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J HE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



of all facts in relation to the material 

 employed, particularly as to its identity. 

 It is notorious that the history of experi- 

 mental work is so filled with contradic- 

 tions that it is difficult in many if not in 

 most cases to decide as to the facts. A 

 considerable portion of this diversity is 

 traceable to a lack of authenticity in the 

 details pertaining to the material em- 

 ployed. Our first aim, therefore, is to 

 collect a complete series of specimens 

 specially authenticated in such a way 

 that they can be used with absolute con- 

 fidence by any one for purposes of verifi- 

 cation. The method followed is to have 

 them collected by a fully qualified botan- 

 ist, the specimen including drug samples 

 and from the same locality, at the same 

 time, and from the same set of plants 

 and — wherever the nature of the plant 

 admits, as in the case of bark from a tree 

 — from the same individual, herbarium 

 specimens. The drug sample and herba- 

 rium specimen thus contributed bear a 

 corresponding number or other designa- 

 tion, and each plainly refer to the 

 other as its complement. In this way 

 the writer has, during the last year, col- 

 lected quite a number of drugs, official 

 and otherwise, of this region, and he has 

 had thus collected and authenticated 

 small collections from Australia, Bolivia, 

 Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Oregon. 

 Arrangements have been perfected for 

 other similar collections from the same 

 and from quite a number of other locali- 

 ties. 



A second undertaking in a somewhat 

 similar direction is to collect sets of ma- 

 terials of which comparative examina- 

 tions are desirable, and to hold these in 

 readiness for supply to any competent 

 and worthy individual making applica- 

 tion for them. For example, we have 

 received from Florida samples of Saw- 

 Palmetto fruits prepared respectively by 

 drying in the sun and artificially evapo- 



rating. The relative value of these two- 

 products has been an important subject 

 of controversy between those who deal 

 in the fruits. Prof. Coblentz at once un- 

 dertook the investigation of this question 

 and now has the main facts ready for 

 publication. 



From the same general region have 

 been obtained barks of the several mag- 

 nolias in three forms, from large and 

 small trunks and from medium sized 

 branches. These are held ready for ex- 

 amination by any one desiring. Butter- 

 nut bark has been collected by the wri- 

 ter from root, trunk and branches, and at 

 three different seasons of the year, in or- 

 der to determine pharmacognostical char- 

 acters for the determination of the col- 

 lecting season as well as the comparative 

 quality of the bark so collected. False 

 and true Cascara Sagrada have been col- 

 lected in sufficient quantity for examina- 

 tion, and Prof. Say re has undertaken 

 this investigation, as also that of the ap- 

 pearance of root and stem barks of Vi- 

 burnum prunifolium in the form of pow- 

 der, also from specimens collected by the 

 writer. 



Other similar specimens are ready for 

 distribution, referring to the two species 

 of Primus (both shade dried and sun 

 dried), Cornus, Hamamelis, Sassafras, 

 Rubus of different varieties, etc. Aside 

 from the utilization of these products in 

 investigations by the outside public, it 

 is intended to make them of service as 

 thesis subjects and subjects for original 

 work by the members of our advanced 

 instruction course leading to the degree 

 of Doctor of Pharmacy. 



In conclusion, I may perhaps profitably 

 enumerate some of the more valuable and 

 interesting additions to the museum re- 

 ferred to above. It is intended to fur- 

 nish hereafter to The Alumni Journal 

 regular reports of all additions to the 



