^ptimbef,1!^'}    British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  463 
NOTE  ON  THE  STRENGTH  OF  COMMERCIAL  SAMPLES  OF 
ALKALOIDAL  TINCTURES. 
By  Clarence  A.  Seyler. 
Seven  samples  of  the  commercial  tincture  of  nux  vomica  were  examined, 
and  in  no  case  did  the  alkaloid  found  reach  the  theoretical  amount,  which  is 
0*229  Part  °f  alkaloids  per  100  volumes,  and  in  several  the  amount  was  consider- 
ably below  this.  Of  eleven  samples  of  tincture  of  opium,  five  gave  about  the 
theoretical  percentage  (075  per  cent,  part  of  morphine  per  100),  and  three 
samples  were  considerably  over  the  maximum  strength  possible  with  standard- 
ized opium.  Tincture  of  belladonna  was  very  variable,  two  samples  containing 
only  about  one-half  the  proper  amount  of  alkaloid.  Three  out  of  four  samples 
of  tincture  of  hyoscyamus  were  stronger  than  the  standard  suggested  for  this 
tincture.  Tincture  of  aconite  showed  great  variation.  Samples  of  tincture 
(compound)  of  cinchona  showed  most  variation,  one  sample  which  was  over 
standard  being  nearly  five  times  as  strong  as  one  having  the  lowest  percentage 
of  alkaloid. 
PHOSPHATES  AND  PLATINUM. 
By  W.  G.  Stratton. 
In  this  note  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  when  phosphates  are  heated 
in  a  platinum  vessel  in  the  presence  of  carbon,  the  platinum  fuses. 
LIQUOR  BISMUTHI  ET  AMMONII  CITRATIS. 
By  W.  G.  Stratton. 
The  question  with  the  author  was  whether  a  variation  in  the  composition  of 
the  commercial  solution  was  the  cause  of  the  varying  results  obtained  when 
this  preparation  was  dispensed  with  an  alkaline  bicarbonate. 
An  excess  of  ammonium  citrate  was  found  in  five  of  eleven  samples  exam- 
ined by  the  writer,  and  as  this  salt  is  known  to  prevent  the  precipitation  of 
bismuth  carbonate  the  examination  furnished  an  affirmative  answer  to  the 
question.  Nitrates  were  found  in  some  of  the  samples  and  one  or  two  were 
markedly  deficient  in  bismuth. 
DISINFECTANT  SOAPS. 
By  S.  Rideal. 
The  writer  said  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  soaps  themselves  have  some 
antiseptic  power.  An  olein  base  was  considered  preferable  to  one  containing  pal- 
mitic or  stearic  acid,  since  the  latter  gives  insoluble  precipitates  with  hot  water. 
Superfatted  soaps  were  objectionable  for  disinfecting  purposes,  as  fatty  bodies 
impede  the  action  of  many  of  the  germicides.  A  number  of  disinfectants  were 
considered  with  reference  to  their  usefulness  or  uselessness,  as  the  case  might 
be,  when  employed  in  soaps.  Many  of  the  so-called  disinfectant  soaps  were 
found  to  have  little  or  no  value  when  subjected  to  bacteriological  tests. 
OUR  PRESENT  KNOWLEDGE  OF  THE  MYDRIATIC  GROUP. 
By  Gordon  Sharp. 
This  was  a  review  of  the  various  members  of  the  mydriatic  group  of  alkaloids, 
and  in  considering  the  supposed  identity  of  several  of  these  the  author  sum- 
marized his  views  by  stating  that  (1)  the  names  daturine  and  duboisine  should 
be  given  up;  (2)  the  relationship  of  atropine  and  hyoscyamine  can  hardly  be 
