270 
Editorial 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharnu 
\       May,  1887. 
Medica.  The  second  floor  is  occupied  by  the  Professor  of  Pharmacy,  and 
contains  a  lecture  room  with  200  seats,  the  professor's  private  room,  a  labora- 
tory for  pharmaceutical  purposes  accomodating  about  100  students,  and  ad- 
joining this  room  a  private  laboratory.  The  third  floor,  containing  the  De- 
partment of  Chemistry,  is  divided  in  the  same  manner,  and  furnishes 
facilities  for  lectures  and  laboratory  work,  including  the  balance  room. 
The  Massachusetts  College  of  Pharmacy  was  organized  in  January  1823,. 
but  it  did  not  obtain  a  charter  until  1852.  Lectures  on  chemistry  were  de- 
livered at  irregular  intervals,  mainly  for  the  benefit  of  the  members  of  the 
College ;  but  a  determined  effort  for  the  systematic  instruction  of  young 
employees  was  first  successfully  carried  out  in  1867,  and  has  been  continued 
ever  since,  improvements  being  provided  for,  as  called  for  by  experience 
and  by  the  general  progress  of  science.  Nearly  two  years  ago  a  lot  of  ground 
was  secured  on  the  corner  of  St.  Botolph  and  Garrison  streets  in  close  prox- 
imity to  the  intersection  of  the  Providence  and  Albany  railroads.  The  build- 
ing erected  on  this  lot  will  be  dedicated  to  its  uses  on  the  4th  of  May.  The 
basement  story  contains,  besides  the  boiler  room,  janitor's  quarters  and 
lavatory,  the  pharmaceutical  laboratory.  The  first  floor  is  occupied  by  the 
library,  trustees'  room,  reading  room,  and  the  lecture  room  for  the  Professor 
of  Pharmacy.  The  lecture  room  on  the  second  floor  will  be  occupied  by  th& 
Professors  of  Materia  Medica  and  Chemistry,  and  a  large  room  has  been  set 
apart  for  instruction  in  microscopy  and  urine  analysis.  The  entire  third 
floor  has  been  titted  up  for  the  department  of  analytical  chemistry,  with 
suitable  rooms  for  balances,  stock,  &c.  Rooms  for  the  private  use  of  each 
professor  have  been  provided  on  each  floor. 
With  such  increased  facilities  for  thorough  instruction,  secured  through 
the  devotion  and  liberality  of  their  members,  both  institutions  deserve  the 
sincere  congratulations  of  all  interested  in  pharmacy,  and  their  best  wishes 
for  continued  and  increased  prosperity. 
The  Botanic  Garden  at  Liege  lost  its  valuable  herbarium  in  the  early  part 
of  April ;  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  museum,  and  although  it  was  extinguished 
in  about  half  an  hour  the  collection  was  destroyed  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of 
the  professors  and  students  to  save  it.  The  origin  of  the  fire  has  not  been 
ascertained.   
Ground  Pumpkin,  Seed  was  the  subject  matter  in  an  action  for  damages 
before  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Philadelphia  during  the  past  month. 
By  the  testimony  it  appeared  that  a  piece  of  paper,  merely  with  the  words 
"  emulsion  of  pumpkin  seeds"  written  on  it,  was  presented  by  the  plaintiff, 
a  lady,  at  the  counter  of  a  drug  store.  The  preparation,  she  was  told,  would 
cost  40  cents,  and  on  her  objecting  to  the  price  she  was  informed  that  she 
could  have  the  ground  seeds,  which  she  could  take  mixed  with  sugar  and 
milk.  She  bought  the  ground  seeds,  and  was  furnished  with  8  ounces  at 
15  cents,  and  with  the  instruction  to  take  one-half  the  quantity  mixed  with 
a  pint  of  milk,  and  in  case  this  had  not  the  desired  effect,  to  take  the  other 
half  a  few  days  afterwards.    She  took  the  whole  quantity  stirred  in  a  pint 
