105 



drug were so unreliable that hospital physicians used to experiment on patients with 

 samples of this drug before placing an order for it. Since experiments on animals 

 with this driii? have been introduced, the practice of testing the preparations on human 

 beings was abandoned. 



Ergot is another drug whose activity can at present be determined only by experi- 

 ments on animal-. < 'raw ford," who made a study of chemical tests, came to the conclu- 

 M..II that they an- ..f no value, while its action on the cock's comb after subcutaneous 

 injection, i.nm the isolated uterus of the cat, is characteristic and may therefore be used 

 ' advaiita-e in its identification or in determination of the strength of the preparation. 



to 



REPORT ON INSECTICIDES.ft 

 I'.y ( . ('. MrDoNNELL, Referee. 



A study of methods for the examination of insecticides and fungicides was taken up 

 by the association only ten years ago at the fifteenth annual convention, when the 

 fir-t referee on thi- -ubject was appointed. 



th<- two years following this no analytical work was reported, but methods were 

 compiled and -uu"-:c-t.'d for the examination of this class of materials which were then 

 IMO-I ini|>ortani, and th.-e were ad.pt, -d provisionally. All of them have been tested 

 .-inn- that time and tho~- proving of value have been officially adopted by the associa- 

 tion. A number however have -in<-e been replaced by more rapid and accurate 

 method-. AJ the ii-i i -ub-tan.es used as insecticides and fungicides increases, as it 

 ofltantly doing, new method- must be devised and changee in old methods intro- 

 duced in order that th.-y may be adapted to a particular material. 



At the present time the mi, -t irnjM)rtant of these is lead arsenate, and it is to methods 

 for the examination of thi- -ub-tan.-e that considerable study is now being given. The 

 work as carried out thi- year ha.- been largely along the line of the recommendations of 

 the r. -ft '< tot year, which were adopted by the association. In addition a modifica- 

 tion pro|x-ed by the pre-ent referee for the determination of total arsenic oxid in 

 London purple ha- bei-n -_'i\en a trial. 



WORK .w < M-n.iN-Ki). 



\ : ; .-f the pro\i-ional niethiMls for London purple given in Bureau 



of ( h. mi n> < ircular l<>, ie\i-ed, the method as modified by Davidson, given in the 

 I' 'he twenty-e< -.Hid annual convention of the association, also in Bureau 



oM'hemi-try P.ulletin L 07, revised, and the iniM!ifi(>d method as proposed by the pres- 

 ent n : 



A further -i udy of the precipitat i'-n method for soda-lye, using fifth-normal acid 

 id ..f half-normal, aI-> with and without removal of the barium carbonate pre- 

 cipitate before Miration. 



(3) Determination of formaldehyde in strong solution by the provisional hydrogen 

 x:d method, and on dilute solutions by the cyanid method to determine the 



amount of dilution nece-sary. 



(4) Further te-t of the Avery method for the determination of sulphur in sulphur 

 dips. 



(5) A continuation of the study of the methods for lead arsenate proposed by Hay- 

 wood (Pnx-eedin.:- I'.MM;, Bulletin 105, p. 165) and tried last year. 



Samples were .-ent to five chemists, who had expressed a willingness to cooperate 

 in the work, aixl more or le-s complete reports have been received from three of these. 



Amer. J. Pharm.. 1908, 80: 326. 



*> Owing to the illness of the referee, this report was not ready for presentation to the 

 i -on vent i>n at the time of its meeting. Through the courtesy of the association the 

 referee wa- permitted to present the report at a later date for insertion in the Pro- 



:i_ r -. 



