548 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  November,  1907. 
the  Pharmacopoeia  if  physiological  tests  showed  it  to  be  the  more 
active. 
In  reply,  Dr.  Borneman  said  that  his  experience  showed  that 
belladonna  and  digitalis  leaves,  from  cultivated  plants,  are  above 
the  standard.  Then,  referring  to  the  subject  of  the  relative  value  of 
fresh  and  dry  drugs,  he  said  that  pulsatilla  is  much  more  active 
when  fresh,  and  that  bryonia,  while  inert  when  dry,  is  useful  in  a 
number  of  diseases  when  fresh. 
John  R.  Rippetoe,  P.D.,  of  New  York  City,  sent  a  communication 
entitled  "  Some  Assays  of  Drugs  Collected  from  Cultivated  Plants," 
which  was  read  on  his  behalf  by  Edwin  M.  Boring.  (See  page  523.) 
Edwin  L.  Newcomb,  P.D.,  assistant  in  the  department  of  botany 
and  pharmacognosy,  gave  the  results  of  experiments  in  the  farming 
of  medicinal  plants,  which  had  been  conducted  under  his  supervision 
the  past  summer  by  a  number  of  persons  who  were  interested  in 
agricultural  pursuits  and  experimental  farming,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Vineland,  N.  J.  The  plants  were  nearly  all  grown  from  seeds,  and 
under  conditions  which  would  obtain  on  a  commercial  scale.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  plants  which  were  grown  :  Capsicum  species, 
Papaver  somniferum,  Coriandrum  sativum,  Atropa  Belladonna,  Salvia 
officinalis,  Lobelia  inflata,  Digitalis  purpurea,  JSepeta  Cataria  and 
Panax  qninquejolium. 
A  large  number  of  specimens  of  the  drugs,  and  the  plants  from 
which  they  were  derived,  were  exhibited.  In  addition,  Professor 
Kraemer  called  attention  to  an  original  package  of  new  season's 
Allen's  English  digitalis  leaves,  a  sample  from  a  supply  imported  by 
Messrs.  Lehn  &  Fink,  of  New  York  City.  It  is  stated  that  the 
leaves  are  collected  and  selected  with  special  care,  and  dried  at  a  low 
temperature,  so  as  not  to  impair  the  active  glucosides.  The  drug 
was  packed  in  a  glass  bottle,  and  the  package  accompanied  by  a 
potency  certificate.  Dr.  Mattison  presented  a  handsome  specimen 
of  asbestos  from  the  Canadian  mines,  which,  he  said,  are  the  largest 
in  the  world. 
During  the  course  of  his  remarks,  Professor  Kraemer  announced 
that  he  had  seeds  of  belladonna  and  Veratrum  viride,  which  he  would 
be  glad  to  furnish  in  small  samples  as  long  as  his  supply  lasted. 
M.  I.  Wilbert,  Ph.M.,  demonstrated  the  preparation  of,  and  gave 
formulas  for,  "  Emulsion  of  Castor  Oil "  and  "  Nascent  Ferrous 
Carbonate."    (See  pages  524  and  525).  Florence  Yaple, 
Secretary  pro  tern. 
