ISO 
Retail  Druggists"  Association. 
f  Alii.  Jour.  Pliarrru 
\      March.  1899. 
given  a  place.  The  Readman  process,  for  the  production  of  phosphorus  by  the 
electric  furnace,  which  has  already  displaced  the  old  distillation  process  in 
practice,  is  also  mentioned,  although  the  description  is  rather  inadequate. 
The  section  on  textile  industries  is  very  satisfactorily  developed,  as  well  as 
those  on  explosives  and  paper-making.  That  on  varnishes  is  very  incomplete, 
and  the  part  played  by  the  several  classes  of  driers  is  only  slightly  alluded  to 
in  a  different  section  under  linseed  oil. 
The  chlorine  industry  is  very  satisfactorily  treated,  and  the  newer  electro- 
lytic processes  for  chlorine,  hypochlorite  and  chlorate  are  also  given  proper 
attention. 
A  few  blemishes  show,  and  in  mentioning  some  of  them  no  sweeping  con- 
demnation is  intended.  Some  of  them  detract  appreciably,  however,  from  the 
excellence  of  the  sections  in  which  they  occur. 
Thus  the  author  states  that  one  of  the  chief  uses  of  crude  sulphur  is  as  a 
germicide  in  combating  phylloxera,  "a  disease  of  the  grape,"  and  that  this 
disposes  of  nearly  one-quarter  of  the  yearly  production.  The  germicide  used 
against  the  insect  called  Phylloxera  vastatrix  is  either  carbon  disulphide  or 
the  xanthogenate  of  potash,  made  by  the  reaction  of  this  latter  with  alcoholic 
potash. 
The  formula  of  bleaching  powder 
the  author  says  was  assigned  by  Uunge.  It  was  first  suggested  many  years  ago 
by  the  English  chemist,  Odling. 
Under  recovered  sulphur,  no  mention  is  made  of  Chance  sulphur,  which  is- 
the  chief  form  at  present  produced  in  England. 
Sodium  bisulphite  is  given  prominence  as  "Antichlor  "  in  removing  excess 
of  chlorine  from  chlorine-bleached  goods,  on  page  44,  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
thiosulphate,  yet  in  the  section  on  paper  bleaching,  on  page  509,  the  thiosul- 
phate  is  referred  to  as  the  sole  practical  antichlor,  as  it  is  in  fact. 
Crude  petroleum  is  described  on  page  290  as  a  "thick  syrupy  liquid."  This 
would  hardly  apply  to  the  bulk  of  the  crude  oils  met  with  in  the  refineries, 
which  is  a  thin  greenish  liquid  of  from  420  to  51 0  B. 
However,  these  are  minor  matters  as  compared  with  the  general  excellence 
of  the  work,  which,  as  an  outline  picture  of  our  main  chemical  industries,  is  a 
very  satisfactory  piece  of  work. 
The  book  has  a  number  of  helpful  illustrations  and  lists  of  reference  works 
are  appended  to  each  section.  S.  P.  S. 
PHILADELPHIA  ASSOCIATION  OF  RETAIL  DRUG- 
As  a  result  of  the  organization  of  the  National  Association  of  Retail  Drug- 
gists at  St.  Louis,  October  17,  189S,  the  Philadelphia  Association  of  Retail 
Druggists  was  organized  December  2,  1898,  and  the  following  officers  elected: 
President,  Wm.  Mclntyre  ;  First  Vice-President,  W.  L.  Cliffe  ;  Second  Vice- 
President,  A.  Hoch  ;  Treasurer,  Dr.  Edwin  R.  Smiley  ;  Secretary,  W.  A.  Rum- 
sey. 
GISTS. 
