452 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 3, 1870. 
Punica Granatum. Pomegranate. The root bark. 
„ „ „ The dried peri¬ 
carp of fruit. 
Andrographis paniculata. Karigdt. The dried stalks 
and root. 
Mucuna prui’iens. Cowhage. The hairs of the pod. 
Oryza sativa. It ice. The husked seeds. 
Berberis. Indian Barberry. The root bark. 
Gracilaria lichenoides and G. confervoides. Ceylon 
Moss. The dried plant. 
Calotropis gigantea. Mudar. The root bark. 
II. A case containing large specimens of eight scale 
preparations, and six salts of bromine and iodine 
manufactured by this firm, viz.:— 
Ferri et Ammonia) citras, P.B. 1867. 
,, ,, ,, made with iron wire. 
Ferri et Quinim citras, P.B. 1867. 
Ferri et Strychnia) citras. 
Ferri citras; ferri pyrophosphas; ferrum tartaratum; 
bismuthi et ammonia) citras ; cadmii bromidum ; cadmii 
iodidum; ammonii bromidum ; ammonii iodidum ; po- 
tassii bromidum; potassii iodidum. 
III. Four tall glass jars, containing specimens of Ana¬ 
lysed Drugs answering to the tests of the British 
Pharmacopoeia, 1867, viz.:— 
Opium, containing at least 6 to 8 per cent, of precipi¬ 
tated morphia. 
Scammonium, yielding from 80 to 90 per cent, of resin. 
Yellow cinchona bark, containing at least 2 per cent, 
of nearly pure quinia. 
Pale cinchona bark, yielding not less than ^ per cent, 
of alkaloids. 
(The importance of affixing to these (and other) drugs 
a guarantee of strength, so as to ensure uniformity 
in the administration of doses, cannot be over-esti¬ 
mated.) 
Four other tall glass jars, containing specimens of 
Oleum Morrhua), 
Succus Taraxaci, 
Oxymel Scilke, and 
Solution of Iodide of Iron. 
(One fluid drachm of this solution is equivalent to one 
drachm of solid iodide of iron. It is readily em¬ 
ployed in dispensing and in making the syrup of 
iodide of iron, which, if made with grape sugar, will 
keep well without decomposition. 
IV. Several cases of the sixth edition of the collec¬ 
tions of specimens of the organic materia medica 
of the British Pharmacopoeia, 1867, for the use of 
medical and pharmaceutical students. 
Silverlock, II., London. 
Working model of poison cabinet, containing 40 labels 
of various sizes on revolving stand, only 1 label on 
either disc being exposed to view at once. 
Labels on red ground, and distinctive collection of 
dispensing and trade labels. 
Spence, Berger and Co., Manchester. 
Samples of Mudie’s disinfectant. 
Jordan’s Norway cod-liver oil. 
Spence, Peter, Manchester. 
Very fine crystals of alum, manufactured under ex¬ 
hibitor’s patent. 
Sumner, R., jun., Liverpool. 
Nicely crystallized specimens of sulphocarbolates of 
zinc and soda. 
Thonger and Co., Liverpool. 
Poison labels. 
Tomlinson, M., Manchester. 
Mahogany dispensing counter with carved glass cases 
and mirror'sereen, and fitted with expedio label rack 
Species jar, pedestal stand and sundries. 
Watts, Dr. J., London. 
Variety of tanning materials, with estimation of 
amount of tannin. 
Extract of Abies Canadensis. 
Webb, A., Clapham. 
Herbarium—an excellently arranged collection of dry 
plants, for which the prize medal of the Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Society was awarded, October 5, 1879. 
Whitthread, Mr., Liverpool. 
Specimen of Pistaclvia Lentiscus plant, and of Pistachia 
Tercbinthus , from Scio; also fine white gutta pcrcha 
and pure silica. 
York Glass Company. 
Swan-necked show bottle, percolators, poison bottles, 
etc. 
MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 
In a paper read lately before a crowded meeting of 
Fellows of the Medical Society of London, Dr. Richard¬ 
son discussed the medical aspects of the germ theory. 
He pointed out that however medical men might differ 
on the question, yet there were some points in which 
they all agreed. They agreed that certain diseases owe 
their origin to what might be designated poisons, that 
these poisons are organic in their construction; that 
they can produce specific phenomena of disease; that 
they are communicable under certain well-understood 
conditions. They also agreed pretty well as to the 
diseases which are due to these organic poisons. 
But from this common ground some turned to what 
may be called the vital road, others to the chemical, or 
to the physical, in which the vital and chemical are either 
correlated or considered identical. 
Dealing first with the vital or germ theory, Dr. 
Richardson said that it arose from the analogy of the 
process of growth and development of plants and animals. 
The theory was that diseases called communicable have 
their origin in germs possessing the inherent property 
of reproduction. Within the body these germs repro¬ 
duce themselves, and thereby excite disease. Outside 
the body they float in the air, mingled with dust, or 
adhere to solid substances, or are suspended in water in 
which they are not soluble. Owing to their vitality, 
it is urged they are indestructible under ordinary con¬ 
ditions of cold and heat, moisture and dryness. We ask 
from whence disease comes, and are told from a germ. 
We ask, what is a germ ? We are told that it is a living- 
organism, capable of reproduction ; a ferment plant pos¬ 
sessing the power of exciting fermentative changes in 
the human body, the disease being the sign of the fer¬ 
mentation ; or it is a micrococcus, the spore of a fungus, 
which, put into a soil rich in nitrogen, multiplies by 
division, and becomes the cause of diseases bearing the 
signs of putrefaction. But there was a natural fermenta¬ 
tion existing in the body previous to the fever. Is this, 
then, a new fermentation ? If so, of what kind ? Or, if 
it produces putrefaction, where is the putrefaction ? 
The germs have been compared in their action to pep- 
sine, but pepsine is an animal secretion, and a dependent 
substance. Germs are said to withstand influences which 
destroy the vitality of higher forms of life. If they are 
reproduced with such rapidity under favourable condi¬ 
tions, and possess such persistency of life, there would be 
so great an increase of them that in time the world would 
be depopulated. But where are the germs of such 
diseases as the black death, plague, sweating sickness, 
dancing mania, and the ague of London in the time of 
Sydenham and his contemporaries ? Can improved sa¬ 
nitary conditions have any effect in destroying living re¬ 
productive germs which resist the ordinary causes of 
death and dissolution P Again the theory fails to account 
for the fact that some epidemics are most pronounced in 
the last quarter, and least in the second quarter of each 
year ; that sometimes they are attended with low and 
sometimes with high mortality ; that scarlet fever occurs 
most frequently between the fifth and tenth years, and 
with rapidly lessening frequency after the tenth year; 
