EDITORIAL. 
183 
and  the  United  States.  This  chapter  will  be  found  to  be  particularly  useful 
to  investigators,  giving,  as  it  does,  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  accumulated 
labors  of  the  past  year.  The  remainder  of  the  report  is  chiefly  devoted  to 
a  record  of  the  progress  of  Chemistry,  inorganic  and  organic,  so  far  as  to 
note  the  papers  and  authorities,  accompanied,  in  many  instances,  by 
short  comments. 
Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb's  Report  on  the  Drug  Market,  follows,  and  is  a  new 
feature — being  a  replacement  of  the  report  on  adulterated  drugs  in  former 
Proceedings.  This  committee  was  appointed  "  To  report  annually  the 
fluctuations  in  the  supply  and  demand  ol  drugs  ;  the  variations  in  quality  ; 
and  adulterations  and  sophistications  coming  under  their  observation,  or 
reported  to  them  by  others  ;  and  that  they  be  authorized  to  make  report  on 
any  adulterations  and  sophistications  of  immediate  interest,  through  the 
Pharmaceutical  Journals  as  soon  as  practicable  after  their  discovery  ;  and 
that  all  members  are  requested  to  furnish  information  of  the  kind  required, 
to  the  Chairman,  without  unnecessary  delay."  The  extent  of  this  report 
will  not  admit  of  its  publication  here,  but  we  give  a  few  extracts  to  convey 
an  idea  of  its  character,  and  refer  our  readers  to  the  Proceedings.  The 
remarks  on  drugs  apply  chiefly  to  the  New  York  market. 
"Aloes.  During  a  large  proportion  of  the  past  year  the  better  grades 
of  aloes,  namely,  those  prepared  by  exposing  the  juices  of  the  plant  to 
the  sun  and  air  only,  in  drying,  have  been  very  scarce  and  high,  some- 
times altogether  absent  from  the  market.  The  best  varieties  of  the  so- 
called  socotrine  aloes,  characterized  by  a  ruby-red  color  and  fragrant 
aromatic  odor,  were  very  rarely  to  be  had  during  the  year,  and  the  price 
even  for  lower  grades,  instead"  of  42  to  46  c,  has  been  65  to  85  c,  and 
this  without  much  variation  either  in  the  supply  or  price  in  foreign 
markets.  With  all  this,  the  quality  has  been  low  and  very  variable,  lead- 
ing to  the  inference,  not  alone  indicated  by  this  article,  that,  particularly 
in  these  times,  anything  is  good  enough  for  the  American  markets.  The 
inferior  grades  of  aloes,  known  as  Cape,  Curagoa,  Bonaire,  Barbadoes, 
and  Hepatic,  have  varied  much  less  from  the  usual  prices,  and,  except 
the  Barbadoes  variety,  have  been  abundant.  Cape  at  23  to  26  c,  Cura- 
cjoa  at  40  to  50  c  ;  Bonaire  at  42  to  46  c. ;  and  Hepatic  at  60  to  70  c. 
Probably  from  an  unusual  demand  for  veterinary  purposes,  Barbadoes 
Aloes  has  been  very  scarce  and  occasionally  absent. 
Three  varieties  of  Aloes  are  now  officinal  in  the  new  Pharmacopoeia 
under  the  names  of  Barbadensis,  Capensis,  and  Socotrina,  the  definition 
of  each,  except  the  Cape  variety,  being  based  upon  the  species  of  the 
plant  which  is  supposed  to  furnish  it.  The  real  practical  difference,  how- 
ever,  probably  depends  more  upon  the  mode  of  preparation  ;  and  the 
names  are  to  be  regarded  more  as  conventional  indices  of  quality,  than 
as  evidences  of  the  sources,  either  botanical  or  geographical,  from  whence 
the  grades  are  obtained. 
Belladonna.  This  article,  though  neither  scarce  nor  high  in  price  at 
any  time  within  the  past  year,  has  been  so  uniformly  bad  in  quality,  that 
there  has  been  great  difficulty  in  getting  any  fit  for  use.  Bales  upon 
bales  of  it,  of  variegated  dull  colors,  (excepting  green,)  musty  or  nearly 
odorless,  containing  various  other  plants,  and  in  two  instances,  at  least, 
a  notable  proportion  of  digitalis,  could  at  all  times  be  found,  at  prices 
