280  Pharmaceutical  Colleges,  etc.  {*ZjRm£P 
Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy. — At  the  meeting  held  May  9th  the  Com- 
mittee on  Unofficinal  Formulas  was  ordered  to  report  at  the  next  monthly  meet- 
ing. Great  anxiety  was  expressed  for  the  publication  of  this  report,  the  former 
edition  (now  out  of  print)  having  served  an  excellent  purpose  in  arranging  and 
rendering  uniform  the  numerous  local  formulas  used  in  Baltimore. 
Mr.  Wm.  8.  Thompson  read  an  essay  on  the  practice  of  pharmacy  fifty  years 
ago,  comparing  it  with  that  of  the  present  day,  and  giving  many  practical  hints 
and  numerous  suggestions.  The  paper  will  come  up  for  discussion  at  the  next 
meeting. 
Mr.  J.  F.  Hancock  exhibited  various  medicated  waters,  among  them  the  dis- 
tilled waters  of  peach  leaves,  orange  peel,  mint,  &c.  He  contended  that  dis- 
tilled medicated  waters  are  generally  superior  to  those  made  from  the  volatile 
oils  with  magnesia ;  if  prepared  with  the  oils  these  should  be  agitated  with 
warm  distilled  water  in  preference  to  using  magnesia.  Thus  made,  medicated 
waters  possess  a  fine  flavor,  are  transparent  and  quite  suitable  for  solvents. 
The  subject  elicited  an  animated  discussion. 
Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. — The  last  pharmaceutical  meet- 
ing of  the  season  was  held  May  1st,  the  President  in  the  chair.  Among  the 
donations  made  to  the  library  and  museum  were  specimens  of  Ki-temboga  or 
copper-tree  bark,  from  Meraecylon  grandis,  Melastomacece,  a  native  of  Java' 
possessing  astringent  properties  and,  according  to  Dr.  De  Yrij,  probably  useful 
in  tanning;  the  popular  name  is  derived  from  the  copper  color  of  the  bark* 
Also  the  essential  oil  of  Gaultheria  punctata*  of  Chavica  (Piper)  betle,  and  of 
Eucalyptus  globulus,  the  oils  of  the  pericarp  and  of  the  kernel  of  the  cashew 
nut,  &c. 
Dr.  Tilden  stated  that  he  had  found  the  specimen  of  so-called  crystallized 
bisulphite  of  magnesia,  about  which  a  paper  had  been  read  by  Mr.  Archbold, 
to  be  the  ordinary  sulphite  containing  six  molecules  of  water  of  crystallization. 
He  thought  it  highly  improbable  that  any  such  compound  could  be  produced 
in  the  solid  form. 
Mr.  Williams  stated  that  bisulphite  of  lime,  being  soluble  in  water,  may  be 
used  as  a  test  to  determine  whether  salts  are  sulphites  or  bisulphites  A  solu- 
tion of  chloride  of  calcium  is  added  to  the  solution  of  the  bisulphite  to  be 
tested  ;  if  a  precipitate  occurs  (which  may  be  sulphite,  sulphate  or  carbonate)* 
the  whole  is  thrown  on  a  filter,  and  the  filtrate  precipitated  by  lime  water,  which 
neutralizes  the  excess  of  sulphurous  acid,  and  from  the  amount  of  sulphite  thus 
produced,  the  percentage  of  bisulphite  originally  present  in  the  sample  can  be 
easily  calculated. 
Mr.  Greenish  then  read  a  paper  entitled  "  Pharmacy  in  Austria."  An  ani- 
mated discussion  followed  the  reading  of  this  sketch,  in  which  the  present  con- 
dition and  future  prospects  of  German  and  Austrian  pharmacy  were  compared 
with  those  of  Great  Britain. 
The  North  British  Branch  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  held  its  fifth 
*  See  Amor.  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1872,  p.  72. 
