348 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [October 29,1870.. 
CONVENTION OF DELEGATES FROM COLLEGES 
OF PHARMACY. 
In compliance "with a request of the Maryland College 
of Pharmacy, a meeting’ of delegates from the various 
Colleges was held on the evenings of September 14th and 
15th, at the Hall of the Maryland College of Pharmacy. 
The object was to confer upon the subject of pharma¬ 
ceutical education, and a uniform standard for the gra¬ 
duations of students. 
Joseph Roberts and Prof. J. Earis Moore, both of 
Baltimore, were duly elected President and Secretary. 
Delegates were in attendance from the Maryland, Now 
York, Philadelphia, Massachusetts and Chicago Colleges, 
also from the California Pharmaceutical Association and 
New Jersey Pharmaceutical Association. 
The following- recommendatory resolutions were 
adopted:— 
1. That, in the opinion of this meeting, more attention 
to the preliminary education of those who .propose to 
enter the business of pharmaceutists is needed, and it is 
earnestly recommended to the colleges and societies, of 
pharmacy to urge their members and the profession 
generally to give greater ^care to this subject in taking 
apprentices. 
2. That a term of four years’ service in a dispensing 
drug store be recommended to be exacted from students 
in pharmacy before coming up for examination. 
3. Apprentices not to be taken under sixteen years of 
age, and shall be twenty-one years of age before being- 
entitled' to. receive their diplomas. 
4. The branches to be taught in colleges of pharmacy 
should at least include lectures on general chemistry, 
elementary botany, materia medica, and the general 
facts and principles of pharmacy; and, when practicable, 
opportunity should be provided for general and analy¬ 
tical chemistry. 
5. Whatever method of examination be adopted should 
include questions both oral and written, and that parti¬ 
cularly a familiarity with the physical properties of spe¬ 
cimens should be insisted on. 
6. Diplomas should not be recognized as evidence of 
qualification, unless based on four years’ service in a dis¬ 
pensing shop. 
7. Each college of pharmacy is requested to take 
action on these resolutions, and report next year. 
This organization of delegates was, on vote, made 
permanent, and it is to meet annually, at the same time 
and place as the American Pharmaceutical Association. 
The meeting then adjourned. 
IRISH SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
As the tune draws nigh for the savoir-faire of the sci¬ 
entific world, it may not be uninteresting to give a list 
of the principal scientific bodies in Ireland, most of which 
are comparatively unknown in England, although of 
considerable importance as publishing Societies. The 
oldest, most important, and best known is the Royal Irish 
Academy, the members of which luxuriate in the letters 
M.R.I.A. after their names. This Society has for the 
last few years been rather monopolized by the archaeolo¬ 
gist. That important branch of the Academy has per¬ 
haps received an undue development, to the detriment of 
pure science,. from the beautiful archaeological museum 
and antiquarian library which it possesses. The appoint¬ 
ment of the last President, Professor Jellett, whose re¬ 
searches in connection with polarized light are well 
known, has tended, however,.to neutralize this propen¬ 
sity. The Academy has the distribution of a Govern- 
ment grant of £200 per annum, in aid of original re¬ 
search, which, it distributes in the most careful and con¬ 
scientious spirit. The Academy is devoted to pure sci¬ 
ence; technical papers arc not received. It publishes 
both f Transactions” and “ Proceedings.” The Royal 
Dublin Society is taken up chiefly with applied science. 
It gives annually a series of popular lectures, similar in 
character to those given by the Royal Institution. The 
Society receives considerable aid from Government, and 
it has charge of the fine botanic gardens, natural history 
museum, agricultural museum, and national gallery of 
art. The curator of the minerals is Dr. Emerson Rey¬ 
nolds, a chemist of considerable standing. This Society 
has also a very fine library, and publishes its “ Proceed¬ 
ings.” 
The “ Royal Geological Society of Ireland” is also a 
chartered Society, and it also publishes its proceedings. 
The Zoological Society possess a fine collection of ani¬ 
mals at their gardens in the Phoenix Park. 
The other Societies (non-publishing) are the Natural 
History Society, and the “ Chemical,” “ Scientific,” and 
“Microscopic” Clubs. The last-named publishes its 
minutes, however, in one of the journals of microscopic 
science. It records the woi’k done by some of our best 
mieroscopists, viz. William Archer, Dr. Percival Wright, 
Eugean O’Meara, etc. 
Amount of Active Substance in Can rum ma- 
culatum. —In an address recently delivered by Professor 
von Schroff to the Society of Physicians in Vienna, he 
stated that his experiments have led him to the? follow¬ 
ing conclusions:—* 
1. The unripe fruit of one-year coniurn plants contains; 
the smallest amount of conia, 
2. The unripe fruit of the two-year plants contains 
most conia, especially when the development of the fruit 
is advanced and it is near ripening. 
3. The perfectly ripe fruit, which is produced only by 
the two-years plant, stands in regard to its efficacy be¬ 
tween those mentioned above.— JFochenblattes der K. 1C 
Gesellschaft der Aerzte in Wien, 1870, no. 1. 
Test for Butyric Acid in Glycerine. —Perutz 
states that when glycerine is gently heated with alcohol 
and sulphuric acid, butyric ether is formed if the glycerine 
contains butyric acid, and it may be recognized by its 
characteristic odour.— Journ. Chim. Med. 
Syrup of Ipecacuanha. —The following formula is 
sent to tho Chicago Pharmacist by Mr. L. E. Sale, of 
Huntsville, Alabama, who says that it will give a good 
syrup of ipecacuanha, wdiich will keep without dete¬ 
rioration :— 
R. Fluid Extract of Ipecac. (U. S. P.) f Jxvijss 
Granulated Sugar ^xxxij 
Water fxvj. 
Pour the fluid extract of ipecacuanha on the sugar in 
a shallow evaporating vessel, and set aside in a warm 
place to dry; w-hen dry add the water, dissolve the sugar 
with aid of gentle heat and strain. 
Application for Ringworm.— Spirit of turpentine 
brushed over the surface has been recommended as a 
cure for the common ringworm.— New York Druggists 
Circular. 
Palatable Hydrate of Chloral. —Hydrate of chlo¬ 
ral 5ss ; chloroform water 5ij ; syrup of oranges or tolu 
5i-ij ; tincture of ginger 6 to 12 drops; water to H oz. 
The chloroform w-ater is prepared by dissolving half a 
fluid ounce of chloroform in a gallon of water. This 
seems to intensify the action of the chloral hydrate, and 
covers the acrid taste.— Richmond amd Louisville Medical 
Journal. 
Delicate Colour-Test for the Detection of 
Strychnia. —Mr. T. Wenzell, of San Francisco, states 
that in experimenting for the discovery of the presence 
of minute portions of this alkaloid, he has found that a 
solution of 1 grain of permanganate of potash in 2.000 
grains of sulphuric acid, to be the best test for the pur¬ 
pose. In delicacy of reaction, brilliancy and duration 
of colours, it is greatly superior to the bichromate ot 
potassa and sulphuric acid test.— American Journal of 
Pharmacy . 
