Am'oc0turi884arm'}        British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  553 
sweet  lard,  freed  at  a  low  temperature  as  far  as  possible  from  extraneous 
organic  matter. 
"  The  Composition  of  Seidlitz  Powders"  formed  the  subject  of  a  paper  by 
Mr.  Martindale,  who  said  his  attention  had  been  drawn  to  the  subject  by 
the  complaint  of  a  customer  as  to  the  formation  of  a  foam  or  scum  on  the 
top  of  the  effervescence  when  some  powders  supplied  by  him  were  dissolved. 
Upon  investigation  he  found  this  scum  to  be  due  to  the  formation  of  cream 
of  tartar  when  the  acid  was  in  excess,  and  that  it  more  readily  occurred 
when  the  weather  was  cold.  After  referring  to  the  varying  receipts  cur- 
rent for  the  preparation  of  seidlitz  powders,  he  expressed  an  opinion  that 
an  authoritative  formula  ought  to  be  inserted  in  the  Pharmacopoeia,  to  be 
followed  when  powders  were  supplied  upon  the  prescription  of  medical 
men. 
The  next  paper  was  on  "The  Pungent  Principles  of  Plants,"  by  Dr. 
Thresh,  which  might  conveniently  have  been  preceded  by  one  by  the  same 
author,  read  subsequently,  on  "  The  Proximate  Analysis  of  Alpinia  Offici- 
narum."  In  the  latter  paper  Dr.  Thresh  described  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  isolated  from  galangal  rhizome  an  active  pungent  principle,  which 
he  has  named  galaugol.  In  the  former  he  dealt  with  certain  points  of 
resemblance  between  this  and  other  pungent  principles,  especially  gingerol, 
from  ginger,  capsaicin,  from  capsicum,  and  paradol,  from  grains  of  paradise. 
A  note  by  Mr.  Southall  followed,  on  a  specimen  of  a  kind  of  a  gigantic 
truffle  used  by  the  natives  of  Tasmania  as  food,  which  had  been  presented 
to  the  Conference  by  Mr.  Miller.  The  fungus  is  referred  by,Mr.  Southall 
to  Mylitta  Australis,  of  which  he  considers  it  to  be  the  sclerotioid  mycelium; 
it  consists  principally  of  pectii:. 
The  last  paper  read  at  the  Wednesday  morning  session  was  a  note  by  Mr. 
Williams  upon  some  products  obtained  during  the  preparation  of  some  speci- 
mens of  colorless  and  anhydrous  essential  oils.  The  oils  were  distilled  from 
a  fusible  metal  bath.  After  all  the  water,  mixed  with  a  little  oil,  had  passed 
over,  the  anhydrous  oils  were  collected  up  to  a  point  when  the  temperature 
rose  more  rapidly  and  a  colored  fraction  commenced  to  distil.  The  distilla- 
tion was  then  continued  into  another  receiver  until  just  before  decomposition 
would  commence.  The  colorless  anhydrous  oil  was,  as  a  rule,  very  much 
modified  in  odor,  and  more  delicate  than  the  colored  portion,  whilst  the 
odor  of  the  residue  was  strong  and  sometimes  offensive.  Mr.  Williams 
appears  to  think  that  by  this  treatment  the  colorless  portions  had  not  only 
had  their  aroma  improved,  but  were  probably  rendered  more  permanent. 
Naturally  the  questions  were  raised  in  the  discussion  whether  the  foul- 
smelling  portions  might  not  have  been  products  of  "  the  process  and  not 
educts,  and  to  what  extent  the  odorous  constituents  might  be  destroyed  or 
removed  with  them.  It  may  be  worth  recalling  that  an  opinion  has  been 
expressed  by  Professor  Dragendorffthat  the  odor  of  an  essential  oil  may  be 
due  to  a  constituent  present  in  extremely  minute  quantity  (Ph.  «/.,  [8], 
vi,  723). 
Upon  the  reassembling  of  the  Conference  there  were  still  ten  papers  on 
the  list  unread,  not  one  of  the  authors  of  which  was  present.  The  principal 
points  in  the  papers  were,  therefore,  read  by  the  Honorary  Secretaries, 
