INSPECTION   OF  DRUGS. 
297 
PREPARATION  OF  MANNITE. 
By  Charles  T.  Bonsall. 
The  saccharine  principle  of  manna  being  often  in  demand,  it  is 
quite  troublesome  to  prepare  it  in  the  usual  manner,  by  treating 
manna  with  boiling  alcohol,  and  allowing  the  mannite  to  crystal- 
lize on  cooling.  It  also  becomes  a  dangerous  operation  in  the  ab- 
sence of  a  well  constructed  water-bath,  which,  unfortunately,  is 
too  often  wanting  in  many  pharmaceutical  shops,  from  the  large 
amount  of  alcohol  which  must  be  employed,  and  the  elevated  tem- 
perature it  is  maintained  at  for  some  time,  in  order  to  be  success- 
ful in  extracting  the  mannite. 
The  plan  I  have  pursued  is  the  following:  Dissolve  manna  in 
three  times  its  weight  of  boiling  water,  and  treat  it  with  a  smalt 
portion  of  solution  of  sub-acetate  of  lead,  to  separate  gummy  and 
resinoid  matters;  filter  through  muslin  and  precipitate  the  excess 
of  lead  by  dilute  sulphuric  acid;  filter  through  paper  and  concen- 
trate with  gentle  heat  to  the  consistence  of  syrup.  Lastly,  pour 
the  syrup,  while  about  the  boiling  temperature,  into  twice  its  bulk 
of  cold  alcohol,  wrhich  will  deposite  the  pure  mannite,  upon  cool- 
ing, in  snow  white  flakes.  A  very  fat  specimen  of  flake  manna 
has  yielded  above  90  percent. 
PROCEEDINGS  OP  THE  PHILADELPHIA  COLLEGE  OF  PHAR- 
MACY, IN  RELATION  TO  THE  INSPECTION  OF  DRUGS. 
A  Special  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy 
was  held  at  their  Hall,  3d  mo.,  30,  1853. 
Charles  Ellis,  Vice  President,  in  the  chair. 
In  the  absence  of  the  Secretary,  Edward  Parrish  was  appointed 
Secretary  pro  tempore. 
The  call  of  the  meeting  being  read,  the  object  was  stated  to  be 
to  consider  the  subject  of  the  Inspection  of  Drugs. 
The  subject  was  then  more  fully  introduced  by  several  of  the 
members,  who  urged,  that  in  view  of  the  probable  change  in  the 
office  of  Special  Examiner  at  this  port,  it  was  due  to  the  position 
of  this  College,  and  to  the  important  interests  involved,  that  wTe 
should  be  heard  in  our  corporate  capacity  in  regard  to  the  qualifi- 
cations of  persons  who  should  be  appointed  to  fill  such  offices. 
