Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1902. 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
309 
possibly  where  there  are  certain  derangements  of  the  liver,  when  the 
applicant  is  advised  against  its  use.  He  furthermore  said  that  in 
Turkey  and  in  France  the  coffee  was  very  black,  and  that  perhaps 
it  had  been  colored  with  graphite,  although  he  had  no  positive  infor- 
mation on  this  subject.  Dr.  Miller  furthur  said  that  a  few  years  ago 
there  was  a  considerable  demand  for  whole  flaxseed,  the  mucilage 
of  which  was  extracted  and  used  for  varnishing  coffee.  Mr.  Procter 
said  that  he  understood  that  smaller  quantities  of  stronger  decoc- 
tions were  used  in  foreign  countries  than  here,  which  statement  was 
borne  out  in  the  remarks  made  by  Mr.  Marshall. 
The  next  paper  was  on  "  Some  Observations  on  a  Recent  Trip  to 
the  Madeira  Islands,"  by  Dr.  Adolph  W.  Miller.  The  speaker 
stated  that  the  name  Madeira  in  Portuguese  means  wood,  and  the 
name  was  given  on  account  of  the  dense  forests  which  covered  the 
islands  when  they  were  discovered.  In  referring  to  the  several 
industries,  he  said  that  while  the  island  was  famous  for  its  wine 
production,  owing  to  the  ravages  of  the  Oidium  and  Phylloxera, 
the  quantity  was  becoming  considerably  reduced  each  year.  The 
soil  is  quite  fertile,  but  owing  to  the  mountainous  character  of  the 
country  irrigation  is  practiced.  Dr.  Miller  referred  to  the  enormous 
proportions  of  many  of  the  commoner  garden  plants.  The  common 
geranium  {Pelargonium  roseutri)  attained  the  height  of  5  to  6  feet ; 
Euphorbia  Poinsettia,  15  feet;  Ricinus  communis,  25  feet;  fuchsias, 
6  feet;  flowers  of  callas,  12  inches  in  diameter;  begonias,  6  feet. 
Among  the  interesting  plants  noted  were  Bougainvilleas,  Acacia 
farenisiana,  Datura  Bruganansn,  Lagostrcemia  Indie -a,  Opuntia  Tuna, 
Clethra  arborea,  etc.  Over  seven  hundred  species,  representing 
nearly  four  hundred  genera,  are  found  on  the  island.  Dr.  Miller 
said  that  the  climate  was  specially  adapted  to  those  suffering  from 
lung  trouble,  and  that  it  was  largely  visited  by  Europeans. 
M.  I.  Wilbert,  in  a  paper  on  the  "  Progress  of  Pharmacy,"  called 
attention  to  some  of  the  more  interesting  advances  recently  made 
in  pharmacy  and  materia  medica  (see  page  290).  He  also  exhibited 
specimens  of  the  following:  (1)  Carbolic  acid  and  camphor;  (2) 
aqueous  solutions  of  quinine  hydrochlorate  with  urethan  or  chloral 
hydrate,  both  of  which  are  employed  hypodermically.  Mr.  Wilbert 
also  called  special  attention  to  the  newer  arsenic  preparations. 
A  special  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  the  speakers  of  the  after- 
noon for  their  valuable  papers. 
