

By  T.  H.  Norton  and  H.  B.  Newman. 

The  following  experiments  were  made  in  connection  with  an 
endeavor  to  enlarge  the  number  of  soluble  salts  of  hydrastine, 
especial  interest  attaching  to  the  combination  of  the  alkaloid  with  a 
mineral  salt  of  recognized  value  in  medicine. 

"^  Journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  October,  1897. 


^x^imberit^"}    ^   Soluble  Compound  of  Hydrastine,  605 

As  is  well  known,  but  few  salts  of  hydrastine  are  readily  soluble 
in  water.  In  our  work  we  made  use  of  monocalciuni  phosphate, 
which  was  carefully  purified  by  prolon<:^ed  washint^  with  alcohol. 
A  saturated  solution  ol  the  salt  in  cold  water  was  prepared  by  thor- 
ough trituration,  the  phosphate  being  in  excess.  On  triturating  this 
saturated  solution  with  a  large  excess  of  pure  hydrastine,  a  certain 
amount  of  the  latter  would  enter  into  solution,  time,  as  was  eventu- 
ally found,  being  an  important  factor.  In  order  to  ascertain  the 
nature  of  the  product  obtained,  the  filtered  solution  was  evaporated 
either  by  heat  or  spontaneously,  or  in  a  vacuum.  In  no  case  was  it 
possible  to  detect  any  trace  of  crystallization.  The  solution  invari- 
ably became  syrupy,  and  finally  left  an  amorphous  residue  quite 
similar  to  rosin  in  its  appearance.  This  residue  was  soluble  in 
about  10  parts  of  cold  water.  A  small  amount  of  boiling  water 
would  change  it  into  a  syrup.  Both  boiling  and  cold  alcohol  dis- 
solved it  easily  and  in  about  the  same  proportions.  The  melting 
point  was  I26°-I28°.  Although  there  was  no  criterion  of  the  pur. 
ity  of  the  substance,  it  was  submitted  to  analysis.  No  success  fol- 
lowed an  attempt  to  determine  the  amount  of  hydrastine  present  by 
the  use  of  potassium  permanganate,  as  no  definite  end  reaction  could 
be  obtained.  Resort  was  then  had  to  incineration,  care  being  taken 
to  avoid  unnecessarily  high  temperatures  in  the  use  of  platinum 
dishes  for  the  purpose.  The  substance  dried  /;/  vacuo  was  heated 
to  105°.  The  very  divergent  results  obtained  showed  that  there 
was  no  fixed  percentage  of  water  held  by  the  compound  after  desic- 
cation ;';/  vacuo.  The  product  of  incineration  was  white,  vitreous 
calcium  metaphosphate.- 

It  was  in  all  cases  calculated  to  monocalcium  orthophosphate,  and 
the  difference  was  assumed  to  be  hydrastine.  Analytical  results 
soon  showed  that  prolonged  trituration  was  necessary  to  increase 
the  amount  of  the  alkaloid  taken  into  combination  by  the  phosphate. 
From  2^  to  ^  gramme  was  used  in  each  analysis  of  the  substance 
dried  at  105°.     The  following  analytical  data  were  obtained: 

Monocalcium 
Time  of  rhosphate.  Hydrnstinc. 

No.  Trituration.  Percent.  I'er  ccnt 

1  10  minutes \\'^  55\y 

2  15        "         3'>*33  61  67 

3  5        "         5570  4430 

*  Birnbaum  :  Jsb.  d.  Ch^m.,  187 1,  281. 


6o6  A  Soluble  Compound  of  Hydrastine.     {Vo/emberi™' 

Monocalcium 
Time  of  Phosphate.  Hydrastine. 

No.  Trituration.  Per  cent.  Per  cent. 

4  5  minutes 5773  42*27 

5  Sohours^ 29  00  71*00 

6  80      "        28*03  71*97 

7  40      "       31*00  69*00 

8  50      "       .    .    .    .    r 30*43  69*67 

9  50      "       .    , 28-10  71*90 

10  6  weeks 28*95  7i"05 

^  In  experiments  5  to  10  the  alkaloid  and  the  solution  were  placed  in  a  corked  bottle,  and  this 
was  introduced  into  a  box  provided  with  paddles  and  suspended  on  an  axis,  which  was  kept 
in  constant  agitation  beneath  a  water  tap. 

In  order  to  appreciate  these  figures,  let  us  note  the  theoretical 
percentages  of  the  simpler  possible  combinations  of  monocalcium 
phosphate  and  hydrastine. 

A.  2Ca(H,PO,)2  .  C21H21NO6. 
Ca(H2P04)2  =  54*10  per  cent. 
C21H21NO6  =  45*90  per  cent. 

B.  Ca(H2PO,)2  .  C2,H2,NOe. 
Ca(H2P04)2  =  37*9  per  cent. 

C2iH2iNOg  =  62*1  per  cent. 

C.  2Ca(H2PO,)2  .  3Q1H21NO6. 

Ca(H2P04)2  —  289  per  cent. 
C2iH2iN06  =  71*1  per  cent. 

It  will  be  seen  at  once  that  the  apparent  limit  of  the  amount  of 
hydrastine  which  can  enter  into  combination  with  the  phosphate, 
as  shown  by  analyses  5  to  10,  is  practically  identical  with  the  percent- 
age of  the  alkaloid  present  in  the  hypothetical  salt  C,  where  two 
molecules  of  monocalcium  phosphate  are  in  combination  with  three 
molecules  of  the  alkaloid.  In  the  picrate  of  hydrastine,  one  of  the 
few  crystalline  derivatives,  we  encounter  a  combination  of  equal 
molecules  [C6H2(N02)30H  .  C21H21NO6];  the  amorphous  sulphate 
and  chloride  (C21H21NO6  .  H2SO4)  correspond,  however,  to  the  for- 
mula B.  While  the  formula  C  is  unsupported  by  analogy  and  the 
aid  of  crystallization  is  lacking,  the  analytical  data  point  strongly 
towards  this  as  the  correct  expression  for  the  product  obtained  by 
the  method  described. 


^xiNimberM^*}      Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  607 

RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

THE    PREPARATION  OF  HIGHLY    PHOSPHORESCENT     STRONTIUM    SULPHIDE. 

According  to  J.  R.  Mourelo  {Compt.  Rend.,  124,  1024),  the  most 
satisfactory  phosphorescent  strontium  sulphide  is  prepared  as  follows: 

An  intimate  mixture  of  285  grammes  commercial  strontium  car- 
bonate, 62  grammes  flowers  of  sulphur,  4  grammes  crystallized 
sodium  carbonate,  25  grammes  sodium  chloride  and  0-4  gramme 
bismuth  subnitrate  is  placed  in  a  crucible,  covered  with  a  layer  of 
coarsely  powdered  starch,  then  submitted  for  five  hours  to  a  bright 
red  heat  and  allowed  to  cool  very  slowly  during  ten  or  twelve  hours. 
A  white,  friable  mass  is  thus  obtained,  which  develops  a  fine 
greenish-blue  phosphorescence  when  exposed  for  about  one  second 
to  daylight,  and  so  intense  as  to  be  plainly  visible  in  a  shaded  situa- 
tion. The  mixture  becomes  inert  when  powdered,  but  may  usually 
be  restored  by  re-ignition  with  starch. 

PARAFORMIC    ALDEHYDE    AS    AN    ANTISEPTIC. 

Dr.  B.  H.  Paul  and  A.  J.  Cownely  (Pliannaccutical  Journal^  Au- 
gust 7,  1897),  have  conceived  the  idea  that  paraformaldehyde, 
which  is  a  solid  substance,  volatilizable  at  about  100°,  might  be 
used  as  a  more  compact  antiseptic  than  formaldehyde,  since,  by 
boiling  with  water,  the  para  modification  is  converted  into  form- 
aldehyde. 

Since  the  latter  in  40  per  cent,  solution  is  the  only  form  that  is 
possible  commercially,  there  would  be  a  considerable  saving  in 
transportation,  both  in  volume  and  by  using  the  para  modification. 

For  comparative  experiments  the  authors  boiled  the  solid  modi- 
fication with  water  in  the  proportion  of  four  to  ten,  connecting  the 
flask  to  an  inverted  condenser.  The  conversion  was  effected  in 
about  two  hours,  as  was  also  the  case  when  the  operation  was  con- 
ducted in  a  sealed  tube.  In  both  cases  clear  solutions  were  obtained 
with  only  traces  of  acidity.  The  products  were  assayed  by  the 
ammonium  hydrate  method  and  found  satisfactory.  The  conclu- 
sions are  that  it  is  readily  possible  to  convert  the  insoluble  para- 
formaldehyde into  its  soluble  modification,  formaldehyde,  and  that  it 
would  seem  to  be  more  advantageous  to  produce  paraformaldehyde 
than  formaldehyde  for  commercial  use,  as  the  former  is  more  readily 
manipulated  and  is  easily  rendered  soluble  to  a  suitable  dcj^rec  of 


6oS  Rcctnt  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,     {X'/embeMtsT" 

strength  for  antiseptic  purposes  when  required.  Indeed,  where  an 
antiseptic  powder  is  required  there  is  no  reason  why  paraformalde- 
hyde itself  should  not  be  of  great  service. 

On  exposure  to  air  of  an  aqueous  solution  of  formic  aldehyde 
until  it  dries  up,  there  appears  to  be  formed  not  the  true  para  com- 
pound but  a  mixture  partaking  to  some  extent  of  the  characters  of 
the  substance  (CHaO).,,  described  by  Tollens  and  Mayer  as  being 
formed  when  formic  aldehyde  is  evaporated  over  sulphuric  acid. 
This  substance  was  found  to  melt  at  about  131°  C,  and  was  more 
soluble  in  water  than  paraformaldehyde.  The  polymer  produced  by 
adding  sulphuric  acid  to  formic  aldehyde  had  a  much  higher  melt- 
ing point,  namely,  170°  C.  The  variation  of  the  melting  point 
from  152°  to  172°  C,  ascribed  to  paraformaldehyde  is  no  doubt 
due  to  an  admixture  of  these  two  bodies. 

SYNTHESIS    OF    CANE   SUGAR. 

L.  Marchlewski  (Rocznik  Akad.  Umiej.  Krakowskiej.,  1896)  has 
obtained  cane  sugar  by  the  action  of  acetochlorhydrose  upon  the 
potassium  salt  of  ^-fructose.  The  reaction  is  expressed  by  the  fol- 
lowing equation : 

CH2.OCOCH3     CO2.OH 


(CH.OCOCH3)3  (CH.OH)3  +  4C2H5OH  =  4CH3COOC2Hg  -f 

KCl  +  Ci2H220n. 

CH  -f       COK 

/  / 

o  o 

\CH  —  CI      \ 

Pure  acetochlorhydrose  is  dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  to  the  solution 
freshly  prepared  potassium  levulosate  is  added.  The  mixture  is  left 
to  stand  for  about  seven  days  at  ordinary  temperature  ;  to  complete 
the  reaction  it  is  heated  for  half  an  hour  on  a  water  bath;  next,  the 
potassium  chloride  formed  is  filtered  off,  the  filtrate  evaporated  at 
80°  C,  and  the  residue  dissolved  in  boiling  water.  The  solution 
obtained  is  next  treated  with  a  solution  of  calcium  hydrate,  and  the 
gradually  formed  precipitate  filtered  off,  stirred  in  some  water,  and 
decomposed  with  CO2.  The  calcium  carbonate  is  filtered  off,  and 
the  filtrate  purified  by  calcium  hydrate  in  a  similar  manner.  Finally, 


^^oyimuJX'-^}      I^ecent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  609 

the  aqueous  solution  of  the  sugar  isextracted  with  ether  in  order  to 
remove  the  saccharin,  and  then  evaporated  in  vacuo.  After  some 
days'  standing  the  cane  sugar  formed,  crystallizmgin  the  well-known 
forms.  All  the  reactions  and  physical  properties  agree  with  those 
of  natural  cane  sugar. — Jour.  Soc.  CJieni.  /ndustrj',  ]u\y  31,  1897. 

RARE  METALS  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

In  a  recent  circular  of  a  North  Carolina  mining  company,  the 
claim  is  made  that  the  future  supply  of  some  of  the  rare  metals  will 
come  from  that  State. 

Monajjite  yic\ds  14  to  17  per  cent,  of  cerium  oxide,  the  metal  being 
worth  $2,880  a  pound  troy.  There  are  in  commerce  no  less  than 
twenty-two  preparations  of  cerium,  of  which  the  oxalate  and  nitrate 
are  the  most  important  medicinally. 

Cufnniitc,  found  in  mica  deposits,  yields  50  per  cent,  uranium. 
The  fused  metal  is  worth  I3^j  cents  a  grain,  or  $768  a  pound. 

Lit/iro/>/i i/ite a.nd  amblygonite  contain  from  9  to  10  per  cent,  lithium 
oxide.  The  demand  for  this  metal  has  largely  increased  of  late 
years,  owing  to  the  large  consumption  of  lithia  tablets. 

SURGICAL    ANTISEPTICS    AND    DRESSINGS. 

Antiseptic  Crayons. — L.  Adrian  {^Nouveaiix  Renudes,  13,  483)  has 
proposed  a  number  of  formulas  for  surgical  antiseptics.  The  fal- 
lowing is  a  typical  formula  for  an  antiseptic  cra}'on : 

Corrosive  sublimate o'5oo  graniiiie 

Powdered  talc 25CXX)         " 

Gum  tragacanth 1.500 

Distilled  water   ...        1-- 

^,         .  )  [la  q.  s. 

Glycerm i  * 

For  10  crayons. 

In  place  of  the  corrosive  sublimate  a  number  of  medicinal  sub- 
stances may  be  used  as  antiseptics,  as  boric  acid,  iodoform,  phenol, 
salol,  iodol,  ichthyol,  etc.  Astringent  and  antiseptic  crayons  are 
prepared  by  using  tannin,  alum,  antipyrine,  ergotine  or  ferric  chlor- 
ide. Resolvent  crayons  are  made  with  potassium  iodide,  and  seda- 
tive crayons  with  belladonna,  morphine,  cocaine,  etc. 

Starch,  dextrin  or  sugar  may  be  employed  to  replace  part  of  the 
tragacanth. 

Laminaircs  antiseptiques. — The  dried  pieces  of  the  stems  of  Lami- 
naria  digitata  are  employed  in  place  of  sponge  tents.    The  iaminaria 


6io  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.     {^-^owSe^^i^' 

are  solid,  black  in  color,  and  the  size  of  a  goose-quill,  and  on  coming 
in  contact  with  the  liquids  of  the  economy,  evenly  swell  to  six  times 
their  volume.  Before  introduction  into  the  cavity  the  surface  is 
roughened  by  a  grater  or  file,  and  they  are  then  plunged  for  some 
minutes  in  tepid  water.  They  may  be  preserved  in  one  of  the 
foMowing  solutions  : 

a.  Corrosive  sublimate i  part. 

Absolute  alcohol lOO  parts. 

b.  Corrosive  sublimate      i  part. 

Ether loo  parts. 

c.  Iodoform lo  parts. 

Ether loo  parts. 

Antiseptic  pozvders  are  made  with  an  inert  base,  and  such  sub- 
stances as  sulphocarbolate  of  zinc,  iodoform,  phenol,  corrosive  sub- 
limate, salol,  etc. 

The  following  is  the  formula  of  the  powder  of  Lucas  Champion- 
niere. 

Grammes. 
Iodoform,  finely  powdered  )  _  _ 

Benzoin         "  "         ^^ 93° 

Quinine  "  "  960 

Magnesium  carbonate,  finely  powdered 930 

Oil  of  eucalyptus 120 

This  powder  has  a  great  reputation  for  indolent  ulcers,  and  par- 
ticularly with  sores  of  the  sacrum. 

Kiimmel  has  recommended  common  sand  as  a  basis  for  antiseptic 
powders.  White  sand  is  sieved  and  heated  to  redness,  whereby  it 
is  thoroughly  sterilized;  it  is  then  incorporated  with  corrosive  subli- 
mate, phenol,  iodoform,  etc.,  in  the  proportion  of  5  to  10  per  cent. 


Cloves  and  Caffeine  171  Frajice. — At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Paris  Syndical 
Chamber  of  Chemical  Products,  M.  Adrian  mentioned  that  the  excise  authori- 
ties had  given  distillers  facilities  for  preparing  oil  of  cloves,  which  were  formerly 
not  permitted.  The  cloves  are  admitted  duty  free,  and,  after  having  been  used 
for  preparing  the  oil,  are  burnt  in  the  presence  of  an  excise  officer.  M.  Adrian 
thinks  the  same  favor  might  be  accorded  to  chemists  for  the  preparation  of 
certain  alkaloids,  and  he  especially  referred  to  caffeine  as  being  one  of  the  most 
important  on  account  of  its  increased  use. —  The  Chemist  and  Druggist,  October 
9-  1897. 


^^ivtrber'".:;?;- }  EdUonaL  e  1 1 

EDITORIAL. 

The  following  circular  letter  has  been  received  from  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture : 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Division  of  Chemistry. 

Washington,  D.  C,  September  17,  1S97. 

Dear  Sir: — Under  authority  of  Congress,  the  Department  of  Agriculture  is 
investigating  the  extent  and  character  of  food  and  drug  adulterations,  and  is 
desirous  of  securing  all  the  information  possible  on  the  subject.  Having  been 
appointed  special  agent  to  inquire  into  and  report  upon  this  matter,  the  under- 
signed writes  to  request  that  you  kindly  furnish  the  Department  all  the 
information  you  have  in  regard  to  adulterations,  together  with  any  sugges- 
tions as  to  the  best  remedy  for  the  evil. 

( I)  Do  you  know  of  any  new  adulterant  ?     If  yes,  state  what,  and  how  used; 

(2)  Would    a  national  food  and   drug   law  assist   in   preventing  adulteration  ? 

(3)  Would  uniform  food,  drug  and  pharmaceutical  laws  tend  to  promote  effi- 
ciency and  purity  ?  (4)  Please  suggest  what  would  best  promote  the  interests 
of  consumers  and  legitimate  manufacturers  and  dealers ;  (5)  What  is  your 
opinion  as  to  the  extent  of  damage  done  legitimate  business  by  imitation  of 
brands,  packages,  etc.?  (6)  To  what  extent  do  sophistication,  misbranding  and 
injurious  adulteration  exist?  (7)  Have  State  laws  aided  in  preventing  adul- 
teration ?  To  what  extent?  (8)  Would  a  national  law  assist  State  officials  in 
properly  executing  the  local  laws?  (9)  Have  adulteration,  sophistication  and 
misbranding  increased  or  decreased  ?  Prompt  replies  to  the  above,  together 
with  any  other  information  or  suggestions,  will  be  highly  appreciated. 

Yours  respectfully, 

A.  J.  Wedderburn, 


Special  Agent. 


Approved  : 

James  Wilson, 

Secretary. 


We  confess  to  an  inability  to  answer  some  of  these  questions.  An  affirmative 
reply  to  2  and  3  and  a  correct  solution  of  4  would  leave  nothing  in  the  way  of 
worldly  success  and  happiness,  but  the  indifference  of  Congress  and  the  neglect 
of  that  body  to  pass  the  necessary  laws.  No.  7  we  would  respectfully  refer  to 
the  people  of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

We  predict  that  answers  to  all  the  queries  in  the  letter  will  come  in  slowly* 
but  it  is  possil)le  that  they  may  lead  to  the  compilation  of  a  new  set  of  questions 
not  quite  so  comprehensive.  Certainly  the  Department  of  Agriculture  can  do 
no  l>etter  work  than  collect  information  on  the  extent  and  character  of  food 
and  drug  adulteration,  and  individuals  may  feel  that  they  are  doing  a  public 
service  in  writing  to  the  special  agent,  answering  the  (|ueslions,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, and  in  making  suggestions  as  he  re([uests. 


6 1 2  Reviews,  { VovSlLei?'^' 

REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

Missouri  Botanical  Garden.  Eighth  Annual  Report.  William 
Trelease,  Director.     St.  Louis,  Mo.     1897.     Pp.  236, 

The  Report  for  the  3'ear  1896  contains  :  Report  of  the  Officers  of  the  Board ; 
Eighth  Annual  Report  of  the  Director ;  Scientific  Papers  ;  Library  Contri- 
butions. The  report  of  the  Director  is  always  interesting,  but  this  year  it  is 
made  additionally  so  by  short  accounts  of  the  disastrous  storms  which  visited 
the  Gardens  on  May  21st  and  27th  ;  the  former  being  especially  destructive  on 
account  of  the  accompanying  hail,  and  the  latter  being  cyclonic  in  character. 
"  While  the  grounds  were  not  traversed  by  the  cyclonic  funnel,  but  were 
exposed  only  to  the  strong  northwest  gale  which  accompanied  it,  the  violence 
of  the  wind  was  such  that  a  number  of  the  structures  on  the  grounds  were 
either  unroofed  or  totally  wrecked,  while  some  450  trees,  many  of  them  of 
large  size,  were  wholly  or  practically  destroyed,  and  a  large  percentage  of  those 
left  standing  were  seriously  broken.  A  more  graphic  view  of  the  destruction  of 
the  trees  may  be  obtained  from  the  statement  that  186  cords  of  firewood  have 
been  prepared  from  the  more  workable  trunks  and  larger  branches  of  the  trees 
removed."  It  was  found  necessary  to  expend  over  $4,000  in  such  storm  repairs 
as  could  be  made,  and  the  loss  in  specimen  plants  cannot  be  expressed  in 
money. 

The  herbarium,  during  the  period  of  time  covered  by  this  report,  has 
increased  from  159,046  unmounted  specimens  to  258,629  mounted  specimens, 
protected  by  impregnation  with  corrosive  sublimate. 

The  scientific  papers,  which  occupy  the  bulk  of  the  volume  are:  "The 
Mosses  of  the  Azores,"  by  J.  Cordot ;  "  On  Some  Mosses  Collected  in  Madeira," 
by  William  Trelease;  "Botanical  Observations  on  the  Azores,"  by  William 
Trelease.  The  last  is  very  interesting,  includes  a  catalogue  of  the  plants 
occurring  in  the  Azores,  and  is  illustrated  by  fifty-five  full-page  plates.  The 
other  portions  of  the  book  are  beautifully  illustrated. 

Proceedings  of  the  Nineteenth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Missouri 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  June  8-12,  1897. 

This  is  one  of  the  first  reports  of  this  year's  State  meetings  to  reach  us.  It 
contains  a  number  of  good  original  papers,  among  them  one  by  G.H.  Charles 
Klie,  on  "A  So-called  Tasteless  Quinine."  He  has  done  considerable  work  in 
exposing  the  fraud  of  the  substitution  of  calcium  sulphate  for  quinine  sulphate, 
under  the  name  of  "Flora-China."  This  substance  was  first  shown  at  the 
Montreal  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  in  1896  ;  but 
notwithstanding  the  publicity  given  to  it  there,  it  has  continued  to  flourish  in 
the  Southern  States.  Mr.  Klie  traced  its  origin  to  Hankins  Mook  Company, 
Live  Oak,  Fla. 

Annual  Report  of  the  Clerk  of  Forestry  for  the  Province  of 
Ontario,  1897.     Thomas  South  worth,  Clerk. 

The  following  are  the  chief  subjects  discussed  in  this  interesting  volume  : 
"  The  Crown  Lands  Forestry  Problem  ;  "  "  Forestry  on  the  Farm  ;  "  "  Nature 
Study  in  the  School ;  "  "  Entomology  ;  "  "  The  Manufacture  of  Wood  Char- 
coal." 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.)  Mi^n/tfi^  (\\  1 

November,  1897.    /  lYllHllieS.  OI3 

Report  of  thk  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital 
TO  THE  Contributors.     Philadelphia,  1S97. 

The  report  of  a  charity  which  has  existed  and  flourished  for  a  century  and  a 
half  is  a  matter  that  should  attract  attention,  and  a  careful  perusal  of  it  will 
convince  one  that  this  time-honored  institution  is  one  to  be  proud  of.  The 
volume  is  elaborately  illustrated  with  interior  and  exterior  views  of  the 
buildings. 

Early  American  Chemical  Societies.  By  H.  Carrington  Bolton,  Ph.D. 
Reprint  from  \y\^  Journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  August,  1897. 

The  author  makes  out  a  very  interesting  historical  account  of  the  early  efforts 
of  chemists  to  associate  for  mutual  benefit.  The  Chemical  Society  of  London, 
the  oldest  in  Europe,  was  founded  in  1S41,  forty -nine  years  after  the  first  Amer- 
ican society.     The  early  American  societies  are  summarized  as  follows  : 

I.  The  Chemical  Society  of  Philadelphia,  founded  in  1792. 

II.  The  Columbian  Chemical  Society  of  Philadelphia,  founded  in  1811, 

III.  The  Delaware  Chemical  and  Geological  Society,  founded  in  1S21. 

The  account  of  the  active  workers  in  these  societies  constitutes  the  main 
body  of  the  paper. 

Uhber  FlechtENSTOFFE,  von  O.  Hesse.  Reprint  from  Berichte  der 
Deutschen  Chcmischcn  Gesellscha/t,  30,  1S93. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

Philadelphia,  October  19,  1S97. 

The  first  of  the  series  of  pharmaceutical  meetings  for  1897-98  was  held  in  the 
College  Museum,  with  J.  W.  England  in  the  chair.  The  reading  of  the  minutes 
of  the  last  regular  meeting  was  omitted  and  they  were  allowed  to  stand  as 
published. 

The  chairman  then  called  for  the  presentation  of  specimens.  Dr.  C.  B.  Lowe 
showed  some  extraordinarily  fine  samples  of  asafetida  which  he  had  procured 
from  the  Smith.  Kline  &  French  Company,  of  this  city,  they  having  received  it 
in  original  packages  from  Bombay,  through  London.  He  also  showed  some 
samples  of  Japanese  f)ersimmons  from  Florida,  where  they  are  grown  to  a  con- 
si<lerable  extent  by  grafting  the  wild  variety.  Prof.  Trimble  presented,  on 
behalf  of  Mr.  Charles  Bullock,  quite  a  collection  of  minerals  and  ores  for  the 
cabinet  of  the  College.  The  chairman  showed  a  colchicum  plant  which  had 
been  place<l  in  alcohol  while  in  bloom  and  which  also  was  intcnde<i  for  the 
cabinet.  Prof.  Triml;le  move<i  that  a  vote  of  thanks  be  extended  Mr.  Bullock 
for  his  valuable  donation,  and  it  was  so  ordered. 

The  reading  and  discussion  of  papers  next  occupietl  the  attention  of  the 
meeting,  and  the  first  one  presented  was  on  "  An  Examination  of  Some  Ofilicial 
Lead   Preparations,"  by  F.  W.  Haussmnnn. 

This  paper  gave  evidence  of  much  careful  and  thoughtful  work  on  the  part  of 
the  author,  and  the  criticisms  and  suggestions  contained  therein   were  of  an 


5 14  Minutes.  {% 


Am.  Joiir.  Pharm. 
ovember,  1897. 


eminently  practical  and  useful  kind.  The  chairman  spoke  in  complimentary 
terms  of  the  paper,  and  said  that  suggestions  whereby  rapid  methods  could  be 
adopted  were  of  great  value  to  the  pharmacist. 

Prof  Remington  said  that  detailed  methods,  such  as  Mr.  Haussmann  described, 
were  very  valuable  to  the  Committee  on  Revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  and 
that  he  had  done  pharmacy  a  distmct  service  by  this  work. 

"International  Congresses"  was  the  subject  of  a  paper  by  Prof.  J.  P.  Reming- 
ton. The  author  took  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  question  of  international 
gatherings,  and  while  he  portrayed  the  ideal  congress,  he  did  not  lose  sight  of 
the  real  difficulties  which  attend  all  such  undertakings.  He  believed  in  con- 
sidering conditions  as  they  actually  exist,  and  that  by  so  doing,  many  of  the 
hindrances  which  retard  the  successful  issue  of  international  scientific  gather- 
ings could  be  eliminated. 

A  paper  entitled  "  Balsam  Copaiba,  Oil  of  Copaiba,  Mass  Copaiba,  Resin 
Copaiba  and  Gurjun  Balsam  "  was  presented  by  Lyman  F.  Kebler. 

This  paper  embodied  the  results  of  an  examination  of  a  number  of  samples 
of  the  above  substances.  The  author  said  that  on  account  of  the  number  of 
varieties  of  copaiba  and  the  unknown  composition  of  them,  their  qualitative 
analysis  was  attended  with  difficulty.  The  data  presented  by  him  was  there- 
fore intended  to  supply  this  deficiency. 

In  discussing  the  active  constituents  of  copaiba,  Dr.  Lowe  said  that  there 
seemel  to  be  some  misapprehension  among  physicians  as  to  the  particular 
effect  of  each  of  these.  He  said  that  the  volatile  oil  has  a  stimulating  action, 
while  the  acid  resin  is  a  diuretic. 

The  last  paper  on  the  programme  was  presented  by  the  chairman,  J.  W. 
England,  and  was  on  the  question,  "  Shall  Distilled  and  Fermented  Liquors  be 
Dismissed  from  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia?" 

Notwithstanding  the  interpretation  placed  by  many  upon  the  attitude  of  the 
Government  on  the  subject  of  alcoholic  liquids,  the  author  believed  that  the 
above  question  had  no  bearing  upon  the  saloon  question.  He  looked  upon 
these  liquids  as  drugs,  and  urged  retaining  them  in  the  Pharmacopoeia  and 
demanding  them  of  a  certain  quality. 

His  remarks  occasioned  considerable  applause,  and  the  subject  was  freely 
discussed  by  the  members  present. 

Wm.  B.  Thompson  was  in  favor  of  dismissing  whiskey  from  the  Pharmaco- 
pfjeia  since  it  entered  into  no  official  preparation.  He  furthermore  believed 
that  the  official  wines  would  serve  their  purpose  as  well  if  made  with  alcohol 
of  the  required  strength. 

Dr.  Lowe  was  of  the  opinion  that  alcohol  was  the  only  therapeutic  constitu- 
ent of  these  liquids,  but  that  the  bouquet  made  them  more  palatable,  which  was 
an  argument  for  retaining  them. 

C.  Carroll  Meyer,  referring  to  the  sale  of  liquor  in  stores,  believed  that  drug- 
gists were  honorable  in  this  respect,  and  that  very  few  of  them  sold  it,  except 
in  Prohibition  States,  without  the  physician's  order. 

Mr.  Kebler  took  the  negative  side  of  this  question,  and  said  that  he  had 
examined  samples  of  wine  and  found  many  which  were  adulterated  and  others 
which  were  artificial  products  colored  with  aniline  dyes.  He  believed  that 
many  victims  of  the  alcohol  habit  were  attracted  by  the  so-called  bouquet  who 
might  not  otherwise  have  persisted  in  the  habit. 


.^NovembeMX}  Notcs  and  Nezvs.  615 

MINUTES  OF  MEETING  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE 

COLLEGE. 

The  stated  quarterly  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  College  was  held  Septem- 
ber 27th,  at  4  o'clock  P.M.,  Vice-president  Jenks  presiding.  Minute  of  previous 
stated  meeting  read  and  adopted.  Minutes  of  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
for  Jul}'  and  September  presented  and  approved.  The  secretary  referred  to  the 
subject  of  a  proposed  uniform  pharmacy  law  for  the  States,  concerning  which 
this  College  was  requested  to  send  a  form  or  draft  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Sec- 
tion on  Education  and  Legislation  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association. 
The  consideration  of  the  subject  having  been  postponed  for  the  want  of  suffi- 
cient time,  it  was  again  resolved  to  defer  action  until  some  more  definite  pro- 
gress or  report  should  be  made  by  the  Committee  of  the  Association.  In 
obedience  to  the  direction  given  the  secretary,  there  was  presented  and  read 
the  opinion  of  the  legal  counsellors  of  the  College,  upon  the  purpose  contained 
in  the  interrogatories  submitted  by  Mr.  Boring  at  the  June  meeting.  These 
questions  involved  the  constitutionality  of  certain  proposed  by-laws  which  were 
contemplated  as  an  amendment  to  the  existing  code.  On  motion,  it  was 
resolved  to  receive  and  file  this  report.  Mr,  Boring  objected  to  this  method  of 
disposing  of  the  subject  of  this  report,  and  desired  that  the  matter  should  be 
discussed  at  the  present  meeting.  Whereupon  Mr.  Beringer  moved,  and  the 
motion  was  carried,  that  the  chairman  should  appoint  a  committee  of  five  inem- 
l>ers  who  should  consider  the  propositions,  and  report  upon  the  same  at  the 
next  stated  meeting.  The  chairman  named  Messrs.  Beringer,  Boring,  Stedem, 
Weidemann  and  Cliffe  as  members  of  this  committee.  Prof.  vSadtler  reported, 
verbally,  at  length,  on  behalf  of  the  delegates  of  the  college  to  the  sessions  of 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  upon  the  proceedings  of  that  bo<ly  at 
the  recent  meeting  in  August.  The  terms  of  Messrs.  Krewson,  Weidemann 
and  Kline,  as  trustees,  expiring  with  this  date,  and  these  gentlemen  being 
re-nominated  without  opposition,  the  secretary  was  instructed  to  cast  an  affirma- 
tive ballot,  which,  being  done,  all  were  declared  to  be  elected.  The  decease  of 
Prof.  Bastin  creating  a  vacancy  in  the  Board  of  Trustees,  nominations  for  this 
position  were  called  for.  Upon  the  nominations  being  made,  and  the  votes  of 
candidates  recorded,  the  tellers  announced  that  Mr.  C.  Carroll  Meyer  had 
received  the  highest  number  and  was  therefore  duly  elected. 

The  meeting,  on  motion,  adjourned. 

Wii.Li.\M  B.  Thompson,  Secretary. 


NOTES  AND  NEWS. 


Tribuna  Farmaclutica  is  the  name  of  a  new  pharmaceutical  journal  in 
Buenos  Ayres.  It  is  the  organ  of  the  Circulo  Farmaceutico  Argeutino.  The 
publishing  co:nmittee  consists  of  Jos^'  Bonauni,  Dr.  Estanislao  Zubieta,  Victor 
B.  Molina,  Bernardo  Nespral  and  Lino  Vifias  Loureiro. 

The  first  two  numbers  of  eight  pages  each  are  made  up  partly  of  matters 
relating  to  members  and  of  professional  interest,  and  contain  original  articles 
on  the  estimation  of  tannin,  on  some  incompatibilities  and  on  the  rapid  and 
economic  preparation  of  hydrogen  peroxide. 

This  new  journal  bids  fair  to  publish  considerable  original  matter. 


6i6 


Obituary 


f  Am.  Jour.  Pharin. 
I    November,  1897. 


The  Cinnamomums  of  Neiu  South  Wales. — A  paper  was  read  at  the  July 
meeting  of  the  Linnean  Society  by  R.  T.  Baker,  assistant  curator  Technical 
Museum,  on  the  Cinnamomums  of  New  South  Wales,  with  a  special  research 
on  the  oil  of  C.  Qliveri,  Bailey. 

The  genus  Cinnamomum,  hitherto  unrecorded  for  New  South  Wales,  is  now 
showni  to  occur  over  a  large  area  of  the  coastal  district,  being  represented  by 
two  species,  C.  Oliveri,  Bailey,  C.  virens,  sp.  nov  The  former  species  has  in 
the  past  been  mistaken  in  the  northern  colony  for  Beilshmiedia  obtusifolia,  and 
has  only  recently  been  identified  as  a  Cinnamomum  ;  very  probably  the  same 
confusion  of  species  has  occurred  in  this  colony.  C.  virens  appears  to  stand 
somewhat  alone,  its  affinities  with  known  species  not  being  very  marked. 
Descriptions  of  the  timber,  gall-fungus,  bark  and  oil  are  given.  The  oil 
obtained  from  C.  Oliveri  is  highly  aromatic,  and  is  found  to  contain  cinnamic 
aldehyde,  eugenol,  together  with  other  constituents.  The  bark  gave  nearly 
one  per  cent  of  oil.  It  is  hoped  that  a  new  commercial  product  may  result  from 
these  investigations. —  The  Pharmaceutical  Jour7ial  of  Australasia,  August 
28,  1897.  

OBITUARY. 

Athafiase  Roidot,  who  for  forty-nine  years  conducted  a  drug  store  in  the 
vicinity  of  Eighth  and  Vine  Streets,  this  city,  died  on  October  9th,  at  his  resi- 
dence, 905  Buttonwood  Street.     He  was  born  nearly 
eighty  years  ago,  in  France,  and  came  to  this  country 

H^^K  'mimlmam       ^^  ^^  early  age. 

^^^VIj^^V^^BH  He  learned  the  drug  business  in  his  native  country, 

I^^^^B    -     **^^^^      and  when  he  came  to  this  city  he  entered  the  employ 

of  Blias  Durand,  who  at  that  time  had  a  store  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Sixth  and  Chestnut  Streets.  Mr. 
Roidot  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy  in  1852. 

Peter  Lund  Sifnjuonds,  whose  portrait  we  present 
with  this  sketch,  died  in  the  Charterhouse,  London, 
October  3d,  in  the  eightj'-third  year  of  his  age. 

The  deceased  was  formerly  well  known  as  a  writer 
on  applied  science  and  as  having  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  management  of  several  of  the  large  international 
exhibitions.  He  was  born  at  Aarhuus,  Denmark,  in 
1814,  but  spent  most  of  his  life  in  England.  He  was  an  extensive  writer  on 
agricultural  and  food  topics  and  commercial  matters  in  general,  including  the 
subject  of  drugs,  and  was  not  an  infrequent  contributor  to  this  Journal.  He 
was  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Technologist,  1862-66,  dM^\.\i^fournal  of  Applied 
Science,  1870-81 .  Of  his  other  published  works  the  following  may  be  mentioned  : 
"The  Commercial  Products  of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom,"  "Waste  Products  and 
Undeveloped  Substances,"  "Waste  Products,  A  New  and  Enlarged  Edition," 
"Tropical  Agriculture,  New  and  Enlarged  Edition,"  and  "A  Hand-book  of 
British  Commerce." 

Mr.  Simmonds  had,  at  different  times  during  his  life,  been  elected  to  mem- 
bership in  various  literary  and  technical  societies,  including  several  representa- 
tive agricultural  societies  and  the  Society  of  Arts,  London,  and  in  1896  was 
elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 


QUERCUS  PHELLOS,   L.— WILLOW  OAK. 


THE    AMERICAN 

JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 


DECEMBER,  iSgy. 


THE   WILLOW   OAK. 
By  Henry  Trimble. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  oaks  in  this  vicinity  is  the 
Quercus  Phellos,  L.,  or  willow  oak.  While  it  is  not  of  great  value 
from  an  economic  standpoint,  it  nevertheless  affords  the  means  of 
profitable  study  by  the  botanist.  The  casual  observer,  if  he  did  not 
notice  the  tiny  acorns,  would  pronounce  it  a  willow  tree,  and  its 
resemblance  to  the  latter,  especially  in  the  matter  of  fohage,  is  very 
striking.  It  has,  therefore,  always  been  regarded  with  curiosity,  and 
judging  from  the  correspondence  of  Peter  Collinson  and  John  Bar- 
tram,  it  is  evident,  from  the  appeals  o\  the  former  for  specimens, 
that  it  was  especially  a  botanical  curiosity  in  London  over  a  century 
ago. 

About  thirty-five  years  ago  the  late  Professor  Procter  visited, 
with  S.  H.  Buckley,  a  grove  of  willow  oaks  near  Mount  Holly,  N.  J., 
for  the  purpose  of  identifying  one  among  them  which  showed  some 
variations  in  foliage.  Mr.  Buckley  contributed  a  paper  on  this  oak 
to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  and  published  it  with  additions 
in  the  American  Journ.\l  of  Pharmacy,  for  March,  1862.  Evidently 
these  two  men  decided  that  the  peculiar  member  o(  the  group  was 
Bartram's  oak,  Quercus  heterophylla,  Michx.and  that  it  was  merely 
a  variety  of  the  willow  oak  and  not  a  hybrid.  It  may  be  said  that 
this  opinion  is  held  by  many  at  the  present  day,  although,  according 
to  Sargent,  it  is  a  hybrid  of  the  willow  oak  with  Quercus  vclutina, 
and    Britton   and    Brown   state   that  it  is  probably  a  hybrid  of  the 

(617) 


5i8  Willow  Oak.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pbara 
December.  1807. 


willow  oak  with  Q.  rubra.  Gray  gives  the  combination  as  Q. 
Phellos  with  Q.  rubra  or  coccinea. 

Some  pertinent  remarks  on  "  Hybrids  in  Nature,"  by  Thomas 
Meehan,  have  recently  appeared  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia  (1897,  p.  194),  in  which,  using 
the  oaks  as  an  illustration,  he  shows  that  hybridization  will  not 
account  for  the  variations  in  this  genus. 

The  willow  oak  is  found  along  the  coast  of  the  Eastern  United  States, 
from  Long  Island,  New  York,  southward  to  Florida,  and  thence 
westward  to  Missouri  and  Texas.  It  prefers  low,  moist  ground,  and 
is  quite  common  in  the  lowlands  on  both  sides  of  the  Delaware 
River,  south  of  Philadelphia.  It  has  also  become  more  common  of 
late  years  by  cultivation  as  an  ornamental  tree. 

In  this  latitude  it  is  a  rather  small  tree,  rarely  exceeding  a  height 
of  40  to  50  feet,  but  further  south  it  attains  a  maximum  of  80  feet, 
and  a  diameter  of  3  feet. 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
foliage,  which  is  rather  densely  crowded  at  the  ends  of  the  branches. 
Nearly  all  the  illustrations  of  the  acorns  which  are  figured  in  books 
on  the  subject  are  far  from  being  true  representations.  Sargent's 
"  North  American  Silva  "  is,  however,  a  notable  exception  in  this 
respect.  In  the  present  instance  the  illustration,  being  a  photo- 
graphic reproduction,  differs  from  the  natural  object  only  by  a  slight 
reduction  in  size. 

As  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  paper,  the  willow  oak  has  not 
attained  any  great  economic  value,  and  most  writers  give  it  a  poor 
name.  No  less  an  authority,  however,  than  Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  of 
Mobile,  Ala.,  says  the  wood  is  hard,  very  elastic,  compact,  and  suit- 
able for  railway  carriages  and  many  other  purposes. 

It  is  hoped  that,  ere  long,  something  will  be  forthcoming  from  the 
Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  College,  on  the  composition  of  the 
bark,  which  has  been  under  investigation  for  some  time.  So  far  as 
the  tannin  is  concerned,  the  bark  does  not  appear  to  be  sufficiently 
rich  to  warrant  its  use  in  the  manufacture  of  leather. 

For  the  photograph  from  which  the  illustration  was  made  I  am 
indebted  to  my  friend.  Dr.  Charles  Schaffer. 


''S^"m^r?i8^"}  Laboratory  Notes,  619 

LABORATORY  NOTES. 
By  Charles  H.  LaWall. 

The  question  of  stability  in  pharmaceutical  preparations  is  one 
which  has  received  comparatively  little  consideration.  A  process 
for  making  a  tincture  or  a  fluid  extract  is  considered  satisfactory 
when  little  or  no  precipitation  takes  place  after  standing  for  some 
time. 

The  methods  for  alkaloidal  assaying,  which  are  in  use  at  the 
present  time,  are  of  such  recent  origin  that  very  few  data  have  been 
recorded  as  to  the  stability  of  such  preparations  as  may  be  assayed. 

In  a  few  years  such  facts  as  these  will  have  been  published  and  a 
better  knowledge  will  have  been  obtained  regarding  the  character 
of  the  precipitate  which  forms  in  many  fluid  extracts  and  tinctures. 

In  the  case  of  fluid  extract  of  ipecac,  the  author  has  an  op- 
portunity of  recording  the  alkaloidal  assay  of  a  sample  which  was 
made  by  the  late  Prof.  John  M.  Maisch  while  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  Government  hospital  laboratories  during  the  Rebellion. 

No  knowledge  can  be  obtained  as  to  the  alkaloidal  strength  of 
the  preparation  as  originally  made,  or  the  quality  of  the  drug  which 
was  used  in  manufacturing  it;  but,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  assays 
considerably  above  the  standard  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  thirty 
years,  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  fluid  extract  of  ipecac,  as  made  by 
the  process  in  use  at  that  time,  is  a  stable  preparation. 

The  process  described  in  the  i860  Pharmacopoeia,  by  which  this 
preparation  was  no  doubt  made,  is  essentially  as  follows  : 

Si.xtecn  troy  ounces  of  powdered  ipecac  are  exhausted  by  percola- 
tion with  alcohol,  and  the  alcohol  is  distilled  off"  until  a  syrupy  liquid 
remains  ;  this  is  mixed  with  i  fluid  ounce  of  acetic  acid  and  10 
fluid  ounces  of  water,  and  boiled  gently  until  it  is  reduced  to  8  fluid 
ounces  (this  separates  resinous  matter) ;  the  liquid  is  then  filtered 
and  made  up  to  8  fluid  ounces  in  volume  by  the  addition  of  water, 
after  which  it  is  mixed  with  8  fluid  ounces  of  alcohol. 

In  the  1890  Pharmacopoeia  the  process  is  very  different 
1,000  grammes  of  powdered  ipecac  are  percolated  with  a  men- 
struum consisting  of  3  parts  of  alcohol  to  I  part  of  water;  i,ooo 
c.c.  of  fluid  extract  are  made.  This  is  a  different  drug  strcngtli  in 
the  finished  preparation.  The  i860  preparation  has  about  1,055 
grammes  of  drug  to  each  i  ,000  cc,  the  alcoholic  strengths  of  the 
menstrua  differ,  and  the  present  official  process  dispenses  with  the 


620  Laboratory  Notes.  { ^SlcimbenS"- 

acetic  acid,  as  formerly  used.  These  differences  indicate  that  it 
would  not  be  wise  to  conclude  that  a  preparation  made  by  the 
present  officinal  process  would  keep  as  well  as  the  one  recorded 
here. 

The  preparation  is  of  undoubted  authenticity,  and  was  obtained 
throug[hthe  kindness  of  Mr.  Frederick  Sher,  of  the  Smith,  KHne  & 
French  Company,  in  whose  possession    it  has  been  for  many  years. 

It  bears  a  label  stating  that  it  was  "prepared  at  the  U.  S.  A.  Labor- 
atory, Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1864."  The  bottle  has  the  words  :  "  U.  S.  A. 
Hos[).  Dept.,"  blown  in  the  glass,  which  is  of  a  very  deep  blue 
color.  The  bottle  had  been  so  carefully  sealed  that  no  apparent 
evaporation  of  the  liquid  had  taken  place  when  it  was  received  by 
the  author.  It  has  a  pleasant  acetic  odor  and  strong  characteristic 
taste,  and  the  sides  of  the  bottle  are  covered  with  a  resinous  de- 
posit, the  quantity  of  which  could  not  be  determined. 

For  the  assay,  a  sample  was  carefully  decanted  so  as  to  avoid 
transferring  any  precipitate  which  might  contain  the  alkaloids.  The 
process  of  Keller  was  followed,  titrating  the  varnish-like  residue  by 
means  of  decinormal  sulphuric  acid  and  centinormal  potassium  hy- 
drate, using  haematoxylin  as  indicator.  The  alkaloidal  strength 
was  2  76  per  cent.,  calculated  as  emetine.  As  2  00  per  cent,  is  the 
present  standard  adopted  by  manufacturers  who  assay  this  prepara- 
tion, it  has  lost  little  or  no  alkaloid  after  a  period  of  thirty-three 
years.  It  speaks  well  for  the  quality  of  the  drug,  and  the  thor- 
oughness of  the  manipulation  used,  and  would  compare  favorably 
with  our  present  day  products,  made  by  so-called  improved  appara- 
tus and  perfected  methods. 

Japan  Wax. — In  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  for  Janu- 
ary, 1897,  the  author  published  an  article  on  the  extensive  adultera- 
tion of  Japan  wax  with  starch.  Since  that  time  more  than  300 
cases  of  Japan  wax  (aggregating  60.000  pounds)  have  been  exam- 
ined, all  of  which  complied  with  the  requirements  of  a  normal  pro- 
duct. The  melting  point  ranged  from  50°  to  54°  C;  the  specific 
gravity  Irom  0965  to  0984;  the  acid  number  from  1798  to  2045, 
and  the  saponification  value  from  21793  to  224-86. 

In  physical  characters  there  was  a  slight  variation;  some  of  the 
samples  seemed  to  be  more  greasy  than  others,  this  being  notice- 
able either  by  pressing  the  wax  between  the  fingers  or  by  masticat- 
ing a  small  portion.     Such  a  slight  difference,  however,  might  be 


^^emberX"}  Laboratory  Notes,  621 

due  to  variations  in  the  ap^e   of  the   product   or   in    the  methods  of 
preparinfT^  it  for  the  market 

Mercurial  Ointment  —  A  nu Tiber  of  samples  of  mercurial  oint- 
ment, made  by  reputable  manufacturers,  were  examined.  The  per- 
centage of  metallic  mercury  was  found,  in  every  case,  to  approxi- 
mately  a^^ree  with  the  amount  claimed  upon  the  label. 

Calcium  Phosphate  Precipitated — Several  large  consignments  of 
this  substance  were  found  to  contain  a  great  quantity  of  carbonates. 
In  one  case  the  amount  of  calcium  carbonate  present  reached  40  per 
cent. 

The  use  of  such  a  product  in  the  manufacture  of  tincture  of  opium 
by  the  formula  in  the  1890  Pharmacopoeia  would  result  in  the  reten- 
tion of  tlie  morphine  and  the  consequent  worthlessness  of  the  prep- 
aration. An  unsuspecting  druggist,  using  it  in  this  manner,  might 
render  himself  liable  to  prosecution  for  dispensing  tincture  of  opium 
below  the  legal  standard,  or  the  dispensing  of  such  an  inert  prep- 
aration upon  a  prescription  might  contribute  to  the  death  of  a 
patient. 

The  occurrence  of  such  products,  which  eventually  find  their  way 
into  the  market,  emphasizes  the  necessity  for  that  personal  exam- 
ination of  goods  which  it  is  the  duty  of  each  druggist  to  make. 
Honest  manufacturers  have  nothing  to  fear  from  this,  while  those 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  furnishing  inferior  goods  would  either  be 
compelled  to  raise  their  standard  or  go  out  of  business. 

Beeswax. — The  record  of  the  samples  of  beeswax  examined  dur- 
ing the  present  year  was  very  unfavorable,  notwithstanding  the 
number  of  reputable  dealers  who  are  interested  in  the  ])urification 
and  sale  of  this  product. 

Sixteen  (16)  samples  were  examined.  Of  these  but  seven  (7) 
answered  all  of  the  requirements  of  a  pure  wax;  five  (5)  contained 
small  quantities  of  stearic  acid,  indicated  by  an  acid  number  of 
about  2500  and  verified  by  Fehling's  test;  one  (i)  contained  a 
larger  amount  of  stearic  acid  (acid  number,  4692),  and  three  (3) 
contained  paraffin  in  varying  quantities,  the  acid  numbers  ranging 
from  453  to  1255. 

Those  samples  which  contained  paraffin  were  of  a  suspicious 
appearance  and  feel,  but  the  presence  of  such  small  quantities  of 
stearic  acid  as  indicated  by  an  acid  number  of  25,  does  not  materi- 
ally alter  the  appearance  of   the  wax,  while   it   totally  unfits  it  for 


622  Coloring  of  Various  Tannin  Matters,    {^^d^^l-^%^- 

some  purposes,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  its  use  in  Htho- 
graphic  work. 

Such  a  shght  contamination  should  be  looked  upon  as  accidental, 
rather  than  wilful  adulteration,  and  those  who  buy  the  wax  from 
the  producer  should  carefully  examine  it  before  refining,  as  it  is  pos- 
sible for  it  to  have  its  origin  in  a  manner  which  is  very  well  known 
to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  details  of  apiculture,  namely, 
in  the  use  of  artificial  comb  foundation,  which  is  purchased  by 
many  bee-keepers  to  save  part  of  the  labor  of  the  colony  and  insure 
regularity  in  the  building  of  the  comb. 

Contaminations  originating  in  this  manner  are  frequent,  and  the 
blame  rests  upon  the  manufacturer  of  the  artificial  comb  foundation. 

305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia. 


THE   YELLOW    COLORING   PRINCIPLES   OF   VARIOUS 

TANNIN    MATTERS.^ 

By  a.  G.  Perkin, 

The  author  continues  his  investigation  of  tanning  materials,  with 
the  object  of  studying  the  yellow  coloring  principle  which  is  so 
often  found  associated  with  the  tannin  in  plants,  and  also  for  the 
purpose  of  determining  the  relationship  between  the  coloring  matter 
and  tannin,  by  the  character  of  their  decomposition  products. 

Cape  sumach,  Colpoon  compressum,  was  first  examined.  The 
leaves  (which  constitute  the  part  utilized),  roughly  broken,  were 
extracted  in  a  Soxhlet's  apparatus,  first  with  ether  to  remove  wax 
and  chlorophyll,  and  then  with  alcohol,  which  dissolved  both  color- 
ing matter  and  tannin.  The  alcoholic  extract,  after  being  evaporated 
to  a  small  bulk,  was  poured  into  water,  and  the  mixture  extracted 
with  ether.  The  aqueous  liquid  was  freed  from  the  small  amount 
of  alcohol  remaining  by  distillation,  and  on  cooling  became  semi- 
solid, owing  to  the  production  of  crystals.  These  were  collected  and 
washed  with  ether,  chloroform,  and  dilute  alcohol  until  the  washings 
were  colorless.  The  yellow  product  obtained  was  further  purified 
by  crystallizations  from  dilute  alcohol  and  a  final  crystallization 
from  boiling  water. 

Experiments  showed  this  substance  to  be  a  glucoside,  which,  on 
decomposition  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  yielded  a  yellow  coloring 

^Ahsit^ci^d.iTom\h^  Journal  0/ the  Chemical  Society,  London,  October,  1897. 


^Dl^eSr?^'"  }      Coloring  of  Various    Tannin  Matters.  623 

principle  as  one  of  the  products.  The  acetyl  derivative  of  this 
crystallized  from  alcohol  in  colorless  needles  melting  at  189°  to 
191°.  By  fusion  with  alkali  two  crystalline  decomposition  products, 
namely,  phloroglucinol  and  protocatechuic  acid,  vere  obtained.  These 
properties,  together  with  an  examination  of  its  dyeing  and  other 
properties,  clearly  showed  the  coloring  principle  resulting  from  the 
decomposition  of  the  foregoing  glucoside  to  be  quercetin. 

To  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  sugar  liberated  in  the  above  action, 
the  osazone  derivative  was  prepared.  This  consisted  of  glistening 
yellow  needles  melting  at  205°,  and  was  apparently  dextrosazone. 

Of  the  three  distinct  glucosides  of  quercetin  which  have  been 
described,  the  one  under  consideration  was  found  to  resemble 
viola-quercitrin,  in  that  it  yielded  quercetin  and  glucose  on  decompo- 
sition. The  author  proved,  however,  that  they  were  not  identical, 
and  proposed  to  name  the  substance  obtained  by  him  Osyriiin  from 
Osyris  compressa,  another  name  for  Cape  sumach. 

The  tannin  obtained  from  the  filtrate,  from  which  the  osyritin  had 
been  separated,  was  examined  to  determine  its  general  characters. 
It  was  found  to  be  a  tannin  glucoside,  and  to  closely  resemble  quino- 
tannic  acid  and  quinovatannic  acid,  which  are  decomposed  by  acid 
into  a  sugar  and  an  anhydride,  and  yield  protocatechuic  acid  on 
fusion  with  alkali. 

A  study  wasmideof  the  coloring  principles  of  the  two  varieties 
of  commercial  catechu,  namely,  gambier  and  acacia  catechus.  The 
identity  of  the  coloring  principle  of  the  former  variety  with  quercitin, 
as  reported  by  Lowe  {^Zcit.  anal.  C/ieni.,  1 874, 12,  1 2'/),  was  confirmed, 
and  while  the  properties  of  the  principle  from  the  latter  variety  in- 
dicated that  it  was  also  identical,  it  was  not  obtained  in  sufficient 
quantity  for  ultimate  analysis,  4CX)  grammes  of  catechu  yielding  only 
005  grammes  of  coloring  matter. 

Rhus  cotinus,  the  Venetian  variety  of  sumach,  next  received  at- 
tention, and  the  coloring  principle,  determined  to  be  myricetin  in- 
stead of  quercetin,  as  reported  by  Lowe.  It  yielded,  with  dilute 
alkalies,  a  deep  green  solution,  and  its  acetyl  derivative  crystallized 
in  colorless  needles,  melting  at  203°-204^.  Owing  to  the  excessive 
adulteration  which  is  practised  with  this  product,  the  author  does 
not  consider  his  results  in  this  case  as  final,  but,  nevertheless,  regards 
them  as  extremely  suggestive. 

Of  other  tannin   matters,  the  following  fruits  and  seeds  were  ex- 


624 


Coloring  of  Various   Tannin  Matters.      { 


Am.  Joor.  Pharm. 
December,  1897. 


amined  :  "  Valonia,"  the  acorn  of  Quercus  aegilops  ;  *'  Dividivi,"  the 
seed  pods  of  Caesalpinia  coriaria  ;  "  Myrabolans,"  the  unripe  fruit  of 
Terminalia  chebula ;  "  Algarobilla,"  the  seed  pods  of  Caesalpinia 
brevifoha;  pomegranate  rind,  Punica  granatum;  and  gall  nuts,  Quer- 
cus infectoria.  An  exhaustive  investigation  of  these  products  by 
numerous  methods  showed  that  they  contained  no  member  of  the 
quercetin  or  allied  series,  but  all  were  found  to  depend,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  upon  ellagic  acid  alone  for  their  dyeing  properties. 
They  are  all  very  similar  in  this  respect.  Experiments  were  made 
with  woollen  cloth  mordanted  with  chromium,  aluminum,  tin  and 
iron.  For  the  sake  of  comparison,  some  of  the  results  were  tabu- 
lated, as  follows : 


Chromium. 

Aluminum. 

Tin. 

Iron. 

Ellagic  acid    .   .   . 

Pale  green-olive- 
yellow 

Pale  olive-yellow 

Scarcely  dyed 

Somewhat 
olive -gray-black 

Valonia  nuts  .   .   . 

Green  -olive-yellow 

Faint  olive 

Scarcely  dyed 

Weak  gray-black 

Pomegranate  rind 

Yellow-olive 

Faint  olive 

Scarcely  dyed 

Weak  bluish-gray- 
black 

Gall  nuts 

Green-olive 

Faint  olive 

Scarcely  dyed 

Purplish-black 

The  following  table  was  presented  to  show  the  intimate  connec- 
tion between  the  coloring  principles  and  the  tannin  matters  in  the 
plants  examined,  for,  on  decomposition,  the  same  acid,  and,  in  some 
cases,  the  same  phenol  was  obtained  from  both  : 


Quebracho  Colo- 
rado   


Rhus  coriaria  .   . 
Rhus  cotinus  ,   . 

Gambier  Catechu ' 
Acacia  Catechu 


Acacia  catechu  .   . 

Colpoon    compres- 
sum 

Dividivi,  etc.  .  .  . 


Tannin. 


Quebrachotannic 
acid 


Gallotannic  acid 
Catechin 

Catechin 
A  catechol  tannin 

Ellagitanuic  acid 


Decomposition 

Products  of 

Tannin. 


Phloroglucinol 

and  protocate- 

chuic  acid 

Gallic  acid 


Phloroglucinol 

and  protocate- 

chuic  acid 


Protocatechuic 
acid 


Coloring 
Matter. 


Fisetin 


Myricetin 
quercetin 

Myricetin 
quercetin 


Quercetin 


Gllag^c  acid 


Decomposition  Pro- 
ducts of  Coloring 
Matter. 


Resorcinol  and  pro- 
tocatechuic acid 


Phloroglucinol  and 
gallic  acid 

Phloroglucinol  and 
protocatechuic  acid 


Phloroglucinol  and 
protocatechuic  acid 


^li^emlJJ'm?! }      Vegetation  of  Yellowstone   Hot  Springs.  625 

THE  VEGETATION  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE  HOT 

SPRINGS. 
By  John  W.  Harshberger,  Ph.D. 

The  actual  discovery  of  the  Yellowstone  Wonderland,  by  which 
is  meant  its  full  and  final  disclosure  to  the  world,  was  the  work  of 
three  parties,  who  visited  and  explored  it  in  the  years  1869,  1870 
and  1 87 1.  Althouf^h,  since  the  last  date,  much  has  been  written 
concerning  the  f^eolofj^ical  and  physiof^raphical  features  of  the  park 
set  aside  by  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1872,  little  has  been  writ- 
ten concerning  the  flora  of  the  region,  and  what  has  been  published 
deals  almost  entirely  with  the  plants  from  a  systematic  standpoint. 

Situated  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Wyoming,  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  at  an  elevation  ranging  from  6,000  to  12,000  feet,  the 
region  is  one  of  high  and  lotty  mountains,  of  deep  caiions  walled  in 
by  precipitous  sides,  and  of  beautiful  upland  valleys,  the  natural 
haunts  of  the  timid  herbivora  that  seek  the  mountain  meadows  for 
the  tender  and  nutritious  grasses  which  grow  there  luxuriantly. 
The  pasturage  in  many  of  the  meadows  and  valleys  is  excellent, 
being  formed  by  the  growth  of  such  grasses  as  alpine  timothy, 
Flileum  alpinum,h\uQ  ]o\t\X.,  Calamagrostis  Canadensis,  sheep's  fescue, 
Festuca  ovina,  Koelena,  KceUria  cristata.  The  herbaceous  vegetation 
is  not  so  striking  as  in  many  other  regions,  but  still  the  distribution 
of  such  species  as  do  occur  is  interestmg.  In  the  lakes  and  rivers 
we  find  the  aquatic  vegetation  to  consist  of  Ranunculus  aquattlis, 
Nupliar  advena,  Nupliar  polycephalum,  Utricularia  vulgaris,  Lcniua 
trtsulca,  Typha  latijolia,  Sparganium  simplex,  etc.  Near  the  head 
of  Yellowstone  Lake  is  found  Subularia  aquatica,  a  plant  of  quite  a 
remarkable  distribution,  found  nowhere  else  in  America  except  in 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire.  Gentiana  detonsa,  Spraguea  unibellata 
are  striking  plants.  The  meadows  and  hillsides  are  spangled  with 
bright-colored  flowers,  among  which  may  be  noted  the  bee  larkspur, 
Delphinium  Mcnzicsii,  the  columbine,  Aquilegia  Jlavescens,  the  hare- 
bell, Campanula,  ihc  aconite,  Aconitum  Columbianu;n,  the  lupine,  Lu- 
pinus,  the  evening  primrose,  CEnothcra,  the  aster,  the  painted  cup,  Cas~ 
tilUia.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  scarcely  a  night  passes  through- 
out the  summer  without  frost,  so  that  the  herbaceous  plants  grow 
and  bloom  under  somewhat  unusual  conditions.  The  fringed  gen- 
tian, Gentiana  dctonsa,  closes  its  flowers  as  night  approaches,  to 
open  them  again  in  the  morning,  and   many  other  plants  provided 


626  Vegetation  of  Yelloivstone  Hot  Springs.      { ^Dei^imber^^ST""* 

with  a  hairy  or  woolly  covering  are  thus  secure  against  frost  action. 
The  plants  of  the  Yellowstone  region,  as  far  as  observed,  are  well 
adapted  to  their  surroundings. 

The  forests  are  formed  by  one  tree  predominating,  Pinus  contorta, 
var.  Murrayana,  which  grows  tall  and  straight,  but  never  reaches 
any  considerable  girth.  Interspersed  among  the  pines  we  find  sev- 
eral other  arborescent  species,  namely,  Douglass  spruce,  Pseiidotsuga 
DoHglasii,  the  largest  tree  in  the  park;  balsam,  Abies  subalpina,  pine, 
Pinus  Engelmannii,  red  cedar,  Juniperiis  Virginiana,  poplar,  Popu- 
lus  tremuloides,  and  willow,  Salix,  of  several  species.  These  forests 
are  of  great  importance  in  conserving  the  rain  which  falls.  Many 
of  the  most  important  rivers  of  the  western  United  States  rise  in 
this  region,  the  Missouri,  the  Yellowstone,  the  Wind,  the  Big  Horn, 
the  Platte,  the  Green  (afterward  the  Colorado),  and  the  Snake, 
which  flows  through  Wyoming,  Idaho  and  Washington,  emptying 
into  the  Columbia,  and  thus  reaches  the  Pacific. 

Yellowstone  Park,  notwithstanding  its  wild  grandeur  as  a  moun- 
tain domain,  is  yet  more  interesting  on  account  of  the  geological 
wonders  which  are  found  within  its  boundaries,  namely  the  geysers 
and  hot  springs.  The  geysers  are  actively  throwing  up  in  jets  at 
periodic  intervals,  steam  and  boiling  water ;  the  hot  springs  are 
either  quiescent,  or  are  bubbling  and  boiling  without  explosive  erup- 
tion. They  are  found  in  four  distinct  areas  in  the  Park;  the  geysers 
and  the  hot  springs  in  the  Upper,  Lower  and  Norris  Geyser  Basin, 
hot  springs  only  in  the  Mammoth  Hot  Spring  Region.  This  divis- 
ion also  accords  with  the  predominating  chemical  content  of  the 
waters.  In  the  Upper,  Lower  and  Norris  Geyser  Basins,  we  have 
springs  and  geysers  which  are  actively  depositing  silicious  material 
(sinter);  in  the  Mammoth  Hot  Spring  Basin,  springs  which  are 
forming  calcareous  deposits,  called  travertine. 

Much  inquiry  has  been  instituted  concerning  the  therapeutic  value 
of  the  mineral  spri  ngs  of  the  Park.  Many  hot  spring  regions  through- 
out Europe  and  America  are  resorted  to  by  thousands  in  search  of 
health.  The  hot  springs  of  Virginia  are  visited  by  hundreds  every 
year.  It  is  said  of  the  Yellowstone  region,  that  the  first  explorers 
to  ascend  the  Gardiner  River,  in  1871,  found  numbers  of  invalids 
encamped  on  the  banks,  where  the  hot  waters  from  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs  enter  the  stream  ;  and  it  is  recorded  that  they  were  most 
emphatic  in  their  favorable  impressions  in  regard  to   their  sanitary 


^D^mi!4r  'J^'"  !       Vegetation  of   Yellowstone  Hot   Springs.  627 

effects.  No  one  now  goes  to  the  Park  on  account  of  its  mineral 
waters.  It  would,  therefore,  be  premature  to  assume  that  there  is 
no  medicinal  virtue  in  them.  Two  great  drawbacks  are  to  be 
encountered,  and  these  alone  are  sufficient  to  explain  why  the  Yel- 
lowstone will  probably  never  become  a  resort  for  invalids.  Inacces- 
sibility, length  and  severity  of  the  winters  are  sufficient  obstacles 
to  the  National  Park  ever  becoming  such  a  resort.  The  open 
summer  season  lasts  only  about  three  months. 

The  hot  springs  and  geysers,  on  the  other  hand,  are  interesting 
to  the  geologist,  because  of  the  remarkable  phenomena  connected 
with  their  origin  and  activity ;  to  the  botanist  they  are  fascinating, 
because  of  the  low  forms  of  vegetal  life  found  existing  in  them 
even  at  high  temperatures. 

As  before  stated,  the  waters  which  run  from  the  hot  springs  and 
geysers  of  the  Yellowstone  may  be  comprehended  under  two  heads — 
those  which  deposit  silica,  as  sinter,  and  those  which  form  calcium 
carbonate,  as  travertine.  The  last-mentioned  substance  is  only 
found  in  the  Mammoth  Hot  Spring  Basin  ;  the  latter  makes  up  the 
characteristic  formations  of  the  Norris,  Lower  and  Upper  Geyser 
Basins.  The  question  naturally  arises,  how  are  the  beautiful  terraces 
which  surround  many  of  the  hot  spring  centres  formed  ?  Are  they 
not  simply  built  up  by  the  deposition  of  new  material  from  the  over- 
flow water,  as  it  evaporates  and  cools  at  the  surface  ?  At  first  sight, 
it  would  seem  that  the  craters  and  bowls  of  the  geysers  and  hot 
springs  were  foimed  in  this  way,  because  we  know  that  boiling 
water,  under  pressure,  will  dissolve  and  hold  in  solution  much  more 
inorganic  material  than  ordinary  river  or  spring  water  at  the  normal 
temperature,  and  that  in  many  instances,  when  the  pressure  is 
relieved  and  the  temperature  lowered,  the  water  will  precipitate  its 
mineral  contents. 

In  the  case  of  the  richly  carbonated  waters  of  the  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs,  calcium  carbonate  is  deposited  by  the  relief  of  pressure,  by 
the  escape  of  the  carbon  dioxide  and  by  the  evaporation  of  the 
water ;  but  this  physical  process  is  not  the  sole  cause  of  the  varied 
and  beautiful  terraces,  which  will  presently  be  described.  At  th<* 
Norris  Geyser  Basin,  relief  of  pressure  and  cooling  will  cause  a 
separation  of  silica  from  the  hot  waters,  but  the  waters  of  the  other 
geyser  basins  contain  very  much  less  silica,  and,  as  far  as  has  been 
observed  by  geologists,  neither   relief  of  pressure   nor  cooling  will 


628  Vegetation  of  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs.     { ^Declmber?i^"- 

produce  a  separation  of  the  silica.  Water  collected  from  the  springs 
and  o^eysers  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Geyser  Basins  was  perfectly 
transparent,  and  remained  clear  and  without  sediment  after  standing 
for  several  years.  Experiments  showed  that  the  silica  in  these 
waters  remained  dissolved,  even  when  the  water  was  cooled  down  to 
the  freezing  point,  and  it  was  only  after  the  crystallization  of  the 
water  by  freezing  that  the  silica  was  separated  and  settled  down  as 
an  insoluble  flocculent  precipitate  upon  melting  the  ice. 

How,  then,  are  we  to  account  for  the  production  of  the  exquisite 
terraces,  mounds,  pools  and  geyser  cones?  It  has  been  proved,  in 
addition  to  the  causes  operative  in  the  above  instance,  that  the  rapid 
deposition  of  the  sinter  and  travertine  from  both  classes  of  water  is 
due  to  the  action  of  vegetation  in  removing  the  carbon  dioxide  from 
carbonated  waters,  thus  depositing  calcium  carbonate,  and,  in  the 
case  of  the  silicious  waters,  depositing  by  the  activity  of  the  proto- 
plasm a  gelatinous  silica,  which,  upon  exposure,  finally  hardens. 
We  know,  from  numerous  observations,  that  plants  are  active  in 
rock  building  and  disintegration. 

The  plants  of  the  Carboniferous  Period,  by  their  death  and  con- 
solidation, formed  the  extensive  and  useful  coal  beds.  Sphagnum 
and  mosses  compacted  yield  peat,  and,  in  some  cases,  soft  coal.  Sili- 
cious diatoms  have  given  rise  to  extensive  diatomaceous  earths. 
In  several  of  the  higher  algae,  for  example,  Halimeda  opuntice,  the 
carbonate  of  lime  deposited  by  the  plant  forms  a  sieve-like  cover 
about  the  tips  of  the  algal  filaments,  and,  in  Acetabulariay  it  occurs 
as  a  tube  about  the  stalk  of  the  plant.  In  the  charge  the  lime  is 
separated  and  deposited  in  the  cells  and  cell  walls  of  the  back  alone, 
while  in  the  Corallines  it  is  found  only  within  the  cells.  Nor  is  our 
knowledge  of  the  activity  of  protoplasm  in  the  deposit  of  mineral 
substance  solely  confined  to  plants.  We  know  that  many  animals 
secrete  silex  and  carbonate  of  lime,  foraminifera,  coral  polyps  and 
molluscs  generally.  Before,  however,  we  can  understand  the  part 
which  vegetation  has  played  in  forming  the  travertine  and  sinter 
beds  of  the  Yellowstone  Park,  we  must  become  familiar  with  the 
general  appearance  and  character  of  the  deposits  themselves. 

First  in  importance  among  the  many  points  of  interest  accessible 
are  the  Hot  Spring  Terraces.  These  have  been  built  one  upon 
another,  until  the  present  active  portion  constitutes  a  hill  rising  300 
feet  above  the  site  of  the  Mammoth   Hot   Springs  Hotel.     The  for- 


'^K;«m^ri*,^}      Vegetation  of  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs.  629 

mation  about  these  springs,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  calcareous, 
and  to  this  fact  is  due  its  distinctive  character,  so  different  from  the 
silica  formations  which  prevail  elsewhere  in  the  Park.  •*  The  over- 
hanging bowls  which  these  deposits  build  up  are  among  the  finest 
specimens  of  Nature's  work  in  the  world,  while  the  water  that  fills 
them  is  of  that  peculiar  beauty  to  be  found  only  in  thermal  springs." 
Cleopatra  Spring,  Jupiter  Terrace,  Pulpit  Terrace,  Minerva  Terrace, 
are  among  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  of  the  active  springs. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  is  a  pool  filled  with  pellucid  water  in  vio- 
lent ebullition.  The  sides  and  bottom  of  the  basin  are  formed  of  pure 
white  travertine,  while  the  varying  depths  cause  the  water  to  appear 
all  shades  ot  blue  and  green,  from  a  deep  peacock  blue  in  the  deeper 
parts  of  the  bowl,  to  the  lightest  of  Nile  greens  in  the  shallow  re- 
cesses. In  wandermg  about  the  terraces,  one  is  much  impressed 
with  the  brightly  tinted  basins  about  the  springs,  and  the  red  and 
orange  colors  of  the  slopes  overflowed  by  the  hot  waters.  These 
colors  are  due  to  the  presence  of  the  microscopic  plants,  algai  of 
several  forms  and  species.  In  the  cooler  springs  and  channels  simi- 
lar vegetation  forms  the  bright  green,  orange  or  brown  mem- 
brane-like sheets,  or  masses  of  jelly  without  apparent  vegetal  struc- 
ture. Silken  yellow  filaments  are  found  in  bowls  and  channels  of 
the  hottest  springs.  Words  fail  to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
massive  marble-like  terraces,  rising  tier  upon  tier,  and  the  exquisite 
coloring  of  their  sides  and  the  margins  of  the  bowls  filled  with 
steaming  hot  water  of  most  magnificent  iridescent  hues. 

The  silicious  formations  are  similar,  although  not  raised  in  ter- 
races so  grand  or  imposing,  simply  because  the  formation  of  silicious 
sinter  is  much  slower  than  the  formation  of  the  travertine,  and 
because  the  region  seems  to  be  of  later  geologic  age.  Many  of  the 
geyser  cones  are  bee-hive  in  shape,  of  a  white  adamantine  like 
appearance,  and  are,  as  a  rule,  delicately  colored  by  pale  greens  and 
pinks  of  exquisite  variation.  The  many  hundreds  of  springs  of  the 
Upper  Geyser  Basin,  where  they  are  seen  at  their  best,  are  generally 
characterized  by  the  transparent  clearness  of  the  water,  which 
appears  of  varying  shades  of  blue  and  green,  according  to  the  depth 
and  amount  of  light  admitted.  Morning  Glory  Spring  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  springs  of  the  Park,  with  a  funnel-shaped  cone  sug- 
gesting the  flower,  and  with  walls  most  delicately  colored. 

Black    Sand    Basin    is,    however,   most     interesting   tor  our  pur- 


630  Vegetation  of  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs.      [^^^^:^^;£X'^- 

pose.  The  description  of  Dr.  Peale  is  interestingly  comprehensive, 
and  is  as  follows :  "  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  springs  in  the 
Upper  Basin.  It  has  a  delicate  rim,  with  toadstool-like  masses 
around  it.  The  basin  slopes  rather  gently  toward  a  central  aperture, 
that,  to  the  eye,  appears  to  have  no  bottom.  The  water  in  the 
spring  has  a  delicate  turquoise  tint,  and  as  tiie  breeze  sweeps  across 
its  surface,  dispelling  the  steam,  the  effect  of  the  ripple  of  the  water 
is  very  beautiful.  The  sloping  sides  are  covered  with  a  light  brown 
crust ;  sometimes  it  is  rather  a  cream  color.  The  funnel  is  about 
40  feet  in  diameter,  while  the  entire  space  covered  by  the  spring 
is  about  55  X  60  feet,  outside  the  rim  of  which  is  a  border  of  pitch 
stone  (obsidian)  sand  or  gravel,  sloping  25  feet.  From  its  west 
side  flows  a  considerable  stream,  forming  a  most  beautiful  chan- 
nel, in  which  the  coloring  presents  a  remarkable  variety  of  shades ; 
the  extremely  delicate  pinks  are  mingled  with  equally  delicate  tints 
of  saffron  and  yellow,  and  here  and  there  shades  of  green." 

The  overflow  from  this  spring  spreads  out  over  a  large  area,  called 
Specimen  Lake,  where  absorption  of  the  silica  from  the  water  has 
destroyed  many  of  the  trees  of  the  vicinity,  the  dry,  lifeless  trunks 
adding  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  place  by  affording  the  appear- 
ance of  petrifactions.^  All  of  these  exquisite  masses  of  colors  which 
are  found  lining  the  pools,  filling  the  overflow  channels  and  spread- 
ing out  flat  in  the  lower  marshy  places,  are  due  to  the  growth  of 
vegetal  organisms  belonging  to  the  bacteria  and  algae. 

Walter  H.  Weed^  describes  the  appearance  of  the  Black  Sand 
Basin  and  channels  filled  with  algal  growths :  "  As  the  water  from 
this  spring  flows  along  its  channel  it  is  rapidly  chilled  by  contact 
with  the  air  and  by  evaporation,  and  is  soon  cool  enough  to  permit 
the  growth  of  the  more  rudimentary  forms  which  live  at  the  highest 
temperature.  These  appear  first  in  skeins  of  delicate  white  filaments 
which  gradually  change  to  pale  flesh-pink  farther  down  stream.  As 
the  water  becomes  cooler,  this  pink  becomes  deeper,  and  a  bright 
orange  and  closely  adherent  fuzzy  growth,  rarely  filamentous, 
appears  at  the  border  of  the  stream,  and  finally  replaces  the  first- 
mentioned  forms.  This  merges  into  yellowish-green,  which  shades 
into  a  rich  emerald  farther  down,  this  being  the  common  color  of 
fresh-water  algai.    In  the  quiet  waters  of  the  pools  fed  by  this  stream 

'  Haynes-Guptill,  Guide  to  Yellowstone  Park,  p.  68. 

'  Weed,  Ninth  Annual  Report  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  p.  657. 


^Decimberl^'"  }      VegetatwH  of   Yellowstone  Hot  Springs.  631 

the  algae  present  a  different  development,  forming  leathery  sheets  of 
tough  gelatinous  material,  with  coralloid  and  vase-shaped  forms  ris- 
ing to  the  surface,  and  often  filling  up  a  large  part  of  the  pool. 
Sheets  of  brown  or  green,  kelpy  or  leathery,  also  line  the  basins  of 
warm  springs  whose  temperature  does  not  exceed  140°  F.,  but  in 
springs  having  a  higher  temperature  the  only  vegetation  present 
forms  a  velvety,  golden-yellow  fuzz  upon  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the 
bowl.  This  growth  is  rarely  noticed  in  springs  where  the  water 
exceeds  160°  F.,  except  at  the  edge  of  the  pool.  If  the  basin  is 
funnel-shaped,  with  flaring  or  saucer-shaped  expansion,  algae  grow 
in  the  cooler  and  shallower  water  of  the  margin,  forming  concentric 
rings  of  yellow,  old  gold  and  orange,  shading  into  salmon-red  and 
crimson,  and  this  to  brown  at  the  border  of  the  spring.  Around 
such  springs  the  growth  at  the  margin  often  forms  a  raised  rim  of 
spongy,  stiff  jelly,  sometimes  almost  rubber-like  in  consistency,  and 
red  or  brown  in  color.  Evaporation  of  the  water  drawn  up  to  the 
top  of  such  rims  leaves  a  thin  film  of  silica,  which  thickens  to  a  crust 
and  so  aids  in  the  production  of  a  permanent  sinter  rim." 

Near  some  springs,  for  example  near  the  Emerald  Pool,  algal 
channels  are  formed  and  the  waterway  is  floored  with  a  sheet  of 
olive  or  emerald  green,  kelpy  jelly.  Where  there  is  a  moderate 
current,  this  lining  is  nearly  smooth,  resembling  a  sheet  of  wet 
leather,  but  in  quieter  waters  this  soft  carpet  is  dotted  with  little 
warty  excrescences,  and  little  pillars  produced  by  the  upward  growth 
of  the  algae;  the  pillars  sometimes  terminate  by  balloon-like  caps 
or  globes  containing  bubbles  of  gas.  When,  by  their  upward 
growth,  these  pillars  reach  the  surface  of  the  pool,  they  increase 
rapidly  in  diameter,  and  form  flat,  cap-shaped  formations  which 
sometimes  merge  into  table-like  expansions  of  quite  peculiar  form^ 
The  continued  growth  of  new  pillars  dams  up  the  outlet,  and  the 
water  collecting  forms  .shallow  lagoons  or  pools  of  varying  degrees 
of  temperature.  As  the  temperature  changes,  the  nature  of  the 
growth  changes,  the  bright-colored  algous  jelly  lorming  the  outer 
covering  of  the  pillars  changes  to  light  salmon-pink,  and  the  sub- 
stance itself  becomes  noticeably  silicious,  or  forms  a  filmy  web  upon 
the  silicious  centre. 

It  has  been  for  some  time  known  that  the  hot  springs  of  the 
world  support  various  growths  of  microscopic  plants.  Agardh  and 
Corda  recognized  and  described  such  in  the  hot  .springs  of  ('arlsbad, 


632  Vegetation  of  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs,      { '^D^cimb'eri^sT' 

Bohemia.  Later,  Cohn,  in  1 862,  showed  that  the  algae  of  these 
springs  deposited  travertine.  Sir  Wilham  Hooker,  in  1809,  found 
CONFERVACE/E  at  the  borders  of  many  of  the  hot  springs  there.  Con- 
ferva  liniosa,  C.  flavescens,  C.  rivuiaris  were  abundant  in  the  water. 
Baring  Gould,  who  visited  the  Icelandic  geyser  region  in  1864, 
found  in  the  overflow  channels  of  the  spring,  Tunguhver,  a  species 
of  the  genus  Hyp/ieothrix,  common  in  hot  waters  all  over  the  world. 
In  New  Zealand,  the  presence  of  algae  in  hot  springs  has  been  deter- 
mined. In  the  hot  springs  of  the  Azores,  Mr.  Moseley  found  algae 
forming  a  pale  yellowish-green  layer  an  inch  and  a  half  thick.  The 
temperature  of  the  water  was  176°  F.  to  194°  F.  A  thick,  brilliant 
green  growth,  consisting  of  Chroococcus  was  found  at  the  edge  of  a 
shallow  pool  of  hot  water,  where  the  temperature  was  between 
149°  F.  and  156°  F. 

In  the  hot  springs  of  the  Yellowstone  no  plant  life  has  been  found 
at  a  temperature  exceeding  185°  F.,  some  degrees  below  the  boil- 
ing point  of  water,  which,  at  the  altitude  of  the  park  (7,000-8,500 
feet)  is  198°  F.  The  most  luxuriant  growth  of  algae  is  found  in 
water  which  has  cooled  down  to  a  temperature  of  104°  F.  to  122°  F. 
In  water  of  a  temperature  ranging  from  100°  F.  to  125°  F.,  we 
have  the  greatest  display  of  color,  because  many  green  algae  can 
live  in  water  of  that  degree  of  heat.  In  the  hottest  waters  (185^  F.) 
only  white  filamentous  bacteria  are  found,  which  gradually  become 
of  a  sulphur-yellow  color  at  175°  F.  This  yellow  growth  is  due  to 
a  species  of  Beggiatoa,  a  plant  which  may  be  classed  with  the  Bac- 
TERiACE^,  and  which,  during  life,  deposits  sulphur  granules. 

As  the  water  cools  down,  other  forms  of  vegetable  lite  appear^ 
give  variety  to  the  colorations  and  give  beauty  to  the  borders 
of  the  hot  pools  and  overflow  channels  leading  from  them.  The 
sequence  of  temperatures  and  of  colors  is  somewhat  as  follows: 
white,  160°  F.-i85°  F.;  yellow,  145°  F.-i6o°  F.;  red,  130°  F;  green, 
110°  F.-i30°  F.;  green-orange-brown,  95°  F.  There  are  varia- 
tions, however,  in  the  sequence  of  these  colors,  owing  to  various 
environmental  conditions.  Thus,  in  the  Black  Sand  Basin  and 
Specimen  Lake,  the  range  of  color  is  somewhat  this:  White,  yel- 
low, flesh  pink,  bright  pink,  yellowish-green,  emerald. 

Studying  the  growths  at  the  several  temperatures,  we  find  Lepto- 
tkrix  laminosa  growing  at  135°  F..-i85°  ^  \  Phormidiiim  at  165°  F.; 
Beggiatoa  at  i  50°  F.-i65°  F»  and  Spirulina  at  a  lower  temperature. 


^i^imber*:i?^°  ;      VcgetatwH  of  Yeilowstotte  Hot  Springs.  633 

Gleocapsa,  a  blue-green  alga,  is  found  growing  on  the  sides  of  gey- 
ser cones,  where  steam  is  escaping,  forming  there  a  delicate  olive- 
green  coloration.  A  kind  of  fibrous  sinter  is  formed  by  the  growth 
of  the  little  alga,  Calothrix  gypsophila,  or  the  young  form  of  MaUigo- 
nema  tkermaU,  the  latter  olive  colored,  and  forming  the  sinter  of 
the  crater  of  the  Excelsior  Geyser.^  A  coarse  sinter  is  due  to  a 
bright  red  species,  Leptothrix,  a  finer  variety  to  Leptothrix  [Hypheo- 
thrix)  laminosa,  ranging  in  color  from  white  to  flesh  pink,  yellow 
and  red  to  green,  as  the  water  cools.  Besides  the  above  plants, 
which  belong  to  the  Bacteriace.*:  and  the  CvANOPHYCEi*:,  speak- 
ing in  a  general  way,  we  find  that  several  mosses,  Musci,  are  active 
in  the  formation  of  sinter  on  the  slopes  below  Hillside  Spring. 
These  springs  issue  from  the  rhyolite  slopes  beneath  the  cliffs  of 
the  Madison  Plateau,  and  the  waters,  whose  temperatures  are 
184°  F.-I98°  F.,  contain  both  silica  and  lime  in  solution,  which 
they  deposit  in  their  downward  flow.  This  moss  has  been  deter- 
mined by  Prof.  Charles  R.  Barnes,  of  the  University  ol  Wisconsin, 
to  be  Hyptium  aduncum,  var.  grasilcscens,  Br.  and  Sch. 

Besides  the  sinter  and  travertine  formed  by  algae,  which  remove 
in  the  case  of  the  carbonated  waters,  containing  calcium  bicarbonate, 
Ca  (HCOj)^,  in  solution,  the  gaseous  carbon  dioxide,  thus  depositing 
calcium  carbonate,  CaCOj,  we  have  stalactites  produced  by  the 
growth  of  several  algse,  Gleocapsa  violacca,  Schizothrix  calcicola, 
Synechococcus  (Bruginosus  and  Phortnidiuui  [Leptothrix)  laminosum. 
An  interesting  account  of  the  formation  of  these  stalactites  has  been 
given  to  us  by  Miss  Jo.sephine  Tilden,  who  visited,  recently,  the 
Yellowstone  Park. 

In  the  tepid  waters  of  the  overflow  basins,  for  example  Speci- 
men Lake,  which  is  produced  by  the  water  from  the  Black  Sand 
Pool,  we  find  extensive  diatomaceous  beds  formed  by  the  growth  of 
numerous  diatoms.  The  water  of  these  areas  has  encroached  on 
the  timber,  killing  the  trees,  which  stand  as  bare  poles  from  the 
treacherous  marshes.  It  is  known  that  these  plants  deposit  silica, 
as  a  box,  test,  or  frustule,  and  it  is  thus  by  the  activity  of  the  proto- 
plasm that  the  silicious  diatomaceous  earths  are  formed.  Samples 
of  this  material  show  the  presence  of  Denticula  valida,  which  forms 
the  bulk  of  the  material,  Denticula  clegans,  Navicula  major,  N.  virt- 
dis,  Epithema,  Cocconema,  etc. 


634  Pomegranate  Rind.  {^S^'imber^T 

It  seems  likely  to  me,  in  studying  the  vegetation  of  hot  springs, 
notwithstanding  the  statements  of  Prof.  Ernst  Haeckel,  of  Jena, 
in  his  interesting  work, "  Systematische  Phylogenie  der  Protisten  und 
Pflanzen,"  that  the  early  forms  of  life  on  this  globe  were  green  uni- 
cellular algae,  and  from  these  by  retrogression  and  development 
other  forms  have  sprung,  animal  life  appearing  later  than  plant,  it 
seems  to  me,  I  repeat  it,  that  we  must  look  to  the  hot  springs  for 
the  most  primitive  forms  of  life,  because  the  temperature  conditions 
are  such  as  more  nearly  to  simulate  the  conditions  existing  when 
this  world  of  ours  was  in  a  highly  heated  state,  when  seismic  phe- 
nomena were  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception.  It  would  be  neces- 
sary in  order  to  establish  this  proposition  to  investigate  compara- 
tively the  vegetation  of  all  the  hot  springs  of  the  globe,  before  it 
would  be  safe  to  make  such  a  general  declaration  as  to  the  origin 
of  vegetal  life. 

The  above  ecological  sketch  sufficiently  discloses  the  salient  char- 
acters of  the  interesting  geysers  and  hot  springs  of  the  Yellowstone 
Park.  In  preparing  this  article,  the  writer  has  endeavored  to  give 
the  results  of  personal  observation  on  the  spot  during  eight  days  of 
August,  1897.  He  has  been  materially  aided  in  its  preparation  by 
the  following  papers  and  books,  which  give  a  somewhat  more 
detailed  account  of  the  Yellowstone  Wonderland: 

BIBI^IOGRAPHY. 

1887-88,  Weed.     Ninth  Annual  Report  U.  S.  Geological  Survey y  p.  619. 
1895,  Chittenden.    The  Yellowstone  National  Park,  Historical  and  Descrip- 
live. 
1897,  Haynes  and  GuptilIv.     Guide  to  Yellowstone  Park, 
1897,  Davis,  in  Scie^ice,  N.  S.,  I.,  p.  145  (July  30). 
1897,  TiLDEN,  in  Botanical  Gazette,  September,  1897. 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  November  16,  1897. 


POMEGRANATE   RIND. 


By  Henry  Trimbi^e. 
Contribution  from   the   Chemical   Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 

Pharmacy.  No.  171. 
At  this  season  of  the  year  pomegranate  fruit  is  frequently  seen 
on  the  market  stalls  of  Philadelphia  and  other  Northern  cities,  and 
is  brought  here  from  Spain.  Small  quantities  ot  the  fruit  are  raised 
in  the  Southern  States  and  in  California,  but  so  far  it  has  never 
attained  much  popularity  with  us,  partly,  no  doubt,  on  account  of 


^D^im^riST}  Pofnegranate  Rind.  635 

the  price,  but  more  because  we  have  not  tried  the  exceedingly  juicy 
and  slightly  acid  pulp. 

Since  the  main  object  of  this  paper  is  to  consider  the  constituents 
of  the  rind  or  peel,  it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  on  the  history, 
source,  etc.,  of  the  plant  and  its  fruit,  as  full  descriptions  of  them 
are  to  be  found  in  several  text-books. 

The  rind  of  the  fruit  has  long  enjoyed  a  reputation  in  medicine 
as  an  astringent,  especially  in  chronic  cases;  it  also  possesses,  in 
some  degree,  the  anthelmintic  properties  of  the  root  and  stem 
barks. 

The  most  important  constituents  of  the  rind  are  the  yellow  color- 
ing matter  and  the  tannin  ;  the  former  has  been  employed  consider- 
ably as  a  dye,  especially  in  producing  yellow  morocco  leather.  The 
tannin  has  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  leather  in  nearly  all  the 
countries  where  the  fruit  is  found. 

The  writer  has  always  been  somewhat  skeptical  about  the  high 
percentages  of  tannin  which  have  been  reported,  and  has  undertaken 
to  verify  or  refute  them. 

The  fresh  rind  from  some  Spanish  pomegranates  purchased  in  the 
Philadelphia  market  gave  the  following  results : 

Per  Cent. 

Moisture 56"66 

Ash  in  absolutely  dry  substance 392 

Tannin         "  "  "  28-38 

The  figures  obtained  by  Mr.  Griffith  H.  Maghee,  a  student  in  the 
Laboratory,  confirmed  these,  although  his  estimations  were  made  on 
different  lots  of  rind.  Others  have  reported  from  20  to  30  per  cent, 
of  tannin. 

FlLickiger  found  5  90  per  cent,  ash  in  the  rind  dried  at  IOO°  C,  as 
in  the  above  case.  A  recent  estimation  on  a  new  lot  of  rind  gave 
me  3  68  per  cent,  ash  in  dry  substance. 

A  quantity  of  the  tannin  was  extracted  from  the  rind  with  ace- 
tone, and  purified  according  to  the  usual  method  ;  on  drying  at  120° 
it  yielded,  on  combustion,  the  following  results : 

Per  Cent. 

Carbon ...    52- 11 

Hydrogen  4' 17 

Oxygen  4372 

100  00 
A  portion  of  the  tannin  dissolved  in  water  gave  the  following  char- 
acteristic  reactions : 


636  Digestive  Power  of  Pepsin,  { ^^ecimber*;^^"' 

Ferric  salts Blue-black  precipitate. 

Bromine  water No  precipitate. 

Calcium  hydrate      Yellowish  ppt. ,  turning  brown. 

These  reactions  correspond  with  those  of  gallotannic  acid,  and  the 
combustion  results  show  a  composition  very  similar  to  the  same 
acid,  so  it  may  safely  be  concluded  that  the  tannin  of  pomegranate 
rind  is  identical  with  gallotannic  acid.  This  is  in  accord  with  the 
results  obtained  by  CuUey'  on  the  tannin  of  the  root  bark. 

'  American  JournaIv  of  Pharmacy,  1894,  page  280. 


THE  DIGESTIVE  POWER  OF  PEPSIN  IN  THE  PRESENCE 

OF  ALCOHOL.^ 

By  C.  Symes,  Ph.D. 

Some  years  ago  I  conducted  a  series  of  experiments  with  a  view 
of  determining  the  relative  digestive  value  of  the  various  pepsins 
then  on  the  market,  and  published  the  result  of  the  inquiry.^  Subse- 
quently I  was  requested  to  continue  and  extend  the  investigation  for 
publication  in  one  of  the  medical  journals,  and  in  consequence  I 
gained  some  amount  of  experience  in  this  kind  of  work.  The  experi- 
ments were  carefully  conducted  and,  after  a  lapse  of  time,  were 
repeated  by  a  French  investigator,  who  confirmed  my  results.  Time, 
"  which  tries  all  things,"  also  testified  to  their  correctness,  for  the 
pepsin,  which  was  then  mostly  prescribed  and  relied  on,  has  since 
practically  disappeared  from  the  market,  its  quality  having  been 
found  by  experience  to  be  inferior  to  that  of  similar  preparations  by 
other  makers.  Apart  from  the  relative  value  of  various  pepsins,  I 
also  experimented  on  the  digestive  power  possessed  by  pepsin  in 
the  presence  of  alcohol,  and  found  that  its  activity  was  reduced  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  alcohol  present.  From  this  I  drew 
deductions  which  I  have  since  learned  to  modify,  although  the  facts 
remain.  I  condemned  wine  as  a  vehicle  for  the  administration  of 
pepsin  because  of  its  property  of  retarding  the  activity  of  the  medici- 
nal agent  it  carried,  and  recommended  in  the  place  thereof  a  solu- 

^  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  November  6,  1897. 

•2  Pharmaceutical  Journal  (3),  IV,  i.    See  also  note  on  "Latent  Pepsin,"  by  G 
W.  C.  Phillips,  in  Pharmacist,  VIII,  200,  and  "Year  Book  of  Pharmacy,"  1875 
p.  317  ;  paper  on  "Pepsin  and  Alcohol,"  by  M.  Bardet,  Nouveaux  Rem^aes^ 
1887,  p.  243,  and  Pharmaceutical  Journal  (3),  XVII.1,93;  and  paper  on  "Pepsin 
Wine,"  J.  Clark,  Pharmaceutical  Journal  (3),  XXII,  597. 


^^"ra"^er':i^"}  Digestive  Powcr  of  Pepsin.  637 

tion  of  fresh  pepsin  in  raspberry  vinegar.  This  constitutes  an  excel- 
lent preparation,  and  at  present  I  know  of  no  better;  but  the  public 
never  took  very  well  to  this  "  pepsin  elixir,"  as  many  persons  have  a 
decided  objection  to  acids.  It  has,  however,  been  prescribed  with 
satisfactory  results. 

The  experiments  referred  to  were  conducted  in  glass  bottles 
placed  in  a  water-bath  kept  at  a  uniform  temperature  of  100°  F.  by 
means  of  a  Reichart's  thermo-regulator.  The  importance  of  adopt- 
ing the  same  temperature  on  all  occasions  when  conducting  com- 
parative experiments  was  rendered  evident  by  increasing  the  tem- 
perature to  1 10^  F.,  when  digestion  was  found  to  proceed  much 
more  vigorously  than  at  100°  F.,  all  other  conditions  being  equal. 
Still,  the  presence  of  alcohol  had  the  same  prejudicial  effect  in  retard- 
ing solution  of  the  coagulated  albumen  used.  If,  however,  the 
bottles  were  replaced  by  wetted  animal  membranes,  the  condition  of 
things  was  materially  altered.  It  was  found  that  the  alcohol  present 
in  the  liquid  through  which  the  coagulated  albumen  was  distributed 
soon  began  to  diff'use  through  the  wetted  membrane,  and  that  the 
pepsin  commenced  to  act  with  the  same  energy  as  in  those  con- 
tainers where  no  alcohol  was  present,  so  that  at  the  end  of  two 
hours  there  was  no  considerable  difference  between  the  weight  of 
undissolved  albumen  in  each  case.  The  interest  which  this  experi- 
ment has  for  us,  as  pharmacists,  is  that  it  shows  that  an  alcoholic 
liquid,  such  as  wine,  may  be  used  in  preparing  a  solution  of  pepsin 
for  medicinal  use,  and  that  if  properly  made  it  soon  becomes  active 
when  taken  into  the  stomach  in  the  presence  of  suitable  food.  Recti- 
fied spirit  may  also  be  used  as  a  preservative  in  making  essence  of 
rennet,  because  its  excessive  dilution  and  ready  evaporation,  when 
mixed  with  the  proper  quantity  of  milk  and  warmed,  overcome  any 
prejudicial  effect  the  spirit  may  have  on  the  f)eptic  bodies  present. 
Glycerin  is  an  excellent  solvent  of  pepsin,  as  is  well  known;  but 
unless  it  is  used  in  sufficiently  large  quantity  to  render  the  solution 
distasteful  to  the  patient,  it  is  not  a  good  preservative.  A  solution 
of  freshly  prepared  undried  pepsin  in  dilute  glycerin,  to  which  10 
per  cent,  of  rectified  spirit  is  added,  forms,  when  filtered,  an  excel- 
lent medicinal  preparation  which  may  be  flavored  to  taste. 


638  Chemistry  of  Clove  Oil.  { ^SlcimbeolS* 

THE   CHEMISTRY   OF    CLOVE   OIL  ^ 

Erdmann  has  published  some  interesting  results  of  his  investi- 
gation of  clove  oil  and  the  oil  distilled  from  clove  stalks.  In  pre- 
paring caryophyllene  by  treating  clove  oil  with  solution  of  caustic 
alkali,  the  undissolved  portion  of  the  oil  was  always  found  to  be 
oxygenated,  and  only  by  using  alcoholic  potash  was  it  obtained  free 
from  oxygen.  Oil  from  clove  stalks  shaken  with  dilute  caustic 
alkali  yielded  at  once  the  sesquiterpene. 

On  treating  the  oil  that  is  separated  from  clove  oil  by  solution  of 
caustic  alkali,  with  alcoholic  potash,  and  adding  some  ether  to  dis- 
solve and  separate  the  terpene,  the  alkaline  solution  was  found  to 
contain  eugenol,  which  was  separated  on  acidifying  with  sulphuric 
acid,  and  on  distilling  the  acidified  liquid,  acetic  acid  was  obtained. 
Hence  it  was  evident  that  clove  oil  contains,  as  one  of  its  constitu- 
ents, aceteugenol,  a  compound  which  is  at  once  saponified  by  alco- 
holic potash,  but  less  readily  by  a  water  solution  of  caustic  alkali, 
and  thus  the  presence  of  oxygen  in  the  oil  undissolved  by  caustic 
alkali  solution  was  accounted  for,  as  well  as  the  circumstance  that 
neither  this  undissolved  oil  nor  clove  oil  itself  has  a  constant  boil- 
ing point.  That  is  not  due  to  difference  in  the  amount  of  caryo- 
phyllene; for  though  it  has  a  somewhat  higher  boiling  point  than 
eugenol,  the  tension  of  both  substances  is  nearly  the  same  at  123°  C, 
under  a  pressure  of  13  millimetres,  and  the  higher  boiling-point, 
125°  to  150°  C,  of  the  oil  undissolved  by  caustic  alkali  is  due  to 
the  presence  of  aceteugenol. 

In  the  determination  of  eugenol  in  clove  oil  by  Thorns'  method,* 
it  is  assumed  that  the  whole  of  the  eugenol  is  present  in  the  free 
state,  and  the  question  arose  whether  the  presence  of  some  portion 
of  it  in  the  state  of  ester  affected  the  determination.  That  was 
found  to  be  the  case  by  comparative  experiments  with  clove  oil  pre- 
viously saponified  by  heating  to  100°  C,  with  caustic  alkali,  and 
with  oil  which  had  not  been  so  treated,  the  results  given  by  three 
samples  being  as  follows  : 

Thorns.  Total  eugenol. 

Clove  oil,  A 83*9  85*68 

Clove  oil,  B [  82-97 

1 8277  84-84 

Clove  oil,  C 8o*2  81*9 

^Jour.  Prakt.  Chem.,  LVI.,  175,  through  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  November 
6,  1897. 
'  Pharmaceutical  Journal,  (3),  XXII,  450. 


^^eciTr.eTHl^'"-}  Chemistry  of  Clove  Oil.  639 

The  low  specific  gravity  of  the  oil  distilled  from  clove  stalks,  as 
compared  with  the  large  amount  of  eugenol  it  contains,  is  explained 
by  the  absence  of  aceteugenol,  the  relation  between  the  specific 
gravity  and  the  amount  of  eugenol  in  the  case  of  clove  oil  being 
due  to  the  presence  of  some  aceteugenol,  the  specific  gravity  of 
which  is  much  greater  than  that  of  eugenol. 

On  saponifying  clove  oil  with  a  known  quantity  of  alcoholic 
potash,  and  determining  the  residual  free  alkali,  a  result  was  obtained 
indicating  the  presence  of  a  much  larger  quantity  of  aceteugenol 
than  was  actually  present,  and  this  was  ascertained  to  be  due  to  the 
presence  of  a  compound  yielding  salicylic  acid,  the  occurrence  of 
which  in  clove  oil  was  pointed  out  by  Schenck,'*  but  disputed  by 
Wassermann/ 

By  merely  shaking  clove  oil  with  solution  of  caustic  alkali,  no 
indication  of  salicylic  acid  is  obtained  ;  but  after  the  saponification 
effected  by  boiling  with  soda  solution,  salicylic  acid  can  be  detected 
in  the  aqueous  liquor.  It  is  suggested  that  the  compound  present 
in  clove  oil,  and  yielding  salicylic  acid  by  saponification,  may  be 
eugenol  ester  of  acetyl  salicylic  acid. 

The  yellow  coloration  produced  on  treating  clove  oil  with  caustic 
alkali  was  suggestive  of  the  presence  of  an  aldehyde,  and  a  product 
was  obtained  which  proved  to  be  furfurol.  a  substance  which  Messrs. 
Schimmel  have  also  found  in  clove  oil,  together  with  normal  amyl- 
methyl  ketone,  to  which  they  attribute  some  influence  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  ether-like  odor  of  clove  oil,  which  a  mixture  of  eugenol, 
caryophyllene  and  furfurol  does  not  possess. 

Erdmann  also  suggests  that  eugenol  is  probably  not  the  only 
phenolic  constituent  of  clove  oil,  because  the  boiling-point  of  the 
crude  product  has  a  wider  range  than  is  consistent  with  its  chemical 
individuality,  and  also  because  in  redistilling  eugenol  he  has  obtained 
a  residue  of  phenolic  character,  though  its  resinoid  character  did 
not  invite  further  investigation. 


^  Ann.  them., 12$,  14. 
*  Ann.  Chem.,  179,  369. 


640  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy,     {^'^'J^^l;^^xS^: 

RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 

ASCLEPIAS  CUKASSAVICA  AS  AN  INSECTIFUGE. 

The  following  information  concerning  the  uses  of  this  plant  is 
taken  from  the  Kew  Bulletin,  October,  1897,  ^^^  which,  as  there 
stated,  appears  to  be  unrecorded  : 

The  plant  grows  everywhere,  as  a  weed  about  the  Isthmus  of 
Tehuantepec  (Southern  Mexico),  and  is  used  by  the  Indians  there 
to  keep  away  vermin,  especially  fleas,  for  which  latter  purpose  it  is 
reported  as  being  most  successful.  They  make  a  rough  broom  of 
it,  and  sweep  the  floors  and  walls  of  their  huts,  and  find  that  they 
are  not  troubled  with  fleas  for  a  considerable  time  afterwards. 
They  have  tried  brushing  dogs  with  it  when  their  coats  are  full  of 
vermin,  and  it  appears  to  answer  the  same  purpose  with  them. 

The  Indian  name  of  the  plant  is  "  Chilpati." 

DETERMINATION    OF   THE   ALKALOIDS    IN    SOLANUM    CAROLINENSE. 

In  a  recent  communication  (The  Journal  of  Pharmacology,  Vol.  4, 
p.  225),  Charles  Gundlich  refers  to  the  results  obtained  by  G.  A. 
Krauss  and  Professor  J.  U.  Lloyd  in  their  investigations  of  Solanum 
Carolinense.  He  then  outlines  the  processes  which  he  employed  for 
the  extraction  of  the  alkaloidal  constituents  of  the  drug.  The  alcoholic 
liquid  in  which  the  fruit  was  preserved  was  examined  by  various  meth- 
ods, but  only  traces  of  alkaloid  could  be  found.  Then  an  examination 
of  the  fruit  was  undertaken,  but  only  traces  of  alkaloid  were  found 
in  500  grammes  of  material.  Next,  10  grammes  of  the  powdered 
root  were  examined,  using  various  solvents  for  the  extraction  of  the 
alkaloid,  but  only  traces  could  be  found.  Lastly,  1,000  grammes  of 
the  finely-powdered  root  were  treated  with  dilute  acetic  acid  (10  per 
cent.),  but  with  no  better  results.  At  this  juncture,  the  author 
learning  that  Professor  Lloyd  had  used  several  hundred  pounds  of 
drug  for  obtaining  his  material,  the  investigation  was  given  up. 

CAFFETANNIC    ACID. 

Paul  Cazeneuve  and  E.  Haddon  (Compt.  rend.,  1897,  124,  1458- 
1460)  have  recently  studied  this  subject.  Since  the  investigations 
of  Hlasiwetz,  caffetannic  acid  has  been  usually  regarded  as  having 
the  formula  CigHj^Og,  but  the  authors,  from  a  study  of  the  behavior 
of  the  substance  towards  phenylhydrazine,  conclude  that  it  has  the 
composition  C21H28O14,  and  ascribe  to  it  the  constitutional  formula ; 

COOH  .  CH  :  CH  .  QH3(0  .  Q,^,^0,\. 


^D^mLr.T^ }      Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  641 

The  osazone  of  caffetannic  acid,  C^^H^NgOio.  crystallizes  in  yellow 
needles,  very  sparingly  soluble  in  alcohol,  and  melts  at  180°  ;  it  is 
insoluble  in  most  media,  and  is  so  sparingly  soluble  in  phenol  and 
naphthalene  that  no  determinations  of  molecular  weight  have  been 
possible. 

The  sugar,  CgHj^Og,  obtained  on  hydrolyzing  caffetannic  acid,  will 
be  described  m  a  subsequent  paper. — Journal  of  the  Chemical 
Society,  London,  October,  1897. 

PREPAR.\TION    OF    HYDROGEN    PEROXIDE. 

Hydrogen  peroxide  may  rapidly  and  economically  be  prepared, 
according  to  Pedro  Etchegorry  {Tribuna  Farmaccutico,  \^  16),  by 
triturating  with  ice  a  mixture  of  i  part  barium  peroxide  and  2  parts 
(by  weight)  of  hydrochloric  acid.  The  following  reaction  takes 
place. 

BaO,  -V  2HCI  =  H2O,  -f  BaClo. 

The  filtered  solution  is  treated  with  a  solution  of  silver  sulphate 
until  no  more  precipitation  occurs,  according  to  the  following 
reaction  : 

BaCU  +  HA  -t-  Ag^SO,  =  l^aSO,  -f  2AgCl  -f  H.O^- 

On  filtering,  the  barium  sulphate  and  silver  chloride  are  retained 
on  the  filter,  while  the  hydrogen  peroxide  passes  into  the  filtrate  in 
a  state  of  purity. 

This  process  has  already  appeared  in  some  text-books  on  chemistry 
and,  consequently,   is    not  new;    but   it   seems    worthy   of   further 
investigation. 

CAFFETANNIC     ACID    (GLUCOSVLCAFFEIC    ACID)     AND    ITS    DECOMPOSITION 
INTO    CAFFEIC  ACID,    VINYLCATECHOL,    AND    CATECHOL. 

Hermann  Kunz-Krause  (^^r.,  1897,30,  1617-1622)  has  recently 
studied  this  subject.  Both  caffetannic  acid  and  matctannic  acid, 
when  hydrolized,  yield  a  syrupy  sugar  and  caffeic  acid  (dihydroxy- 
cinnamic  acid).  This  acid,  when  heated  at  200°,  readily  loses 
carbonic  anhydride,  yielding  vinylcatechol  (3 :  4-dihydroxycinna- 
mene),  the  decomposition  at  this  temperature  being  quantitative. 
A  characteristic  reaction  for  vinylcatechol  is  the  one  previously 
mentioned  {Arch.  Pharm.,  1S93,  231,  635).  This  reaction  is  also 
given  by  Ticmann  and  Will's  hesperetol    or  vinylcatechol    piaranio- 


642  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.     {"^iJ^cimbe^ 


Am.  Jour.  PbartD. 
1897. 


nomethyl  ether  (Abstr.,  188 1,  739).  The  carmine-red  coloration 
with  sulphuric  acid  therefore  appears  to  be  characteristic  of  3  :  4- 
dihydroxycinnauiene  and  its  ethers.  The  author  has  only  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  the  vinylcatechol  as  an  amorphous  powder;  it 
is  a  somewhat  unstable  substance,  for  when  distilled  under  a  pres- 
sure of  12  millimetres  it  is  decomposed,  the  chief  product  being 
catechol.  The  author  thinks  it  probable  that  caffetannic  acid  is 
distributed  throughout  the  vegetable  kingdom  in  very  much  the 
same  manner  as  choline. — Journal  of  the  Chemical  Society,  London, 
October,  1897. 

CHINESE   BANDOLINE    WOOD. 

The  origin  of  this  curious  product,  of  which  a  specimen  has  long 
been  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  Gardens,  has  always  been  a 
puzzle. 

Shavings  of  the  wood  yield  a  mucilage,  when  soaked  in  water, 
which  is  used  by  Chinese  ladies  in  "  bandolining  "  their  hair.  Dr.  E. 
Bretschneider  ("  Notes  on  Some  Botanical  Questions  Connected  with 
the  Export  Trade  of  China,"  1880,  p.  14,)  mentions  the  shavings  as 
being  exported  from  Canton  to  Peking,  under  the  name  of  "  meio 
kao  pao  hua "  {i.  e.,  cosmetic  glue  shavings),  and  their  probable 
source  as  Sterculia  plantanifolia.  In  1895,  G.  M.  H.  Playfair,  Esq. 
H.  B.  M.  Consul  at  Ningpo,  sent  to  Kew  specimens  in  leaf  of  a  tree, 
called  "  tiao  chang,"  which  he  had  collected  in  the  mountains  near 
Ningpo,  with  the  information  that  shavings  of  the  wood  were  used 
for  the  purpose  described  above  by  the  women  of  that  part  of  China. 
These  specimens  were  identified  as  Machilus  Thunbergii,  Sieb.  et 
Zucc,  and  flowering  specimens  subsequently  received  from  the  same 
gentleman  confirmed  the  identification.  Mr.  Playfair  further  adds, 
on  the  authority  of  Dr.  A.  Henry,  that  the  Canton  shavings  are 
from  the  same  tree. 

The  species  is  a  native  of  Hong  Kong  and  Chekiang  westward 
to  Szechuan,  in  China ;  also  of  P'ormosa,  Japan,  and  the  Corean 
Archipelago.  Owing  to  the  interest  attaching  to  the  identification, 
the  species  has  been  figured  in  Hooker's  "  IconesPiantarum  "  (t.  2538). 
— Kew  Bulletin,  October,  1897. 

FUNCTION    OF    TANNIN    IN    PLANTS    AND    ESPECIALLY    IN    FRUITS. 

C.  G^rh^r  {Compt.  Rend.,  1897,  124,  1106-1109)  has  practically 
studied  this  obscure  but  interesting  subject,  and  reached  the  follow- 
ing conclusions  :  In  the  respiration  of  soft  fruits  containing  tannin, 


^D^lmheT^"^'}       Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.         643 

the  volume  of  the  carbonic  anhydride  evolved  is  less  than  that  of 
the  oxygen  absorbed  so  long  as  any  tannin  remains  unaltered.  As 
soon  as  all  the  tannin  has  disappeared,  pectin  is  produced.  If  the 
temperature  is  so  low  that  the  cellular  activity  is  not  great,  the  res- 
piration quotient  remains  lower  than  unity;  but  if  the  temperature 
is  so  high  that  the  cellular  activity  requires  more  energy  than  is 
furnished  by  the  free  oxygen,  the  cellules  obtain  the  necessary 
energy  from  the  alcoholic  fermentation  of  the  sugars,  the  carbonic 
anhydride  produced  by  it  being  added  to  that  produced  by  respira- 
tion,  and  thus  giving  a  quotient  higher  than  unity.  It  follows  that 
one  of  the  principal  functions  of  tannins  in  fruits  is  to  prevent  pectic 
transformations,  and  thus  check  the  fermentation  of  the  sugars. 

Direct  experiments  with  the  fruit  of  Dyospyros  kaki  show  that 
the  disappearance  ot  tannins  does  not  involve  an  increase  in  the 
amount  of  sugar,  and  experiments  on  the  respiration  of  Sterigma- 
tocystis  nigra  on  a  solution  of  nut-gall  tannin  lead  to  the  same  con- 
clusion. In  fruits  containing  tannins,  the  latter  disappear  as  the 
result  of  complete  oxidation,  without  forming  any  carbohydrates. — 
Journal  of  the  Chemical  Society,  London,  October,  1897. 

LICORICE    ROOT    GROWN    IN    NEW    SOUTH    WALES. 

In  the  Northern  Star,  Mr.  W.  F'inselbach,.  Ph.D  ,  Lismore,  N.  S.  VV., 
mentions  that  at  a  recent  local  agricultural  show,  the  Govern- 
ment Experimental  Farm  exhibited  two  samples  of  Spanish  licorice 
root,  the  stolens  or  suckers,  only  two  years  old,  being  12  feet  long. 
While  a  student  under  Professor  Fllickiger,  in  Strassburg,  and 
while  travelling  in  Italy,  he  had  frequently  examined  three  and  four- 
year-old  roots,  running  from  9  to  10  feet  long,  showing  that  the 
soil  and  climatic  conditions  of  the  Lismore  district,  at  any  rate,  were 
very  favorable  to  the  growth  of  the  plant.  He  states  that  he  has 
made  an  analysis  of  the  samples  exhibited,  and  finds  them  to  be  of 
first-class  quality,  although  they  have  not  secured  full  maturity. 
In  parts  of  Italy  he  saw  the  licorice  cultivated  on  maize  fields.  The 
plant  requires  three,  and,  in  wet  seasons,  even  four,  years,  to  mature, 
and  the  general  custom  where  licorice  is  grown  rationally  is  that  a 
crop  of  another  kind  should  be  found  on  the  same  field.  An  acre 
in  Europe  is  said  to  produce  three  or  four  tons  of  the  roots,  worth 
on  the  London  market  \2s.  to  \6s.  per  cwt.  There  is  a  large  con- 
sumption of  the  root  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Mr.   Finsclbach  says, 


644  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      {^^^i^^^^%^' 

in  the  brewing  trade  as  well  as  for  medicinal  uses,  and  we  may  add 
in  confectionery.  The  largest  consumers,  however,  are  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Finselbach  suggests  that  the  plant,  which  can  be 
grown  from  suckers,  would  be  a  remunerative  crop  in  certain  dis- 
tricts.—  The  Pharmaceutical  Journal  of  Australasia,  August  28,  1897. 

ON    MORRHUOL   AND   THE   ALLEGED    IODINE    AND    THE    BROMINE   CON- 
STITUENTS   IN    COD-LIVER    OIL. 

Charles  Gundlich(77^^  Journal  of  Pharmacology,  Vol.  4,  pp.  223), 
reports  that  in  experimentmg  with  cod-liver  oil  for  the  production  of 
the  so-called  morrhuol,  he  first  tried  concentrating  a  pure  oil  in  a 
vacuum  of  15  millimeters  pressure  at  100°  C,  he  having  surmised 
that  this  substance  might  be  the  concentrated  oil.  The  results 
were  negative. 

A  sample  of  crude  oil,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  0-923,  and 
Hehner  value  95*15  (percentage  of  insoluble  fatty  acids),  was  then 
treated,  after  ascertaining  its  freedom  from  free  acids,  with  80  per 
cent,  alcohol.  The  alcoholic  extract  was  evaporated,  and  the  product 
obtained  had  a  specific  gravity  of  0-900  at  19°  C,  and  congealed  at 
4°  C.  In  these  respects  it  corresponded  with  samples  of  purchased 
morrhuol  (one  foreign,  one  domestic),  as  well  as  in  taste,  odor  and 
color.  The  author  is,  therefore,  of  the  opinion  that  the  commercial 
product  is  prepared  in  a  like  manner  from  any  crude  product  sold  as 
cod-liver  oil. 

Tests  for  iodine  and  bromine  showed  that  they  were  neither  pres- 
ent in  the  crude  oil  used  in  the  preceding  experiment  nor  in  the 
purchased  morrhuol. 

The  latter  appeared  to  be  a  mixture  of  various  impure  fatty  oils, 
for,  after  repeated  attempts  at  fractional  distillation,  no  products 
could  be  isolated  having  a  uniform  boiling  point. 

An  examination  of  the  crude  cod-liver  oil  and  the  morrhuol  for 
amine  derivatives  revealed  their  presence  in  each.  The  process  for 
the  separation  of  the  amines  was  applied  to  a  sample  of  oil  from 
which  morrhuol  had  been  extracted  by  treatment  with  alcohol,  and 
the  results  showed  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  alkaloids  had  been 
removed  by  this  treatment.  The  conclusion  is  therefore  reached 
that  morrhuol  contains  a  considerable  quantity  of  amines. 

A    NEW    ALKALOID,    RETAMINE. 

Battandier  and  Malosse  (Jour,  de  Ph.  et  de  Chim.  [6],  6,  241) 
have   separated   from    the  young  branches   and    bark   of  Retama 


^Deirab^J!^!?^"'  /      Receiit  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.         645 

sphaerocarpa,  by  the  ordinary  processes,  a  perfectly  definite  alkaloid, 
which  they  have  named  Retamine.  A  kilogramme  of  the  fresh 
plant  furnished  some  4  grammes  of  alkaloid.  This  alkaloid  is 
slightly  soluble  in  water  and  in  ether ;  alcohol  and  p)etroleum  ether 
dissolve  it  more  readily  ;  and  chloroform  dissolves  it  very  readily, 
but  not  without  some  decomposition.  It  crystallizes  in  long  needles 
by  chilling  the  saturated  petroleum  ether  solution,  and  in  prismatic 
plates  by  similarly  cooling  the  saturated  alcoholic  solution;  the 
spontaneous  evaporation  of  its  alcoholic  solution  yields  beautiful 
rectangular  tables.  It  is  dextrogyre,  melts  at  162°  C,  and  decom- 
poses at  a  higher  temperature,  giving  a  sublimate  in  long  needles, 
and  other  products  having  the  odor  of  pyridine. 

Retamine  impartsa  distinct  color  to  phenolphtalein.  It  isa  powerful 
base,  which  combines  energetically  with  acids,  and  yields  clearly-de- 
fined salts.  It  displacesammonia,  especially  with  heat,  and  precipitates 
the  hydrates  of  iron,  copper,  etc.  The  caustic  alkalies  precipitate  it 
from  its  saline  solutions.  It  possesses  extremely  energetic  reducing 
action — the  chloride  of  gold  and  phosphomolybdic  acid  are  instantly 
reduced,  the  salts  of  silver  and  ferricyanide  of  potassium  are  more 
slowly  reduced,  while  the  mercuric  chloride  is  changed  to  the  mer- 
curous  salt.  It  gives  the  general  reactions  of  alkaloids  and  furnishes 
with  potassium  bismuth  iodide,  a  beautiful  red  precipitate.  The 
chloride  of  platinum  is  not  precipitate,  by  it,  but  it  gives  feebly,  with 
ammonium  sulphide,  the  reaction  of  sparteine. 

The  salts  of  retamine  crystallize  very  easily  and  with  great  dis- 
tinctness, except  the  nitrate,  which  has  only  been  obtained  in  the 
form  of  a  varnish.  The  salts  which  have  been  studied  contain  for  I 
molecule  of  retamine,  either  i  or  2  molecules  of  monobasic  acid. 

The  solubility  in  absolute  alcohol  is  2-462  parts  in  100  of  solvent. 
The  specific  rotation  is  [rf]j,  =  43°,I5'.  The  elementary  analysis 
indicated  the  formula  Cj-H^jgNjO.  It  is  probably  an  oxysparteine, 
but  differs  from  the  artificial  oxysparteine  known  at  present. 

THE   TREATMENT    OF   TUBERCULOSIS    WITH    CI.NNAMIC    ACID.j 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  a  remedy  is  reconmiended  for  the 
treatment  of  tuberculosis,  which  is  neither  a  new  synthetic  com- 
pound nor  a  product  of  some  manufacturing  firm. 

Dr.  T.  Heusscr,    of    Davos-Platz   (Therapeutische   Monatslujte ; 

*  The  Nerv  York  Afediral  Joumai,  October  16.  1897. 


646         Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.      { ^December! IT' 

Therapist,  September  15,  1897),  relates  his  experience  with  cinnamic 
acid  in  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis.  He  states  that  the  theory 
upon  which  the  method  of  using  cinnamic  acid  is  based,  was  pro- 
pounded by  Landerer  in  1888.  The  important  points  to  be  noted 
in  the  treatment  are:  (i)  Induction  of  general  leucocytosis.  (2) 
Aseptic  inflammation  of  the  tuberculous  centre,  commencing  with  a 
circumvention  and  permeation  of  the  tubercles  with  leucocytes^ 
subsequently  with  young  vessels  and  vascular  tissue.  To  bring 
about  these  conditions,  Landerer  used  an  intravenous  injection  of  an 
emulsion  of  cinnamic  acid;  but  Dr.  Heusser  prefers  to  use  gluteal 
injections  of  the  emulsion  on  account  of  the  danger  attending  the 
former  method  of  administration.  He  uses  a  minim  and  a  half 
of  a  5  per  cent,  emulsion  for  the  beginning  dose,  which  he 
increases  gradually  with  each  injection.  If  the  symptoms  are  favor- 
able, these  are  made  every  second  day.  The  maximum  dose  is 
15  grains  and  is  continued  until  the  end  of  the  treatment,  which  is 
continued  for  a  month  after  all  symptoms  disappear. 

In  summarizing  his  opinions  with  regard  to  his  experience  with 
this  treatment,  the  author  stated  that:  (i)  Cinnamic  acid  is  a. drug 
having  great  influence  on  tuberculosis.  (2)  The  gluteal  cinnamic  acid 
injections,  if  cautiously  made,  are  absolutely  innocuous.  (3)  The 
gluteal  cinnamic  acid  treatment  is  capable  of  curing  a  considerable 
number  of  cases  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis.  (4)  Cinnamic  acid  is 
not  a  specific  against  tuberculosis. 


Citric  acid  is,  reported  as  manufactured  in  San  Diego,  Cal.,  a  factory  for  its 
manufacture,  along  "with  oil  of  lemon,  having  been  established  in  1896.  It 
takes  from  four  to  six  weeks  to  condense  the  juice  from  60  to  70  pounds 
of  lemons  into  i  pound  of  acid.  The  factory  employs  seven  hands,  has 
steam  works,  and  a  capacity  for  40,000  lemons  a  week  ;  only  culls  are  used. — 
Chem.  Trade  Jour. ^  October  2,  1897. 

Cadmium  is  meeting  with  an  increasing  demand,  and  the  shortage  in  the 
supply  still  continues,  notwithstanding  a  little  more  is  being  made  in  Upper 
Silesia  (which  is,  practically,  the  only  district   where  cadmium  is  produced). 

The  Upper  Silesian  production  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  current  year  was 
3,326  kilos,  valued  at  ii*844  marks  per  kilo,  against  3,256  kilos,  valued  at 
10-261  marks  per  kilo  in  the  last  quarter  of  1896;  and  2,436  kilos,  valued  at 
5-380 marks  per  kilo  in  the  first  quarter  of  1896.  At  present,  it  is  said  the  metal 
is  lacking  entirely,  and  urgent  demands  for  it  cannot  be  satisfied.  If  the  new 
demand  proves  to  be  permanent,  however,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  meet- 
ing it,  since  most  of  the  Upper  Silesian  ore  is  cadmium-bearing,  and  the  metal 
can  be  recovered  without  diflSculty  as  a  by-product. — Eng.  and  Mining  Jour., 
October  9,  1897. 


^Sci^XrX"}  Editorial.  647 

EDITORIAL. 

PURE   FOOD    LAWS. 

Last  month  we  printed  a  circular  letter  of  inquiry  from  the  Ajjricultural  De- 
partment at  Washington,  concerning  adulteration  of  foods  and  drugs  and  laws 
governing  them.  One  of  the  questions  was:  "  Would  a  national  food  and  drug 
law  assist  in  preventing  adulteration  ?"  In  the  light  of  some  years  of  study  of 
food  and  drug  laws,  we  have  hesitated  to  attempt  an  answer  to  any  of  the 
inquiries,  for  the  reason  that  occurrences  are  fre(iuently  taking  place  which 
tend  to  weaken  one's  confidence  in  all  laws  which  propose  to  regulate  the  qual- 
ity of  foods  and  drugs. 

One  of  the  most  notable  instances  of  this  kind  occurred  recently  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. A  special  despatch  to  the  Public  Ledger,  of  Philadelphia,  and  printed 
in  the  issue  of  October  30,  reports  that  the  Pure  Food  Bureau  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  at  Harrisburg  seems  to  be  laboring  with  the  question,  "  Is 
mustard  a  food  or  poison  ?"     We  quote  a  part  of  the  despatch,  as  follows  : 

A  sample  of  ground  mustard,  receutly  sent  to  the  Department  by  one  of  its  special  a^nU. 
was  found  to  contain  70  per  cent,  of  adulteration.  Suit  was  brought  in  Monroe  County,  where 
the  sample  was  found,  against  the  party  who  sold  the  goods.  During  the  trial  the  adulteration 
was  not  denied  and  was  proven  beyond  all  doubt,  but  the  question  was  raised  as  to  whether 
mustard  was  a  "food  "  within  the  meaning  of  the  pure  food  law.  A  resident  medical  prac- 
titioner testified  that  it  was  a  poison,  and  not  a  food  ;  the  chemist  of  the  Department  testified 
that  it  was  food.  In  giving  the  case  to  the  jury  the  judge  instructed  them  that  the  question 
of  food  was  one  of  fact  which  they  must  decide  for  themselves,  and  if  they  believed  it  was  not 
they  must  acquit  the  defendant,  but  if  they  believed  that  it  was  a  "  food,"  they  must  convict 
him. 

To  make  this  farce  more  complete,  the  jury  disagreed  as  to  guilt,  and  directed 
that  the  costs  be  divided  between  the  defendant  and  the  county.  When  asked 
for  their  reasons  for  this  verdict,  the  foreman  stated  to  the  court  that  six  of  the 
jury  thought  that  mustard  was  a  food  and  the  remaining  six  took  the  opposite 
view,  and,  to  satisfy  those  who  thought  it  was  a  ft)od,  they  put  one  half  of  the 
costs  on  the  defendant,  thus  showing  that  they  thought  him  about  half  guilty. 
It  is  such  cases  as  this  that  make  one  skeptical  about  all  laws  which  have  for 
their  object  the  prevention  of  adulteration.  With  such  a  judge  and  jury  a 
national  law  would  not  be  of  any  more  value  than  one  enacted  by  the  State.  It 
has  been  said  that  two  many  laws  breed  anarchy,  and  the  same  might  be  said 
of  the  poor  administration  of  a  few  laws. 

DESTRUCTION    AS    A    MEANS  OK    PROTECTING   PRICES. 

The  history  of  the  partial  destruction  of  the  tobacco  crop  in  Virginia  in  1639, 
as  detailed  in  our  last  issue  by  Professor  IJoyd,  finds  a  mo<lern  parallel  in  the 
action  of  the  Spanish  Government,  In  the  Cosmopolitan  Magazine  for  Novem- 
ber, John  Langdon  Heaton,  on  "Some  Curiosities  of  Farming,"  makes  the  fol- 
lowing statement:  **  Ihit  perhaps  the  most  phenomenal  peculiarity  of  Spanish 
agriculture  is  the  fostering  care  given  it  by  the  Government.  This  enlightened 
rule  not  long  ago  caused  to  l>c  destroyed  in  a  single  province  6,000,000  tobacco 
plants,  not  because  of  any  prejudice  against  nicotine,  but  in  order  not  to  dis- 
turb the  tariff  income  from  Havana  imports.  This  is  a  tariff  for  revenue  only." 


648  Reviews.  {''^iZl^T^- 

REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 

The  Right  Side  of  the  Car.  By  the  author  of  "  Etidorhpa  "  (John  Uri 
Lloyd).     Richard  G.  Badger  &  Co.,  Boston,  1897. 

While  this  dainty  volume  has  little  in  it  bearing  directly  on  pharmacy,  still 
we  are  induced  to  notice  it  in  these  pages,  not  only  on  account  of  the  distinct 
merit  of  the  work,  but  also  because  of  the  author's  well-known  contributions  on 
pharmaceutical  subjects.  That  it  will  be  read  and  enjoyed  by  pharmacists  more 
than  by  any  other  class,  we  have  little  doubt.  It  is  the  second  venture  of  the 
author  in  literature,  and  his  transition  from  "  Etidorhpa  "  to  this  is  as  startling 
as  his  first  departure  from  scientific  literature. 

' '  The  Right  Side  of  the  Car  "  is  a  short  story  of  a  ride  across  the  Great  Ameri  - 
can  Desert  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  and  of  the  approach  to  Mount 
Tacoma.  The  author  will  have  none  of  the  modern  name,  Mount  Ranier  after 
an  obscure  British  admiral  who  never  saw  this  continent ;  it  does  not  compare 
with  Tacoma,  given  to  it  by  the  Indians  long  before  the  British  landed  in 
America. 

Two  editions  of  this  book  have  been  issued,  one  a  special  author's  souvenir 
edition,  and  the  other  for  popular  sale  ;  the  former  will  only  be  sent  to  those 
who  have  subscribed  in  advance.  The  profits  of  both  will  go  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment to  the  late  Professor  John  King. 

Pharmacopceia  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homceopathy.  Pub- 
lished for  the  Committee  on  Pharmacopoeia  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy.    Otis  Clapp  &  Son,  agents,  No.  10  Park  Square,  Boston,  1897. 

In  reviewing  a  work  of  this  kind  it  is  difficult  to  avoid  drawing  comparisons 
between  the  two  branches  of  the  medical  profession,  as  well  as  between  the  two 
pharmacopoeias  representing  those  branches.  It  is  the  intention,  however,  to 
review  this  homoeopathic  pharmacopoeia  on  its  own  merits  and  without  unneces- 
sary reference  to  other  works  in  existence. 

As  long  ago  as  1868,  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  realizing  the 
need  of  "a  dispensatory  which  should  embrace  pharmacy,"  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  prepare  one.  Reports  of  progress  were  made  from  time  to  time  until 
1888,  when,  owing  to  the  death  of  the  chairman  some  time  previously,  and  the 
loss  of  the  original  manuscript,  a  new  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
twelve  members,  six  to  represent  the  profession  of  medicine  and  six  to  repre- 
sent the  profession  of  pharmacy. 

The  following  quotation  from  the  historical  introduction  is  of  interest,  as  it 
indicates  the  extent  to  which  recognition  is  accorded  homoeopathic  pharmacy. 

It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  each  and  every  medical  college  will  hereafter  include  in  its  curri- 
culum, instruction  in  the  principles  and  practice  of  pharmacy.  The  physician  who  dispenses 
medicine  should  at  least  be  qualified  to  supplement  the  work  of  the  professional  pharmacist 
so  thoroughly  and  accurately  that  his  clinical  reports  will  have  a  scientific  value.  Pharma- 
ceutical knowledge  seems  to  be  even  more  important  to  the  homoeopathic  than  to  allopathic 
practitioners,  for  the  reason  that  only  a  portion  of  the  former  are  within  easy  reach  of  the 
professional  pharmacist  who  understands  the  preparation  of  medicines  for  homoeopathic  use. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  book  of  674  pages  is  divided  into  three  parts.  Part  I, 
of  some  30  pages,  is  devoted  to  General  Pharmacy,  under  which  the  following 
subjects  are  treated  :  Unit  of  Medicinal  Strength,  Menstrua,  Drugs  and  Medi- 
cinal Substances,  General  Treatment  of  Drugs,  Preparations  from  Drugs, 
Tinctures,  Dilutions,  Triturations,  Medications,  Prescriptions. 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  )  f?/>'7frp'-nt  f\Ar\ 

December.  1897       )  /\e7't^tUS.  O49 

Part  n  is  devoted  to  Si>ecial  Pharmaceutics,  and  occupies  some  545  pages. 
In  this  section  the  various  medicinal  substances  are  taken  up  in  alphal>etical 
order,  and  considered  somewhat  as  they  are  in  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  but  in 
some  respects  rather  more  fully,  which  gives  the  book  a  resemblance  to  a 
dispensatory.  For  instance,  the  first  article,  Abies  Canadensis,  is  treated  under 
the  following  heads  :  Natural  Order,  Synonyms.  Description,  Habitat,  History, 
Parts  Used,  Preparations.  The  last  heading  embraces  the  tincture  and  method 
of  preparing  it. 

Acidum  Aceticum  and  other  chemical  substances  and  compounds  are  treated 
under   the    following   headings :  Chemical    Symbol,    Synonyms,    Description 
Preparations.     Many  of  the  physiologically  active  metallic  salts  and  alkaloids 
have  the  maximum  dose  given. 

Part  in  consists  of  some  25  pages  of  Select  Tables  for  Reference,  many  of 
which  have  been  taken  by  permission  from  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopceia;  List  of 
Medicines  and  Pronunciation,  15  pages,  and  Index  of  over  50  pages. 

The  Section  in  Part  I,  on  General  Pharmacy  of  Drugs  for  Homoeopathic  Use,  is 
a  concise  statement  of  the  processes  used  in,  and  the  principles  governing 
homoeopathic  pharmacy,  and  any  well-educated  pharmacist  would  be  able  to 
practise  homoeopathic  pharmacy  after  a  careful  reading  of  this  part.  A  section 
is  devoted  to  cleanliness  and  cleaning  of  utensils,  which  contains  directions  con- 
cerning that  which  has  been  one  of  the  reasons  for  the  existence  of  homcBO- 
pathy.  Every  school  of  pharmacy  and  medicine  should  keep  the  subject  of 
cleanliness  constantly  before  the  students. 

The  first  edition  of  a  book  having  the  scope  of  this  one  is  sure  to  contain  a 
number  of  errors,  and  a  few  of  these  may  be  pointed  out. 

The  term  "chemical  symbol"  is  used  throughout  the  book  where  in  most 
cases  "chemical  formula"  would  be  more  in  accordance  with  chemical  nomen- 
clature. In  the  German  siiure,  the  umlaut  is  in  nearly  every  instance  placed  over 
the  »,  making  saure.  The  sweeping  statement  is  made  that  tannic  acid  •*  unites 
with  all  vegetable  alkaloids,  forming  whitish  precipitates."  which  will  not  hold 
true  in  the  cases  of  morphine  and  caffeine.  Petroleum  ether  and  petroleum 
benzin  are  given  as  synonyms  of  nitrobenzol,  which  is  away  off  from  the  truth, 
very  misleading  and  liable  to  cause  serious  accidents. 

In  regard  to  the  nomenclature  in  the  book,  it  may  be  said  to  be  a  mixture  of 
ancient  and  modern  systems;  for  example,  in  accordance  with  the  reform  spell- 
ing movement,  the  final  ^•  is  dropped  from  chloride,  io<line  and  the  alkaloids; 
consequently  we  have  in  this  case  morphin  acetate,  in  which  the  e  is  dropped 
from  morphine,  where  it  is  of  use  in  distinguishing  the  alkaloid  as  a  member 
of  its  class,  while  it  is   retained  in  the  acetate,  where  it  is  of  no  apparent  us€. 

We  believe  that  this  book  has  been  compiled  with  a  hope  of  removing  the 
veil  of  mystery  which  apparently  surrounds  honueopathy.  but  the  di.sniissal 
of  a  few  substances  like  "  Hahnemann's  Causticuni  "  would  remove  both  book 
and  school  from  the  possible  accusation  of  mysticism. 

A  Tkxt-Book  OF  Practical  Thkrapki'TICS,  with  8i)ecial  reference  to  the 
application  of  remedial  measures  to  disease  and  their  employment  upon  a  ra- 
tional basis.  By  Hobart  Amory  Hare,  M.I).,  H.Sc,  Professor  of  Therapeutics 
and  Materia  Medica  in  the  Jefferson  Me<lical  College  of  Philadelphia.  PhiU- 
delphia  :  Lea  Bros.  &  Co.     Svo,  Pp.  75S.     Sixth  edition. 

The  fourth  edition    of  this  valuable    and  practical   work  wan   noticc<l   in    the 


6E>-_,V^_.,-  )' Am.  Jour.  Pharra. 

50  KeVieWS.  \    December.  Ia97. 

Ambric.vn  JoURNAi,  OK  PHARMA.CY,  1894,  p.  494.  aud  the  good  opinion  then 
expressed  about  it  has  been  strengthened  by  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with 
it.  We  think  that  every  pharmacist  of  the  country  would  find  it  of  advantage 
to  give  it  a  place  in  his  library. 

An  article  of  special  interest  is  that  on  the  Thyroid  Gland,  which  is  being 
so  extensively  employed  at  the  present  time  in  treating  myxoedema  and  cre- 
tinism ;  the  statements  made  coincide  with  some  of  the  experience  of  the 
writer. 

The  statement  that  "Pilocarpine  is  so  good  a  myotic  as  to  be  rapidly 
supplanting  eserine  (physostigmiue)  for  this  purpose  with  some  clinicians,' 
will  be  new  to  many. 

The  book  is  abreast  of  the  day  in  treating  of  the  newer  remedies,  such  as 
Eucaine  Hydrochlorate  (the  synthetic  substitute  for  cocaine),  Formaldehyde, 
Nuclein,  Thiosinamine  and  Thymus  Gland. 

The  article  upon  Diphtheria  is  a  most  interesting  and  valuable  one.  Profes- 
sor Hare  is  strongly  in  favor  of  the  antitoxin  treatment. 

It  is  probably  an  omission  that  in  the  article  on  Nux  Vomica  no  reference  is 
made  to  the  use  of  strychnine  nitrate  in  the  treatment  of  acute  alcoholism. 

C.  B.  U 

Year-Book  of  Pharmacy.  Comprising  abstracts  of  papers  relating  to 
pharmacy,  materia  medica  and  chemistry,  contributed  to  British  and  Foreign 
journals,  from  July  i,  1896,  to  June  30,  1897,  with  the  transactions  of  the  British 
Pharmaceutical  Conference,  at  the  thirty-fourth  annual  meeting,  held  at  Glas- 
gow, August,  1897.     J.  &  A.  Churchill.     I^ondon.     1897. 

The  foregoing  title  sufficiently  explains  the  scope  of  the  Year-Book,  and  it 
only  remains  to  be  said  that  this  year's  volume  is  fully  up  to  the  standard  of  its 
predecessors.  Its  compactness  is  a  valuable  feature,  which  is  obtained  by  the 
elimination  of  all  unnecessary  matter. 

Contributions  from  the  Botanical,  I^aboratory  of  the  University 
OF  PennsyIvVANIA.     Philadelphia.     1897. 

This  is  the  third  and  last  number  of  Volume  I,  and  contains  the  index  to  the 
volume.  The  first  number  was  issued  in  1892.  The  present  number  consists 
of  about  160  pages  of  text  and  nineteen  plates.  The  following  subjects  are 
considered  :  "A  Chemico-Physiological  Study  of  Spirogyra  nitida,"  by  Mary 
E.  Pennington,  Ph.D.;  "  On  the  Structure  and  Pollination  of  the  Flowers  of 
Eupatorium  ageratoides  and  Eupatorium  ccelestinum,"  by  Laura  B.  Cross, 
Ph.D.;  "Contributions  to  the  Life-History  of  Amphicarpsea  monoica,"  by 
Adeline  F.  Schively,  Ph.D.  All  of  these  give  abundant  evidence  of  creditable 
research  work. 

L' Azote  ET  i.e  Veg]§:tation  ForestiERE.  Par  E.  Henry,  Charg^de  Cours 
a  TEcole  Forestiere.     Pp.23.     Nancy,  France.     1897. 

On  the  Mechanisms  in  Certain  Lamei^libranch  Boring  Molluscs. 
By  Francis  Ernest  Lloyd.  Pp.  17  and  two  plates.  Reprinted  from  77a7tsac- 
/^«5  New  York  Academy  of  Science,  August,  1897. 

Semi-Annual  Report  of  Schimmel  &  Co.  Leipzig  and  New  York.  Oc 
tober,  1897. 

The  novelties  prepared  and  studied  during  the  past  six  months  were  :  Savory 


^D^i^niberi^aS?!^'}  Minutes.  631 

oil,  from  Satureja  hortensis,  L. ;  mountain  savory  oil,  from  Satureja  montana, 
I/.;  balsam  tansy  oil,  from  Tanacetum  balsamita,  L.;  and  Xanthorrhoea  j^um 
oil,  from  Xanthorrhoea  hastilis,  R.  B.;  and  some  other  species.  There  is  also 
much  other  information  of  value  in  the  88  pages  that  make  up  the   pamphlet. 

Index-Catalogue  of  the  Library  of  the  Surgeon-General's  Office, 
U.  S.  Army.  Second  Series.  Vol.  II.  B  to  By  water.  Government  Printing- 
OflSce.     Washington.     1S97. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 

Philadf.lphia,  November  16,  1897. 

The  regular  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  was  held  at  3  p.m.,  with  J.  W.  England 
in  the  chair. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  were  allowed  to  stand  as  published. 

Dr.  John  W.  Harshberger,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  favored  the 
audience  with  an  address  on  the  "  Vegetation  of  the  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs," 
which  was  not  only  highly  scientiSc,  but  at  the  same  time  replete  with  vivid 
descriptions  of  the  numerous  phenomena  which  delight  the  naturalist  in  our 
National  Park  in  Wyoming. 

In  closing,  the  speaker  fittingly  indulged  in  speculation  concerning  the  origin 
of  life  on  the  earth,  and  asked  the  question  whether  the  facts  he  had  presented 
did  not  point  to  hot  springs  as  the  origin  of  primeval  organisms. 

In  replying  to  a  query  as  to  the  medicinal  virtues  of  the  water  of  the  hot 
springs,  Dr.  Harshberger  said  that  he  believed  they  were  attributed  to  the  inor- 
ganic constituents. 

The  chairman  remarked  that  he  had  been  of  the  opinion  for  some  time  that 
the  efficacy  of  many  of  the  so-called  medicinal  waters  depends  more  upon  their 
purity  than  upon  the  amount  of  mineral  salts,  inasmuch  as  these  are  present  in 
very  small  proportion. 

Dr.  C.  B.  Lowe  coincided  with  this  view  and  attributed  their  usefulness  to  a 
mechanical  action  rather  than  to  any  intrinsic  (qualities. 

Charles  H.  LaWall  communicated  some  analytical  data  which  he  had 
obtained  during  the  year,  in  a  paper  entitled  '*  Laboratory  Notes." 

Replying  to  a  question  concerning  the  use  of  Japan  wax,  Mr.  La  Wall  said 
that  it  is  used  in  the  laundry  business  and  also  for  making  pomades. 

Prof.  Henry  Trimble  presented  a  paper  on  "  Pomegranate  Rind."  In  com- 
menting upon  the  quantity  of  tannin  present  in  this  substance,  he  said  that  40 
percent,  had  l>een  reported  in  the  wild  variety.  A  number  of  the  Spanish 
fruits  were  exhibited,  and  those  who  had  never  eaten  of  them  were  given  an 
opportunity  of  testing  the  merits  thereof 

Dr.  Harshberger  remarked  that  in  Mexico  the  pulp  of  this  fruit  is  used  for 
giving  a  red  color  to  different  kinds  of  drinks. 

Having  recently  been  engaged  in  an  examination  of  willow  oak  (Qucrcui 
Phcllos),  Prof.  Trimble  called  attention  to  the  leaves  and  acorns  of  this  plant, 
and  also  to  the  leaves  of  Quercus  imbricaria,  to  show  the  difference  in  Appear- 
ance of  these  two  species.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  he  alluded  to  the  in- 
terest which  Prof.  Procter  had  taken  in  Quercus  heterophylla,  Bartram's  oak, 
some  thirty-odd  years  ago. 


652  Notes  and  Neivs — Obituary.  { 


Am.  Jour.  Pharna. 
December,  ls97. 


Some  cabinet  specimens  were  presented  as  follows  : 

Samples  of  monobromated  camphor  and  salol  by  Mr.  La  Wall,  and  a  handsome 
specimen  of  metallic  bismuth  by  Mr.  Harry  B.  French. 
On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

T.  S.  WiSGAND, 

Registrar. 
NOTES  AND  NEWS. 

Formaldehyde  may,  in  the  near  future,  become  of  considerable  industrial 
value  in  addition  to  the  use  it  already  has  in  medicine.  Prof.  C.  S.  Dolley  has 
recently  secured  a  patent  for  its  use  in  the  manufacture  of  leather.  Hides  or 
skins,  prepared  in  the  usual  way  for  tanning,  are  subjected  to  the  action  of  for- 
maldehyde of  a  strength  gradually  increasing  from  3  to  10  per  cent.  About  one 
hour's  treatment  completes  the  process.  Or  the  hides  are  exposed  in  a  closed 
chamber  to  gaseous  formaldehyde,  either  by  itself  or  in  conjunction  with 
aqueous  or  alcoholic  vapors. 

The  Plant  IVorld  is  a  new  monthly  journal  of  popular  botany.  The  first 
number  was  issued  October  ist,  and  contains  papers  on  "  The  Sword  Moss,"  by 
Elizabeth  G.  Britton  ;  "The  Families  of  Flowering  Plants,"  by  Charles 
Ivouis  Pollard;  "Sensitiveness  of  the  Sundew,"  by  F.  H.  Knowlton ; 
"  Ferns  of  the  Yosemite  and  the  Neighboring  Sierras,"  by  S.  H.  Burnham; 
"Some  Sand-Barren  Plants,"  by  Willard  N.  Clute ;  Editorials,  Notes  and 
News.  F.  H.  Knowlton,  Ph.D.,  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Washington, 
D.  C,  is  editor-in-chief,  assisted  by  six  associate  editors,  all  well-kuown  writers 
on  botanical  subjects.  Willard  N.  Clute  &  Co.,  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  are  the 
publishers. 


OBITUARY. 


Prof.  Dr.  Lt.  A.  Buchner,  who,  during  a  long  and  honorable  career,  was  identi- 
fied with  the  sciences  of  medicine  and  pharmacy,  died  at  Munich,  October  23d, 
in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

He  was  the  son  of  Prof.  Johann  Andreas  Buchner,  the  founder  of  scientific 
pharmacy  in  Germany,  and  naturally  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  distin- 
guished father.  He  served  his  apprenticeship  in  Niirnberg,  after  which  he 
studied  iu  Munich,  Paris  and  Giessen.  In  1839  ^^  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosophy,  and  in  1842  graduated  in  medicine.  Later  became  a  member 
of  the  Medical  Faculty  of  the  University  of  Munich,  and  in  1852  was  named 
Professor  of  Pharmacy  and  Conservator  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Institute.  In 
1871  Buchner  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Berlin  Commission  for  composing 
the  German  Pharmacopoeia,  on  which  he  wrote  a  very  complete  commentary. 
In  addition  to  much  other  literary  work  he  was,  after  his  father's  death,  editor 
of  the  Repertoriumfur  Pharmacie  for  twenty-five  years. 

The  deceased  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  associates,  and  his  kindly  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  students  earned  for  him  the  title  of  '*  Vater  Buchner.'» 
He  was  the  possessor  of  several  honorary  titles,  and  was  a  corresponding  mem- 
ber of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 


I 
J 


INDEX 

TO  VOLUME  69  OF    THE  AMERICAN  JOURNAL 

OF  PHARMACY. 


Acacia  of  commerce,  observations  on  (^VrAro^i/fr) 195,223 

Senegal,  decline  in  use  of 223 

Acetanilid,  ammoniated,  formula  of 152 

Acetic  anhydride,  use  of,  in  oil  analysis 189,  222 

Acetone,  keeping  qualities  of 66 

some  literature  on 73 

volumetric  estimation  of  (  AV^/^t) 65,  118 

"Acetracts,"  preparation  of 122 

Acid,  acetic,  as  a  menstruum  and  solvent  (/?^w/«^/£>«)      121,  164 

acetic,  as  a  preservative  and  solvent 253 

benzoic  in  the  preser\ation  of  ointments 258 

boric,  fungoid  growths  in  solutions  of 256 

caffetannic,  decomposition  of 641 

formula  of 640 

carbolic,  as  a  preservative  for  hypodermic  solutions .    .  257 

carbonic,  inhibitory  action  of 257 

cinnamic,  in  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis 645 

citric,  by  fermentation  of  carbohydrates 550 

citric,  color  reactions  of 215 

manufacture  of  .    .  646 

gelsemic  [Coblcntz) 439 

gelsemic,  investigation  oi  yCoblentz) .  228 

hypophosphorous,  use  of,  as  a  preservative 257 

isoirachylolic,  presence  of,  in  Zanzibar  copal 156 

lactic,  manufacture  of  {Claflin) 599 

malic,  color  reactions  of 215 

phytolaccic,  supposed  constituent  of  fruit  of  Phytolacca  decandra  and 

P.   Kaempferi           .        282 

pyrethrotoxic,  principle  found  in  C.  caucasicum 362 

salicylic,  use  of,  as  an  antiseptic 254 

sulphurous,  as  a  preservative .  256 

tannic,  percentage  of,  in  kino  of  Eucalyptus  rostrata 3 

tartaric,  color  reactions  of 215 

trachvlolic,  constituent  of  Zanzibar  copal                          155 

valerianic,  in  whiskey 583 

Alcohol  as  a  preservative 251 

in  the  titration  of  alkaloids  {Caspari)  42 

method  for  <lctermination  of  morphine  .    .  344 

methyl,  use  of,  for  pharmaceutical  preparations 489 

question,  the,  common  sense  on 213 

therapeutic  properties  of  [Davis)    ....  516 

Alkaloids,  mydriatic,  present  knowledge  of                     463 

Alkanet  root  {//olnws) 446 

Alkyl  bismuth  iodides 486 

Almanac.  Datent  me<licine  ...  5* 

Alpers,   William  C,  and  B.  L.  Afutrav.      Aralia  nudicaul:^                       .    .  534 

American  Me<lical  Association,  annual  meeting 261,  373 

Pharmaceutical   Association 467 

(6531 


f^c  A  fv/ffT  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 

t)54  inutA,,  I    December.  1897. 

Ammonol,  analysis  of  [Beritiger) 150,  165 

Audromedotoxin,  isolation  of            341 

Anisol,  use  of,  for  separating  codeine  from  morphine 158 

Antiseptics,  surgical,  and  dressings 609 

Aqua  pura.  suggestion  concerning 212 

Aralia  nudicauiis  (/4//>^;.?  and  i)/?(trrrtj/) .    .    .487,  534 

Arkansas  Association  of  Paarmacists      326 

Amy,  H.   l\     Parthenium  hysterophorous 169,  222 

Arsenic,  soluble  compounds  of 461 

Artemisia  tridentata,  Nutt.    (See  sage  brush) 152 

Asclepias  curassavica,  as  in  insectifuge          640 

Ash,  estimation  of,  in  various  drugs  (La  Wall) 137,  165 

"Asafetida,"  spelling  of 460 

Atomic  weights,  report  on ........  321 

Aitfield,  Professor,  testimonial  to 219 

Bacilli,  exhibition  of  slides  and  cultures  of 53 

Bacillus  acidi  lactici,  description  of 599 

Bacteriology  for  pharmacists 485 

Balance,  micrometer,  the 165 

Balsam  copaiba,  requirements  for 578 

Bandoline,  wood,  Chinese      642 

Barium  platino  cyanide,  preparation  of 49 

Bastin,  Edson  Sewell,  memoir  of 261,  385 

and  H.  Trimble.     North  American  coniferae 90,  354 

Bates,  John  P.     Liquor  potassse  and  liquor  sodae 240 

Benzom,  Sumatra,  pharmaceutical  value  of 461 

Benzoyl-ecgonine.  formation  of    .    .    .        258 

Beringer,  Geo.  M.     Analysis  of  ammonol 150,  165 

Blumea  balsamifera,  camphor  of 515 

Bosislo,  Joseph.     Kinos 533 

Botanical  Garden  at  Buitenzorg 452 

Botany,  field,  in  winter        115 

Breithaupt,  A.  P.     Structure  of  leptandra 235 

Brimstone  in  Sicily 420 

British  Pharmaceutical  Conference 459 

Broniwell,  JVm.,  and  J.  L.  Mayer.     Identifying  fats  and  oils 145 

Burdock  as  a  vegetable  ( AHtobe) 416 

Cadmium,  demand  for 646 

Calomel,  corrosive  sublimate  in  (A'<?<5'/6'r) 338 

Camass,  food  plant  of  Indians   . 159 

Camphor,  Borneo,  source  and  value  of 515 

production  of,  in  China  {Henry) 259 

tree,  the  [Dewey) 507 

turpentine.     (See  Terpin  hydrate) 73 

water,  disadvantages  of,  as  a  preservative 256 

Canaigre  root,  cultivated,  samples  of          118 

Carslens,  Louis  P.     Analysis  of  the  bark  of  honey  locust 40 

Caspari,  Chas.,Jr.     Alcohol  in  the  titration  of  alkaloids 42 

Castanopsis,  description  of  Indian  species  of 408 

tannin  of  (  Trimble)  . 406 

Ceratum  plumbi  subacetatis,  preparation  of 575 

CeriopsCandolleana,  tannin  of  (  7>zw<^/^) 505 

Cerium  oxide,  percentage  of,  in  monazite 609 

Chemicals,  C.    P.,  purity  of 352 

Chemistry  as  applied  to  industrial  arts 410 

gradations  of * 408 

Cherry  laurel  water  as  a  preservative  for  hypodermic  solutions 257 

Chloral  hydrate  as  an  antiseptic 257 

Chloroform,  analysis  of ] 114 


Am.  Jnar.  Pbaruj. )  T>t,-td>y  f^"  r 

December.  1«^.    /  ITliltX.  O33 


Chloroform  as  an  antiseptic  for  pharmaceutics!  preparations 


256 


Chlorophyll,  function  of.  in  growth  of  foliage  leaves  iii 

Cinchonacultivation  in  lienpal ...  47 

powdered,  inferior  quality  of  .    .         .            .    .  492 

Ctnchonine.  alleged  conversion  of,  into  cinchonidine                                    .    .  215 

Cinnamomums,  the,  of  New  South  Wales 616 

Clajiin,  Alan  A.    Manufacture  of  lactic  acid 599 

Cloves,  duty  free  in  France ....  610 

Cnicus  altissimus,  fasciated  stem  of    .    .                                     23 

Cob/entz,  Virfiil.     Gelsemic  acid  .    .  228,  439 

Coffee,  assay  process  for .    .  350 

Codeine,  separation  of,  from  morphine 158 

Colchicum  plant,  specimen  of 613 

Cold  cream,  criticisms  on 382 

Commclinaceae,  some  members  of.    (See  Yerba  del  Polio) 290 

Compensation,  professional 45 

Compton,  Richatd  Ilal.    Valuation  of  liquor  iodi  compositus 242 

Congresses,  international  [Ronington) 553.614 

Cotiium  maculatum,  action  of  active  principles  of  460 

maculatum.  pharmacy  of 460 

Contributions,  meritorious 51 

Cooley,  Grace  E.     Official  Prunus  virginiana 414 

Copaiba  balsam  and  gurjun  balsam  {Kehler) 577,  614 

Copal.  Zanzibar  [Stephan) 154 

Copper  nitrate  and  silver  nitrate,  separation  of .  156 

.Cork,  -\lgerian,  production  of 41 

Cownlry,  A.  /.  and  R.  H.  Paul.    Pilocarpine  hydrochloride ro8 

Crayons,  antiseptic 609 

Crvsanthemum  caucasicam  and  C.  cinerariiefolium,  value  of,  as  insecticides  3^9 

Cutch  extraction 371 

I>atunL' albie,  fl ores,  assay  of  ( A^7^r/r'0<?r/) 142 

Davis,  X.  S.     Therapeutic  properties  of  alcohol             516 

Designs,  curious,  in  nature . 45 

Dewar,  J.  si\u\  //.  Afoissati.     Liquefaction  of  fluorine  366 

Dewry,  Lysler  H.     The  camphor  tree 507 

Digitalis,  active  principle  of  {Keller) 450 

Digitoxin.  estimation  of 450 

Dipterix  o<lorata.  Willd..  source  of  tonka  beans 157 

Drugs,  examination  of  powdered  vegetable  (  AV^m^r) 523 

proportion  of  active  principle  in  •            .    .        464 

Durrani,  Gcoti^e  RewoUis.     Insect  powders  of  commerce 359 

Editorial 51,  115.  161.  217,  261,  323,  373,  427,  547,  611,  647 

Etnanufl,  Louis.     Petrolatum  v^.  vaseline 21 

England,  Joseph  H\     Fermented  and  distilled  liquors  .    .  s?o,  614 

Note  on  red  mercuric  oxide 311,  328 

Ointment  of  mercuric  nitrate 209 

Esters,  report  on 223 

FHhirs,  pharmaceutical  461 

Kucaine.  properties  of J4 

Eucalyptus  rostrata.     (See  Murray  red  jfum)  .  i 

Euonvnius.  microscopical  examination  of .wj 

Experience  in  pharmaceutical  education ^SI 

Extracts,  fluid  ('  Thompson)  ».S^ 

fluid,  in  the  manufacture  of  galenicals                         .                                   98,  118 

Fats  an<l  oils.  metho<l  for  identifying  {/iromwell  and  Afayrr)  145 

Ferric  phosphate,  soluble,  preparation  of 494 

Flora,  medicinal,  .'\meriran 42 ^ 

of  Bushkill  Falls,  the    ....  3.S0 


6,/-  T-nf^/r-r  /  Am.  Jour.  Piiarni. 

^D  inaex^  |    December.  1897 

Flora,  Scottish 462 

Fliickiger  Medal,  award  of 550 

Fluorine,  liquefaction  of  (7J/ioma«  and /^(fZi/ar) 366 

Food  adulteration,  investigation  of 611 

plants,  native,  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  Indians 159 

Formaldehyde,  applications  of,  as  a  preservative 257 

detection  of 180 

generator,  Moffatt 223,  328 

industrial  value  of 652 

Frangula  and  cascara  barks  {Sayre') 126 

Frankforter,  G.  B.     Chemical  study  of  Phytolacca  decandra       134 

Siwdi  F.  Ramaley.     Root  of  Phytolacca  decandra 281 

Fruits  and  juices 46 

native,  used  by  Coeur  d'Alene  Indians 160 

Fungi,  presence  of,  in  Johore  gambier 156 

Gambier,  Johore,  assay  of 156 

Garlic,  wild,  note  on 224 

Gauze  cloth,  sample  of 53 

Gelsemium,  analysis  of  (6(2y?'(?) 234,  280 

rhizomes,  roots  and  stems  {Sayre) 8 

Ginyer,  commercial,  and  essence  of  ginger 320 

Ginseng,  production  of,  in  Corea 551 

Gleditschia  triacanthos.     (See  locust) 40 

Glycerin,  applications  of,  in  pharmacy 251 

Glycine  hispida,  source  of  soy  bean 585 

Gold  and  silver  in  sea  water               50 

Goulard's  extract,  modification  of 563 

Guarana,  assay  process  for 350 

Gurjun  balsam,  detection  of .  577 

Ha^er,  Hennann^tn^moir oi {Hoff7nann) 160,  182 

Hahn,  Edward  T.     Preparation  of  terpin  hydrate 73,  118 

Harshberger,  John  W.     Vegetation  of  the  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs  .    .    .  625 

Hanbury  Medal,  award  of       432 

Hart,  J.  H.     Shaddock  or  grape  fruit 181 

Hiussmann,  Frederick  W.     Examination  of  official  lead  preparations  559,  613 

Heat  and  cold,  influence  of,  on  micro-organisms 258 

Hellebore,  white,  estimation  of  alkaloids  in 351 

Heloderma  suspectum,  Cope,  venom  of  (^(2«/<?.y5<3«) 391 

Henry,  Augustine.     Camphor  in  China     . 259 

Herbs  and  simples 409 

Herrera,  Alfonso.     Verba  del  Polio 290,  327 

Hoffmann,  Fred.     Memoir  of  Hermann    Hager 182 

Holmes,  E.  M.     Alkanetroot 446 

Cultivation  of  sumbul  in  England 314 

Strophanthus  Nicholsoni 520 

Homoquinine,  reaction  of 215 

Hooper.  David,     Personal 297 

Hydrastine,  soluble  compound  of  (A^(?r/(7«  and  7V<?z«/wa«) 604 

Hydrogen  peroxide,  preparation  of 641 

Hyoscine-scopolamine  question  {Merck) 593 

Hypophosphiles,  tests  for 462 

Indicators,  report  of  committee  on 477 

Insect  powders  of  commerce  [Durrani) 359 

International  Pharmaceutical  Congress,  eighth > 464 

Iodine  manufacture  in  Japan 48 

Iodoform  reaction  for  acetone       65 

Johnson,  Charlton  G.    Microscopical  examination  of  Solanum  Carolinense,  76 


Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. )  fur/^-Y-  f\CT 

December,  ls87.    /  inoex.  U^/ 

Kalmia  latifolia,  analysis  of  root  {Matusow)                                    341 

KebUr,  Lyman  F.     Balsam  copaiba  and  gurjun  balsam 577,  614 

Corrosive  sublimate  in  calomel 338 

Estimation  of  menthol 189,  222 

Pure  spermaceti 104 

Volumetric  estimation  of  acetone 65,  118 

and  C.  //.  La  Wall.      Presence  of  starch  and  strontium  in  opium,  244,  280 

Keller,  C.  C.     Active  principle  of  digitalis       450 

Kessler,  Lawrence  A.     Assay  of  spirit  of  nitrous  ether 307 

Kilmer,  F.  B.     Modern  surgical  dressings 24,  53 

Kino  of  eucalyptus  rostrata 2 

Kinos  [Bosisto) 533 

Kobt'rt,  R.,  Professor  Dr.     Personal 160 

Kola,  assay  of,  by  method  of  Carles 4>^4 

assay  of,  by  method  of  Jean 483 

assay  process  for        . 350 

caflfeine  compound  in 481 

Kolatannin,  preparation  and  properties  of 481 

Krt^fner,  Henry.     Kxamination  of  powdered  vegetable  drugs 523 

The  pharmacist  and  the  microscope 39^ 

Laboratory  notes  (/.a /f^a//) 619,651 

and  processes  [La  Wall)  350 

Lactophenin,  medicinal  properties  of 546 

L^minaria  digitata,  use  of  stems  of,  in  surgery     ....        609 

La  Wall,  Charles  H.     Adulterated  Japan  wax 18,  54 

Estimation  of  ash  in  various  drugs      137,  165 

Laboratory  notes 619,  651 

Ointment  of  mercuric  nitrate 232,  280 

Processes  and  laboratory  notes 350 

and  L.  F.  Kcbler.     Presence  of  starch  and  strontium  in  opium  .    .  244,  280 

Lead  acetate  of  commerce 568 

preparations,  official  I //rtMi.rwa««) 559.613 

Leptandra,  structure  of  [Breithaupt) 235 

Lichens  used  as  food  by  Cccur  d'Alene  Indians 160 

Licorice  root,  commercial  sources  of  {Rittenhouse) 13.  54 

grown  in  N.  S.  W 643 

Lime,  chlorinated,  in  zinc  containers 381 

Liquor  bismuthi  et  ammonii  citratis 463 

iodi  com positus,  valuation  of  (0^;w^/<7w) 242 

plumbi  subacetatis,  preparation  of 560 

plumbi  subacetatis  dilutus,  preparation  of 567 

potassx' and  li(juor  sodie  {Bates) ...     240 

Liquors,  fermented  and  distil le<l  (Zf«^/a//^) 580,614 

Litharge,  commercial  ...    572 

Lithium  oxide,  percentage  of,  in  lithrophilite  and  amblygonite  609 

Locust,  honey,  analysis  of  bark  of  (  Ozri/<'«5  ) 40 

Loezv,  Oscar,  return  of,  to  (Germany 55© 

Lloyd,  John  Uri.     Destruction  of  tobacco 557 

Solnine  note  108 

The  California  manna  .        .  329 

Lucium,  exit  of 5' 

Maghee,  Griffith  IL     Analysis  of  sage  brush .  152,165 

Magnesium  sulphate,  method  for  detecting  zinc  in     .  522 

Maiden,  J.  //.     Murray  red  gum  and  its  kino      ...  it54 

Afaisch,  Henry  C.  C.     Estimation  of  sugar  in  urine  .  294 

Manna,  California,  the  (Lloyd)  32Q 

Marrubiin  and  its  dichlorine  derivative  i  Afatusou  2i»i,  223 

dichloride,  preparation  and  properties  of 208 

Marrubium,  vulgarc,  source  of  marrubiin      201 


/r  _  o  /"m//^-*-  /Am.  Jonr  Pharm. 

050  inuex.  \  December.  1897. 

Marttndale,  IVilliam.  Preservatives  of  pharmacopoeial  preparations  .  .  250 
Afatusow,  Harry.     Marrubiin  and  its  dichlorine  derivative 201,223 

Root  of  Kalniia  latifolia 341 

Medical  Congress-,  Pan-American  (i'?<fwz«^/^«) '5.53 

Mauniene's  method  of  identifying  oils 145 

Mayer,  Joseph  L.,  3.116.  Wm.  BromweU.     Identifying  fats  and  oils   .    .    ,    .    145 

Medicaments,  new,  report  on 464 

Medicine,  study  of,  by  druggists       381 

Medicines  of  the  Swampy  Cree  Indians  of  the  North 493 

Menthol,  estimation  of  (A'(?<5'/<?r)      189,222 

Merck,  Louis.     Hyoscine-scopolamine  question     .        593 

Mercuric  oxide,  red,  note  on  (i5"«^/a«^) 311,328 

Metals,  rare,  in  North  Carolina 609 

Mineral  products  of  the  United  States 353 

statistics  of  the  United  Stales  for  1896 115 

Minerals,  samples  of 613 

Minnesota  State  Pharmaceutical  Association 551 

Moerk,  Frank  X.     Notes  on  opium  assaying 344 

Moissati,  H.,  andy.  Dewar.    Liquefaction  of  fluorine  . 366 

Monocalcium  phosphate  in  combination  with  hydiastine 604 

Morphine,  estimation  of 216 

estimation  of,  by  ash  and  lime-water  methods 344,345 

Morrhuol,  preparation  of 644 

Mucilago  acaciae,  permanency  of 488 

Murray,  Benjamin  L.^islXs.^  W.  C.  Alpers.     Aralia  nudicaulis 534 

Murray  red  gum  and  its  kino  (i)/a7V/<?w) i,  54 

Myrrh,  botanical  origin  of no 

Nagelvoori,  J.  B.     Flores  daturae  albse 142 

resignation  of 432 

Naphtol,  reaction  for  distinguishing  the  a  and  (i   varieties 368 

Newman,  H.  E.,  and  T.  H.  Norton.     Soluble  compound  of  hydrastine  .    604 

New  York  State  Pharmaceutical  Association 326 

Nitobe,  Inazo.     Burdock  as  a  vegetable 416 

North  American  Coniferae  [Bastin  and   Trimble) 90,  354 

Norton,  T.  H.,  and  H.  E.  Newman.     Soluble  compound  of  hydrastine  .    (04 

Nostrums,  the  evolution  of 217 

Notes  and  news 224,  432,  550,  615 

Oak,  the  willow  (7>/wd/^) 617,651 

OhxiwdLxy— Allen,  John  C. 166    Robbins,  Alonzo 167 

Buchner,  L.  A 652    Roidoit,  Athanase 616 

Bower,  Henry      166    Sachs,  Julius  von 4^2 

Fresenius,  Karl  Remigius    431     Schacht,  George  Frederick  167 

Mason,  Alfred  Henry    .    .    167    Simmonds,  Peter  Lund  .    .  616 

Mattern,  IVilliam  Kline  .    224     Trecul,  Aufruste 166 

Meyer,  Victor 552     Trimen,  Henry 166 

Plugge,  Peter  Cornelio  .    .    426     Wormley,  Theodore  George  t68 

Odors,  avoirdupois  of ...  44 

Ohio  Pharmaceutical  Association 2r9 

Oil,  citronella,  commercial 461 

clove,  chemistry  of 6^8 

copaiba,  tests  for ^70 

eucalyptus c 

fusel,  presence  of,  in  whiskey 582 

lovage,  properties  of 340 

peanut,  source,  preparation  and  analysis  of 490 

sandalwood,  tests  for ...  224 

spruce,  composition  of 90 

Oils,  recognition  of,  by  Hehner  and  MitchelPs  method 145 

Ointment  of  mercuric  nitrate  (^«^/a«rf) 209 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm,»  /»////•>  />Crt 

December,  1W7     j  UlilC^.  '-'59 

Ointment  of  mercur'c  nitrate  (Z-a /Ka//) 232,280 

Oleoresin  copaiba,  req  uremenis  for 579 

Opium  assaying  [Moerk)    .    . 343 

presence  of  starch  and  strontium  in  (AV^/^r  and  La  IVa/l)  244,  280 

Orange  groves  of  Naples      .    .     112 

Organotherapy,  observations  on    .    .  .    .    460 

Orris  root,  proximate  analysis  of  ( /wiT/t^r)     .    .  199,222 

Osyritin,  glucoside  isolated  from  Cape  sumach  .    .    623 

Palms,  a  collection  of i6 

Paraffins,  soft,  as  preservatives 258 

Pardformic  aldehyde  as  an  antiseptic 607 

Papawjuice,  collecting  of 370 

Papers  read  by  title 547 

Parthenicine,  supposed  existence  of 169 

Parthenin,  isolation  of  '77 

Parthenine,  supposed  existence  of   .    .    .        169 

Parthenium  hysterophorous,  study  of  {Amy) ....  169,  222 

Passion  flower  in  epilepsy  and  other  neuroses 320 

Piiu/.  B.  // ,  and  A.  J.  CownUy.   Pilocarpine  hydrochloride loS 

Peiletier  SLnd  Caventou.     Monument  to 551 

Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association 325,  378 

Pepsin,  digestive  power  of  (6^vwr5  ) 636 

Peptic  action,  artificial,  on  food  substances 409 

Percolates,  device  for  regulating  flow  of ...     165 

Perkiu,  A.  G.     Coloring  principles  of  tannin  matters 622 

Persicein.  acid  found  in  C.  caucasicum .361 

Persimmons.  Japanese,  samples  of 613 

Persiretin.  acid  principle  found  in  C.  caucasicum •    361 

Petrolatum  vs.  vaseline  {Emanuel) 21 

Petroleum,  medicinal 462 

Pharmaceutical  Congress,  Eighth  International 161 

gatherings,  notable 427 

legislation  and  education 495 

Pharmacist  and  the  microscope,  the  (Kramer) 398 

Pharmacopreia  of  potent  remedies,  report  of  committee  on  466 

Pharmacopcjeial  preparations,  preservatives  of  (^l/tzr/zw^/rt/^) 250 

revision,  influence  of 465 

Pharmacy,  boiler  shop 493 

literature  on 48,  no,  156,  215,  320,  368,  546,607,  638 

rocks  and  shoals  of 382 

science  in  .    .        . 480 

Phenacetine,  discussion  of  sale  of 379 

Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  : 

.Mumni  .Association 275 

Classes  of  1896  97  . 55.  59.  61 

C'lmniencement  272 

Kxaminations 262,  264,  265 

(iraduates         272 

Minutes  of  Meetings  .  278,431,615 

New  professors  in 323 

Officers  and  trustees  elected   ....  279,  43 »,  615 

Pharmaceutical  meetings    .  53,  118,  164.  222,  279.  327.  613,  651 

Specimens  presented       .  -53.  54.  J'^.  '^4.  222,  328.613,652 

Philippium,  discovery   of    .  3W 

Phospiiates  and  platinum  .  463 

Phragmiles  coninumis,  sugar  of ,VW 

Phytolacca  decandra.  chemical  studv  o^  (Frank/or ter)  •  >4 

root  of  {  Frank forit'r  Aw\  Ramalev) ^"^J 

Phytolaccin,  supposed  constituent  of  Phytolacca  decandra  -84 

Phytolaccine.  suppose*!  alkaloid  of  I'hytolacca  tiecandra  .  28^ 


x-yc  Tnrli>  1-  /  •A^Di-  Jour.  Pharm. 

(j(X)  mat  A.  ^^    December.  1897. 

Pills,  Blaud's I7 

ferruginous  [^Thompson)      I7>  54 

Pilocarpine  hydrochloride  (/52«/ and  (r«9Z«/w/<?>') io8 

Pineapple,  ash  of _ 3^9 

Pinite,  saccharine  principle  from  the  manna  of  Pinus  Ivambertiana          .    .  331 

Piuus  Lambertiana,  manna  of 331 

Plant  World,  The 652 

Piatt,  Charles.     The  normal  urine 411 

Podophyllum,  Indian,  origin  of 75 

standardization  of  .    .            488 

Pomegranate  Rind  (7>m<{'/^)    ••    -^ 634,651 

Potassium  platino  cyanide,  preparation  of 49 

Powders,  antiseptic .            610 

Proprietary  preparations,  ethics  and  economics  of •    •  317 

Prunus  Virginiana,  assay  requirement  for 488 

oflficial  \Cooley) 4^4 

Pseudo-hyoscyamine,  properties  of 594 

Query,  a  pertinent 381 

Quicksilver,  export  of,  in  Russia  ■    •    • 114 

Quicksilver,  production  of,  in  California 49 

Quillaja,  microscopical  examination  of 436 

Rimaley,  Francis,  and  G.  B  Frank forter.     Root  of  Phytolacca  decandra  281 

Remington,  Joseph  P.     Acetic  acid  as  a  menstruum 121,  164 

International  Congresses                 553,  614 

Pan-American  Medical  Congress I5)  53 

Research  Committee,  second  annual  report  of .  486 

Resin  copaiba,  inadequate  tests  for 579 

Resinous  application  for  trees,  solvent  for 328 

Resume  of  recurrent  topics  ( Thompson ) 44,  408 

Retamine,  a  new  alkaloid 644 

Reviews — Allen,  Alfred  H.     Commercial  organic  analysis 117 

Altschnl,  Julius.    Reagents  and  reactions  known  by  the  names  of  their 

authors 324 

Antitoxins 378 

Bailey,  E.  H.  S.,  and  C.  M.  Palmer.     Salicylic  acid  and  calcium  sul- 
phite as  preservatives  of  cider 549 

Baker,  R.  T.,  and  H.  G.  Smith.     On  the  presence   of  a  true  manna 

on  a  "  Blue  Grass,"   Audropogon   annulatus 430 

Bolton,  H.  Carrington.    Early  American  chemical  societies 613 

British  and  Colonial  Druggists'  Diary  for  1897       52 

Britlon,  Nathaniel  Lord,  and  Addison  Brown.     An  Illustrated  Flora 

of  the  Northern  United  States,  Canada  and  the  British  Possessions    .  428 
Brown,  Addison,  and  Nathaniel  Lord  Britten.     An  Illustrated  Flora 

of  the  Northern  United  States,  Canada  and  the  British  Possessions  .  428 

Bulletin,  Imperial  University,  College  of  Agriculture,  Tokyo,  Japan    .  378 

Bulletin  of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  Imperial  University,  Japan  .    .  457 

Bulletin  of  the  Bussey  Institution,  Jamaica  Plain,  Boston 549 

California  College  of  Pharmacy,  prospectus  of  the  twenty-fifth  annual 

session  of 118 

California  State  Board  of  Pharmacy,  fourth  and  fifth  annual  reports  of  52 

Chemists'  and  druggists'  diary  for  1S97  .    .            52 

Chestnut,  V.  K     Some  common  poisonous  plants 458 

Clarke,  Frank  Wigs^lesworth.    A  Recalculation  of  the  Atomic  Weights  221 

Complete  Price  List  and  Catalogue  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co 222 

Contributions  from  the   Botanical  Laboratory  of  the  University  of 

Pennsylvania  .    .            ...            •   .    .    .    .  650 

Contributions  from  the  U.  S.  National  Herbarium.  Vol.  5.  No.  i  .    .    .  164 
Coville,  Frederick    V.     Notes  on  the   plants  used   by  the  Klamath 

Indians  of  Oregon 376 


Am.  Jour.  Pharm. )  ftirf^  »-  fif\  i 

December,  1897.   /  lUaeX.  ^  OOl 

Reviews. — Creevy,  Caroline  A.     Flowers  of  field,  hill  and  swamp     .    .    .    375 

Denaeyer,  A.     La  Composition  des  Peptones  de  Viande 118 

Dethan,  Georges.     Des  Acanthac^es  M^dicinales 163,  261 

Du/aii,  J/.     Quelques  Oxydes  Doubles  Cristallis^s  Obtenus  a  Haute 

Temperature 377 

Dulles,  Chas.  IV.     Accidents  and  emergencies 457 

Electro-Germination 164 

Fernow,   B.   E.     Age  of  trees  and  time  of  blazing  determined   by 

annual  rings 549 

Formaldehyde 324 

Frear,  William.     Cider  Vinegars  of  Pennsylvania 549 

Friedenzvald,  Julius.     The  action  of  taka-diastase  in  various  gastric 

disorders  378 

Geoffroy,    Emtnanuel.      Rapport   de    Mission    a    la    Martinique   et   a 

Guyane .        220 

Hare,  Hobart  Amory.  A  text-book  of  practical  therapeutics  ....  649 
Harshberger,John  W.  Natural  history  charts  and  illustrations.  .  .  325 
Hartwich ,  Carl.  Die  neuen  Arzneidrogen  aus  dem  Pflanzenreiche  429 
Meckel,  ^douard.    Les  Plantes  M6dicinales  et  Toxiques  de  la  Guyane 

Fran^aise  ...        221 

Henry,  E.     L' Azote  et  le  V^g^tation,  Forestiere 650 

Hesse,  O.     Ueber  Flechtenstoffe     . 262,613 

Zur  PriifungdesChinins 325 

Hirsch,  B.,  and  /.  Stedler.    Die  Fabrication  der  Kiinstlichen  Mineral- 

wasser  und  anderer  Moussirender  Getriinke 220 

Hiss,  A.  Emil.  The  standard  manual  of  soda  and  other  beverages  .  375 
Hofftnann,Fr.  Popular  German  names  of  domestic  drugs  and  medicines  1 17 
Jackson,    C.    Loring,  and    W.   R.  Lamar.     On  certain   derivatives  of 

trichlordiuitrobenzol 52 

Index  Catalogue  of  the  Library  of  the  Surgeon -General's  Office,  U.  S. 

Army 651 

Journal  of  Pharmacology,  The 164 

Kahlenberg,  Louis,  and  Rodney  H.   True.     On  the  toxic  action  of  dis- 

solve<l  salts  and  their  electrolytic  dissociation 163 

Krcgjner,  Henry.    Viola  tricolor,  L.,  in  morphilogischer,  anatomischer 

und  biologischer  Beziehung 262 

Kunz-k'rause,  Hermann.     Kinfiihrung  in  das  Studium  der  Alkaloide, 

von  Dr.  Icilio  Guareschi ...  116,  323 

Lamar,  li'.  A'.,  and   C.  Loring  Jackson.      On    certain    derivatives  of 

trichlordiuitrobenzol 52 

Leffmann,  Henry.     Hand-book  of  structural  formuLx- 163 

Leiberg,  John  B.     General  report  on  a  botanical  survey  of  the  Coeur 

d'Alene  Mountains  in  Idaho,  during  the  summer  of  1895 163 

Lloyd,  F.  E.     On  the  mechanics  in  certain  lamellihranch  boring  mol- 
luscs     650 

Lloyd,  fohn  Uri.     The  right  side  of  the  car  648 

MacMillan,  Conway.     Minnesota  l)Otanical  studies 376 

Maiden,  J.  //.     Anniversary  address  before  the  Royal  Society  of  New 

South  Wales    ... 549 

Michael,  Helen  Abbott.    A  review  of  recent  synthetic  work  in  the  class 

of  carbohydrates 377 

Mill  spa  ugh,  Charles  Frederick.     Contribution    II  to  the  coastal  and 

plain  flora  of  Yucatan 222 

North  Carolina  and  its  resources ^19 

Palmer,  Charles  M.,  and  E.  H.  S.  Bailey.    Salicylic  acid  and  calcium 

sulphite  as  preservatives  of  cider 549 

Papain,  the  vegetable  pepsin,  its  origin,  properties  and  U8c« 37*t 

Petroleum,  a  series  of  papers  on  the  origin  and  chemical  composition  of  377 
Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain,  calendar  of  .    .     164 

Pharmacologist,    The ...    5I5 

Pharmacopu-Ma  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homrpopathy     .  ^i 


/'/'_  /m///?*-  f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 

002  inatX.  \    December,  1897. 

Reviews. — Physician's  vest-pocket  formula  book,  the 164 

Planch  on,  Louis.     Le  Commerce  Aciuel  de  I'Herboristerie  dans  une 

Region  du  Languedoc 117 

Les  Drogues  Recemment  Inscrites  au  Codex 164 

Observations  et  Experiences  sur  I'ouverture  des  fleurs  de  L'Oeno- 

thera  laniarkiana,  Ser 261 

Practical  Druggist  and  Pharmaceutical  Review  of  Reviews 164 

Proceedings  : 

Ameiican  Pharmaceutical  Association 162 

Florida  State  Pharmaceutical  Association 458 

Illinois  Pharmaceutical  Association 378 

Louisiana  State  Pharmaceutical  Association 431 

Missouri  Pharmaceutical  Association 612 

Ndlioual  Confectioners' Association  of  the  United  States 430 

North  Cirolina  Pharmaceutical  Association     , 163 

South  Carolina  State  Pharmaceutical  Association 325 

Virginia  Pharmaceutical  Association       222 

Renisen,  Ira.    The  principles  of  theoretical  chemistry 52 

Report  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  to  the 

contributors 613 

Report  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  National  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences upon  the  Inauguration  of  a  Forest  Policy  for  the  Forested 

Lands  of  the  United  States,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior   ....  430 
Pose,  J.  N.     Contributions  from  the  U.  S.  National  Herbarium,  Vol. 

V,  No.  3 549 

Puddiman,  Edsel  A.     Incompatibilities  in  prescriptions 456 

Sajous,  Charles  E.     Annual  of  the  Medical  Sciences  and  Analytical 

Index 220 

Schlagdenhauffen  et  Louis  Planchon.     Sur  un  Strophanthus  du  Congo 

Fran9aise 548 

Semi-Annual  Report  of  Schimmel  &  Co 52,325,652 

Siedler,  P.,  and  B.  Hitsch    Die  Fabrication  der  Kiinstlichen  Mineral- 

wasser  und  andtrer  Moussirender  Getranke 220 

Smith,  Henry  G.     On  the  constituents  of  the  sap  of  the  "  Silky  Oak," 

Grevillea  Robusta,  R,  Br.,  and  the  presence  of  butyric  acid  therein  262  . 
The  dveing  properties  of  aromadendrin  and  of  the  tannins  of  Euca- 
lyptus kinos 262 

and  R.  T.  Baker.     On  the  presence  of  a  true  manna  on  a  "  Blue 

Grass,"  Andropogon  annulatus 430 

Southiuorth,  Thomas.     Annual  report  of  the  Clerk  of  Forestry  for  the 

Province  of  Ontario 612 

Tassilly,  Eugenie.     Sur  le  Dosage  de  la  Caffeine 377 

Thorp^  Erank  Hall.     Inorganic  chemical  preparations 52 

Thresh,  John  C.     A  simple  method  of  water  analysis 162 

Trelcase,  William,     Medical  botany 549 

Mis<Jouri  botanical  garden,  report  of 612 

True,  Rodney  H.     Native  drugs  of  Ceylon 163 

and  Louis  Kahlenberg.    On  the  toxic  action  of  dissolved  salts  and 

their  electrolytic  dissociation 163 

Warner's  pocket  medical  dictionary  of  to-day 324 

Werner,  D.  7.     Ueber  Isomere  Menthylamine  und  Menthene     .    .  430 

Wilcox,  Rey?iold  W.     Strophanthus  :  a  clinical  study      325 

Wilder,  Hans  M.     Digest  of  criticisms  on  the  United  vStates  Pharma- 
copoeia ... 221 

Wiley,  Harvey  W.     Principles  and  practice  of  agricultural  analvsis   .  162 
Wright,  John  S.     A  guide  to  the  organic  drugs  of  the  United  States 

Pharmacopoeia 52 

Year-book  of  treatment  for  1897 220 

Year-book  of  Pharmacy 650 

Rhamnus  purshiana,  R.  frangula  and  R.  Californica,  distinction  of,  in  pow- 

r      126 


Am.Jour.  Pharno.)                                                   huifr  fJ\i 

December.  1887.   /                                                inutx.  003 

Rittenhouse^  H.  N.     Commercial  sources  of  licorice  root 13,  54 

Sage  brush,  analysis  of  {Maghce) 152,  165 

Sanxuinaria,  standardization  of 488 

Satilesson,  C.  C.     Veuom  of  Helo<ierma  suspectum,  Cope 391 

Sdrsdparilla,  quillaja  and  senega,  standard  requirement  for 488 

SayrCy  L.  E.     Alexandria  and  India  senna          298 

Analysis  of  gelsemium 234,  2:10 

Consiiiueuts  of  taraxacum  root 543 

Distinction  of  senega,  euonymus  and  quillaja  in  the  powdered  state  .  433 

Frangula  and  cascara  barks 126 

Gelsemium  ....        8 

Scaramony,  note  on  a  sample  of  {'Iliomson) 313 

Schroeder,  J.  Henry.    Observations  on  acacia  of  commerce 195 

Senega,  euonymus  and  quillaja,  distinction  of,  in  powder  {Sayre)    ....  433 

microscopical  appearance  of  Northern  and  Southern  varieties  ....  433 

Senna,  Alexandiia  and  India  [^Sayre) 298 

Serpents,  action  of  bile  of 550 

Shaddock  or  grape  fruit  {Hart) 181 

Shoemaker,  Robert,  memoir  of 225 

Silva  of  North  America,  tenth  volume  of 54 

Silver  in  sea-water 50 

Soaps,  disinfectant 463 

Solanum  Caroliiiense,  determination  of  alkaloids  of 640 

microscopical  examination  of  {Johnson) 76 

microscopical  and  chemical  study  of  (  TTrrttiA) 84 

Solnine  note  ( A/cj^  ) 108 

Soy  bean  (  Trimble) 584 

Sp>ermaceii.  examination  of  samples 53 

y\xr^  [k'ebler) 104 

Spirit  of  nitrous  ether,  assay  of  (AVw/^r) 307 

Starch,  presence  of,  in  opium 244 

Stephan,  A.    Zanzibar  copal 154 

Strontium,  occurrence  of,  in  plants  (  TVi'w^/^) 296,327 

presence  of,  in  opium 244 

sulphide,  phosphorescent 6o7 

hydrate  in  sugar  refining -^iS 

Stroph  inthus,  assay  requirement  for 488 

Ni'holsoni  [Holmes) 520 

SuV>stitutiou 217 

Sugar  as  a  preservative 253 

cane,  synthesis  of      (^ 

maple,  protiuction  of 50 

milk,  .American      161 

Sum^ul.  cultivation  of.  in  Kneland  [Holmes) 314 

Surgical  dressings,  modern  {Kilmer) 24,  53 

Symes,  C.     Digestive  power  of  pepsin d^b 

Syrup  of  garlic,  obsoleteness  of 488 

Syrupus  acidi  hydriodici,  suggestions  concerning 488 

eucalypti  rostrati,  sample  of 54 

ferri  quinime  et  strychniniL- phosphatis 461 

Tannin,  hemlock,  properties  of g« 

in  plants,  function  of 5^2 

matters  and  coloring  principles  ( /^r>t/«) 522 

Taraxacer in,  waxy  sul)stance  found  in  taraxacum  c 4 » 

Taraxacum  root,  constituents  of   iSayre) 404  cj, 

Terpin  ludrate,  preparation  of  {Hahn) -V  118 

samples  of .118 

Theobromine,  determination  of,  in  cacao ii. 

Thiol,  advantages  of,  over  ichthyol                                               ^5 


^^  Tyi^r,^-  r  Am.  Joar.  Pharm. 

004  inaex.  \    December.  I897. 

Thompson,  Win.  B.     Commercial  ferruginous  pills 17.  54 

Fluid  extracts 153 

Resiling  of  recurrent  topics 44,  408 

Thomson,!.  W.     Note  on  a  sample  of  scammony 313 

Thrush,  M.  Clayton.     Microscopical  and  chemical  study  of  Solanum  Caro- 

lineuse 84 

Tiuctura  moschi,  preparation  of 489 

Tincture  of  iodine,  keeping  qualities  of 492 

opium,  variability  of  strength  of 492 

Tinctures,  alkaloidal,  strength  of 463 

Tobacco,  destruction  of  {Lloyd) 557 

Tonca  beans,  exports  of,  from  Venezuela 598 

information  concerning 157 

Tribuna  Farmacdutica,  publication  of 615 

Trimble,  Henry.     Occurrence  of  strontium  in  plants 296,  327 

Pomegranate  rind      634,  651 

Tannin  of  castanopsis 406 

Tannin  of  Ceriops  candoUeana 505 

The  soy  bean 584 

The  willow  oak 617,  651 

and  E.  S.  Basiin.    North  American  Coniferae 90,  354 

Tsuga  Canadensis,  chemical  composition  of 90 

Caroliniana,  general  characters  and  composition  of 358 

Mertensiana,  description  and  composition  of 354 

Tucker,  S.  Allen.     Proximate  analysis  of  orris  root 199,  222 

United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  report  of  committee  on  revision  of    ...    .  488 

Uranium,  percentage  of,  in  gummite 609 

platino  cyanide,  preparation  of 49 

Urine,  estimation  of  sugar  in  (./l/a/j^^) 294 

normal  [Piatt) 411 

Vanillin,  admission  of,  to  Pharmacopoeia 488 

Vaseline,  evolution  of 22 

Veratrine,  formula  and  properties  of 372 

Veratrum,  alkaloids  of 372 

Veronica  Virginica,  Linne,  source  of  leptandra 235 

Waters,  aromatic  and  essential  oils  as  preservatives 258 

Wax,  Japan,  adulterated  (Z«^<2//) 18,     54 

Whalebone,  artificial,  preparation  of 89 

Wines  for  pharmaceutical  preparations 492 

Witch-hazel  extract,  chemical  composition  of 493 

Yellowstone  Hot  Springs,  vegetation  of  (//ar.sA/^<?r^^r) 625,651 

Verba  del  Polio  {Herrera) 290,  327 

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