508 
MINUTES  OF  THE 
Mr.  Maisch  doubted  the  propriety  of  printing  it. 
Mr.  Taylor  thought  it  might  go  to  the  Executive  Committee 
with  discretionary  power,  which  was  agreed  to. 
The  Business  Committee  oflfered  a  printed  paper  by  Mr.  E. 
Dubois,  of  the  U.  S.  Mint,  at  Philadelphia,  to  be  read  as  em- 
bodying some  new  views  on  weights  and  measures,  but  owing  to 
the  pressure  of  business  it  was  postponed. 
Mr.  Procter  read  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Queries, 
which  was  accepted,  and  is  as  follows : 
The  Committee  on  Queries  report  the  following  list  for  the  ensuing 
year,  with  the  names  of  those  who  have  accepted  them  for  examination : 
1.  What  is  the  medicinal  value  of  the  portion  of  Socotrine  Aloes  left 
undissolved  by  water  ?  And  does  it  contain  Aloin  in  appreciable  quan- 
tity ?  Accepted  by  Louis  Strehl,  of  Chicago. 
2.  What  is  the  best,  simple  and  practical  method  or  arrangement  for 
retaining  the  Ammonia  strength  of  Carbonate  of  Ammonia  in  the  dispen- 
pensing  bottle  or  jar  ?  Accepted  ly  Ambrose  Smith,  of  Phila. 
3.  Coffee  in  one  or  another  form  has  been  recommended  as  an  anti- 
toxic, as  a  deodorant,  and  as  a  means  of  masking  saline  bitterness.  To 
what  extent  are  these  qualities  possessed  by  Coffee,  and  what  conditions 
are  most  favorable  to  its  action  ? 
Accepted  by  D.  L.  Dyson,  of  Bloomington,  III, 
4.  What  is  the  mode  of  action  of  "  Insect  Powder,"  the  flowers  of 
Pyrethrum,  Caucasicum  or  Roseum,  as  an  insecticide?  And  is  there  an 
American  plant  that  possesses  a  like  power  ? 
Accepted  by  S.  S.  Garrigues,  of  Saginaw,  Mich. 
5.  Eupatorium  Perfoliatum,  an  examination  of  its  proximate  princi- 
ples, especially  that  to  which  its  bitterness  is  due. 
Accepted  by  Joseph  Hirsh,  of  Chicago, 
6.  What  is  the  easiest  and  most  practicable  method  of  isolating 
Glycyrrhizin  ;  to  what  extent  does  it  possess  the  power  of  masking 
bitterness  ;  and  what  is  its  mode  of  action  ? 
Accepted  by  Joseph  Hirsh,  of  Chicago, 
7.  What  is  the  best  and  most  eligible  liquid  form  for  the  preparation 
and  administration  of  Guaiac  Resin  ? 
Accepted  by  James  T.  Shinn,  of  Phila. 
8.  The  relation  of  Mannite  to  Glucose  in  composition  is  very  close. 
Can  Mannite  be  prepared  artificially,  and  if  so,  how  ?  And  has  it  the  same 
physiological  properties?  Accepted  by  Joseph  Hirsh,  of  Chicago. 
9.  What  is  the  actual  influence  of  Soap  on  the  Resin  of  Scammony, 
and  on  the  Resinoid  Matter  of  Colocynth  and  Aloes  in  the  compound  ex- 
tract of  Colocynth  when  the  whole  are  dissolved  together  in  dilated  alco- 
