'^ptembeMm1' }    American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  521 
writings  of  Professor  Ostwald.  According  to  the  latter  authority,  indicators 
also  depend  for  their  value  entirely  upon  dissociation,  and,  although  the  various 
alcohols  have  a  dissociating  effect  upon  salts  held  in  solution  by  them,  it  is  less 
marked  than  in  the  case  of  water,  and  decreases  with  the  increasing  molecular 
weight  of  the  alcohol.  Professor  Lloyd  said  he  had  recently  returned  two 
barrels  of  alcohol  to  the  dealer,  for  the  reason  that  acetic  ether  was  present  in 
considerable  quantity. 
Mr.  Kebler  stated  that  absolute  alcohol,  as  purchased,  is  almost  always  alka- 
line, probably  through  small  quantities  of  alkali  carried  over  mechanically 
during  distillation. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  RHAMNUS  PURSHIANA. 
By  J.  U.  L,loyd. 
This  is  printed  in  full  on  page  467  of  this  number.  Professor  Rusby  be- 
lieved that  the  bark  upon  which  the  reputation  of  the  drug  was  based  was  from 
Rhamnus  Californica,  and  that  the  bark  of  Rhamnus  purshiana  had  been  sub- 
stituted shortly  after  the  introduction  to  general  medical  use.  He  stated  that 
Rhamnus  Californica  was  a  shrub,  while  Rhamnus  purshiana  is  a  tree.  He 
thought  the  bark  of  either  species  might  be  admitted  into  the  Pharmacopoeia. 
The  next  paper  was 
STROPHANTHUS  SEEDS. 
By  S.  E-  JELIFFE. 
He  discussed  the  reasons  for  believing  that  biological  changes  had  taken 
place  in  the  case  of  this  drug,  and  that,  from  the  small  brown  seed  of  Stro- 
phantus hispidus,  through  the  seed  of  Strophanthus  gratus  and  Strophanthus 
asper,  a  regular  gradation  to  the  long  green  seed  of  Strophanthus  Kombe  exists. 
In  reply  to  a  question  by  Professor  Rusby  as  to  whether  there  was  any 
•special  feature  that  might  be  used  to  detect  the  drug  in  the  form  of  powder, 
the  author  gave  a  negative  answer. 
THE  MENTHOL  GROUP, 
By  W.  O.  Richtmann  and  Edward  Kremers, 
was  presented  by  the  latter.  This,  the  fourth  communication  on  the  same  sub- 
ject, was  mostly  confined  to  a  fundamental  study  of  the  physical  constants  of 
menthene,  its  nitroso-chloride  and  several  other  derivatives,  in  order  to  exam- 
ine certain  statements  regarding  the  melting-point  of  the  nitroso-chloride, 
which  appeared  inconsistent,  and  to  prevent  the  multiplication  of  similar 
incongruities.  The  investigation  is  being  continued. 
Professor  Kremers  also  presented  papers 
ON  THE  CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION  OF  OIL  OF  MONARDA 
FISTULOSA. 
By  E.  J.  Melzner  and  Edward  Kremers. 
ON  THE  CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION  OF  OIL  FROM  MONARDA 
PUNCTATA. 
By  William  R.  Schumann  and  Edward  Kremers. 
These  two  contributions  will  be  printed  in  full  in  this  Journal. 
