AmNov.^'iS7arm'}    Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  587 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHAEMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  Oc  ober  18,  1887. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  the  Registrar,  and  Mr.  A.  P.  Brown  was 
asked  to  preside.    The  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  was  dis* 
pensed  with. 
Donations  to  the  Cabinet  and  Library : — The  Actuary  stated  that  he  had  placed 
in  his  hands  by  Miss  Williamson,  daughter  of  the  late  Peter  Williamson,  the 
certificate  of  his  membership  in  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Apothecaries,  the 
institution  out  of  which  grew  our  College  of  Pharmacy.  This  certificate  is  es- 
pecially interesting,  as  being  probably  the  only  one  in  existence  of  that  early 
date  (October  5,  1821),  and  as  having  belonged  to  him  who  was  the  first  Sec- 
retary of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  this  College,  and  who  had  shown  so  much 
interest  in  its  welfare.  It  was  accompanied  with  four  volumes,  viz,  James' 
Dispensatory,  1742;  Quincy's  Dispensatory,  1782;  Loudon  Dispensatory,  1826; 
Nicholson  s  Dictionary  of  Chemistry.  1808.  The  meeting  directed  the  thanks 
of  the  College  to  be  returned  by  the  Registrar. 
The  Actuary  presented,  on  behalf  of  Mr.  H.  A.  Zug,  four  very  handsome 
specimens  of  coral.  Mr.  Zug  was  formerly  one  of  the  Inspectors  in  the  Custom 
House,  and  seeing  frequent  opportunities  for  purchasing  such  articles,  made 
quite  a  fine  collection  of  them,  of  which  these  are  among  the  finest  he  had. 
Professor  Maisch  suggested  that  the  correct  scientific  names  of  these  speci- 
mens be  ascertained  through  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 
The  Curator,  Mr.  Jos.  W.  England,  presented  on  behalf  of  Mr.  R.  A.  Hance, 
to  the  College  Cabinet,  214  specimens  of  fluid  extracts,  all  the  officinal  and  a 
very  large  number  of  non-officinal ;  also  a  number  of  solid  extracts  from  the 
laboratory  of  Messrs.  McKeown,  Bower  and  Ellis,  of  this  city.  Mr.  England 
also  exhibited  a  sample  of  albolin,  a  mild,  white,  odorless,  non-rancidifying 
solid,  melting  between  110°  and  130°  F.  It  is  made  by  McKesson  &  Robbins, 
of  New  York.  Albolin  is  entirely  destitute  of  odor  and  taste  ;  and  as  its  melt- 
ing point  is  from  six  to  twenty -six  degrees  Fahrenheit  higher  than  the  officinal 
peirolatum,  it  seems  to  be  a  purified  or  white  petrolatum  with  a  certain 
amount  of  paraffin  melted  with  it.  The  makers  define  it  to  be  a  carefully  re- 
fined product  from  a  peculiar  kind  of  petroleum,  possessing  properties  which 
recommend  it  for  various  medicinal,  pharmaceutical  and  toilet  purposes. 
A  paper  on  Linimentum  Ammoniaz  was  read  by  Mr.  Jos.  W.  England.  The 
reading  of  the  paper  elicited  a  good  deal  of  discussion,  particularly  as  regards 
the  liniment  when  made  with  linseed  oil  and  mixtures  containing  it.  Mr. 
England  stated  that  he  had  made  linseed  oil  with  bisulphide  of  carbon,  but  that 
it  required  ten  parts  of  absolute  alcohol  to  dissolve  it.  Prof.  Maisch  asked  if 
the  oil  hadbeen  made  from  seed  ground  by  Mr.  England,  orfrom  flaxseed  meal 
as  purchased.  The  commercial  meal  had  been  used.  It  is  well  known  that 
the  oil  changes  rapidly  in  ground  seeds,  especially  flaxseed,  this  oil  being  of 
the  class  called  drying  oils.  Mr.  Moerk  said  that  linseed  oil  made  from  fre>hly 
ground  seed,  with  petroleum  spirit  of  light  gravity,  required  but  five  parts  of 
absolute  alcohol,  and  that  from  carbon  bisulphide  required  about  ten  parts. 
Prof.  Maisch  stated  that  the  yield  of  cold  pressed  flaxseed  oil,  as  expressed  by 
the  late  Fred.  L.  John,  amounted  to  only  about  ten  or  twelve  per  cent.;  a 
sample  obtained  from  Mr.  John  many  years  ago  was  soluble  in  five  parts  of 
