88  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  {^'"/e^'issL'"'' 
wide  as  a  church-door,  but,  beyond  shedding  a  few  drops  of  ichor,  celestial 
or  otherwise,  he  is  no  whit  tlie  worse.  So,  if  any  of  these  opponents 
be  left,  I  will  not  waste  time  in  vain  reiDetition  of  the  demonstrative  evi- 
dence of  the  practical  value  of  science ;  but  knowing  that  a  parable  will 
sometimes  penetrate  where  syllogisms  fail  to  effect  an  entrance,  I  will  offer 
a  story  for  their  consideration. — From  Science  and  Culture^  by-  Professor 
Huxley^  in  Popular  Science  Monthly  for  December. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  Jan.  18,  1881. 
On  motion  of  Prof.  Maisch,  Mr.  E.  Gaillard  was  called  to  the  chair,  .and 
the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  having  been  read,  were  approved. 
Prof.  Maisch  presented,  on  behalf  of  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Con- 
ference, a  copy  of  the  Year  Book  of  Pharmacy  for  1880,  and  transactions 
of  the  last  meeting. 
A  specimen  of  Chian  turpentine  from  Mr.  M.  Eisner,  manager  of  the 
pharmacy  formerly  conducted  by  Messrs.  John  &  Cramer  and  more 
recently  by  Messrs.  Cramer  and  Small,  was  also  presented  to  the  cabinet 
of  the  College,  and  Prof.  Maisch  remarked  that  this  specimen  was  imported 
in  1858  by  Messrs.  John  &  Cramer  from  Messrs.  Horner  &  Son,  of  London, 
and  that  its  appearance  corresponds  with  the  descriptions  given  in  authori- 
tative treatises  on  materia  medica. 
Mr.  F.  L.  Slocum,  a  member  of  the  jDresent  senior  class,  read  a  paper 
u2)on  absorbent  cotton  (see  p.  53).  Prof.  Maisch  remarked  that  cotton  was 
usually  considered  to  be  nearly  pure  lignin,  yet,  under  the  treatment, 
described,  it  lost  10  per  cent,  of  its  weight,  about  one-half  of  which,  at 
least,  appeared  to  be  fat ;  Init,  by  treating  cotton  with  benzin,  ether  or 
similar  solvents  for  fat,  little  of  those  comj^ounds  seemed  to  be  removed,  and 
the  cotton  is  hwt  slightly  improved  as  to  its  absorbent  qualities  by  this 
treatment.  Prof.  Sadtler  directed  attention  to  the  fact,  that  fats  are  more 
easily  removed  by  forming  a  chemical  compound,  soluble  in  water,  than  by 
simple  solvents,  and  the  cause  of  the  difficulty  of  removing  it  by  the  latter 
from  cotton  was  most  likely  due  to  mechanical  difficulties  obstructing  the 
action  of  the  solvent  which  would  act  j^romptly  if  cotton  was  reduced  to 
powder. 
Mr.  Heinitsh,  of  Lancaster,  and  Mr.  Leniberger,  of  Lebanon,  being 
present,  were  welcomed  by  the  chairman. 
Mr.  Heinitsh,  at  the  request  of  Prof.  Kemington,  gave  a  short  account  of 
the  cultivcdion  of  saffron  in  Lancaster  county,  where  annually  about  14 
pounds  of  it  are  produced  ;  the  cornis  are  planted  on  well-prepared  garden 
soil  in  June,  and  while  flowering  in  September  the  stigmata  are  pulled, 
dried  in  the  shade  and  offered  for  sale ;  this  was  all,  but  it  is  much  easier 
told  than  done,  for  it  required  about  50,000  flowers  to  yield  one  pound  of 
saffron . 
Dr.  Wolff  made  a  few  remarks  relative  to  the  preparation  of  oleate  of 
bismuth;  he  stated  that  oxide  of  bismuth,  unless  fresh,  would  not  unite 
