430 
Editonal. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(.    August,  1882. 
A  preliminary  gathering  of  the  druggists  of  the  county,  called  by  a  few 
■druggists  who  felt  an  interest  in  the  formation  of  a  county  organization, 
was  first  made.  Afterwards  a  permanent  organization  was  effected,  which 
now  promises  to  be  a  source  of  j^leasure  and  benefit  to  all  engaged. 
We  sincerely  hope  that  these  efforts  will  meet  the  deserved  success,  and 
that  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association 
many  counties  of  the  State  will  be  represented  by  delegations.  The  corn- 
committee  consists  of  Messrs.  Charles  A.  Heinitsli,  Lancaster;  Geo.  W. 
Kennedy,  Pottsville;  Edw.  T.  Myers,  Bethlehem;  Edw.  A.  Cornell,  Wil- 
Jiamsport;  Geo.  W.  Kessler,  Altoona. 
Liquor  Selling  by  Pharmacists. — The  Iowa  pharmacy  law  provides 
that  registered  pharmacists  and  "apothecaries  .  .  .  shall  have  the  right 
ito  keep  and  sell,  under  such  restrictions  as  herein  provided,  all  medicines 
and  poisons  authorized  by  the  National,  American  or  United  States  Dis- 
pensatory or  Pharmacopcjeia  as  of  recognized  medicinal  utility."  It  is, 
however,  further  provided  it  shall  not  be  "  lawful  for  any  licensed  or  reg- 
istered druggist  or  j^harmacist  to  retail  or  sell  or  give  away  any  alcoholic 
liquors  or  compounds  as  a  beverage." 
A  physician  and  registered  pharmacist  of  Searsboro  sold,  last  year,  a  pint 
of  whisky  to  a  man,  who  stated  that  he  needed  it  for  medicine,  and  that 
.he  was  accustomed  to  taking  it.  The  phj'^sician  and  druggist  was  prose- 
cuted before  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  fined  |100.  The  case  was  removed 
to  the  District  Court,  and  finally  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  tribunal,  on 
March  22d,  affirmed  the  judgment,  holding  that,  in  selling  liquors,  the 
druggist  must  act  in  good  faith,  and  that,  while  in  form  sold  as  a  medi- 
cine, it  was,  in  fact,  a  beverage,  and  so  understood  by  both  buyer  and 
seller. 
At  the  April  term  the  same  court  rendered  a  decision  holding  that  the 
law  for  the  suppression  of  the  unlawful  sale'of  intoxicating  liquors  was 
not  repealed  by  the  Iowa  pharmacy  act,  except  possibly  so  far  as  was 
necessary  to  allow  sales  by  registered  apothecaries  of  intoxicating  liquors 
for  medicine. 
Artificial  Curare. —  Mr.  Rabuteau  exhibited  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Paris  Biological  vSociety,  held  February  25th,  a  chemical  comi)ound  which 
is  stated  to  possess  physiological  properties  closely  analogous  to  those  of 
curare.  This  comj^ound  is  the  iodide  of  methyl'triethyl-stihonium, 
.  Sb.C2H5)3(CH3)I,  and  is  a  white  crystallizable  salt,  soluble  in  water  and  in 
alcohol,  and  having  a  bitter  taste. 
The  stibethyl  compounds  were  investigated  by  C.  Loewig  and  E. 
Schweizer  in  1850,  those  of  ethylstibonium  by  R.  Loewig  in  1855,  and  the 
compounds  of  stibmethyl  and  methyl-stibonium  b3'  H.  Landolt  in  1851 ; 
their  soluble  salts  have  a  bitter  taste. 
Artificial  Quininp:.— A  few  months  ago  Mr.  Maumene  exhibited 
before  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences  an  artificial  product  stated  to  pos- 
sess the  chemical  properties  of  quinine,  and  that  physiological  experiments 
