THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [November30,187*. 
438 
designed to supply a continuous blast of air for blow¬ 
pipe or other purposes. It consisted essentially of a tin 
tube (provided with a branch tube open to the air) 
through which water was driven from a supply tap into 
a properly fitted bottle. Air was thus entangled with 
the water in its course through the tube, and car¬ 
ried with it into the bottle. The water was then got 
rid of by means of a siphon, and the air was conducted 
by an elastic tube to the blow-pipe. 
‘ Mr. Schacht said the instrument was figured in the 
appendix to Eliot and Storer’s 4 Inorganic Chemistry,’ 
and some exact measurements for its construction were 
given in the explanation, but he had found in practice 
that the length of the tin tube could be reduced by at 
least one half, and by so doing the apparatus was ren¬ 
dered much more manageable, whilst, as the meeting 
saw, its efficiency was in no degree diminished. 
inserted at right angles. 
E.F.=Tin tube, long enough to reach the level of A, one 
third inch diameter, inserted at an angle of 45°. 
G.H.I.=Siphon, half-inch diameter. 
3LL.=xVir tube, one-third inch diameter. 
M.=India-rubber tube to convey away the air. 
To set the apparatus in action, connect the tube CD with 
a water tap, by means of a piece of elastic tubing, and turn 
on the water; pinch the tube M for a few moments between 
the thumb and finger, until the siphon has begun to act. A 
blast of air will at once be felt at the extremity of M. 
Mr. Little, a student, then read a paper entitled 
“Results of an Examination of some Samples of Fer- 
rum Redactum.” Mr. Little said he felt that he owed 
some apology for venturing to bring before the Asso¬ 
ciation a subject which was certainly not original, and 
which probably did not possess that amount of general 
interest, which it was at least desirable should charac¬ 
terize communications submitted at such meetings. 
But finding it a difficult matter to produce anything 
original, he had thought that students, like himself, 
might do much useful work by examining, _ from time to 
time, some of the more important chemical prepara¬ 
tions of the Pharmacopoeia as they, are met with in 
commerce, with the view of determining how far they 
correspond with or differ from the standard indicated in 
that work. 
He had been thus induced to make an examination of 
half-a-dozen specimens of Ferrum Redactum, obtained 
from different sources, and to bring the results before this 
Society. [The paper is printed at p. 422.] 
SHEFFIELD PHARMACEUTICAL AND 
CHEMICAL ASSOCIATION. 
The second monthly meeting of this association was 
held on Wednesday, Nov. 13th; Mr. W. Y. Radley, 
president, in the chair. 
During the evening a lecture was delivered by W. 
Baker, Esq., F.C.S., on “ Volumetric Analysis and Alka¬ 
limetry.” The lecturer ably described the apparatus 
used in volumetric analysis and also the process of stand¬ 
ardizing, describing in the course of his lecture several 
of the most important methods of conducting analysis 
by those means, during which he performed numerous 
beautiful experiments to illustrate his remarks. In con¬ 
cluding, Mr. Baker said, 44 1 would urge upon students 
the importance of making standard solutions for them¬ 
selves ; by so doing they would gain a ready and useful, 
acquaintance with the equations, and also an idea, of the 
importance of accurateness in all processes employed in. 
chemical investigation.” 
A vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to Mr. 
Baker for his interesting lecture, when, in briefly re¬ 
sponding, he again urged upon the young men to try 
the processes for themselves, as, in his opinion, there are- 
times when the druggist or dispenser will feel it very 
necessary to have at hand some such ready method of as¬ 
certaining the purity or commercial value of his chemicals. 
The election of several associates concluded the busi¬ 
ness of the meeting. 
LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The Convictions under the Adulteration Act. 
The fourth general meeting of the session of the Liver¬ 
pool Chemists’ Association was held on Thursday, Nov. 
21st, at the Royal Institution, Colquitt Street, Mr. E„ 
Davies, president, occupying the chair. The council of 
the society had adopted the following resolution : — 
“ That the council of this association, whilst sympathiz¬ 
ing with the objects of early closing, does not consider 
it wdthin its province to call a meeting of the chemists 
and druggists of Liverpool to discuss the question.” 
Mr. Abraham, in reference to this resolution, said the 
members of the council would individually be glad to do 
anything in their power to promote the earlier closing of 
chemists and druggists’ shops, but they did not consider 
that the society could take action in the matter. He 
would gladly see an effort made to obtain earlier closing. 
Mr. Shaw expressed a similar opinion. 
Mr. Shaw afterwards called the attention of the society 
to the two prosecutions on the previous day for selling- 
adulterated milk. He suggested that the stipendiary 
magistrate, Mr. Raffles, was wrong in his interpretation 
of the Act when he said that persons were liable to a 
penalty for selling adulterated articles whether they 
were aware or unaware that there was adulteration. 
He (Mr. Shaw) understood the third clause to mean 
that before persons could be convicted of the offence they 
must be aware of the adulteration. 
The Chairman said he had not studied the matter, 
and, therefore, could not give an opinion on the point. 
He had always considered, however, that the only way 
to repress adulteration was to make the seller—whether 
he had a guilty knowledge or not—liable to a penalty* 
leaving it to him to take proceedings against the person 
from whom he had purchased the article. 
A paper was afterwards read by Mr. C. Symes, vice- 
president of the association, on 44 Pharmaceutical Pro¬ 
gress,” in which he referred to what had been done by 
the association for pharmacy. 
