620         Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations,  {AmbJ™'J7Tm' 
iaxin,  occurring  in  the  leaves  and  in  smaller  quantity  in  the  fruit.  Several  members 
stated  that  they  knew  of  the  pulpy  part  of  the  fruit  being  eaten  with  impunity,  but 
could  not  say  what  effects  might  be  produced  by  the  seeds.  Mr.  Gerrard,  who  was 
examining  the  constituents  of  yew  leaves,  had  thus  far  obtained  a  body  which, 
though  precipitated  by  phosphomolybdic  acid,  was  not  precipitated  by  other  alka- 
loidal  reagents,  and  appears  to  be  a  glucoside.  The  president,  Mr.  Williams,  men- 
tioned that  in  this  and  other  cases  of  poisoning  by  yew  leaves,  local  inflammation 
had  been  produced  which  was  the  character  of  irritant  oleoresinous  bodies,  and  he 
apprehended  that  this  would  turn  out  to  be  the  nature  of  the  poisonous  principle  in 
this  case, 
Mr.  Holmes  briefly  described  the  differences  between  the  common  English  and 
Irish  yew,  the  latter  having  erect  branches,  with  leaves  more  or  less  tufted,  whence 
its  name  "  fastigiata," 
Mr.  F.  M.  Ri msning ton  read  a  paper  on  Snveet  Spirit  of  Nitre.  In  a  paper  pub- 
lished in  "  Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,"  Nov.  3,  the  author  described  the  processes  of  the 
London  Pharmacopoeias  of  1746,  1788,  1809  and  1836.  The  formula  of  the  present 
British  Pharmacopoeia  he  considered  unnecessarily  complex,  particularly  inasmuch 
as  it  directs  to  suspend  the  process  after  a  certain  amount  had  been  distilled,  and  to 
cool  the  apparatus  in  order  to  add  some  more  nitric  acid  to  the  contents.  Spirit  of 
nitre,  free  from  aldehyd  and  other  oxidized  products,  will  keep  four  to  six  months 
with  but  little  change,  in  bottles  filled  and  well  stoppered ;  any  addition  of  water 
greatly  accelerates  decomposition.  A  spirit  containing  4  or  5  per  cent,  of  nitrite  of 
ethyl  is  a  fair  standard  of  strength  for  medicinal  use,  but  the  process  of  the  Phar- 
macopoeia had  not  yielded  in  the  author's  hands  a  spirit  of  that  strength.  An  ounce 
of  HN03  is  required  to  produce  one  ounce  of  nitrite  of  ethyl,  and  in  its  production 
about  2  oz.  of  spirit,  sp.  gr.  "835,  will  be  decomposed  and  one  ounce  or  more  of 
water  formed.  The  spec.  grav.  of  the  medicinal  spirit  ought  not  to  be  higher 
than  '845.  Two  different  samples  had  been  kept  for  seven  months,  in  corked 
bottles,  not  quite  full  5  one  made  with  alcohol, -825,  by  the  formula  of  1746,  had 
decreased  in  strength  from  18  to  14  per  cent,  of  ether,  and  its  acidity  was  then 
tqual  to  -182  per  cent,  of  nitric  acid ;  the  other,  made  by  the  formula  of  1836,  with 
alcohol,  sp.  gr.  '838,  was  in  the  same  time  reduced  from  3  to  2  per  cent,  of  ether, 
while  the  acidity  was  equal  to  -367  nitric  acid.  The  author  estimated  the  quantity 
of  ethylic  nitrite  by  distilling  the  spirit  from  chloride  of  calcium. 
Professors  Attfield  and  Redwood  opposed  the  assumption  that  the  oily  liquid 
separated  by  calcium  chloride  was  pure  nitrite  of  ethyl,  but  stated  that  it  contained 
also  alcohol,  aldehyd  and  probably  some  other  compounds. 
Mr.  Holmes  read  a  paper  entitled  Notes  on  Casual  Drugs,  which  cannot  well  be 
abstracted,  and  which  we  intend  to  publish  in  our  next  number. 
The  German  Apothecaries'  Society  held  its  sixth  annual  meeting  at  Leipzig, 
Sept.  5  and  6,  Director  Wolfrum  presiding.  The  transactions  were  mainly  confined 
to  the  consideration  of  the  law  proposed  by  the  chancellory  of  the  German  Empire 
for  the  regulation  of  the  practice  of  pharmacy,  and  which  was  amended  and  then 
adopted.    The  next  annual  meeting  will  be  held  at  Coblence. 
