AMERICAN  PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION.  493 
statistics,  Mr.  Kent  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  suffer  the  loss  of 
his  shop  by  fire,  and  his  specimens,  papers,  &c.  on  this  subject 
were  destroyed.  I  would  recommend  the  Association  to  allow 
this  question  to  remain  simply  unanswered,  and  will  express  the 
hope  that  the  ensuing  year  Mr.  Kent  may  be  able  to  re-collect 
his  memoranda,  and  at  the  next  annual  meeting  favor  us  with 
the  result  of  his  investigations. 
The  request  of  Mr.  Carney  was  acceded  to,  and  Mr.  Kent 
encouraged  to  pursue  the  course  indicated. 
2.  The  substance  known  in  commerce  as  New  England  Isinglass,  is 
said  to  be  made  from  the  intestines  of  the  codfish.  Query,  where,  and 
by  whom,  is  the  article  of  commerce  prepared,  what  process  does  it 
undergo,  what  portions  of  the  fish  yield  it,  and  what  amount  is  obtained 
from  a  single  fish  ? 
This  question  was  fully  reported  on  by  Charles  T.  Carney  of 
Boston,  which  was  accepted,  referred  to  the  Executive  Committee 
for  publication,  and  the  Reporter  requested  to  continue  his  in- 
quiries and  report  next  year  in  reference  to  the  isinglass  pro- 
duced by  the  sturgeon  and  other  fish  in  the  great  fresh  waters 
of  northern  North  America.  [This  report  will  be  found  in  the 
sequel  -Editor.] 
3.  Has  Iodine  been  manufactured  in  New  England,  from  the  Algaceous 
plants  of  that  coast?  If  so,  by  whom,  and  to  what  extent?  and  what  is 
the  relative  productive  value  of  the  Algae  of  our  own  coast  and  those  of 
Scotland  ? 
EL  T.  Cummings,  of  Portland,  to  whom  this  subject  was  re- 
ferred, said  that  last  year,  when  about  entering  on  the  duty,  he 
was  informed  that  Thomas  B.  Porteus,  of  Boston,  had  already 
been  engaged  on  that  subject ;  that  he  saw  Mr.  Porteus,  and 
urged  him  to  prepare  a  paper  in  answer  to  the  question  of  the 
Association,  which  he  agreed  to  do,  and  he  understood  that  the 
paper  was  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  Boston  Delegates. 
Mr.  Colcord,  of  Boston,  then  made  some  remarks,  showing 
that  but  little  had  been  done  in  this  country,  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culties of  collecting  the  right  species  of  sea  weed — the  iodine 
plants  being  those  growing  in  deep  water,  always  submerged, 
and  only  torn  up  from  their  native  recesses  by  the  violence  of 
periodical  storms,  whilst  those  of  the  shore  rocks  contain  but 
little  iodine  salts.    He  then  read  a  long  paper  by  Mr.  Porteus., 
