A  jaiwS."1 }  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  5* 
merit  standing  the  permanganate  test,  seemed  to  give  a  negative  answer  to 
this  question. 
The  second  paper,  entitled  "  Some  Observations  on  Kola,"  by  Messrs.  A.  R. 
L.  Dohme  and  Hermann  Bngelhardt,  of  Baltimore,  was  also  read  by  Professor 
Trimble.  The  main  object  of  these  investigators  was  to  establish  the  relative  alka- 
loidal  value  of  the  African  and  Jamaica  nuts,  the  latter  costing  about  one-third 
more  than  the  former.  An  album  containing  illustrations  relative  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  kola  plants  in  Jamaica,  and  belonging  to  Mr.  A.  F.  Kilmer,  of  the  firm* 
of  Johnson  &  Johnson,  was  shown,  and,  in  compliance  with  a  request  from 
Professor  Trimble,  Mr.  Kilmer  made  some  remarks  on  this  subject.  He  saidi 
he  was  surprised  that  the  authors  made  no  reference  to  kolanin,  which  is  found 
in  the  green  nuts.  This  drug  has  been  found  to  have  marked  value  in  sustain- 
ing athletes  during  excessive  bodily  exercise,  and  its  value  as  a  heart  stimulant 
is  augmented  by  the  fact  that  no  reaction  seems  to  follow  its  use. 
Mr.  Beringer  stated  that  he  had  used  benzol  in  some  experiments  on  guarana, 
and  its  possible  utility  in  extracting  the  similar  alkaloids  of  kola  was  suggested 
thereby. 
Mr.  Lyman  F.  Kebler  read  a  paper  on  "  Spermaceti,"  and  showed  samples 
of  that  substance.  Mr.  Kebler  regards  the  ether  number,  the  acid  number  and ^ 
the  saponification  equivalent  as  important  means  of  establishing  the  identity 
and  purity  of  this  commodity,  and  in  comparing  the  results  obtained  in  his 
work  on  various  samples,  he  was  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  tests  of  the 
U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  for  this  substance  answer  more  nearly  for  those  of  cetin. 
His  method  of  obtaining  the  specific  gravity  of  spermaceti  and  similar  sub- 
stances is  of  interest.  The  substance  is  melted  and  allowed  to  drop  on  a  sur- 
face of  glass,  and  the  little  plates  so  obtained  allowed  to  float  in  a  mixture  of 
alcohol  and  water,  the  specific  gravity  being  determined  from  the  specific 
gravity  of  the  liquid. 
Professor  Remington  stated  that  the  crystalline  character  of  spermaceti  is 
modified  by  the  amount  of  pressure  used  in  its  manufacture,  and  that  a  finer 
product  is  obtained  in  cold  weather.  He  furthermore  stated  that,  in  order  to 
determine  the  value  of  the  pharmacopoeial  tests,  absolutely  pure  spermaceti 
should  be  used  in  making  observations. 
Mr.  Chas.  H.  La  Wall  then  read  a  paper  entitled  "Beechnut  Oil,"  and  exhi- 
bited some  beechnuts  collected  in  Sullivan  County,  this  State,  and  also  a 
sample  of  oil  which  he  had  expressed  from  nuts  obtained  in  the  same  locality, 
Mr.  La  Wall,  in  replying  to  a  query  from  Professor  Remington,  said  that  beech- 
nut oil  is  not  an  article  of  commerce  in  this  country,  as  he  had  made  several 
attempts  to  purchase  it,  but  did  not  succeed. 
The  Chairman  called  attention  to  specimens  of  elder  roots  sent  by  Mr. 
Howard  B.  French,  which  had  grown  in  a  drain.  The  numerous  rootlets  so 
produced  were  so  fine  and  interlaced  as  to  form  a  spongy  mass  corresponding; 
in  shape  to  that  of  the  drain. 
Mr.  Wm.  B.  Thompson  presented  specimens  of  native  borax  and  calcium 
borate  which  had  been  obtained  from  the  borax  region  in  California  and  Nevada, 
Mr.  Beringer  read  a  paper  on  "Rhus  Poisoning."  Several  efficient  remedies 
for  this  trouble  were  suggested  in  his  paper,  and  also  by  others  present.  Mr. 
Beringer  stated  that  the  volatile  acid  is  the  toxic  principle,  and  that  the  dried 
