580 
Minutes  of  the  College. 
/Am  Jour. Pnarm. 
\      Nov.,  1881. 
would  not  destroy  the  vitality  of  bacteria  exposed  in  the  room  for  six  hours. 
Experiment  No.  24  shows  that  an  amount  of  the  impure  acid  equal  to  46 
fluidounces  volatilized  in  the  same  room  will  not  destroy  the  potency  of 
vaccine  virus  in  a  moist  state  (rubbed  up  with  glycerin)  when  the  time  of 
exposure  is  12  hours.  Finally,  these  experiments  show  that  the  poi^ular 
idea,  shared,  perhaps,  by  some  physicians,  that  an  odor  of  carbolic  acid  in 
the  sick-room,  or  in  a  foul  privy,  is  evidence  that  the  place  is  disinfected, 
is  entirely  fallacious,  and,  in  fact,  that  the  use  of  this  agent  as  a  volatile 
disinfectant  is  imi^racticable,  because  of  the  expense  of  the  pure  acid  and 
the  enormous  quantity  required  to  produce  the  desired  result. — Sternberg, 
National  Health  Bulletin^  July  13;  Oinc.  Lane,  and  Clinic.^  1881,  p.  201. 
A  Kew  Antiseptic. — Dr.  C.  F.  Kiugzett  (London  "Lancet")  claims 
that  the  product  obtained  by  forcing  air  through  oil  of  turpentine  during 
a  period  of  from  one  to  two  hundred  hours,  has  an  antiseptic  quality  supe- 
rior to  any  hitherto  known.  The  oil  of  turpentine  so  treated  loses  its  vol- 
atile character,  and,  although  not  soluble  in  water,  it  forms  in  contact  with 
this,  or  any  moist  surface,  strongly  antiseptic  principles. — Chic.  Med.  Rev., 
Sept.  5. 
Skunk  Perfume  as  an  Anaesthetic— Dr.  W.  B.  Conway  ("Virginia 
Medical  Monthly,"  Aug.,  1881)  reports  a  case  where  roguish  school  boys 
caused  one  of  their  number  to  inhale  from  a  two-ounce  j^hial  an  unknown 
quantity  of  skunk  perfume.  The  effects  produced  were  total  uncoLscious- 
ness,  muscular  relaxation,  a  temperature  of  94°  and  pulse  of  65,  together 
with  cool  extremities.  The  respiration  and  pupils  were  normal.  The 
patient  soon  recovered  under  hot  pediluvia  and  stimulants.  The  skunk 
perfume  is  rather  an  unpleasant  substance  to  experiment  with,  still  those 
endowed  with  anosmia  might  obtain  results  of  value  from  similar  experi- 
ments with  it. — ChiG.  Med.  Revieiv. 
CoNVALLARiA  MAJAEis.— Clinical  and  physiological  experihients  with 
this  herb  are  reported  ("  Centralblatt  fiir  Klinische  Medicin,"  No.  1,  1881) 
by  Drs.  Bojojawiensky  and  Troitzky.  In  organic  cardiac  disease  its  effects 
were  found  equal  to  those  of  digitalis;  the  urine  was  increased;  serous 
exudations  were  rapidly  absorbed  ;  nervous  excitability  was  diminished. 
Cumulative  effects  were  not  observed. — Chic.  Med.  Review,  Sept.  5. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  COLLEGE. 
Philadelphia,  September  26th,  1881. 
The  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  was 
held  this  day  at  the  College  Hall,  13  members  in  attendance. 
President  Dillwyn  Parrish,  on  taking  the  chair,  read  the  following 
minute : 
"  The  Constitution  of  our  College  provides  that  a  meeting  should  be  held 
