\ 
466  Modern  Pharmacevtical  Study.  {^"'sept'\8S2''^' 
sulphate  undissolved,  distil  off  the  alcohol  and  evaporate  it  completely 
in  a  water-bath  ;  dissolve  in  very  little  water,  add  potassium  bicarbo- 
nate in  slight  excess,  agitate  with  chloroform,  filter  this  solution  and 
treat  it  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  slightly  in  excess ;  decolorize  the 
solution  of  sulphate  with  purified  animal  charcoal,  evaporate  at  a 
moderate  heat  to  a  syrupy  consistence,  mix  with  precipitated  calcium 
■carbonate,  afterwards  with  fine  sand,  and  dry  the  mixture  over  sul- 
phuric acid  or  burned  lime ;  exhaust  the  powder  with  chloroform,  dis- 
til and  finally  evaporate  spontaneously  after  the  addition  of  a  little 
rectified  toluene. 
Thus  prepared,  the  alkaloid  is  in  long  prismatic  needles,  colorless, 
inodorous,  soluble,  with  a  strong  alkaline  reaction,  in  water,  readily 
soluble  in  alcohol,  ether  and  chloroform,  and,  like  atropine,  yields  a 
violet  color  when  heated  with  nitric  acid  and  treating  the  dry  residue 
with  alcoholic  solution  of  potassa.  With  sulj^huric  acid  and  potas- 
sium bichromate  it  evolves  an  agreeable  odor  somewhat  resembling 
that  of  bitter  almond.  The  sulphate  is  a  neutral  salt  and  little  deli- 
'  quescent.— Jowr.  Phar.  Chim.,  Feb.,  1822,  pp.  131—138. 
SOME  REMARKS  UPON  MODERN  PHARMACEUTICAL 
STUDY. 
By  H.  J.  MoLLER. 
(Continued  from  page  424). 
Italy. 
The  following  facts  respecting  pharmaceutical  education  in  ItalV  I  have 
obtained  from  Mr.  Kernwein,  "  chimico-farmacista  "  in  Florence,  to  which 
gentleman  my  friend  Mr.  Arthur  Meyer  (at  present  an  assistant  at  the 
pharmaceutical  institute  in  Strassburg)  had  the  kindness  to  introduce  me 
The  most  recent  law,  regulating  pharmaceutical  study,  is  the  royal 
decree  of  March  12,  1876.  The  course  is  arranged  in  a  quite  peculiar  way 
which  very  much  resembles  the  system  employed  in  Spain  and  Greece. 
There  are  two  classes  of  pharmacists,  viz. :  "  farmacista  "  and  "  laure- 
ate (or  "dottore")  in  chimica  e  farmacia,"  and  also  assistants  (called 
"  ministro,"  "  giovane  "  or  "  commesso  ") ;  these  last  do  not  correspond  to 
the  German  "  Gehiilfen,"  but  are  always  examined  pharmacists,  i.  e.,  have 
all  passed  the  "  Major." 
The  young  man  who  wishes  to  commence  the  study  of  pharmacy,  must 
first  prove  that  he  is  qualified  to  enter  the  third  class  of  the  "  liceo,"^  or  he 
iThe  "liceo"  is  the  classical  school;  the  third  class  is  the  highest,  and  the  final  exam- 
ination of  this  class  is  called  the  "licenza  liceale,"  and  thus  corresponds  to  the  Ger- 
man "  Maturitatspriifung,"  and  the  French  "  baccalaureat." 
