123 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 17,187A 
which, its present constitution as a rock took its origin, 
we have only for our guide the actual record written i 
on the meteoric mass itself; and it is in this direction 
that the mineralogist is now working. 
But the progress is necessarily a gradual one. We 
may indeed assert that the meteorites we know have, 
probably all of them, been originally formed under con¬ 
ditions from which the presence of water or of free 
oxygen to the amount requisite to oxidize entirely the 
elements present were excluded; for this is proved by 
the nature of the minerals constituting the meteorites 
and by the way in which the metallic iron is distributed 
through them. 
And one suggestive and significant fact remains to be 
alluded to ; the presence, namely, in some few meteor¬ 
ites of combinations of hydrogen and carbon, which, if 
met with in a terrestrial mineral, would with little hesi¬ 
tation be assigned to an organic origin. A few grains 
were exhibited to the audience of such a body, crystal¬ 
lized from ether, which solvent had extracted it to the 
amount of about 0 25 per cent, from six ounces of the 
Cold Bokkveldt meteorite. 
Similar substances have been extracted by Wohler, 
Roscoe, and other chemists from this and other meteor¬ 
ites. It was, however, observed, as pointing to the pro¬ 
bability of the comparatively porous meteoric stone 
having in this case taken up the hydrocarbon as a sub¬ 
stance extraneous to it (possibly when in the state of a 
vapour), that ether extracted it entirely from the solid 
lumps of the meteorite; pulverization not in any way 
adding to the amount obtained, or facilitating in any 
appreciable degree the separation of the substance. 
ANALYSIS OF WOMAN’S MILK. 
BY A. SCHUKOFFSXY* 
The author shows that most methods employed for the 
analysis of milk do not give correct results, especially in 
the case of woman’s milk. 
The casein of woman’s milk differs from that of other 
milk in that it is not curdled thoroughly (if at all) by 
carbonic and acetic acids. The method of precipitating 
the casein by magnesium sulphate also gives unsatis¬ 
factory 7 results. 
The methods in use for the estimation of fat are also 
imperfect, e. g., those in which gypsum or chalk is added 
to the milk, the resulting mixture dried, and the fat ex¬ 
tracted by exhausting with ether; the presence of fat in 
the residue may be indicated by the microscope. Ap¬ 
parently the ether is prevented from acting on the fat by 
the casein envelopes which surround the globules. 
Hoppe-Seyder has remedied this source of error by 
adding caustic potash to the milk, whereby the casein is 
decomposed. The potash however acts on the milk- 
sugar, forming decomposition products, which dissolve in 
the ether together with the fat, and so vitiate the result. 
)Y\ hen a sufficient quantity of ether is added to woman’s 
milk, and the mixture is allowed to stand at rest for 
some days, two layers are formed—an upper one, thick 
and starch-like, and a lower, which is transparent 
Strong alcohol (90-96 per cent.) added to this curdles 
it and precipitates the casein, whilst the fat floats on the 
top. 
The author, having studied these reactions, recom¬ 
mends the following method for the estimation of fat in 
woman’s milk :—20 c. c. of ether are added to 20 c. c. of 
the milk ; the mixture is stirred, and to it 30 c. c. of strong 
alcohol are added. This mixture is allowed to stand 
for about 2-4 hours, in which time the milk-sugar separates 
in crystals on the sides of the vessel. The sugar and casein 
* Beat. Chem. Ges. Ber., v., 75-77. 
are filtered off and washed with anhydrous ether and 
strong alcohol; the filtrate and washings are evaporated 
on a water bath till free from alcohol; and the residue 
is again treated with ether, then allowed to evaporate 
spontaneously, and finally' dried at 100° and weighed.— 
Journal of the Chemical Society. 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
THE SUPPER. 
On Tuesday evening, August 13, the members of the 
British Pharmaceutical Conference were entertained at 
supper by r the Brighton local members at Brighton, in 
the Banqueting Room at the Royal Pavilion. The 
chair was taken by r Mr. W. D. Savage. 
The usual loy'al toasts were proposed and duly 
honoured. 
The Chairman then gave u Continued Prosperity to 
the Pharmaceutical Conference.” He said: Gentlemen, 
the toast that I am now about to propose is one of espe¬ 
cial interest, and it is one that I am sure you will drink 
in a bumper. We all, and especially those connected 
with the Pharmaceutical Conference, have heard a great 
deal in its praise to-day'. Nothing has been said, and 
nothing can well be said, in dispraise of an institution 
that has done so much good. It is not so many years 
since the Conference was first projected. Certain sage 
individuals, some of whom are present with us to-night, 
shook their heads very ominously', and said that the 
Conference would possibly', nay', very' probably do a great 
deal of injury to the Pharmaceutical Society. It was 
said that if the Conference went up, the Pharmaceutical 
Society' would go down. What has the result been F 
Has the Pharmaceutical Society gone down F Has not 
the Conference gone up F Still these predictions had 
weight at one time, and that shows how important it is 
that we should weigh in all its bearings the considera¬ 
tion of a question of so much importance. We 
might have rested perfectly' satisfied that with Dean and 
Hanbory and my' friend Brady and others, we were in 
good keeping, and that the Conference would merit sup¬ 
port. It has merited that support, and what has been 
the result F I have gone with it from town to town for 
several y'ears, and in the various towns it has had a most 
beneficial local influence. Men have been brought to¬ 
gether who never would have thought of meeting under 
other circumstances. As to us at Brighton, we are cer¬ 
tainly not antagonistic. There is nothing antagonistic 
about us, but we are something like the two poles,—we 
keep very far asunder. Now, the Conference has had 
the desired effect of bringing us all together. I express 
the feeling of the Local Committee when I say'that we are 
delighted to see so many' of our friends present to-night. 
Mr. Brady, in reply', said:— 
I feel it to be a very' great honour to be called upon 
to reply to a toast like this that has been proposed by 
my friend the chairman, and so very' kindly' received 
by' you—the toast of success to the British Phar¬ 
maceutical Conference. It is alway's a pleasant 
recollection to me that the Pharmaceutical Con¬ 
ference was established in my own native town ; and 
although then as now, and on some former occasions, I 
have had my name associated prominently'with its foun¬ 
dation, I have felt in a guilty' sort of way that I was 
accepting honours that did not belong to me,—that prac¬ 
tically I was but the bellows-blower, and I was taking 
the credit‘of the organ-play'er. For what was the origin 
of the Conference F Was not the original idea of a 
provincial meeting of pharmaceutists eliminated from 
the fertile brain of y r our present treasurer F Did he not 
first—how many' y'ears ago I scarcely' know—suggest 
that the Pharmaceutical Society should hold a meeting 
annually' somewhere in the provinces F Well, Sir, that 
idea was never acted upon, but in duo time there were 
not wanting those who thought that it was too good to 
