1 38  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.     { ^'^•^^^'■^^^''^ 
process  by  Avhich  an  addition  of  10  per  cent,  is  visible,  and  one  of  20  per 
cent,  quite  distinct  (smaller  proportions  are  not  often  used),  if  comparative 
tests  are  made  on  pure  olive  oil.  He  operated  in  a  somewhat  similar  man- 
ner, according  to  Boudet's  principle,  with  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  sul- 
phuric and  nitric  acids.  If  three  parts  of  this  mixture,  after  being  allowed 
to  cool,  are  added  to  ten  parts  of  the  oil,  and  the  whole  is  well  shaken 
together,  j^ure  olive  oil  has  a  white  color  with  a  greenish  cast,  oil  of  sesame 
a  grass  green,  and  cotton  oil  a  paler  color.  After  a  few  minutes  the  liquids 
separate,  and  pure  olive  oil  appears  almost  unchanged,  cotton  oil  a  light 
brown,  and  rape  oil  a  lighter  and  more  reddish  brown.  If  a  sample  of  oil 
therefore  turns  brown  with  the  above  test,  we  have  either  cotton  oil  or  a 
cruciferous  oil  (rape  or  colza).  The  presence  of  the  latter  may  then  be 
easily  ascertained  by  means  of  oxide  of  lead,  which  they  blacken. — Dro- 
guisten  Zeitung  ;  Oil  and  Drug  News. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  Feb.  21st,  1882. 
In  absence  of  the  President,  Mr.  A.  Robbins  was  called  to  the  chair. 
The  minutes  of  the  last  pharmaceutical  meeting  were  read  and  approved. 
The  introduction  of  strangers  being  the  first  business,  Mr.  Louis  Dohme, 
of  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy,  who  was  present,  was  invited  to 
participate  in  the  meeting. 
Prof.  Sadtler  exhibited  and  operated  with  the  new  electrical  apparatus 
presented  by  our  fellow  member  and  graduate,  Mr.  F.  Gutekunst,  with 
Geissler  tubes  of  various  patterns,  which  gave  illustrations  of  extreme 
beauty.  A  vote  of  thanks  of  the  College  was  tendered  to  the  donor  for  the 
great  interest  he  has  shown  in  furthering  the  educational  advantages  of 
the  College. 
Prof.  Remington  exhibited  a  piece  of  apparatus  combining  a  plaster- 
spreadhig  apparatus  with  graduated  plates  for  making  plasters  of  any 
definite  size,  and  arranged  so  that  it  could  be  used  as  a  lozenge  hoards  and, 
by  the  addition  of  a  grooved  plate,  as  a  pill  machine.  An  illustrated 
description  of  the  apparatus  will  appear  in  the  April  number  of  this  jour- 
nal. The  apparatus  was  designed  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Franciscus,  of  the  present 
junior  class. 
A  note  upon  liypop)hosphorous  acid^  by  G.  M.  Beringer,  Ph.G.  (see  page 
100),  was  read  by  Prof.  Maisch,  and  referred  to  the  Publishing  Committee. 
Prof.  Maisch  said  that  he  believed  the  hypophosphites  of  the  alkalies  to 
have  an  alkaline  reaction,  and  that  neutralization  was  not  the  most  exact 
method  of  estimating  the  acid.  Prof.  Power  stated  that  an  exact  method 
consisted  in  oxidizing  by  potassium  permanganate.  Mr.  Bullock  j^referred 
neutralization  with  a  carbonate  as  the  most  suitable  process  for  the  phar- 
macist. 
A  formula  for  mistura  apii  composita  was  read  by  Prof.  Maisch,  who 
received  it  upon  inquiry  from  Dr.  W.  A,  Hammond,  by  whom  an  extern- 
