278 
Minutes  of  Pharmaceutical  Meetings.  { 
Ititmta  of  \\}t  fjprmarrotital  Meetings, 
Am.  Joub.  Pharm. 
June  1,  1872. 
A  pharmaceutical  meeting  was  held  May  20th,  1872,  President  in  the  chair. 
An  interesting  feature  of  the  meeting  was  the  presence  of  Samuel  F.  Troth, 
on  the  50th  anniversary  of  his  election  to  membership  to  the  College.  On  be- 
half of  some  of  his  friends,  the  Chairman  on  this  occasion  presented  him  with 
a  copy  of  the  last  edition  of  the  United  States  Dispensatory,  and  Dr.  Jos. 
Thomas'  Biographical  Dictionary,  in  two  volumes,  as  a  testimonial  to  his  long 
and  untiring  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  College.  On  the  title-page  was 
the  following  inscription: 
1822 — 1872.    Presented  to  Saml.  F.  Troth  by  a  number  of  his  fellow-members 
of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  as  a  testimonial  of  their  esteem 
and  appreciation  of  the  valuable  services  rendered  by  him  to  the  institu- 
tion during  the  past  half  century. 
Friend  Troth  exhibited  his  original  certificate  of  membership,  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation,  and,  in  acknowledgement  of  the  gift,  stated  that  he  had  served 
the  College  to  the  best  of  his  ability  for  45  years;  during  the  last  five  years, 
from  impaired  health,  he  had  been  obliged  to  retire  from  active  service. 
Mr.  Bullock  exhibited  the  result  of  drying  a  film  of  gelatine  on  a  sheet  of 
glass;  in  contracting  it  was  found  to  raise  a  film  of  the  glass  with  it.  Mr. 
Procter  had  noticed  this  in  a  test-tube  with  glue,  though  not  on  so  extended  a 
scale. 
Prof.  Maisch  presented  to  the  College  a  number  of  specimens  of  cundurango, 
sent  through  Dr.  Ruscheuberger,  U.  S.  N.,  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Foltz.  Surgeon  Gen. 
eral  U.  S.  Navy,  for  the  College  cabinet.  They  were  collected  in  the  province 
of  Loja,  Ecuador,  by  Passed  Assistant  Surgeon  Joseph  G.  Ayres,  of  the  Navy, 
by  official  direction,  and  forwarded  with  a  report  to  the  bureau  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  the  Navy  Department  ;  a  description  of  the  several  specimens  has 
been  prepared  and  will  probably  be  published.  The  specimens  comprise  pieces 
of  stems,  fruit,  &c,  of  the  following  seven  varieties  :  Cundurango  de  tumbo 
grande,  de  Tumbo  chico  (Bejuco  Pachon),  de  Paloma,  de  Platano,  de  casca- 
rilla.  Saragosa  and  bianco.  Prof.  Procter  raised  the  question  whether  cun- 
durango was  the  same  as  guaco,  which  has  been  sold  in  European  markets  as 
cundurango,  and  whether  any  authentic  case  of  cure  from  the  use  of  this  remedy 
is  known.  Prof.  Maisch  stated  that  he  had  never  seen  guaco  sold  as  cundu- 
rango in  our  market,  nor  had  he  read  of  the  cure  of  a  case  of  cancer  in  any  of 
the  medical  or  pharmaceutical  journals,  and  stated  that  none  of  the  physicians 
whose  names  were  mentioned  in  connection  with  its  successful  use  when  first 
introduced  now  claimed  anything  for  it;  some  publicly  declare  they  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  publication  of  their  names  as  recommending  it.    (See  page  274.) 
Mr.  Bullock  proposed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Dr.  Foltz  for  his  valuable  dona- 
tion, and  the  Registrar  was  directed  to  forward  to  him  through  Dr.  Ruschen- 
berger  this  expression  of  the  meeting. 
Mr.  Remington  spoke  of  an  adulteration  of  iodine  which  recently  came  under 
his  notice.  Upon  examination  this  sample  was  found  to  contain  about  25  per 
cent,  of  sawdust  Mr.  R.  stated  that  the  adulteration  was  very  easily  detected 
by  close  examination,  or  by  one  accustomed  to  handling  the  article.    It  was 
