February 25,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
G91 
This shows a variation of 50 per cent, of the whole 
quantity of quinine contained in yellow harks; and that 
a doctor in ordering tinct. cinchona) flav., thinking to 
produce an effect represented by 1J, may he deceived, 
and obtain instead an effect represented by*l. 
Under the head of aconitina Royle states that “ both the 
juice and tincture of aconite are occasionally given with¬ 
out any effect at all; and, on the other hand, several 
cases of poisoning by small quantities of the tincture 
have occurred. These different results are probably 
dependent upon variations in the amount of active prin¬ 
ciple in the root used. This is the alkaloid aconitina, 
which is the only preparation of the drug which is con¬ 
stant in strength.” Again, in speaking of conium , he 
states that “ some preparations of conium contain no 
conia, either from defective preparation or subsequent 
change, and this accounts for the discrepant statements 
concerning the efficacy of conium as a medicine.” Ought 
he not rather to say that the reason lies in the uncertain 
quantity of conia in the plant ? 
An analysis of euphorbium, given in Pereira’s ‘ Ma¬ 
teria Medica,’ shows as a result of one experiment 60-8 
per cent, of resin, as of another 43*77. An analysis of 
croton oil yielded to Brandens 17 per cent, of fixed oil and 
crotonic acid, to Miers 60 per cent., and Pelletier 50 per 
cent. 
Pereira also states that the red veins of rhubarb are 
the seat of the astringent properties, and it is undeniable 
that these vary in quantity. 
Foxglove has been the subject of repeated investiga¬ 
tions, but until recently with no satisfactory results. 
From 1000 grs. of the leaves, Henry obtained 140 to 
150 grs. of digitaline. 
Scammony analysed by Marquart gives the following 
results:— 
Aleppo Scammony, per cent, of Resin. 81*25—32*5 
Antioch „ ,, . 18*5 — 8*5 
Smyrna ,, „ .6 —37 
The percentage of resin in jalap as found by Mar- 
quart varied from 12*08 to 13*33. 
Aloes analysed by different persons gave:— 
I. II. III. 
Per cent, of Resin . . 6*25 42 35 
,, Aloesin . . 81*25 52 60 
The author considered that all the extracts, tinctures, 
decoctions, etc., contained in the Pharmacopoeia of 1867 
were but shams unless it were a known and proved 
fact that all vegetables, their leaves, roots, barks, etc., 
contain a constant and fixed percentage of active prin¬ 
ciples, whereas he thought he had proved the very re¬ 
verse to be the case. Now, are we going to continue in 
a blind adherence to a system which, at the least, is 
open to grave doubts; or shall we discard it ? As a 
remedy for this uncertainty, he recommended that all 
present should do their best to pave the way towards the 
use of the active principles from which the drugs derive 
their healing properties instead of tinctures, etc. 
LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The Seventh General Meeting of the Session was held 
at the Royal Institution, on Thursday evening, the 16th 
inst.; the President, Mr. John Abraham, in the chair. 
Mr. A. W. Wilson and Mr. I. L. Benson were elected 
members, and Mr. A. Brownrigg was elected an associate. 
Several donations to the Library were announced. 
Mr. Thomas F. Abraham stated, that in accordance 
with his promise at the last meeting, he had repeated 
his experiments upon the crystal hydrate of chloral, sup¬ 
plied by Messrs. Morson and Son, and again obtained 
from 70 to 72 per cent, of chloroform.* He had also 
* Since this meeting, I have voluntarily gone into this 
analysis with Mr. T. F. Abraham, and have much pleasure 
in confirming his results.—A. H. Mason. 
tested it in comparison with the cake chloral hydrate, 
bearing Liebreich’s guarantee, and found no difference 
whatever; ho therefore thought that Mr. Mason’s report 
was incorrect. He had also examined a portion of cake 
hydrate of chloral, formerly supplied by Messrs. Morson 
and Son, which also produced from 70 to 72 per cent, 
of chloroform. 
The President said that the publication of the paper 
read by Mr. Mason on the 22 nd December last, had at¬ 
tracted much attention, and it was his opinion that Mr. 
Mason’s statements were inaccurate. The question had 
been taken up by Dr. Paul, and the results of his experi¬ 
ments showed differences in the character of the chloral 
in the market of only moderate extent. 
Mr. Mason said, that in reading the paper in question, 
he distinctly stated that sample No. 9 only was an 
alcoholate of chloral; those samples which did not yield 
the legitimate percentage of chloroform, upon his applica¬ 
tion of the ammonia test , he considered were hydrated 
alcoholates, or mixtures of hydrate and alcoholate of 
chloral. Duplicate samples of the chloral salts which he 
had experimented upon had been sent for analysis to an 
arbitrator agreed on b} r some of those interested; the 
results of his experiments were to raise the chloroform 
percentage in some cases, and reduce it in others, but 
the relative value of the samples, appeared in the same 
order as arranged by himself.* Referring to Dr. Paul’s 
paper, Mr. Mason said it should be borne in mind 
that the samples Dr. Paul reported upon were samples 
supplied from different sources since the publication of 
his paper. The samples he experimented upon were 
samples met with in the ordinary routine of business, in 
November and December last. He should be sorry if 
true and pure articles had been injured by his experi¬ 
ments, and with the assistance of several friends, was 
doing all he could to endeavour to arrive at the truth, 
and should he be proved erroneous, he should feel it a 
duty to state the same for the benefit of all those in¬ 
terested therein. 
The President alluded to the death of Dr. Sheridan 
Muspratt, and regretted that an eminent chemist had 
been taken from amongst us. He would not attempt to 
determine his position as a man of science, but he noticed 
an admirable trait in his character, supplied by the 
preface to his ‘ Dictionary of Chemistry,’ in his acknow¬ 
ledgment of the valuable assistance rendered to him by 
a member of the Coimcil of this Association, Mr. Martin 
Murphy, F.C.S. 
Mr. Charles Blood then read the paper for the 
evening upon the ‘Year-Book of Pharmacy, 1871,’ in 
which he gave a resume of each of the principal 
articles contained in the volume lately issued by the 
British Pharmaceutical Conference, and urged all those 
who had not yet joined that Society to do so at once and 
obtain the book for themselves. 
The President said the members would all feel in¬ 
debted to Mr. Blood for his interesting criticism of the 
Year-Book; he thought the work would prove a valu¬ 
able adjunct to progress in pharmaceutical knowledge, 
and did not doubt that each year the work would be im¬ 
proved. 
Mr. Alfred E. Tanner said he had noticed some dis¬ 
crepancies in the formula) given; for instance, in the 
formula for Smith’s chlorodyne, p. 29, it is printed 
“Theriacoe ad f^iv;” this should be 3 V according to 
formula published by Mr. Smith in the Pharmaceutical 
Journal, which gives twenty grains of morphia in five 
fluid ounces. 
A vote of thanks was cordially voted to Mr. Blood, 
who in reply stated that his object had been simply to 
bring the book before the notice of those who were not 
members of the Conference, and he trusted all present 
would be induced to join its ranks. 
* There is an obvious inconsistency between these two 
statements.—E d. Pharm. Joubn. 
