Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Jan.  1, 1874.  $ 
Editorial. 
41 
The  meetings  of  the  Society  are  now  held  at  the  rooms  of  the  College,  No. 
728  Montgomery  street. 
J.  Winchell  Forbes,  Secretary. 
Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. — At  the  meeting  held  Decem- 
ber 3d,  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Hills  presiding,  Professor  Bentley  exhibited  fresh 
specimens  of  Eucalyptus  globulus,  and  gave  an  account  of  some  botanical  char- 
acters and  medicinal  and  other  products  obtained  from  this  and  allied  species. 
Mr.  Hanbury  remarked  that  the  eucalyptus  tree  was  not  only  said  to  cure  fever, 
but  what  was  more  remarkable,  that  it  rendered  localities  that  were  feverish, 
habitable.  It  had  been  of  great  advantage  to  the  low  lying  districts  around  the 
Mediterranean  and  especially  Algeria,  and  the  marsh  fevers  had  entirely  dis- 
appeared from  some  localities.  Dr.  Weddell  had  said  that  the  tree  acted  like 
a  great  sponge  drawing  the  moisture  out  of  the  ground,  which  effect  is  referred 
by  Mr.  Preston  to  the  enormous  roots. 
Mr.  Gale  read  a  note  on  glycerite  of  gallic  acid,  and  stated  that,  on  diluting 
the  officinal  preparation  with  three  parts  of  water,  the  gallic  acid  crystallizes 
out ;  Mr.  Martindale  had  noticed  a  similar  occurrence  in  consequence  of  low 
temperature,  without  the  previous  dilution  of  the  glycerin.  Mr.  M.  Carteighe 
believes  that  these  glycerites  have  not  proved  as  satisfactory  as  might  have 
been  wished,  due  to  the  fact,  not  generally  known,  that  they  require  to  be 
mixed  with  water  before  use  ;  crystals  of  ferric  chloride  dissolved  in  glycerin  had 
been  applied  to  serious  hemorrhages  without  any  useful  effect,  until  the  glycerin 
solution  had  been  diluted  with  water,  when  it  was  at  once  effective. 
Mr.  A.  W.  Gerrard  read  a  paper  entitled  "  A  New  Solvent  for  Phosphorus  ; 
its  Preparation  and  Pharmaceutical  Use."  The  paper  called  forth  some 
interesting  remarks  on  the  exhibition  of  phosphorus  and  some  of  its  compounds. 
Mr.  Gerrard's  preparation  contains  the  phosphorus  probably  mechanically 
divided  in  the  form  of  an  intimate  mixture  with  the  resin. 
After  an  interesting  discussion  on  adulterations,  the  meeting  adjourned  to 
February  4th. 
(EMtorial  Department. 
Physicians'  Prescriptions  and  Patent  Medicines. — Cannot  a  physician  pre- 
scribe any  article  or  articles  in  the  Materia  Medica  (U.  S.  P.),  in  such  propor- 
tions or  in  such  combination  as  he  may  judge  best  suited  to  his  patient?  and  is 
not  the  druggist  at  liberty  to  fill  such  a  prescription,  when  in  proper  form, 
without  regard  to  the  fact  that  a  similar  or  identical  preparation  was  or  is  in 
existence  in  the  form  of  a  patent  medicine? 
A  correspondent  sends  this  query,  and  desires  to  have  our  views  on  the  sub- 
ject stated  therein.  We  presume  that  there  cannot  be  any  difference  of  opinion 
in  regard  to  the  first  portion  of  the  query ;  a  physician  has  the  undoubted  right 
to  prescribe  any  article,  whether  a  simple  drug,  a  Galenical  preparation  or 
chemical  compound,  which  in  his  judgment  is  best  adapted  for  any  special  case 
