Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
December,  1896.  J 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
691 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  November  18,  1896. 
The  second  regular  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  of  the  series  of  1896-97,  was 
held  in  the  Museum  of  the  College,  with  Joseph  W.  England  in  the  chair. 
The  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  previous  meeting  was  omitted,  and  they 
were  allowed  to  stand  as  published. 
"  Edible  and  Non-Edible  Mushrooms  and  Fungi  "  was  the  subject  of  a  com- 
munication by  Charles  Mcllvaine,  of  Haddonfield,  N.  J.  The  author  described 
quite  a  number  of  the  plants  belonging  to  the  group  of  fungi,  and  stated  that 
by  study  of  their  botanical  characters  and  experiments  with  reference  to  their 
edible  qualities,  he  had  increased  the  list  so  that  the  edible  fungi  numbered  437 
varieties. 
The  genus  Amanita  was  distinguished  for  having  among  its  members  eight 
species,  which  were  the  only  toadstools  fatal  to  man,  while  the  remaining 
members  of  the  group  were  regarded  as  among  the  finest  of  the  edible  varie- 
ties. Atropine,  heroically  administered,  has  been  proved  to  be  an  antidote  in 
amanitine  poisoning.  In  reply  to  some  inquiries,  Mr.  Mcllvaine  gave  sug- 
gestions for  raising  mushrooms  in  cellars,  and  also  stated  that  their  high 
percentage  of  nitrogen  rendered  them  nutritious  as  food,  and  that  ofttimes  they 
were  relished  by  invalids  when  other  kinds  of  food  were  refused.  Some  water- 
color  drawings  of  the  plants  were  shown  for  illustration. 
Lyman  F.  Kebler  presented  a  paper,  the  subject  of  which  was  :  "Is  Alco- 
hol a  Source  of  Error  in  Volumetric  Analysis  ?"  About  a  year  and  a  half  ago 
the  author  noticed  the  effect  which  alcohol  seemed  to  produce  on  indicators  in 
volumetric  work.  Subsequently  he  experimented  with  various  samples  of  com- 
mercial alcohol,  and  it  was  observed  that  they  all  exercised  an  influence  on  the 
indicators  used.  Then  a  series  of  carefully  conducted  experiment  were  carried 
out,  to  determine  whether  pure  alcohol  really  did  modify  the  results  in  volu- 
metric work,  and  to  what  extent  the  influence  was  exercised.  The  author  con- 
sidered the  results  so  obtained,  and  stated  in  conclusion  that  alkaloids  and 
alkaloidal  residues  could  be  determined  with  as  high  a  degree  of  accuracy  in 
alcoholic  as  in  aqueous  solutions,  but  that  commercial  alcohol  did  influence 
delicate  volumetric  determinations. 
"The  Leaf  of  Drosera  Filiformis"  was  the  subject  of  a  note  by  Geo.  M. 
Beringer.  The  writer's  observations  of  the  characters  of  the  leaf  of  Drosera 
filiformis,  at  different  stages  of  its  development,  confirmed  the  modern  classifi- 
cation of  Sundews  with  Sarraciniacese  and  Nepenthaceae.  The  paper  was 
accompanied  by  herbarium  specimens,  and  in  this  connection  Mr.  Beringer 
exhibited  a  specimen  of  Rhexia  aristosa,  Britton,  which  was  collected  at  Egg 
Harbor  City,  N.  J.  He  remarked  in  reference  to  the  rarity  of  the  plant  in  this 
locality,  and  called  attention  to  the  tuberous  form  of  the  underground  portion 
from  which  the  plant  was  developed. 
Thomas  S.  Wiegand  read  a  note  on  "A  Convenient  Drying  Box."  The 
apparatus  consisted  of  a  well-made  wooden  box  lined  with  paper  and  having 
a  lid  provided  with  hooks  of  such  construction  that  the  closer  they  were 
pressed  to  their  supporting  pins,  the  tighter  they  drew  the  lid  down.  A  tray 
for  holding  quicklime  (which  was  the  desiccating  agent)  was  placed  on  the 
bottom  of  the  box.    At  convenient  distances  apart  wire  frames  were  arranged 
