A^ptJembe?fia8r9r}  Colleges  and  Associations.  461 
The  president's  address  having  been  concluded,  he  received  a  unanimous 
vote  of  thanks. 
Reports  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer  followed,  and  then  the  report  of  the 
Formulary  Committee  was  read.  Four  new  formulas  have  been  added  to  the 
new  edition  just  published,  viz.:  "  Collodium  Stypticum, "  "Extractum  Bella- 
donnas Folii  Alcoholicum, "  "  liquor  Bromo-chloral  Compositus,"  and  "Syrupus 
Acidi  Hydriodici. "  Other  alterations  consist  chiefly  in  lessening  the  acidity  of 
certain  syrups,  and  in  an  improved  formula  for  "Collodium  Belladonnse, " 
which  is  now  directed  to  be  made  from  a  solid  alcoholic  extract  of  belladonna 
leaf,  assayed  at  the  time  it  is  used  so  as  to  obtain  a  uniform  product,  instead  of 
from  a  liquid  extract. 
The  following  papers  were  then  read  : 
Note  on  the  Stability  of  the  Alkaloidal  Tinctures.  By  E.  H.  Farr  and 
R.  Wright. 
The  authors  examined  a  number  of  tinctures  which  had  been  kept  for  twelve 
months  to  three  years,  and  their  conclusions  were  that  no  appreciable  change 
in  the  alkaloidal  value  of  tinctures  takes  place  on  standing  ;  unimportant 
exceptions  occurred  with  the  tinctures  of  veratrum  and  cinchona,  but  the  aver- 
age loss  in  the  most  extreme  case  did  not  exceed  5  per  cent. 
The  same  authors  presented  another  paper  on  the  Gravimetric  and  Volu- 
metric Methods  for  the  Determination  of  the  Alkaloids  in  Alkaloidal  Tinc- 
tures, in  which  they  reverted  to  the  paper  of  Caspari  and  Dohme,  read  before 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  last  year,  who  advocated  volumetric 
methods.  The  present  authors,  however,  showed  that  with  aconite  and  col- 
chicum  the  volumetric  methods  are  absolutely  worthless,  while  they  are 
unsatisfactory  with  cinchona  and  veratrum.  In  conclusion,  it  was  maintained 
that  the  results  yielded  by  gravimetric  methods  are,  if  anything,  the  more 
reliable  of  the  two. 
The  Qualities  of  a  Typical  Dentifrice  was  the  subject  of  a  paper,  by  Arthur 
Turner.  As  a  mechanical  base  chalk,  "  prepared  "  rather  than  "precipitated," 
is  preferable  to  pumice  ;  the  latter  may  scratch  and  injure  the  enamel.  No 
base  should  be  used  that  will  scratch  silver.  Charcoal  and  astringents  are 
objectionable  for  various  reasons.  A  little  sodium  bicarbonate  should  be 
added,  and  the  flavoring  should  be  oil  of  cinnamon,  which  also  possesses 
valuable  antiseptic  properties. 
A  New  and  More  Economical  Process  for  Extractum  Nucis  Vomiccs  was 
offered  by  E.  W.  Lucas,  who  recommended  a  dry  extract  instead  of  the  present 
liquid  one  of  the  Br.  P. 
Note  on  Strychnos  Ignatia,  by  F.  Ransom.  Remarks  on  Gnetum,  by  W. 
Elborne.  The  Recovery  of  Residual  Tinctures  from  Marcs,  and  the  Pharma- 
copceial  instructions  for  the  Preparation  of  Tinctures,  by  R.  H.  Parker,  con- 
cluded the  proceedings  of  the  first  day. 
On  the  second  day,  Wednesday,  August  1st,  F.  C.  J.  Bird  led  by  reading 
"  Some  Laboratory  Notes." 
In  addition  to  several  practical  suggestions,  he  favored  the  more  extended 
adoption  by  the  Br.  P.  of  the  process  of  repercolation,  especially  in  the  pre- 
paration of  resin  of  podophyllum. 
