Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
February,  1920.  | 
Obituary. 
135 
preservative  and  extractive  purposes  in  pharmaceutical  and  allied 
fields.  As  you  doubtless  know,  some  of  the  leading  authorities  have 
advocated  this  procedure  as  being  satisfactory  in  many  instances, 
but  it  has  not  so  far  received  critical  study. 
The  Mellon  Institute  is  an  endowed  institution  devoted  to  scien- 
tific research  and  its  application  to  the  industries.  The  glycerin 
Fellow^ship  will  be  conducted  in  the  same  manner  as  all  fellowships 
in  operation  at  this  Institute,  and  as  such  is  not  affected  by  any 
financial  consideration.  The  data  thus  obtained  by  this  organiza- 
tion is  therefore  unique,  insofar  that  it  represents  the  result  of  re- 
search work  conducted  in  an  impersonal  manner,  and  is  not  vSubject 
to  any  private  interest.  For  your  guidance,  I  am  submitting  a  copy 
of  Director  R.  F.  Bacon's  last  annual  report. 
I  hope  that  the  work  will  progress  in  the  laboratory,  so  that  a 
preliminary  report  of  the  research  may  be  submitted  to  you  in  the 
near  future.  Your  suggestions  and  ideas  concerning  this  problem 
would  be  highly  appreciated,  and  I  w^ould  also  feel  grateful  to  you 
if  you  would  give  this  matter  publicity  by  using  the  enclosed  note 
in  the  next  issue  of  your  periodical. 
Very  truly  yours, 
MkIvVIN  DeGrootk. 
OBITUARY. 
SIR  THOMAS  RICHARD  FRASER,  M.D. 
On  January  4,  in  the  City  of  Edinburgh,  terminated  the  life  of 
Sir  Thomas  Richard  Eraser,  M.D.,  LL-D.,  F.R.S.,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.  At  the  time  of  his  decease  he  was  Emeritus 
Professor  of  Materia  Medica  in  the  Edinburgh  University.  He 
was  long  recognized  as  one  of  Great  Britain's  most  eminent  physi- 
cians and  pharmacologists.  He  was  graduated  in  medicine  from  this 
same  University  in  1862  and  in  1872  was  appointed  a  lecturer  on 
Materia  Medica,  in  which  branch  he  early  specialized.  In  1877  he 
was  elected  as  Professor  of  Materia  Medica  to  succeed  vSir  Robert 
Christison.  He  continued  in  this  chair  until  1918  when  failing 
health,  due  largely  to  a  physical  breakdown  and  an  accident  by 
which  he  .sustained  a  fractured  leg,  compelled  his  retirement  as 
Emeritus  Professor. 
