no 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



into the U. S. P. methods of identifying 

 such drugs as may be found to permit of 

 it, in a powdered condition. 



Chairman : Dr. H. H. Rusby. 

 Research Committee D. Subject, Re- 

 vision of the description and tests of or- 

 ganic chemicals. 



Chairman : Dr. Charles Rice. 

 The members of these committees are 

 to be selected hereafter, and other com- 

 mittees are to be organized as occasion 

 may arise. 



The results of the researches of these 

 committees are to be reported to the 

 whole committee of revision, and may be 

 published by the authors, provided they 

 state that the papers are reports of U. S- 

 P. Research Committees. This will se- 

 cure to the profession an early knowledge 

 of these researches, and an opportunity 

 to repeat the experiments and verify or 

 controvert them. 



In conclusion the undersigned would 

 urge this association to take early action 

 in considering all matters connected with 

 the next revision of the U. S. Pharma- 

 copoeia. Neither the pharmaceutical nor 

 the medical profession is likely to lag be- 

 hind in the progressive spirit of the age. 

 New methods are being introduced re- 

 quiring new agents of medication, obso-* 

 lete preparations are discarded, other 

 standards of strength or purity may be- 

 come advisable, and all of such matters 

 require careful study and discussion, and 

 should not be left to be decided at the 

 last moment in a pharmacopoeial conven- 

 tion. 



The wishes of this State association 

 should be clearly ascertained in regard 

 to the admission or rejection of certain 

 preparations, in regard to inserting the 

 doses of actual remedies, to processes of 

 manufacture or assay of galenical prepa- 

 rations, and other matters connected with 

 our national Pharmacopoeia, so that when 

 the time comes to select delegates, they 



may be apprised of the wishes of the pro- 

 fession, and not left to their personal im- 

 pressions and the impulse of the moment 

 when called upon to cast their vote for 

 the rules guiding the next committee of 

 revision, 



The Pennsylvayiia Pharmaceutical As- 

 sociation met at Reading, Pa. The fol- 

 lowing papers were presented: "Notes 

 on Practical Pharmacy," by Joseph W. 

 England : 



'" C-C'^ Cough Mixture. — Under this 

 name a cough mixture is very largely 

 used in the phthisical wards of the Phil- 

 adelphia Hospital. It has, in each fluid 

 drachm, the following : Codeine sul- 

 phate, one-eighth grain; diluted hydro- 

 cyanic acid, two minims; spirit of chlo- 

 roform and mucilage of acacia, each 

 fifteen minims, and syrup of wild cherry 

 a sufficient quantity to make one fluid 

 drachm. Dose: one fluid drachm. 



Distilled Extract of Witch Hazel. — ^The 

 writer has been informed, on good au- 

 thority, that the percentage of alcohol in 

 commercial distilled extract of witch 

 hazel is not necessarily an index of its 

 value, for the reason that some dealers 

 buy the cheaper aqueous distillate from 

 the distiller and add alcohol. The only 

 proper product is had by distilling the 

 fresh twigs with a mixture of alcohol 

 and water, whereby a greater quantity 

 of volatile oil is brought into solution 

 than by distillation with water alone. 



Syrup of Wild Cherry. — In making 

 this syrup, more especially in the sum- 

 mer season, when fermentation takes 

 place readily, it is advisable to add some 

 of the sugar to the percolate as soon as 

 possible, to prevent change. The phar- 

 macopoeial formula of 1870 contained no 

 glycerin, that of 1880 ordered five per 

 cent., and that of 1890 fifteen per cent, 

 by volume This last increase seems 

 excessive. The greater the percentage 

 of glycerin, the greater the amount of 



