796 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[April 1, 1871. 
Prof. Procter mentioned an article, by Mr. Wharton, 
of Nashville, Tenn., recommending the use of carbonate 
of magnesia in making syrup of senega and comp, syrup 
of squills. The magnesia is used similarly to the pro¬ 
cess for the officinal waters, and is said to entirely over¬ 
come the objectional cloudiness generally found in this 
preparation, forming, probably, a pectate of magnesia. 
Mr. England said he had no difficulty in making a 
clear preparation, by percolating the senega with diluted 
alcohol first, then using water, evaporating the watery 
solution, mixing with the tincture first obtained, boiling, 
evaporating and allowing to settle, filtering and adding 
the sugar. 
Mr. M‘ Intyre had used glycerine and carbonate of 
magnesia; the glycerine to prevent the extract formed 
by evaporating from becoming too hard and unmanage¬ 
able. This preparation was pronounced to be very satis¬ 
factory. 
Prof. Procter spoke of the original formulae for comp, 
syrup of squills, as invented by Dr. Cox, which consisted 
of a watery extract evaporated to syrupy consistence 
and combined with honey. 
Mr. Gailard had used with success carbonate of mag¬ 
nesia in the preparation of tinct. nux vomica, which ob¬ 
viates any cloudiness from fixed oil. 
Prof. Maisch made some further remarks upon the 
crystallization of chloral hydrate from bisulphide of car¬ 
bon. Not being able to entirely free the crystals from 
the unpleasant taste and smell of the solvent, alcohol 
was experimented with. One half-pint was used, and dis¬ 
solved 17| ounces of chloral as fast as it was added, the 
mixture measuring 18 fluid ounces. Prof. Maisch could 
not report finally on this process until the next meeting. 
Chloral, does not evaporate as fast as is generally sup¬ 
posed. 
Mr. Shinn exhibited two lemons which had been 
wrapped in tinfoil since November. On examination 
one of them had undergone partial decomposition, while 
the other remained fresh, having the characteristic 
odour. They could be bought when plentiful at 15 c. a 
dozen, and kept in this way for a great length of time.* 
Prof. Maisch exhibited some seeds of strychnos, with 
structure similar to that of nux vomica, which came as 
ballast from the East Indies, and were bought by a 
New York drug house. It was supposed to be from 
the Strychnos Tiente ; the fruit of which was about the 
size of a cherry, having six large seeds. No experiments 
were made towards obtaining strychnia from this species. 
Mr. England suggested a plan for preparing fluid 
extract of vanilla, by using powdered quartz in connec¬ 
tion with sugar. This was thrown into a bottle closely 
corked and boiled. By this means the aroma of the 
vanilla is retained, and the bean entirely exhausted. 
Prof. Procter spoke of purifying residuary alcohol, 
and the difficulty in overcoming the odour of some sub¬ 
stances—buchu, or cubebs, for instance. He mixed al¬ 
cohol recovered from many different preparations, added 
20 grs. permanganate of potash per gallon in *ij of 
water, and after a day’s contact distilled; he could not 
destroy odour of buchu. 
Prof. Maisch exhibited a specimen of cherry grown as 
an ornamental tree in some Southern cities, but native of 
West Indian Islands and Panama. This plant has a 
very strong odour of hydrocyanic acid. The leaves have 
the margin entire, which was rare in the cherry family. 
He said it was the Prumis or Cerasus occidentalism It 
could be used in making cherry-laurel water, and for 
preparing an oil similar to oil of sweet almonds, which 
is almost entirely derived from peach kernels. 
Some remarks were made on a recent law-suit con¬ 
cerning a lot of adulterated assafoetida, which was pur¬ 
chased by a wholesale house. Upon being examined it 
was found to be largely adulterated with gypsum. From 
this fact the parties refused to take it. The law was re¬ 
* This is E. Baudriment’s method; see ante, p. 4. 
sorted to, and after a thorough examination it was found 
to contain in some specimens as high as 60 per cent, of 
sulphate of lime; the case containing the best article, 
when examined, proved to be composed of 27 per cent- 
of the same material. The case was decided for the de¬ 
fendants, the jury pronouncing the assafoetida unmer¬ 
chantable. 
Prof. Maisch exhibited a specimen of Tampico jalap, 
which comes into this market very rarely,—then only as 
a materia medica specimen. 
Mr. England recommended the use of butter in 
making citrine ointment, being careful to free the butter 
from salt. 
MEETINGS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 
Monday . Medical Society, at 8 p.m. 
April 3. London Institution, at 4 p.m. —“On Astro¬ 
nomy.” By Mr. R. Proctor. 
Wednesday ...Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, at 
April 5. 8.30 p m. —“Alterations in Pharmacopoeia 
Nomenclature necessitated by the Advance¬ 
ment of Chemistry.” By Prof. Attpield. 
—“Note on Yinum Eerri.” By Prof. 
Attfield.—“ A Concentrated Form of Mis- 
tura Ferri Composita.” By Mr. C. A. 
Staples. 
Thursday . Linnean Society, at 8 p.m. 
April 6. Chemical Society,at 8 p.m.— “'On c Burnt Iron’ 
and c Burnt Steel.’ ” By W. Mattieu Wil¬ 
liams.—“ On the Formation of Sulplio- 
acids.” By H. E. Armstrong. 
London Institution, at 7.30 p.m. —“ Economic 
Botany.” By Professor Bentley. 
Saturday ...Loyal Botanic Society, at 3.45 p.m. 
fsdramcntonr tuvh fate fraraMittp. 
A BILL TO ESTABLISH THE METRIC SYSTEM 
OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 
Whereas it is desirable that the weights and measures 
of the United Kingdom should be decimalized, and made 
to correspond with those of other countries. 
And whereas the use of metric weights and measures 
is now legal, but no provision has been made for pro¬ 
curing the standards of said metric weights and measures,, 
and for verifying and stamping those in use under the- 
said Act. 
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most excellent Majesty, 
by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual 
and Temporal, and Commons in this present Parlia¬ 
ment assembled, and by the authority of the same, as 
follows 
1. From and after the expiration of - years after 
the passing of this Act, the length of the metre to be 
prepared under the authority of the Privy Council for 
Trade, verified by comparison with the original standard 
in Paris, having the words and figures “ Standard Metre, 
1871,” engraved upon it, and kept in the custody of the 
Warden of the Standards, shall be and is hereby declared 
to be the unit or only standard measure of lineal exten¬ 
sion, wherefrom or whereby all other measures of ex¬ 
tension whatsoever, whether the same be lineal, super¬ 
ficial or of capacity, shall be derived, computed and as¬ 
certained, and all such measures shall be taken in decimal 
multiples or decimal parts of their respective units. 
2. The unit of the measure of surface shall be the 
square of ten metres, which shall be and is hereby deno¬ 
minated the “ are.” 
3. The unit of the measure of capacity, as well tor 
liquids as for dry goods, shall be the cube of a tenth of 
the metre, and the same shall be and is hereby denomi¬ 
nated the “litre.” 
4. The unit of weight shall be and is hereby denomi¬ 
nated the “gram.” A thousand grams shall be and is 
hereby denominated the “ kilogram.” A standard of the 
V O 
