Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
April,  1920.  j 
Annual  Meeting. 
257 
The  yield  of  glycerin  was  increased  to  12.7  per  cent,  but  the  alkaline 
mash  was  found  to  be  an  excellent  breeding  place  for  all  kinds  of 
acid-forming  bacteria  which  would  pollute  the  glycerin.  This  fault 
was  remedied  by  the  use  of  sodium  sulphite  which  acts  as  a  poison 
to  the  bacteria  of  lactic  acid  and  others  but  does  not,  even  in  large 
quantities,  affect  the  yeast  cells  (Saccharomyces) .  When  sodium 
sulphite  was  employed  as  an  antiseptic  the  yield  of  glycerin  was 
increased  proportionately  to  as  much  as  23  to  36.7  per  cent,  of  the 
sugar. 
The  ordinary  fermentation  produces  not  only  alcohol,  carbonic 
acid,  and  glycerin,  but  also  small  quantities  of  acetaldehyde.  When 
the  sulphite  is  added  in  increasing  quantities  the  yield  of  acetalde- 
hyde and  glycerin  increases,  while  that  of  alcohol  and  carbonic  acid 
decreases.  The  acetaldehyde  was  used  largely  for  war  purposes. 
The  production  of  glycerin  from  sugar  had  a  great  practical  value 
in  war  time,  according  to  German  writers.  The  manufacturing 
process,  patented  in  1915,  was  exploited  on  a  large  scale,  and  the 
production  of  glycerin  exceeded  2,200,000  pounds  a  month.  The 
invention  also  possesses  an  unusual  theoretical  interest  as  it  shows 
how  the  transformation  of  materials  by  bacteria  can  be  influenced 
by  the  addition  of  chemicals.  In  the  words  of  a  German  writer 
(Prometheus,  Nov.  i,  1919),  "the  biochemical  processes  open  up 
new  prospects  for  the  future  and  seem  to  be  destined  to  provide 
many  substitutes  to  a  people  robbed  of  all  raw  materials." 
Attempts  made  during  the  war  in  Austria-Hungary  to  produce 
glycerin  from  sugar  do  not  seem  to  have  met  the  success  claimed 
for  similar  attempts  in  Germany.  Complaint  was  made  by  the 
Bohemian  journals  of  Prague  that  carloads  of  sugar  had  been  wasted 
in  recovering  negligible  quantities  of  glycerin,  and  doubts  were  ex- 
pressed whether  such  waste  of  food  could  be  justified  even  by  the 
exigencies  of  war. 
ANNUAL  MEETING  OF  THE  PHILADELPHIA  COLLEGE 
OF  PHARMACY. 
The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  was 
held  at  the  College  March  29,  1920,  at  3.00  p.m.,  the  President. 
Howard  B.  French,  presiding.    Thirty-four  members  were  present. 
President  French  read  his  annual  address.  The  address  gave 
in  detail  the  condition  of  the  buildings,  the  work  of  the  various  de- 
