496 
PROCEEDINGS   OP  THE 
is  desired  that  the  questions  be  determined,  1st,  whether  the  volatile 
alkaloid  of  Ergot  possesses  the  utero-stimulant  power  of  the  drug  itself? 
2d,  Whether  propylamin  as  obtained  from  herring  pickle  and  from  nar- 
cotin,  possesses  the  same  power  as  secalin  ?  and  3d,  in  view  of  the  result, 
what  is  the  best  formula  for  preparing  a  permanent  fluid  preparation  of 
Ergot  that  willfully  represent  the  drug  ? 
W.  Procter,  Jr.,  made  the  report  on  this  query,  and  exhibited 
specimens  of  muriate  of  secalin  and  fluid  extract  of  Ergot.  The 
paper  was  referred  for  publication  to  the  Executive  Committee, 
and  the  author  requested  to  continue  his  attention  to  the  subject, 
and  report  next  year  on  those  points  not  reached  in  the  paper. 
14.  What  is  the  correct  history  of  the  production  of  hemlock  or  Canada 
pitch,  U.  S.  P.,  where  chiefly  produced,  how  extracted,  and  is  it  obtained 
by  incision ;  also,  where  is  the  commercial  oil  of  hemlock  produced  ;  is  it 
the  oil  of  the  leaves  ;  and  what  is  the  proportion  yielded? 
Charles  T.  Carney,  reported  verbally  on  this  subject,  that  the 
information  he  was  able  to  obtain  was  so  unsatisfactory  as  not  to 
justify  him  in  making  a  written  report.  The  oil  of  hemlock  is 
obtained  by  distillation  with  water  from  the  young  boughs  of 
Abies  canadensis,  but  whence  commerce  is  supplied  or  what  is  the 
yield  of  the  leaves,  he  was  not  able  to  determine. 
It  was  on  motion  carried  to  suspend  the  further  reading  of 
scientific  papers  till  the  afternoon  session,  and  proceed  to  the 
regular  business. 
The  report  of  the  Committee  "  To  consider  and  report  upon 
the  expediency  of  the  Association  participating  in  the  work  of 
the  next  decennial  revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,"  being  in  order, 
it  was  on  motion  considered  by  paragraph. 
The  report  is  as  follows  : 
That  we  should  have  a  part  in  the  decennial  revision  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia  is  pre-supposed  by  the  resolution  under  which  we 
stand  appointed,  and  is  in  fact  generally  conceded,  but  how  the 
cumbrous  machinery  of  a  national  organization  can  be  adapted 
to  a  work  requiring  such  constant  comparison  of  views  and  so 
many  precautions  and  experimental  researches,  claims,  and  has 
received,  our  deliberate  consideration.  As  a  result  of  this  we 
are  prepared  to  recommend  the  following  propositions. 
1st.  That  a  Committee  of  ten  (10)  members,  shall  be  ap- 
pointed at  the  present  meeting  to  represent  the  pharmaceutical 
