204 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t       April,  1902. 
Mr.  Beringer  called  attention  (see  this  Journal,  1890,  p.  6)  to  the 
properties  of  commercial  benzin,  and  said  that  the  presence  of  heavier 
oils  and  sulphurous  compounds  prevented  the  use  of  the  article  for 
making  an  agreeable  and  non-nauseating  deodorized  tincture  of 
opium.  In  regard  to  the  use  of  acetic  acid  in  extracting  the  narco- 
tine  as  suggested  by  Dr.  Ebert,  Mr.  Beringer  thought  that  it  did  not 
form  an  acetate  with  narcotine,  although  its  use  might  be  advan- 
tageous in  removing  traces  of  morphine.  Others  discussing  the 
paper  were  Messrs.  La  Wall,  England  and  Kraemer. 
Mr.  Wiegand  commented  upon  the  comprehensiveness  of  Mr. 
Ebert's  paper  and  said  that  it  should  be  attentively  read  by  every 
one  at  all  interested  in  the  real  progress  of  pharmacy.  It  is  really 
a  history  of  the  subject  and  covers  the  ground  most  thoroughly, 
and  with  great  fairness.  The  points  and  notes  most  worthy  are : 
(1)  the  fact  that  an  aqueous  preparation  of  opium  is  preferable  to 
a  hydro-alcoholic  one,  because  it  leaves  behind  the  fatty  resinous 
caoutchouc  matters  which  seem  to  be  the  most  disturbing  elements 
of  the  drug  ;  (2)  the  fact  that  a  proper  grade  of  benzin  purified 
thoroughly  will  remove  any  of  the  remaining  objectionable  material, 
and  has  less  solvent  power  over  the  morphin  than  ether;  (3)  the 
fact  that  narcotine  is  not  a  disturbing  element,  but  on  the  contrary 
a  stimulant  tonic,  counteracting  the  depressing  effects  that  the  ordi- 
nary preparations  of  opium  produce ;  (4)  incidentally  the  necessity 
of  a  purer  and  better  benzin,  being  directed  by  the  pharmacopoeia 
and  the  well-advised  caution  against  the  concentrated  liquid  prepa- 
ration of  opium  for  the  short-cut  way  of  making  the  galenical  prepa- 
rations of  opium.  Mr.  Wiegand  moved  that  a  vote  of  thanks  be 
given  Mr.  Ebert  for  the  valuable  paper  he  had  contributed.  The 
motion  was  unanimously  adopted. 
A  paper  by  Ferdinand  A.  Sieker,  New  York  City,  on  "  Fluid 
Extract  of  Nux  Vomica  "  (see  page  175),  was  read  by  Mr.  Freeman 
P.  Stroup. 
Mr.  England  exhibited  various  samples  of  caseins,  which  are  used 
in  the  arts  and  for  food;  also,  a  sample  of  sugar  of  milk  (99-7  per 
cent,  pure)  and  a  milk  powder  for  making  a  substitute  for  milk. 
Mr.  Beringer  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  difficulty  con- 
nected with  the  manufacture  of  sugar  of  milk  in  this  country  here- 
tofore has  been  the  impurities  in  the  water. 
