132 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
("Am.  Jour.  Pharni 
I      March,  1904. 
within  the  United  States,  for  scientific  societies,  educational  institu- 
tions, firms,  corporations  or  individuals  engaged  in  manufacturing 
or  other  pursuits  requiring  the  use  of  standards  or  standard  meas- 
uring instruments. 
"  For  all  examinations,  calibrations,  tests  or  investigations,  except 
those  performed  for  the  Government  of  the  United  States  or  State 
governments,  reasonable  fees  will  be  charged." 
The  Bureau  at  the  present  time  occupies  temporary  quarters  in 
the  city  of  Washington.  Permanent  laboratories  are  in  process  of 
construction,  and  when  completed  the  Bureau  will  be  enabled  to  do 
even  more  extensive  work  than  is  undertaken  at  the  present  time. 
The  present  schedule  of  testing  includes  measures  of  length,  weights, 
measures  of  capacity,  polariscopic  apparatus,  hydrometers,  ther- 
mometers, photometric  standards,  and  a  variety  of  determinations  as 
to  the  accuracy  of  electrical  instruments. 
The  Bureau  is  desirous  to  co-operate  with  those  interested  and  to 
supply  them  with  such  information  on  the  subject  of  weights  and 
measures  as  may  be  in  its  possession. 
All  communications  should  be  addressed,  "  Bureau  of  Standards, 
Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C." 
Pharmacy  in  Chicago. — Under  the  title  "  Reminiscences  of  Early 
Chicago  and  its  Druggists,"  Mr.  Albert  E.  Ebert  is  now  publishing 
a  very  interesting  and  readable  series  of  articles  in  the  Western 
Druggist,  Chicago. 
The  first  instalment  of  this  very  valuable  contribution  to  the 
history  of  American  pharmacy  appeared  in  the  December,  1903, 
number  of  the  Western  Druggist,  and  includes,  among  other  interest- 
ing material,  an  outline  sketch  of  the  founding  of  Chicago,  and  also 
some  reference  to  the  first  settlers. 
Atomic  Weights. — The  International  Committee  on  Atomic 
Weights  reports  but  two,  unimportant,  changes  in  the  list  of  atomic 
weights.  Caesium  is  given  as  132-9,  to  accord  with  the  determina- 
tions made  by  Richards  and  Archibald,  while  cerium,  according  to 
the  measurements  by  Brauner,  is  said  to  have  an  atomic  weight  of 
140-25.  Both  of  these  are  the  weights  as  compared  to  oxygen  =  16. 
A  number  of  the  other  elements  are  known  to  be  more  or  less 
uncertain  as  to  the  accuracy  of  their  atomic  weights,  but  it  was  not 
considered  advisable  to  make  any  radical  changes  while  work  was 
still  under  way.    {your.  Am.  Chem.  Soc.,  1904,  page  1.) 
