108 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 5, 1S71 
Executive Committee being tlie guests of the resi¬ 
dent members. A list of the toasts will be found in 
another column. 
LIME AND LEMON-JUICE. 
According to the terms of a statement made in 
the Pharmaceutical Journal of the 1st ult., we have 
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
The Forty-first Meeting of the British Association, 
and its third visit to Edinburgh, commenced on 
Tuesday last. The success of the meeting, in point 
of numbers, is now well assured, 20S)-1 tickets having; 
been issued against 12-11 in the year 1850, when the 
Association last visited that city. 
At the Meeting of the General Committee a Re- 
now to lay before our readers a condensed resume of . ■, 
., , ,, , 2 . . „ port was read stating that arrangements had been 
evidence that exists as to the antiscorbutic value ol A , n n.iv Xi * , 
,. , , . . made for the transfer of the Eew Observatory to the- 
lime and lemon-juice. Prior to the year 1 / 0 o, scurvy 
was 
mortality 
roil under Admiral Geary, after a cruise of ten , .. . . , , , 
. . t-, n , i i. t-, i. of m the Report were the assistance rendered by tlie- 
weeks in the Bay of Biscav, returned to Portsmouth ... f- „ ~ ,, , 
... J t> i • Government for the proper observation of the solar 
with 2400 men affected with it. But m the year .. ,, ,. ... , ,. 
. ill . . . , , 1 eclipse of 1870, the promotion of scientific education m 
above quoted lemon-juice was introduced into tliei , 1 „ , „ . . , „ . n , 
-t " t \ i Royal Society, m accordance with the terms of the 
a very great bane to the sailor and caused much J , ; , ,. 
l tj. -r i • . t-, Gassiot trust, and recommending that it should at 
taiity. In 1780, according to Budd, “the squaci- . . . . , ~ ,, , , 
J ° 1 once be earned into effect. Other matters treated 
Royal Navy, and in 1813 the diminution of sick and 
of deaths was in the proportion of nearly four to 
one. Thus much for the prophylactic effects of the 
juice. But as both lime and lemon-juice are costty,■ 
and are kept with difficulty in good condition, many 
trials have been made of ingredients that enter into j 
its composition. Citric acid has been extensively | 
tried in convict ships and elsewhere as a curative 
agent in cases of scurvy, and the verdict given 
elementary schools, and the metric system of weights 
and measures. It announced the retirement of Div 
Hurst from the office of Joint-General Secretary of. 
, the Association, and recommended the appointment 
of Captain Douglas Galton, C.B., F.R.S., as his 
successor. The report also stated that a central 
office had been opened in London, at 22, Albemarle; 
Street, to which place the books and MSS. formerly 
T I deposited at Kew had been removed. 
Dr. Richard .King proposed the 
separate Ethnological section, 
formation of a 
and considerable 
most authorities is decidedly favourable. The potash 
theory has been strongly maintained by Dr. Garrod, 
but 
£ 
hav 
theory was at the outset unsound, in that he failed 
to perceive that, in the form proposed, no assimila- j 
tion of phosphorus in the system could possibly take 
place. In point of fact, most writers, however sin¬ 
cere they be, have omitted to recognize the fact that . . , , 
the nronn\it- . , . , n j then proceeded to deliver lusinaugural address. We- 
a-nu not the curative agent is the 1 ° 
important point to be determined. Lime wi lemon- regret that from lts 8 Teat length we are unable to 
juice contain citric acid, sugar, gum and potash, with r< »P™ d "ce the whole of it this week. There is little 
a small proportion of malic, tartaric and phosphoric doubt 1 ^ tliat wllile th f scientific facts will be re¬ 
acids, 
marine m 
as the result, and the Merchant* Shipping Act of speculation contained in the address will be sharply 
In the evening, Professor Huxley having uttered 1 
a few words of graceful recognition of the kindness 
received during his year of office, introduced his 
j successor, of whom he said that “ gentler knight 
there never broke a lance.” Sir William Thomson; 
Citric acid has been given in the mercantile I cei .T ed with tlie res P ect due to the speaker, and the 
in lieu of lime [and lemon-juice, with scurvy abliit J with which they were discussed, some of the 
1807 (commonly called the Duke of Richmond’s! 
Act) was passed to ensure the issuing good juice to 
the crews of merchant ships. Since this Act has 
taken effect, the admissions for scurvy into the Sea¬ 
men s Hospital have decreased by 70 per cent., and 
challenged. But it appears to be en retjJe to look 
forward to a certain amount of heterodox specula¬ 
tion at the meetings of the British Association; and 
one author attempts to counteract the harm that may 
possibly be effected this year by advertising in Edin- 
we must therefore believe that some practical sani- bui o b “ An Antidote against the Unscriptural and 
tary good has accrued. But Mr. Palmer believes Unscientific Tendency of Modern Geology, with 
that the same amount of benefit may be as com¬ 
pletely and more economically derived from the use 
of citrate of potash. A\ e are not prepared to deny 
the soundness of the theory, but as practical proof 
cannot at present be brought to its aid, we must 
be content to lay the foregoing statements be- 
ioie oui leaders, and still think that chemists may 
assist by suggestions to find out, for the benefit of 
the physician and his patients, the special antiscor¬ 
butic ingredients of lime and lemon-juice. 
Remarks on Several Cognate Subjects.” 
True to her hospitable traditions, Edinburgh is. 
already meeting her guests much more than half¬ 
way. The Committee of Management of the Uni¬ 
versity Club has elected, as honorary members of 
the same, a number of gentlemen now assisting at 
the British Association. According to the circular 
issued by the Committee, the use of the Club will be 
available to the honorary members from the 31st ult.. 
to the 11th instant. 
