Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
December,  1920.  j 
Pharmaceutical  Plant  Society. 
895 
pies  possess  the  negative  optical  rotation  required  of  gaultheria  oil 
by  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.  Applying  all  of  the  color  reactions  so 
far  described  in  the  literature  of  these  oils  the  variations  in  effect 
are  so  marked  as  to  impel  the  conclusion  that  there  is  not  likely  to 
be  a  test  which  will  give  uniform  results  with  all  authentic  samples. 
Only  one  of  the  three  laevorotatory  oils  gives  positive  results 
with  Sayre  and  Watson's  chloral  hydrate  test,  and  this  same  sample 
is  the  only  one  which  gives  positive  results  with  Umney's  test.  If 
one  relied  upon  the  U.  S.  P.  tests  alone  they  would  all  pass.  Are 
we  to  infer  that  the  laevorotatory  power  is  not  distinctive  of  gaul- 
theria oil? 
I  believe  the  answer  to  this  question  and  the  explanation  of  all 
other  inconsistencies  in  these  color  reactions  is  that  they  are  only 
satisfactory  with  some  samples  distilled  under  certain  conditions, 
and  that  no  test  has  ever  been  subjected  to  the  searching  application 
of  many  authentic  samples. 
Inasmuch  as  clinical  experiments  on  the  part  of  investigators 
working  on  behalf  of  the  American  Medical  Association  have  de- 
clared that  the  natural  salicylates  have  no  therapeutic  advantage 
over  the  synthetic  salicylates  of  equal  purity  and  not  one  observer 
in  ten  can  distinguish  between  unlabeled  samples  of  oils  of  gaultheria 
birch  and  methyl  salicylate  as  regards  odor,  the  final  conclusion  is : 
What's  the  Use?    Let's  work  on  something  worth  while. 
Department  of  Pharmacy, 
Phila.  College  of  Pharmacy  and  Science. 
THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  PLANT  CHEMICAL 
vSOClETY. 
By  Geo.  E.  Ewe, 
phu.adeLPhia,  pa. 
A  Chemical  Society  organized  among  the  employees  of  a  plant 
yields  the  same  primary  benefits  which  surroimd  membership  in 
a  nationally  organized  Chemical  Society.  Among  these  benefits 
may  be  mentioned,  mutual  exchange  of  valuable  information; 
mutual  sympathy  and  assistance  in  the  solving  of  difficult  chem- 
ical problems;  coordinated  effort  on  chemical  matters  in  general, 
and  social  featutes. 
