Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Mar.,  1878. 
}  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
137 
of  Melastomacese,"  by  Humboldt  and  Bonpland,  illustrated  with  fine  steel  plates 
beautifully  colored. 
Another  donation  of  books,  amounting  to  about  forty,  mostly  treatises  on  chemistry 
in  the  German  language,  was  also  announced  by  Prof.  Maisch  as  having  been 
received  from  a  scientific  gentleman  of  this  city  who  did  not  wish  his  name  men- 
tioned. The  thanks  of  the  College  were'  directed  to  be  returned  to  Mr.  Powers, 
and  to  the  donor  of  the  other  set  through  Prof.  Maisch. 
The  annual  report  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  for  1876,  was  presented  from  the 
Secretary,  Prof.  Henry,  through  Prof.  Maisch. 
The  following  donations  to  the  cabinet  were  received  :  From  Mr,  Neppach,  a 
member  of  the  present  class,  a  specimen  of  Barberry  or  Chittem  Bark  from  Oregon 
where  it  is  used  as  a  tonic  and  febrifuge  ;  and  from  Mr.  Jos.  Jacobs,  of  Georgia,  a 
specimen  of  the  cotton  plant  (Gossypium  herbaceum)  with  root,  stem  and  the 
cotton  balls  in  full  development. 
Mr.  Ed.  Gaillard  read  a  paper  upon  Formic  Acid  (see  page  115),  and  in  answer 
to  a  question,  stated  that  he  had  not  learned  the  particular  purpose  for  which  the  phy- 
sician wanted  the  acid.  Prof.  Maisch  called  attention  to  the  spirit  of  ants,  officinal 
in  the  German  and  other  European  pharmacopoeias,  which  is  merely  an  alcoholic 
solution  of  formic  acid,  but  is  still  prepared  from  red  ants. 
Prof.  Maisch  stated  that  he  was  experimenting  on  Bromide  of  Iodine,  a  substance 
which  has  long  been  in  use  among  photographers,  in  the  daguerreotype  processs  for 
rendering  the  plates  more  sensitive,  but  appears  to  be  likewise  used,  to  some  extent, 
for  medicinal  purposes  5  he  described  it  as  exceedingly  caustic,  similar  to  bromine, 
and  as  evidently  unfit  for  internal  use  in  the  concentrated  state,  or  in  large  doses. 
Recently,  through  a  typographical  error  in  a  medical  journal,  it  had  been  directed 
instead  of  potassium  bromide  in  a  prescription  for  epilepsy  ;  the  error  had  been 
promptly  corrected,  but  it  seemed  proper  to  direct  attention  to  the  caustic  nature  of 
the  compound. 
Mr.  Charles  L.  Mitchell  read  a  paper  upon  medicated  bougies  (see  page  108), 
giving  their  history  and  describing  the  various  kinds  in  use,  and  the  advantages  of 
this  method  of  medication  5  he  exhibited  specimens  of  the  bougies  as  made  by  him, 
and  also  of  Reynal's  porte-remede,  the  former  being  more  serviceable  in  appearance. 
The  Chairman  called  the  attention  of  the  meeting  to  the  collections  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  specimens  of  North  American  drugs  and  preparations  made  from 
some  of  them,  which  the  College  had  directed  to  be  sent  to  the  Paris  Exposition, 
and  after  the  close  of  that  exhibition  to  be  presented  to  the  Societe  de  Pharmacie 
of  Paris.  At  the  exhibition  the  collection  will  be  in  charge  of  Mr.  Lindewald,  a 
graduate  of  the  College. 
Attention  was  also  called  to  the  recent  purchase  made  by  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  a  large  balance  for  scientific  uses,  especially  valuable  in  enabling  the  members  to 
have  their  weights  and  measures  adjusted  to  the  proper  standard.  An  examination 
of  the  weights  used  in  another  city  showed  such  discrepancies  as  to  render  it  impor- 
tant that  an  examination  of  the  weights  used  by  the  members  of  our  profession 
should  be  instituted  at  once. 
Mr.  Shinn  was  called  to  the  chair  while  Prof.  Remington  reported  on  a  series  of 
experiments  undertaken  by  Mr.  L.  Wolff ;  having  a  considerable  demand  for  the 
