298  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {Amju°ne^i^arm* 
with  standard  alkali  and  titration  with  standard  acid,  phenolphtalein  being 
used  as  indicator.  This  method  of  estimation  is  based  on  the  fact  that  colchi- 
cine is  an  ethereal  salt  rather  than  an  alkaloid. 
ALKALOIDS  OF  CEANOTHUS  AMERICANUS. 
By  H.  M.  Gordin. 
About  \  per  cent,  of  an  alkaloidal  substance  was  obtained  from  this  plant 
which  is  a  mixture  of  ether-soluble  and  ether-insoluble  constituents.  The 
substance  is  not  crystalline  and  none  of  its  compounds  are  precipitable. 
Nitrogen  is  present  and  the  question  as  to  whether  the  substance  is  an  alkaloid 
or  a  mixture  of  alkaloids  remains  to  be  settled. 
SUGGESTIONS  RELATIVE  TO  THE  PROPOSED  INTRODUCTION  OF 
POWDERED  DRUGS  INTO  THE  U.S.P. 
By  A.  Schneider. 
Among  the  subjects  considered  in  this  paper  were  :  Selection  of  drugs, 
precautions  in  regard  to  heating,  atmospheric  conditions,  methods  of  powder- 
ing and  sifting,  methods  of  preserving,  general  characteristics,  histological 
structure,  etc.,  etc. 
COLOR  STANDARDS  FOR  THE  VEGETABLE  DRUGS  OF  THE  U.S.P, 
By  Henry  Kraemer  and  Herbert  J.  Watson. 
This  paper  was  a  continuation  of  the  one  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
A.  Ph.  A.  last  year.  The  crude  drugs  were  arranged  according  to  the  standards 
already  given  and  then  followed  an  alphabetical  arrangement  of  the  vegetable 
drugs,  together  with  their  colors,  external  and  internal,  in  a  crude  state  and  in  a 
powdered  condition. 
NOTES  ON  THE  EXAMINATION  OF  JALAP  ROOT  DURING  THE 
PAST  SIX  YEARS. 
By  IvYMan  F.  Kebler. 
It  was  shown  by  statistics  that  jalap  root  grown  under  favorable  conditions 
contained  much  more  resin  than  12  per  cent.,  the  1890  Pharmacopoeia  standard. 
Investigators  of  late  years,  however,  have  placed  themselves  on  record  to  the 
effect  that  this  standard  is  too  high. 
The  writer  of  this  article  obtained  results  which  indicate  that  while  it  is  not 
desirable  to  place  the  standard  as  high  as  12  per  cent.,  he  does  not  agree  with 
the  general  opinion  that  it  should  be  as  low  as  8  per  cent.  10  per  cent,  should 
probably  be  the  lowest. 
The  large  number  of  samples  examined  varied  from  17  per  cent,  in  1894  to 
1 '87  per  cent,  in  1899.  It  seemed  that  the  jalap  root  supplied  continued  to 
diminish  constantly  in  per  cent,  of  resin  from  the  time  of  advent  of  the  1890 
Pharmacopoeia.  Jalap  root  of  12  per  cent,  could  be  secured  until  the  past  few 
years. 
THE  PHARMACOLOGIC  ASSAY  OF  DRUGS. 
By  F.  M.  Houghton. 
In  discussing  the  theory  of  the  pharmacologic  assay  of  drugs,  the  author 
claimed  that  the  action  of  drugs  should  be  regarded  as  quantitative  rather  than 
qualitative.    He  said  that  a  number  of  constituents  have  the  same  qualitative 
