142  PhannaceuticcJ  Colleges  and  Associaflons.  { ^"^£^;"-/8*«\f 
Mr.  Synies  had  not  been  encouraged  with  the  use  of  einnaniic  acul  pre- 
pared from  tolu  balsam  as  an  antiseptic  agent,  and  agreed  with  the  views 
expressed  by  Prof.  Attfield,  that  each  of  the  different  antiseptics  would 
IDrobably  be  found  to  be  best  adapted  for  one  class  of  substances,  instead 
of  for  all. 
In  experimenting  with  Juice  of  meat,  Mr.  Gerrard  had  found  chloroform 
to  be  the  best  antiseptic,  while  the  preiDaration  containing  boracic  acid 
was  the  first  one  to  break  down.  Meat  juice  containing  |  per  cent,  of 
chloroform  was  still  intact  after  three  months. 
A  paper  by  Mr.  W.  A.  H.  Naylor  was  read,  giving  the  results  of  the 
proximate  analysis  of  the  fruit  of  Omphalocarpum  procera^  which  was 
found  to  contain  1,  a  congener  of  gutta;  2,  a  resin  allied  to  fluavil ;  3,  a 
glucoside  analogous  to  saponin,  but  approaching  more  nearly  to  monesin  ; 
4,  a  vegetable  wax ;  5,  a  neutral  crystalline  i)rinciple,  omx^halocarpin, 
soluble  in  alcohol,  less  soluble  in  water,  and  very  slightly  soluble  in  chlor- 
form  and  ether;  gives  with  warm  sulphuric  acid  a  rich  purplish-crimson 
color;  6,  a  bitter  and  coloring  principle,  resembling  cinchona  red  in 
api^earance,  and  insoluble  in  chloroform,  ether  and  water;  7,  glucose;  8, 
an  organic  acid  ;  9,  a  fixed  oil ;  10,  gummy  and  albuminous  matter  and  2*5 
per  cent,  of  ash.  The  plant  had  been  placed  by  some  botanists  in  the  order 
of  Ternstroemiace?e,  by  others  with  the  Sapotaceje  ;  the  evidence  from  the 
chemical  jDroperties  clearly  preponderates  in  favor  of  the  latter. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  North  British  Branch,  held  December  1st,  Mr. 
Wm.  Gilmour  read  a  paper  on  the  formation  of  cream  of  tartar  in  Seidlitz 
powder,  showing  that  acid  potassium  tartrate  is  formed  in  larger  quantity 
than  the  excess  of  tartaric  acid  would  theoretically  indicate,  and  that  this 
is  due  to  the  influence  of  carbonic  acid.  Using  120  grains  of  Roehelle  salt, 
40  grains  of  sodium  bicarbonate  and  40  grains  of  tartaric  acid,  or  of  the 
latter  an  excess  of  42  grains,  not  6,  but  15  grains  of  cream  of  tartar  were 
precipitated ;  using  45  grains  of  acid  or  9}  grains  in  excess,  the  precipitate 
weighed  30  grains.  On  putting  the  ingredients  of  the  Seidlitz  powder  into 
a  soda-water  bottle  with  6  ounces  of  water  and  with  30  grains  of  tartaric 
acid,  that  is  5 J  grains  below  the  neutralizing  quantity,  a  copious  i:)recipi- 
tate  will  be  formed,  which  will  not  be  redissolved  with  frecjuent  agitation 
for  several  hours. 
Gregory^s  Powder,  Pidv.  rhei  comp.,  had  been  experimented  with  by  Mr. 
Gilmour,  who  observed  that  magnesium  carbonate,  when  mixed  with  cal- 
cined magnesia,  did  not  make  a  miscible  Gregory's  powder,  but  that  if 
the  rhubarb  and  ginger  were  first  thoroughly  triturated  with  about  5  per 
cent,  of  the  carbonate,  and  the  calcined  magnesia  afterwards  added, 
there  resulted  a  beautiful  and  quickly  miscible  powder. 
Mr.  Nesbit  had  found  in  powdered  rhubarb  4  per  cent,  of  an  oil  of  sp.  gr. 
•91  which  had  been  used  for  facing  the  rhubarb,  and  greatly  affected  its 
miscibility  with  water. 
A  series  of  experiments  were  detailed  by  Dr.  Inglis  Clark,  from  which 
it  was  concluded  1,  that  the  non-miscibility  is  promoted  as  the  exposure  to 
moisture  increases  ;  2,  that  it  is  best  to  have  freshly  ignited  magnesia,  and 
to  keep  it  in  a  dry  jDlace ;  3,  that  it  is  better  to  have  a  damp  magnesia  to 
