160  Editorial.  ^V^ST* 
Mr.  French  was  completely  taken  by  surprise  at  this  turn  of  the  exercises, 
which,  after  having  expressed  his  thanks,  were  then  closed,  to  afford  the 
audience  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  buildings,  all  parts  of  which  were 
thrown  open  and  made  accessible  to  the  visitors.  Among  the  displays  arranged 
in  the  different  halls  should  be  mentioned  the  microscopic  exhibition  made 
by  the  students  of  the  microscopical  laboratory,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
director,  G.  M.  Beringer.  Signal  service  was  rendered  during  the  entire  even- 
ing by  members  of  the  Zeta  Phi  Society,  who  acted  as  ushers,  and  as  guides  to 
the  visitors  through  the  buildings. 
The  amendment  to  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmacy  Law,  referred  to  in  our 
last  number,  p.  105,  has  finally  passed  the  House  of  Representatives,  February 
14,  by  a  vote  of  152  yeas  to  16  nays.  On  February  16,  it  reached  second  read- 
ing in  the  Senate  and  passed  that  ordeal  successfully.  From  information 
received  since  then  there  appears  to  be  no  question  now  about  its  final 
passage.  
OBITUARY. 
Frederic  Augustus  Genth  died  in  Philadelphia,  February  3,  at  the  age  of  73 
years.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Waechtersbach,  Germany,  in  1820, 
received  his  classical  education  in  Hanau,  and  subsequently  studied  chemistry, 
mineralogy  and  geology  at  the  universities  of  Heidelberg,  Marburg  and  Gies- 
sen,  in  the  last  two  institutions  working  in  the  laboratories  of  Bunsen  and 
Liebig.  While  at  Marburg  he  was  for  several  years  assistant  to  Bunsen,  and 
after  receiving  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  he  located  at  the  same 
institution  as  private  lecturer.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847,  and  soon 
afterward  located  in  Philadelphia  as  analytical  chemist,  acquiring  a  wide  repu- 
tation, which  caused  him  to  be  called  upon  as  expert,  in  many  cases  involving 
forensic  questions  in  mining  interests,  and  in  cases  of  poisoning.  In  1872  he 
was  called  to  the  chair  of  chemistry  and  mineralogy  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, which  position  he  held  until  1888.  In  1880,  Dr.  Genth  was  elected 
president  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  of  which  he  was  a  member  since 
its  foundation  in  April,  1876.  Together  with  Prof.  Wolcott  Gibbs,  he  insti- 
tuted researches  on  the  cobalt  ammonium  bases,  the  results  of  which  were 
published  in  Silliman's  Journal,  in  which  also  a  large  number  of  Genth's 
investigations  in  chemistry,  mineralogy  and  geology  appeared,  others  having 
been  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  in 
the  Contributions  from  the  Laboratory  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
etc.  During  the  severe  cold  weather  near  the  beginning  of  the  year,  the 
germs  of  pulmonary  disease  rapidly  developed,  which  terminated  his  useful 
life,  as  a  teacher  of  chemistry,  both  private  and  at  the  University,  and  as  an 
investigator  in  science. 
Jacob  D.  Wells,  a  prominent  pharmacist  of  Cincinnati,  died  in  that  city 
February  18,  aged  57  years.  He  was  born  near  Marion,  O.,  and  received  his 
first  education  in  the  country  school.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  came  to  Cin- 
cinnati as  an  apprentice  to  the  drug  business.  His  earnings  were  partly 
invested  in  gaining  a  better  education  at  College  Hill,  and  in  1859  ne  opened 
business  for  himself,  which  he  conducted  in  the  same  vicinity  until  the  time  of 
his  death.  Mr.  Wells  took  great  interest  in  the  advancement  of  pharmacy, 
and  was  a  member  and  for  some  time  president  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of 
Pharmacy,  and  member  of  the  Ohio  and  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Associations,  of  the  latter  also  one  of  its  vice-presidents.  As  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity  he  was  called  to  various  public  offices,  and  while  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee  of  Councils  he  was  known  as  the  watch-dog  of  the  city 
treasury.  Since  the  death  of  his  wife,  a  few  months  after  the  Cincinnati  meet- 
ing of  the  National  Association  in  1887,  his  health  has  been  on  the  wane,  and 
since  May  last  he  was  a  sufferer  of  chronic  bronchitis.  Two  sons  and  two 
daughters  survive  him. 
