AmMar.?i877rm'}  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  'and  Associations.  137 
abroad  the  tendency  is  rather  to  keep  matters  of  this  kind  secret,  as  a  sort  of  public 
disgrace.  Prof.  Remington  related  having  had  submitted  to  him  several  months 
ago  a  specimen  of  ground  gentian,  purchased  from  a  wholesale  druggist  of  this  city, 
which  on  examination  proved  to  be  almost  pure  saw-dust.  Prof.  Maisch  improved 
the  opportunity  by  directing  the  attention  of  the  students  present  to  the  necessity  of 
the  careful  study  of  prosenchymatous  and  parenchymatous  tissues,  which  in  this 
case  would  alone  be  quite  sufficient  for  the  recognition  of  the  substitution.  A,  W. 
Miller  stated  that  there  was  a  manufacturer  of  ground  gentian  in  this  city  who 
made  no  pretence  to  sending  out  a  pure  article,  merely  claiming  that  his  compared 
favorably  with  that  furnished  by  other  establishments. 
E.  Gaillard  called  attention  to  the  process  of  bleaching  sponges,  as  described  on 
page  399  of  the  "Am.  Jour.  Phar."  for  1875.  He  nat^  tried  it  with  very  satisfactory 
results,  and  exhibited  a  number  of  specimens  bleached  in  this  manner,  and  with 
permanganate  of  sodium  in  place  of  the  potassium  salt.  He  used  a  very  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid  (one  ounce  to  the  gallon)  to  remove  the  calcareous  matter, 
without  injuring  the  texture  of  the  sponge.  The  process  possesses  another  advan- 
tage in  altering  the  coloring  matter  permanently,  while  the  old  method,  using  hypo- 
sulphite of  sodium  and  hydrochloric  acid,  bleaches  only  temporarily. 
James  A.  Maston  exhibited  a  piece  of  compressed  camphor,  and  invited  the 
members  of  the  College  to  visit  the  establishment  of  Wm.  F.  Simes  &  Son,  to  wit- 
ness the  manufacture  of  this  article. 
Prof.  Remington  directed  the  attention  of  the  meeting  to  the  large  assortment  of 
specimens  obtained  from  the  commissioners  of  various  governments  at  the  late 
Exposition.  He  exhibited  samples  of  cream  of  tartar,  tartaric  acid  and  argols  $ 
sulphur  earths,  Italian  proprietary  medicines,  effervescent  granular  salts,  fine  Aus- 
trian essential  oils,  German  anilin  products  in  great  variety,  Schering's  pyrogallic 
acid  and  salicylate  of  sodium,  etc. 
Adolph  W.  Miller,  Registrar  pro  temp. 
PHARMACEUTICAL  COLLEGES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 
The  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  has  adopted  the  recommendation  of  the  , 
Conference  of  Schools  of  Pharmacy,  and  introduced,  near  the  close  of  the  last 
session,  an  examination  of  first  course  students,  of  which  seventy  of  the  latter 
availed  themselves.  The  participation  of  the  students,  the  results  attained  in  this 
nee  and  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  not  only  of  finding  out  to  what  extent 
the  students  had  profited  from  the  instruction,  but  also  of  specially  advising  them 
of  deficiencies,  appear  to  be  regarded  so  favorably  by  the  Examining  Committee 
I  Professors,  that  such  a  junior  examination  will  undoubtedly  be  held  annually 
hereafter.  Twelve  specimens  were  placed  on  the  table  for  recognition,  and  answers, 
in  writing,  to  the  following  questions  required: 
1.  What  compound  is  formed  by  the  combustion  of  Charcoal  ?  Give  the  method 
by  which  it  is  usually  obtained  and  collected  for  experiment  or  use.  What  are  its 
properties,  composition,  effects  on  living  animals  and  general  names  of  its  metallic 
compounds  ? 
