THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 



93 



As a botanical contribution, the illustrations are 

 of great value. The energy of the author in 

 securing the original articles from so many 

 sources, is remarkable. In a bibliographical 

 sense alone, this and the preceding volume have 

 astonished the workers in tanning materials 

 with its repleteness. 



In looking upon the composition of the 

 tannins discussed in this volume and comparing 

 them with what appear to be trustworthy results 

 obtained in recent years by other investigators, 

 Prof. Trimble finds that they arrange them- 

 selves into two groups ; the gall-tannin group 

 (C, 52.17 ; H, 3.10) and the oak tannin group 

 (C, 60.00 ; H, 5.00). This is likewise confirmed 

 by the action of certain reagents, as: ferric salts, 

 calcium hydrate and bromine water. The de- 

 composition of the above tannins by heat, by 

 acids and by alkaloids again further confirm 

 the above grouping. 



With the above facts in view, the conclusion 

 naturally forces itself upon us that there are two 

 groups of the tannins ; there are, however, the 

 results of many investigators to account for and 

 reconcile. With as many properties in common, 

 the author says, in conclusion, we cannot ex- 

 pect there exist many groups. We naturally 

 look for only one ; the facts, however, demand 

 at least two, a close chemical relations, there- 

 fore, probably exists between these two ; to 

 discover that relation, and classify the remain- 

 ing uninvestigated members, still offers a most 

 attractive field to the plant chemist. This work 

 of Prof Trimble represents an amount of labor 

 and a degree of thoroughness and accuracy that 

 commends itself to all investigators of plant 

 constituents. It will likewise furnish an admir- 

 able guide in principle to those who may care 

 to write up other plant constituents. 



Virginia Pliarmaceutical Association Pro- 

 ceedings for 1893. C. B. Fleet, Secretary, 

 Lynchburg, Va 



Wheeler, .-:/.— The Students' Handbook of 

 Medicine and Therapeutics. 



Wiechmann, F. G".— Lecture Notes on Theo- 

 retical Chemistry. 



Wiedemann, G. — Die Lehre von der Elek- 

 tricitat. 2 Auflage. Zugleich also 4. Auflage 

 der Lehre von Galvanismus und Elektromag- 

 netismus, 2 Band. 



Willard, J. T.—An Introduction to the Or- 

 ganic Compounds of Every Day Life. 



Winkelmann A. — Handbuch der Physik. 



Wyatt, Francis. — The Phosphates of America, 

 Fifth ed., revised and enlarged and brought up 

 to date. 



(College Nt>tcs. 



The following specimens have been donated 

 to our College Museum since the publication of 

 the Journal: 



From Mr. Ewen Mclntyre, a Dox of living 

 specimens of Gelsemium sempervirens. Ait. 



From Mrs. Emery, of the Senior Class, a 

 similar box, together with Tillandsia usneoides, 

 L.; three species of palm fruits from north- 

 ern South America, and a fragment of Deme- 

 rara copal from the same locality. Mrs. Emery 

 has also presented a fine collection of kowrie 

 resins from Australia. 



Messrs. Leo Bernard & Co. have contributed 

 a collection of eight specimens of vanillas, and 

 through Mr. Henning we have received from 

 Messrs. Schoellkopf, Hartford & Maclagan a 

 very interesting specimen of Mexican Sarsapa- 

 rilla packed in rolls to imitate and substitute the 

 Honduras variety. 



A New Waylo Advertise a College. —VxoL Os- 

 car Oldberg devotes the April number of his col- 

 lege journal. The Apothecary, chiefly to a com- 

 parison of the instruction departments of the 

 various institutions teaching Pharmacy in the 

 United States. A carefully prepared compari-' 

 son of this sort would have been of the greatest 

 service, not only to prospective students, but to 

 ever}' one concerned with pharmaceutical edu- 

 cation. We have not compared Prof. Oldberg's 

 statements relating to other institutions with 

 the facts, but the gross inaccuracies relating to 

 the New York College are such as to throw seri- 

 ous discredit upon the entire contribution. The 

 instruction hours of this institution, as plainly 

 advertised in the prospectus, are in the junior 

 year 25 per cent, and in the senior year more 

 than 30 per cent, in excess of his figures, while 

 the hours devoted to laboratory work are nearly 

 40 per cent, greater. This correction is on the 

 basis of our last prospectus, and does not take 

 note of the important changes made lor the 

 coming year. Without commenting on the 

 grotesque views on pharmaceutical education 

 for which the Professor is noted, it seems almost 

 incredible that in a simple calculation of this 

 sort he could have made, not a single error, but 

 a complete series of them, resulting in an aver- 

 age discrepency 0/35 per cent. Comparisons of 

 this kind are not unknown in commercial 

 literature, but up to the present time educa- 

 tional literature has been happily free from 

 them. H. H. Rusby. 



