86  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  {^'j^^?™' 
Prof.  Remington  referred  to  the  action  of  the  last  committee  on  the  revision 
of  the  "  Pharmacopoeia,"  who  had  received  positive  instructions  to  abolish  all 
measures  of  capacity,  but  on  account  of  the  obstinacy  of  some  of  their  members, 
retained  the  majority  of  them.  He  saw  no  possible  way  of  evading  the  issue, 
and  therefore  advocated  taking  the  step  at  once,  and  doing  it  completely,  with- 
out resorting  to  any  half-way  measures.  He  thought  it  wrong  to  wait  for  phy- 
sicians to  make  a  beginning.  Prof.  Maisch  enumerated  the  various  nations 
who  had  adopted  the  metric  system  for  use  in  medicine,  showing  that  it  was 
already  in  use  on  nearly  the  whole  continent  of  Europe,  in  all  of  civilized  America^ 
excepting  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  in  the  empire  of  Japan.  According 
to  information  obtained  by  him  from  the  medical  attaches  of  the  Japanese 
Commission  during  the  late  Exposition,  the  entire  system  of  medical  and  phar- 
maceutical instruction  in  Japan  is  modeled  after  the  German  method  ;  they 
even  use  the  same  Latin  terms  and  pronounce  them  in  accordance  with  the  usage 
prevalent  in  Germany,  and  use  the  French  weights  exclusively. 
Prof.  Remington  exhibited  a  small  copper  still,  invented  by  E.  T.  Prentiss,  of 
this  city,  who  calls  it  an  alcohol  reclaimer.  It  is  intended  chiefly  for  strengthening 
and  purifying  alcohol,  for  which  purpose  a  column  is  connected  with  it  containing 
a  number  of  perforated  diaphragms,  through  which  the  vapor  is  compelled  to  pass. 
Prof,  Remington  had  tried  the  still,  and  had  found  that  the  strength  of  alcohol 
could  be  increased  to  a  certain  degree  by  inserting  a  thermometer  and  keeping  the 
liquid  continuously  at  a  low  temperature.  The  price  of  the  still  was  stated  to  be 
$15.00.  E.  M.  Boring  expressed  a  fear  that  all  the  present  stills,  when  used 
merely  for  recovering  the  alcohol,  required  too  high  a  temperature  and  thus  injured 
the  product,  for  which  reason  he  was  in  the  habit  of  simply  evaporating  the 
alcohol  without  attempting  to  recover  it.  A.  W.  Miller  suggested  that  the  same 
still  could  be  readily  modified  so  as  to  dispense  with  the  column  whenever  it  was 
desirable  to  do  so  ;  a  low  temperature  could  then  be  maintained  by  the  use  of  a 
water-bath. 
Dillwyn  Parrish  presented  Japanese  persimmons,  preserved  in  sugar,  for  inspec- 
tion. They  were  of  very  large  size,  and  resembled  in  appearance  the  sugared  fruits, 
sold  by  confectioners. 
Prof.  Remington  presented  some  very  valuable  specimens  donated  to  the  College 
by  the  late  Prof.  Joseph  Carson  shortly  before  his  decease.  Some  of  the  articles 
were  specially  intended  for  the  Cabinet,  having  formerly  been  used  by  Prof.  Car- 
son in  illustrating  his  lectures  at  the  College.  The  specimens  embrace  genuine 
Sumatra  camphor,  from  Dryobalanops  camphora,  obtained  by  Prof.  Carson  through 
a  relative  in  the  East ;  pure  Burgundy  pitch,  nutmegs  preserved  in  alcohol,  Japanese 
camphor,  Chinese  calomel  in  the  form  of  flat  crystals,  hog  gum  from  Jamaica^ 
Japanese  tobacco,  varieties  of  India  opium  from  Malwa,  Benares  and  Patna ;  also, 
a  cake  of  Smyrna  opium,  well  freighted  with  bullets.  The  most  valuable  acquisi- 
tion of  all  consisted  in  a  very  beautiful  Chinese  pipe  for  smoking  opium.  The 
stem  of  the  pipe  is  completely  covered  with  real  tortoise-shell,  and  an  ivory  mouth- 
piece is  fitted  to  it.  The  pipe  is  furnished  with  four  earthenware  bowls,  an  alcohol 
lamp  of  peculiar  construction,  several  boxes  of  extra  choice  opium  and  a  number  of 
curious  instruments  intended  for  cleaning  the  pipe.    The  process  of  smoking  the 
