Am'fci877"m'}  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Essociations.  89 
Mr.  Arnd  spoke  on  the  examination  of fixed  and  volatile  oils  by  means  of  Abbe's 
refractometer,  whereby  differences  are  detected  which  are  scarcely  observable  by 
means  of  the  polariscope,  two  or  three  drops  of  the  liquid  being  required  for  the 
test.  Artificial  oil  of  mustard  was  found  to  have  a  refraction  of  1*5275  and  a  dis- 
persion of  1 50,  while  the  volatile  oil  obtained  from  the  seed  had  a  refraction  of 
3-5325  and  a  dispersion  of  170.  For  expressed  oil  of  almonds  the  refraction  was 
found  to  be  1*9705  and  the  dispersion  15*5°  5  for  oil  of  poppy  seed  1*9753  and  150. 
The  refractometer,  which  is  easily  handled,  has  been  constructed  by  Prof.  Abbe,  ot 
Jena. 
'  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. — At  the  Pharmaceutical  meeting  held 
December  6,  a  note  by  Samuel  Elliott  was  read,  suggesting  a  glyceritum  croci,  for 
which  the  following  formula  was  given :  Saffron  1  drachm,  glycerin  9  fluid- 
ounces.  Mix  and  macerate  for  seven  days ;  pour  off  the  bright  liquor  ;  press  the 
remainder  through  calico  into  another  vessel,  and  again  strain  it ;  mix  the  two 
liquors  and  make  up  the  whole  to  9  fluidounces  with  glycerin.  Its  odor  is  much 
■stronger  than  that  of  syrup  of  saffron. 
Mr.  Greenish  referred  to  the  astonishing  power  of  glycerin  of  retaining  various 
-substances  in  solution,  which  were  not  precipitated  after  a  time  as  from  tinctures  and 
syrups.  Mr.  Greenish  had  made  a  preparation  of  saffron  in  glycerin  some  18  months 
ago  which  had  kept  uncommonly  well. 
For  the  preparation  of  Hydrargyrum  cum  cretd,  Mr.  A.  Bottle  proposed  a  deviation 
from  the  "  Pharmacopoeia  *'  process  to  the  extent  of  substituting  for  the  slow  process 
•of  trituration  in  a  mortar  active  agitation  in  a  wide-mouth  glass  bottle,  by  which 
means  the  B.  P.  quantity  (3  oz.)  may  be  prepared  and  the  metal  minutely  sub- 
divided, with  an  expenditure  of  very  little,  if  any,  more  time  and  labor  than  is 
required  to  be  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  a  tincture.  (Essentially  the  same 
process  was  suggested  by  W.  H.  Hewson,  of  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  published  by  Dr.  E. 
J.  Coxe,  of  New  Orleans,  in  "  Amer.  Jour.  Phar  ,"  1850,  p.  3175  see  also  a  paper 
by  W.  W.  Stoddart  in  "Pharmac.  Jour,  and  Transact.,"  1856,  January  1). 
Mr.  C.  L.  Betty  read  a  paper  on  Oleate  of  bismuth,  stating  that  one  part  of  oxide 
of  bismuth  is  ground  very  fine  and  four  parts  of  oleic  acid  are  gradually  incorporated 
with  it.  The  mixture  being  placed  in  a  suitable  vessel,  is  subjected  to  a  temperature 
of  nearly  its  boiling  point,  then  allowed  to  digest,  with  frequent  agitation,  at  a 
temperature  of  about  6o°  during  four  days,  or  until  it  solidifies.  The  result  is 
pharmaceutical^,  a  plaster,  which  melts  readily  in  contact  with  the  skin,  is  bland 
to  excoriated  surfaces  and  penetrating  by  its  limpidity.  Further  experiments  will  be 
necessary  to  prove  the  most  reliable  mode  of  its  manufacture,  as  under  apparently 
similar  conditions  results  have  not  hitherto  been  uniform. 
Mr.  John  Williams  read  a  paper  on  some  reactions  of  the  glycerol  of  nitrate  of 
bismuth  (see  "  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1877,  P-  23)-  A  solution  of  20  per  cent,  of 
crystallized  nitrate  of  bismuth,  in  glycerin,  may  be  made,  and  is  best  effected  in  the 
cold  ;  if  much  heat  is  employed  the  glycerol,  when  diluted  with  water,  will  make 
a  milky  solution,  at  any  rate  after  a  few  hours.  The  property  of  bearing  dilution 
with  water,  without  producing  a  turbid  solution,  appears  to  diminish  by  keeping. 
