TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 33 



acc[uirement of such knowledge, and until the pharmaceutists all obtain this educa- 

 tion, medicine will be subject to a great cause of uncertaintj' in the variations in 

 the quality and quantity of the different substances which, under the same name, 

 are obtained from different druggists. 



Before I conclude I must apologize to some in this Section who may think that 

 this subject is of no interest to them, by reminding them that none but chemists 

 can judge what the worth of chemical education really is ; and I am sure that no 

 body of scientific men exists who are so fitted to judge of the necessity of an edu- 

 cation in natural knowledge for those who employ the forces around us to regulate 

 the forces within us as the Chemical Section of the British Association. 



Last year Professor Miller said, " It behoves all who are themselves engaged iji 

 the piu'suit of science to consider in what way they can themselves aid in forward- 

 ing the cultivation of natural knowledge." 



I ask you, for the good of science and for your own good, to exert your influence 

 in the first place, and more especially to effect a change in the preliminary educa- 

 tion of all those who intend to practise medicine ; so that leaving Greek and Latin 

 to be the ornaments and exceptions in their education, they may have time to 

 obtain the best possible knowledge of the chemical and physical forces with which 

 they have to deal. I urge this because of my conviction that whenever the most 

 perfect knowledge of cheniistiy and physics becomes the basis of rational medi- 

 cine, then, and not till then, medicine will obtain the highest place among all the 

 arts that minister to the welfare and happiness of man. 



On the Assay of Coa'l,.Sfc., for Crude Paraffin Oil, and of Crude Oil and 

 Petroleum for Spirit, Photogen, Lubricating Oil, and Paraffin. Bij Dr. J. 

 Attfield, F.G.S., Director of the Laboratory of the Pharmaceutical Society. 



The paper included descriptive details of the methods of examining small speci- 

 mens of coal, shale, lignite, &c., with the view of determining their value as 

 sources of crude parafiin oil. It also contained instructions whereby to obtain the 

 valiie of a specimen of crude oil or of petroleum as sources of spirit, photogen, lubri- 

 cating oil, and paraffin. The author placed no dependence on the process of igniting 

 thecoal, &c. in a crucible and taking the amount of volatile matter yielded as an 

 indication of the value of the specimen. He preferred to submit the coal at once 

 to distillation, with certain precautions, in a small iron retort arranged in a pecu- 

 liar manner. After showing how to best separate and weigh the oil and other 

 products of the distillation so as to avoid loss, the author proceeded to suggest the 

 adoption of uniform operations to ascertain the value of the oil or petroleum. 

 These were mainly operations of fractionation with or without previous distillation, 

 with or without pre\ious purification. The separation of paraffin on the analytical 

 scale of the laboratory was then described, the paper closing with suggestive remarks 

 concerning the nomenclature of the various products. 



On the Action of Chlorine on Amylene. By Dr. Bauer. 



On the Purification of Terrestrial Drinhing Waters witli Neutral Sulphate of 



Alumina. By Alfred Bird. 



The principle upon which this process is founded is based upon the known affinity 

 which hvdrated alumina has for organic matters, in combining with them and ren- 

 dering them insoluble. 



The action is as follows : — • 



One part of neutral sidphate of alumina in solution is added to seven thousand 

 parts of tlie water to be pm-Ified. As soon as the mixture is made, a cloudy haze 

 is seen In thewater, which haze rapidly condenses into flocculi, with little lanes of 

 clear water of the greatest brilliancy and beauty between them. As the flocculi 

 become more dense they rapidly descend to the bottom of the water, leaving it 

 absolutely free from all organic colouring-matter, as clear as crystal, and free from 

 taint. 



The time required for complete precipitation is from six to eight hours ; If, there- 

 1866. 3 



