PHARMACEUTICAL MEETINGS. 
315 
A specimen of Cucumber Ointment, made by Augustine 
Duhamel, was presented for examination. It is prepared by 
expressing the juice of the green fruit, filtering and beating 
it for a long time with pure lard, until the fatty matter im- 
bibes all the odor and taste of the juice. The excess of fluid 
is then separated, the lard melted and preserved in well 
stopped vessels, covered with rose water. 
William Procter, Jr., asked the attention of the members 
to the results of some experiments he had made on the bark 
of Betula lenta. 1st, That the volatile oil of Betula lenta 
is identical with that of Gaultheria procumbens; 2d, that 
there exists a peculiar principle in the bark, for which the 
name of gaultherin is proposed, which bears the same 
kind of relation to the oil of gaultheria, that arnygdalin 
does to the oil of bitter almonds; 3d, that this principle, by 
boiling its solution with a fixed alkali, is decomposed, yield- 
ing a peculiar acid which remains combined with the base. 
Edward Parrish presented a specimen of adulterated 
"Powdered Opium." He stated that it contained 3 per 
cent, of morphia and some meconic acid, and from its 
appearance probably contained chocolate. 
A vial containing a few very brilliant iridescent crystals 
attached to its inner surface, waspresented by Augustine Du- 
hamel. It had formerly contained bisulphuret of carbon, all 
of which had evaporated through the cork and left the crys- 
talline matter. Dr. Bridges suggested that it was silica. 
Ambrose Smith called the attention of the meeting to a 
quantity of seeds which had been separated from flaxseed. 
Their color was deep orange yellow, and on examination 
proved to be the seed of an Allium, the garlic taste being 
very strong when they were chewed. 
CORRECTION. — The leading Article in the last No. of the Journal (Octo- 
ber,) was headed » On Hydrargyrum cum Creta, by Daniel Stewart, of Balti- 
more." The author is Mr. David Stewart, of Baltimore, so well known as 
a highly scientific Apothecary. 
