278 



December 20, 1859. 

 The president being absent, on motion of Mr. Munsell, 

 Dr. Hough was appointed chairman. 



Mr. G. P. Jackson and L. A. Orcutt, proposed at the last 

 meeting, were elected resident members. 



The Secretary proposed Mr. A. E. Brown as a member of 

 the Institute. 



Dr. Vanderpoel then presented his paper on the History 

 and Economic Character of Coffee. He referred to the his- 

 tory of the introduction of coffee as a beverage, and the 

 many prejudices it was obliged to overcome before it be- 

 came generally adopted. He gave an interesting account 

 of the transportation of the coffee plant into the West India 

 Islands by the French government. 



Dr. Vanderpoel described the plant and bean, and the 

 mode of cultivation adopted by different growers. He 

 pointed out how by the peculiar construction of the cells of 

 the berry, an exposure to moisture dissolved out the pecu- 

 liar properties. The method of preparing the beverage 

 from the bean, the defects of many methods, were described. 

 The hygienic effects of coffee were discussed, and the con- 

 clusion reached that as an economical article of diet it was 

 exceedingly important. Its effect consists in preventing to 

 a certain extent the waste of tissue which is going on in 

 the organization, and thus obviating the necessity of so 

 large a supply of food. This conclusion was sustained by 

 statistics of France and Belgium, and applied with peculiar 

 force to the working men. 



Dr. V. at the close of his paper, described the adultera- 

 tions which have been made with coffee, and exhibited sec- 

 tions of the coffee bean in the microscope, showing the 

 peculiar cellular structure. 



The secretary read the provision of the by-laws requiring 

 the annual election of officers to be held on the first 

 Wednesday in January, being the time of the next regular 

 meeting. Adjourned. 



