650  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations.  {^m'v°c\8M&rm' 
in  February  and  closing  towards  the  end  of  October.  The  College  gradu- 
ated for  the  first  time  a  lady,  who  is  the  fourth  female  graduate  in  phar- 
macy in  the  United  States,  one  lady  having  previously  earned  this  honor 
in  New  York  and  two  in  Philadelphia. 
Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy.— At  the  monthly  meeting,  Nov. 
20th,  Prof.  Chas.  Caspari  read  an  interesting  paper  on  new  and  rare  phar- 
maceutical preparations  and  chemicals,  and  exhibited  samples  of  extract 
of  stramonium  seed  and  boro-glycerin  prepared  by  him. 
In  describing  some  points  of  interest  in  pharmaceutical  manipulations, 
quite  a  spirited  debate  ensued,  in  which  Messrs.  W.  S.  Thompson  L. 
Dohme,  A.  P.  Sharp  and  others  participated. 
Mr.  Thompson,  in  speaking  of  powdered  ergot,  recited  the  past  experi- 
ence of  pharmacists  before  the  days  of  fluid  extracts,  when  frequently  the 
the  dispenser  was  summoned  by  the  night  bell  to  freshly  powder  some 
grain  ergot  for  that  class  of  cases  requiring  it,  so  often  to  occur  in  the  still 
hours  of  the  night.  He  gave  as  his  opinion,  based  upon  observation  and 
experience,  that  the  deterioration  of  powdered  ergot  is  due  to  moisture,  and 
if  this  be  dispelled  by  drying,  the  powder  will  remain  unimpaired  for  a 
long  time,  if  kept  in  a  securely  stopped  bottle. 
Mr.  A.  P.  Sharp  gave  a  brief  description  of  his  observations  in  vegetable 
physiology,  as  to  how  plants  grow  and  receive  their  nourishment ;  the  for- 
mation of  chlorophyll,  etc.  Some  of  his  views  were  combatted  by  Mr.  L. 
Dohme  and  Prof.  Caspari. 
Prof.  Caspari  exhibited  a  percolator,  and  after  some  general  remarks  on 
percolators  and  percolation,  on  motion,  a  committee  was  appointed,  with 
Prof.  Caspari  as  chairman,  to  inquire  into  and  report  upon  the  relative 
merits  of  percolators. 
A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  consider  the  propriety  of  adopting  the 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  Formulary  by  the  College  for  the  use  of  its 
members. 
Mr.  J.  F.  Hancock  addressed  the  meeting  on  "  Pharmacists  as  Retail 
Liquor  Dealers,"  protesting  against  the  demands  of  the  State  requiring 
pharmacists  to  register  as  such  dealers  under  the  law,  by  procuring  the 
retail  liquor  dealer's  license.  He  called  upon  the  College  to  defend  the 
good  name  of  pharmacy  by  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  wait  upon 
the  Sheriff  and  State  Attorney,  with  the  view  of  having  pharmacists 
excused,  except  in  cases  where  liquor  is  retailed  by  the  glass.  If  the 
trader's  license  will  not  allow  pharmacists  to  sell  alcohol  for  uses  in  the 
arts,  and  alcoholic  liquors  as  medicines,  the  College  should  make  the  effort 
to  have  the  law  so  amended  or  added  to  as  to  issue  a  pharmaceutical  license 
granting  these  privileges,  because  it  is  impossible  to  conduct  a  pharmaceu- 
tical business  without  these  agents.  The  medical  profession  regard  alcohol 
and  fermented  liquors  as  being  medicinal,  and  in  some  cases  they  are 
regarded  as  poisons ;  therefore  they  should  be  dispensed  by  pharmacists 
only  for  medical  uses,  and  under  such  restrictions  as  other  dangerous  reme- 
dies are  sold.  The  Government  license  or  tax  was  characterized  as  an 
unjust  and  arbitrary  war  measure,  greatly  to  the  dishonor  of  pharmacy, 
