Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  19 17. 
The  Quarterly  Review  on 
281 
gases  of  the  plant  are  trapped,  in  which  there  is  said  to  be  five  per 
cent,  of  potash,  which  is  used  for  fertilizer.  It  is  also  said  to  be 
quite  possible  for  every  cement  plant  in  Canada,  within  the  next 
five  years,  to  produce  potash  in  large  quantities  as  a  by-product.  As 
is  well  known,  there  are  immense  deposits  of  feldspar  in  Canada, 
which  are  said  to  contain  at  least  ten  per  cent,  of  potash,  of  which 
86  per  cent,  in  a  pure  form  is  collected.  And  it  is  also  stated,  and 
this  is  most  important,  the  cost  of  manufacture  is  less  than  the 
freight  charge  per  ton  on  that  heretofore  coming  from  Germany 
{Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  March  24,  1917,  p.  917). 
Antidrug  Bill. — The  bill  known  as  the  Whitney  antinarcotic 
act  was  endorsed  by  representatives  of  the  New  York  State  and 
New  York  County  Medical  societies  and  of  the  Medical  Economic 
League  at  a  hearing,  March  22.  This  bill  provides  for  a  free  supply 
of  drugs  for  addicts  and  for  the  registration  of  addicts.  Some  of 
those  present  offered  objection  to  the  triplicate  order  blank  system 
of  checking  narcotic  drug  distribution.  However,  this  part  of  the 
proposed  bill  is  under  consideration  with  a  view  to  formulating 
some  plan  which  will  not  work  undue  hardship  on  practicing  drug- 
gists {Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  March  31,  1917,  p.  987). 
Patent  Legislation. — At  the  January  meeting  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Branch  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  two 
interesting  papers  on  the  fore-mentioned  subject  were  read.  The 
subject  is  a  timely  one  and  one  that  affects  the  great  mass  of  people 
very  closely ;  this  point  should  be  played  upon  very  insistently  so  as 
to  get  Congress  to  act.  Never  has  the  time  been  so  favorable  for 
legislation  of  this  character.  In  the  first  paper  Mr.  J.  W.  England 
mentions  that  the  crux  of  the  situation  in  connection  with  the  patent- 
ing of  chemicals  in  this  country  is  the  system  of  permitting  product- 
protection;  he  then  goes  on  in  a  convincing  manner  and  points  out 
how  this  impedes  the  progress  and  development  of  American 
chemical  industry.  Dr.  F.  E.  Stewart  in  his  paper  gives  a  most 
comprehensive  discussion  of  the  Paige  Bill.  This  paper  is  enlighten- 
ing in  many  ways  and  should  be  read  by  all  chemists  and  pharmacists 
{Jour.  A.  Ph.  A.,  Feb.,  1917,  pp.  120  and  122). 
Pharmacology  of  the  Aconites. — Of  the  vast  number  of  the 
Aconitum,  and  there  are  at  least  150,  only  two  or  three  have  been 
examined  pharmacologically.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  all 
those  examined  show  the  same  characteristic  results  on  the  nervous 
system,  secretions,  circulation,  and  respiration,  yet  they  may  be 
