196 
Notes  and  News. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
April,  1907. 
that  he  preferred  the  titration  method  to  the  gravimetric,  as  he  had 
found  the  lime-water  correction  difficult.  Mr.  Turner,  on  the  other 
hand,  preferred  the  gravimetric  method,  and  recommended  the  use 
of  4  c.c.  of  ammonia  water.  He  also  remarked  that  the  same  results 
could  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  calcium  hydroxide,  which  has  the 
advantage  of  facilitating  filtration. 
Prof.  Henry  Kraemer  gave  a  talk  on  "  Some  Recent  Drug  Adul- 
terants and  Substitutes."  Attention  was  first  directed  to  some 
specimens  which  had  been  presented  by  students  of  the  college  and 
others,  as  follows:  Papaw  fruits  {Carica  Papaya),  by  F.  I.  Lamas,  of 
Sagua  la  Grande,  Cuba ;  several  thick  quills  of  bark  sold  for  cinna- 
mon, by  H.  E.  Strauss;  a  number  of  specimens  of  edelweiss  {Leori- 
topodiinn)  collected  in  Switzerland,  by  E.  M.  Messmer  ;  specimens 
of  ginseng  root  and  seed,  and  cotton,  from  Joseph  Jacobs,  of  Atlanta, 
Ga.  ;  some  specimens  of  rye  heads  bearing  ergot  grains,  by  Eli 
Lilly,  of  Indianapolis.  Professor  Kraemer's  observations  on  adul- 
terated drugs  will  be  embodied  in  a  paper  and  published  later. 
Florence  Yaple,  Secretary  pro  tern. 
NOTES  AND  NEWS. 
Generous  Donation  to  the  Food  and  Drug  Laboratory  Fund. — 
Benjamin  T.  and  Samuel  W.  Fairchild,  graduates  of  the  Philadelphia  College 
of  Pharmacy,  have  shown  their  substantial  interest  in  the  progress  of  their 
Alma  Mater  by  sending  a  check  to  Professor  Remington  for  $500,  to  be  applied 
to  the  building  fund  for  the  new  food  and  drug  laboratory.  This  donation  is 
all  the  more  acceptable  because  it  is  a  free-will  offering  of  two  loyal  sons. 
Japanese  Lac.  The  thesis  presented  to  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Bern  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  by  Professor  Alviso  B.  Stevens  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  is  a  valuable  monograph  entailing  considerable 
research  work  on  the  nature  of  the  poisonous  principle  in  Japanese  lac  (Ki- 
urushi).  The  poisonous  principle  is  intimately  associated  with  the  resin  of 
the  lac.  It  is  obtained  by  adding  4  parts  of  alcohol  to  8  volumes  of  a  benzin 
solution  of  the  lac,  then  thoroughly  agitating  the  mixture  and  allowing  it 
to  stand.  The  lower  alcoholic  layer  is  of  a  reddish-brown  color  and  contains 
the  toxic  principle.  The  author  has  been  engaged  for  some  time  in  a  compara- 
tive study  of  the  toxic  principle  of  Rhus  toxicodendron  and  R.  venenata  and 
that  of  the  lacquer  tree  R.  venicifera. 
The  Food  and  Drugs  Act.  Several  pamphlets  have  been  published  con- 
taining a  reprint  of  the  National  Food  and  Drugs  Act  in  connection  with  the 
rules  and  regulations  for  its  enforcement.    One  of  the  first  of  these  pamphlets 
