Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1887. 
Editorial. 
269 
and  attention  was  drawn  to  the  awnlike  appendage  of  the  apex  of  the 
seed,  this  appendage  being  naked  for  nearly  two  inches,  and  above  this 
portion,  for  an  inch  or  more,  of  a  delicate  feather-like  appearance  from  the 
long  white  hairs  attached  to  it.  This  species  is  known  to  come  from  the 
interior  of  Africa,  while  Strophanthus  hispidus  from  the  river  Niger,  in 
Western  Africa,  has  seeds  with  a  shorter  awn  and  brownish  hairs,  and 
has  not  been  employed  medicinally  of  late  years.  A  copy  of  a  recent 
number  of  the  "  Garten  Zeitung"  was  shown  containing  an  illustration  of  a 
new  species  of  Strophanthus,  discovered  near  the  Kongo  River  and  which  is 
now  being  cultivated  in  the  botanical  garden  at  Breslau.  The  seeds  are 
provided  with  an  awn  which  is  feathery  from  base  to  apex ;  they  are  poi- 
sonous, but  it  has  not  been  determined  whether  the  poisonous  principle  is 
identical  with  the  strophanthin  contained  in  the  seeds  from  the  eastern 
section  of  Africa.  The  flowers  of  the  Kongo  plant  are  much  larger  than 
those  of  Str.  hispidus,  and  the  bands  into  which  the  corolla  lobes  are  pro- 
longed, are  much  longer. 
Mr.  Procter  asked  whether  any  of  the  members  had  had  any  experience 
with  the  torsion  balance.  (See  February  Number  p.  107.)  He  had  lately 
heen  using  one  on  trial  which  while  it  would  carry  eight  ounces  on  each 
pan  was  still  sensitive  to  a  milligramme  and  even  rough  usage  did  not  seem 
to  injure  it ;  the  results  of  his  experiments  so  far  were  quite  satisfying  and 
really  surprising. 
There  being  no  further  business,  on  motion  the  meeting  adjourned. 
T.  S.  WIEGAND,  Registrar. 
EDITORIAL  DEPARTMENT. 
New  buildings  for  Colleges  of  Pharmacy. — We  are  much  pleased  to  make 
record  of  the  completion  of  two  new  buildings  specially  erected  for  the  ac- 
comodation of  Colleges  of  Pharmacy,  one  in  Boston  and  one  in  Baltimore. 
Of  these  two  institutions,  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy  has  a  legal 
•existence  of  46  years,  having  obtained  its  charter  in  1841.  The  course  of 
lectures  instituted  in  the  same  year  was  continued  until  1847,  and  after  a 
repose  often  years,  the  school  was  reopened  in  1857  and  maintained  an  up- 
ward course  ever  since.  In  1876,  the  College  secured  its  own  home  by  the 
purchase  from  the  city  of  a  building  on  Aisquith  near  Fayette  street,  which 
had  been  used  for  a  grammar  school.  The  erection  on  this  site  of  a  new 
building  was  commenced  last  year,  and  it  is  now  ready  in  all  its  parts  for 
use  for  the  designed  purpose.  The  main  building  is  three  stories  in  height, 
the  staircase  being  on  the  north  side  and  beyond  this  the  janitor's  dwelling. 
Each  floor  of  the  building  covers  a  space  of  45x85  feet.  On  the  first  floor  is 
the  library  and  trustees'  room,  the  museum,  and  a  large  lecture  room  43x63 
feet  with  a  seating  capacity  of  412,  and  occupied  by  the  Professor  of  Materia 
