45 



of the cases, and in some there was evidence of a severe iuaamma- 

 tion of the plurae having taken place. The poison took from an 

 hour and a half to twenty-four hours to produce its fatal effect. 



It produced little effect upon the dog, probably from the quantity 

 being small. 



The following Gentlemen were duly elected Ordinary 

 Fellows : — 



John Stewart, Esq., of Nateby Hall, Lancashire. 

 Dr John Kinnis, Deputy-Inspector of Hospitals. 



The following Donations to the Library were announced :— 

 Medico-Chirurgical Transactions. Published by the Royal Medica 



and Chirurgical Society of London. General Index. Vols. 



I.-XXXIII. 8vo. — From the Society. 

 The Journal of Agriculture and Transactions of the Highland and 



Agricultural Society of Scotland. New Series. No. 32. 8vo. 



— From the Society. 



Monday, 11 th March 1851. 

 Dr CHRISTISON, Vice-President, in the Chair. 

 The following Communications were read : — 

 1. On a New Source of Capric Acid, with Remarks on some 

 of its Salts. By Mr T. H. Rowney. Communicated by 

 Dr Anderson. 

 The author commences his paper by mentioning the different 

 sources from which capric acid has been obtained, and then proceeds 

 to point out a new source for obtaining it, namely, the grain oil 

 from the Scotch distilleries. 



The grain oil, he states, consists of water, alcohol, amylic alcohol, 

 and an oily residue, having a much higher boiling point than amylio 

 alcohol. It is this oily residue that contains the capric acid. He 

 obtained it by boiling the only residue with caustic potassa, which 

 renders it soluble in water, and by adding HO, SO, or HCl to the 

 alkaline solution, the capric acid is separated. He then proceeds to 

 detail the method he followed for obtaining it pure, and its most 

 characteristic properties, viz., — it is solid at the ordinary tempera,- 

 ture, and fuses at 81° F., — it is insoluble in cold water, and slightly 

 soluble in hot water, — very soluble in cold alcohol and ether, — and 



E 2 



