258  Convention  for  Revising  the  U.  8.  Pharmacopoeia.  {AmMaya^arm' 
quite  absent  from  the  "  illicium  "  oil.  Part  of  this  peculiar  odor  is,  I 
am  aware,  removed  commercially  by  fractional  rectification,  but  even 
after  this  process  the  odor  is  unmistakable.  Summarizing,  then,  I 
would  suggest  that  some  modification  of  the  characters  and  tests  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia  be  made  in  future  editions,  presuming,  of  course,  that 
the  compilers  consider  it  of  sufficient  importance  to  distinguish  between 
the  two  oils.  Judging  from  the  text  of  the  present  edition,  they  do 
think  this  desirable,  and  therefore  I  would  suggest  the  "  characters 
and  tests  "  in  the  future  should  embody  the  points  I  have  raised,  and 
which  I  trust  I  have  conclusively  proved.1 
SEVENTH  DECENNIAL  CONVENTION  FOR  REVISING 
THE  PHARMACOPCEIA  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
OF  AMERICA. 
Notice  is  hereby  given  that,  in  accordance  with  and  by  virtue  of  the  au- 
thority vested  in  me  by  the  Convention  of  1880,  I  hereby  call  upon  the 
several  incorporated  Medical  Societies,  incorporated  Medical  Colleges,  in- 
corporated Colleges  of  Pharmacy,  and  incorporated  Pharmaceutical  Socie- 
ties throughout  the  United  States  of  America,  The  American  Medical 
Association,  and  The  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  to  elect  a 
number  of  delegates,  not  exceeding  three,  and  upon  the  Surgeon-Ceneral  of 
the  Army,  Surgeon-General  of  the  Navy,  and  the  Surgeon-General  of  the 
Marine  Hospital  Service  to  appoint,  each,  not  exceeding  three  medical  offi- 
cers to  attend  a  General  Convention  for  the  Kevision  and  Publication  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia  of  the  United  States  of  America,  to  assemble  in  the  city  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  May,  1890  (May  7th),  at  twelve 
o'clook  noon. 
The  several  bodies,  as  well  as  the  Medical  Departments  of  the  Army, 
Navy  and  Marine  Hospital  Service,  are  hereby  requested  to  submit  the 
Pharmacopoeia  to  a  careful  revision,  and  to  transmit  the  result  of  their 
labors  to  the  Committee  of  Revision  at  least  three  months  before  the  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Convention. 
The  several  Medical  and  Pharmaceutical  bodies  are  hereby  requested  to 
transmit  to  me,  as  the  President  of  the  Convention  of  1880,  the  names  and 
residences  of  their  respective  delegates,  as  soon  as  they  shall  have  been  ap- 
pointed ;  a  list  of  these  delegates  shall  thereupon  be  published  under  my 
xIn  the  discussion  following  the  reading  of  this  paper,  it  was  stated  that 
the  rectified  oils  would  not  give  the  same  color  reaction  as  the  original  oils, 
and  that  Professor  Fluckiger  had  oils  of  star-anise  in  his  possession  congeal- 
ing at  temperatures  varying  from  50°  to  32°  F.  Allusion  was  also  made  to 
changes  possibly  occurring  on  keeping  by  the  partial  conversion  of  crys- 
tallizing anethol  into  uncrystallizing  anethol. 
