Am'jLn"ri878*"n*}  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations.  39 
A  memorandum  from  Hermann  Betz,  a  member  of  the  present  class,  was  read  in 
which  it  was  stated  that  he  had  experimented  upon  himself  with  the  seed  of 
Sophora  speciosa  shown  at  the  last  meeting,  by  taking  one-fourth  of  a  seed  in  powder. 
He  found  the  hard  shell  nearly  tasteless,  the  kernel  of  a  peculiar  bitter  taste  ;  after 
an  hour  a  slight  dizziness  and  numbness  in  the  spine  was  experienced,  which,  in 
another  hour,  increased  to  such  an  extent  as  to  impair  the  walking,  and  was  followed 
by  headache  and  several  evacuations.  The  headache  had  increased  after  a  sleep  of 
i\  hours;  the  temperature  of  the  body  was  now  97°F.,  and  the  pulse  had  decreased 
from  83  to  60  beats  in  the  minute.  The  effects  decreased  very  slowly  and  were  still 
perceptible  after  24  hours,  together  with  the  peculiar  numbness  in  the  spinal  column. 
Several  members  announced  that  they  were  unable  to  report  at  this  meeting,  as 
they  had  hoped,  on  certain  subjects  which  had  claimed  their  attention  lately,  but 
would  endeavor  to  do  so  at  the  next  meeting.  The  subjects  of  ne<w  indigenous  drugs, 
alteration  of  chloral  hydrate,  and  the  pharmaceutic  uses  of  oil  of  benne  were  men- 
tioned ;  and  on  motion  of  Chas.  L.  Mitchell  all  were  requested  to  inform  the 
Registrar  one  week  before  each  meeting  of  such  subjects  which  they  intend  to 
report  on  or  to  bring  up  for  discussion.  In  connection  with  oil  of  benne,  it  was 
stated  that  the  fixed  oils  of  mustard  and  cottonseeds  appeared  likewise  to  be  uesful 
for  some  purposes,  and  might  be  experimented  with. 
The  meeting  then  adjourned.  T.  S.  Wiegand,  Registrar. 
PHARMACEUTICAL  COLLEGES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS, 
Alumni  Association,  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. — The  third  social 
meeting  was  held  Thursday,  December  6,  1877,  President  Mattison  in  the  chair 
and  some  sixty  odd  members  present. 
Mr.  Kennedy  noticed  a  case  of  the  poisoning  of  a  child,  who  took  a  half  ounce  of 
chlorate  of  potassium  in  crystals,  and,  despite  the  remedies  employed,  expired  in  great 
suffering.  Mr.  Mclntyre  referred  to  a  similar  case  which  happened  sometime  since 
in  Wisconsin. 
Mr.  Kennedy  gave  a  description  of  a  drug-store  in  the  coal  regions,  which  he 
assisted  in  appraising.  The  manner  of  conducting  the  business  seemed  rather  curious. 
Mr.  H.  Betz  read  a  paper  on  the  expressed  oil  of  hemp  seed,  handed  to  him  for 
examination  at  the  last  meeting  (see  page  26). 
Dr.  Miller  showed  specimens  of  oils  of  mustard-seed  and  flax-seed,  the  latter 
expressed  cold.  The  former  oil  is  said  to  emulsify  with  aqua  ammoniae,  thus  being 
fitted  for  use  in  Linimentum  ammoniae. 
Mr.  Mattison  read  an  interesting  paper  on  the  use  of  dialyzed  iron  as  an  antidote 
for  arsenic  (see  page  23).  The  question  of  its  efficacy  was  established,  if  its 
administration  was  followed  by  some  salt  which  would  induce  the  formation  of  the 
magma  in  the  stomach.  Chloride  of  sodium,  as  the  most  convenient,  was  chosen  for 
this  purpose. 
