16 
ON  ALUMEN  EXSICCATUM. 
of  instructing  themselves  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  the 
higher  branches  of  their  art.  Books  are  absolutely  necessary, 
and  lectures  are  useful,  but  it  is  only  in  proportion  as  the  know- 
ledge imparted  by  them  can  be  utilized,  so  to  speak,  that  they 
are  of  real  value  to  the  apothecary.  It  is  an  admitted  and 
lamentable  fact  that  many  of  those  now  practising  pharmacy 
are  totally  incompetent  to  fulfil  the  responsibilities  of  the  true 
apothecary.  They  know  nothing  of  the  science  of  preparing 
medicine ;  they  have  by  some  means  or  other  learned  to  dis- 
tinguish opium  from  rhubarb,  and  that  by  putting  so  much  of 
this  and  so  much  of  that  together  the  result  will  be  paregoric ; 
but  much  further  than  this  their  knowledge  of  preparing  medi- 
cines goeth  not ;  and  yet  these  men  succeed ;  that  is,  they  make 
money  and  block  up  the  field  to  the  exclusion  of  those  who  have 
through  long  years  of  tedious  preparation  qualified  themselves 
thoroughly  for  the  faithful  practice  of  their  art.  One  reason 
why  these  men  succeed  is,  the  facility  with  which  they  can  sup- 
ply themselves  with  all  the  medicines  required  in  their  business, 
ready  made,  at  the  hands  of  the  manufacturing  pharmaceutists. 
The  spirit  of  a  republican  government  being  averse  to  all  re- 
striction of  individual  freedom  in  business  matters,  it  will  be  dif- 
ficult to  devise  an  effectual  legal  remedy  for  this  state  of  things, 
but  the  writer  would  observe,  that  if  the  law  should  require  all 
those  who  practise  pharmacy  to  make,  themselves,  the  larger  por- 
tion of  the  medicinal  preparations  they  dispense,  pharmacy 
would  rapidly  rise  to  its  proper  position  amongst  the  scientific 
arts  of  the  age. 
Chicago,  III.,  Dec.  6,  1859. 
ON  ALUMEN  EXSICCATUM. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  potassa  alum  may  be  decomposed 
by  the  application  of  a  high  heat,  so  that  sulphate  of  potassa 
and  the  sesquioxide  of  aluminium  are  left  behind,  from  which 
the  former  may  be  obtained  by  long  continued  washing  with 
water.  If  the  heat  is  not  carried  so  high,  only  the  water  of 
crystallization  is  expelled  from  the  alum,  and  the  anhydrous 
double  salt  is  left  behind,  which,  when  in  contact  with  cold 
