1 58  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  {  %^Ml°ch\Xfm' 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  February  21,  1893. 
On  motion  of  Dr.  Lowe  Mr.  Wm.  Mclntyre  was  called  to  preside,  and  the 
reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  was  dispensed  with. 
Prof.  Sadtler  spoke  of  the  chemical  interest  involved  in  sodium  peroxide. 
Chlorine  bleaching  has  been  for  a  long  time  regarded  as  the  most  efficient  of 
all  processes  for  this  purpose  ;  but  its  disadvantages  are  that  in  animal  and 
vegetable  fibre  the  texture  is  much  injured  ;  the  same  objection  applies  to 
sulphur  dioxide  as  the  acid  generated  is  deposited  in  the  fibre  and  destroys  it. 
Barium  peroxide  and  hydrogen  peroxide,  both  possess  the  advantage  of  yield- 
ing nascent  oxygen,  which  destroys  the  color  and  leaves  water  only  as  its 
residuum.  Sodium  peroxide  was  prepared  as  long  ago  as  1815  by  Gay  Lussac, 
but  its  practical  use  has  been  brought  about  by  H.  Carrington  Bolton,  an 
American  chemist.  This  has  been  rendered  possible  by  the  reduction  of  the 
price  of  metallic  sodium.  It  is  a  yellowish-white  granular  powder,  very  hygro- 
scopic, and  gives  twenty  per  cent,  available  oxygen.  There  are  two  ways  of  using 
it,  either  in  making  peroxide  of  hydrogen  or  peroxide  of  magnesium,  and  this 
latter  substance  is  quite  stable  and  devoid  of  injurious  action  on  fibres  either  of 
silk  or  wool.  The  decomposition  of  twelve  ounces  of  sodium  peroxide  with 
a  quantity  of  weak  acid  produces  a  preparation  equal  in  efficiency  to  one  gallon 
of  ten  per  cent,  hydrogen  peroxide.  It  is  necessary  that  the  solution  be  made 
in  vats  of  wood,  glass  or  earthenware,  as  metallic  containers  exert  a  baneful 
influence  on  the  mixture.  It  can  be  used  as  a  bleacher  of  tussa  silk,  a  cheap 
kind  of  silk  fibre,  and  consequently  a  troublesome  one  to  work  ;  in  dentistry 
it  has  been  found  useful  in  bleaching  discolored  dentin. 
G.  M.  Beringer,  Ph.G.,  read  a  paper  by  Mr.  Jos.  Crawford,  on  some  local 
medicinal  plants,  in  continuation  of  the  one  read  in  December  last,  and  the  paper 
was  illustrated  by  a  large  nnmber  of  beautifully  prepared  specimens  of  the 
plants  described. 
Mr.  F.  W.  Meink,  a  member  of  the  present  senior  class,  read  a  paper  upon 
Dioscorea  Batatas  or  Chinese  potato  ;  the  investigation  was  made  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Professor  Maisch. 
An  inquiry  was  made  as  to  the  uses  of  Cynuglossum  officinale.  The  reply 
was  that  it  was  used  by  a  pharmacist  as  a  hair  restorer,  but  that  several  months 
use  showed  no  advantage. 
Prof.  Trimble  exhibited  a  very  beautiful  sample  of  milk  sugar.  It  was  the 
product  of  some  of  the  Chester  County  creameries  consuming  from  25,000  to 
45,000  pounds  of  milk  per  diem.  Parties  have  been  trying  for  years  to  make 
sugar  of  milk,  but  had  failed  ;  when  the  chemists  who  had  been  employed  at 
the  Spreckels  sugar  refinery  ceased  their  connection  with  that  concern,  they 
began  experimenting  with  milk  sugar  and  the  best  methods  of  decolorization. 
The  manufacturers  expect  to  make  a  ton  to  a  ton  and  a  half  per  day — the 
largest  consumers  of  milk  sugar  are  those  who  make  infant  foods,  and  next  to 
them  are  the  homoeopathic  pharmacists.  The  Fairmount  Creamery  is  the  com- 
pany operating  this  manufacture,  and  is  the  largest  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
The  milk  sugar  will  be  in  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Warrington  &  Pennypacker, 
of  this  city. 
