Am.  Jour.  Pharm.") 
April,  1899.  / 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
205 
iodine  and  afterward  adding  another  layer  of  cotton,  the  whole  being  then  sus- 
pended in  a  vessel  containing  alcohol.  The  principle  involved  is  that  of  circu- 
latory displacement.  The  registrar,  Mr.  Wiegand,  said  he  had  used  this  method 
over  twenty  years  ago  with  entire  success. 
In  commenting  on  processes  for  the  medicated  waters  the  chairman,  Mr. 
Beringer,  favored  solution  of  the  medicating  ingredient  in  either  hot  or  cold 
water.  Remarking  further  on  this  subject  Mr.  Stedem  said  that  he  never  found 
any  trituration  method  satisfactory.  Dr.  Lowe  was  inclined  to  the  use  of  hot 
water  for  effecting  solution  of  the  oils.  Professor  Ryan  said  that  it  was  strange 
that  the  Pharmacopoeial  Committee  should  adopt  methods  which  were  so 
impracticable  as  those  directed  for  the  medicated  waters.  He  agreed  with  the 
chairman  that  these  can  be  most  readily  prepared  by  simple  solution  in  either 
hot  or  cold  water. 
A  paper  entitled  "  Japan  Wax  as  a  Substitute  for  Beeswax  in  the  Official  Oint- 
ments and  Cerates,"  was  presented  by  Robert  C.  Pursel,  a  student  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  will  be  published  in  full  in  a  later  issue  of  this  Journal.  In  sum- 
ming up  his  observations  the  author  found  that  Japan  wax  is  a  very  good 
substitute  for  beeswax  in  nearly  all  of  the  official  ointments  and  in  all  of  the 
official  cerates.  The  products  made  with  Japan  wax  were  slightly  darker  in 
color  than  those  made  with  beeswax,  but  the  difference  was  not  sufficiently 
pronounced  to  be  considered  a  serious  objection.  While  the  melting-point  of 
Japan  wax  was  found  to  be  lower  than  that  of  beeswax,  its  composition  appears 
to  be  firmer,  and  hence  a  less  quantity  is  required  to  give  a  preparation  the 
desired  consistency.  The  main  points,  however,  which  were  advanced  in  favor 
of  Japan  wax  were  those  relating  to  its  purity  and  cost  as  compared  to  beeswax. 
The  results  of  the  author's  experiments  showed  that  there  is  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  pure  beeswax  (one  of  its  adulterants  being  Japan  wax),  while 
on  the  other  hand  pure  Japan  wax  is  readily  obtainable  at  about  one-fourth  the 
price  of  beeswax. 
After  examining  a  sample  of  Japan  wax  which  accompanied  the  paper,  Pro- 
fessor Remington  asked  with  a  view  to  its  future  utility  in  pharmacy,  whether 
this  product  can  always  be  obtained  of  uniform  quality.  Mr.  La  Wall,  in 
replying  to  this  question,  said  that  no  less  than  20,000  pounds  had  come  under 
his  notice,  and  that  in  only  one  case  was  it  adulterated,  the  adulterant  being 
starch.  He  said  that  on  exposure  it  becomes  slightly  yellowish.  Others  taking 
part  in  this  discussion  were  the  chairman  and  Messrs.  Stedem  and  Meyer. 
"Some  Further  Observations  on  Extracts  Made  with  Acetic  Acid,"  was  the 
subject  of  a  communication  by  Wm.  B.  Thompson,  which  will  be  published  in 
a  subsequent  issue  of  this  Journal.  Samples  of  acetic  extracts  made  by 
Messrs.  E.  R.  Squibb  &  Sons,  and  corresponding  alcoholic  extracts  made  by 
Messrs.  John  Wyeth  &  Bro.,  were  exhibited  for  purposes  of  comparison.  While 
claiming  that  we  must  ultimately  depend  upon  clinical  experience  to  determine 
the  value  of  medicines,  the  author  admitted  that  certain  assays  and  tests  furn- 
ished reliable  information  in  regard  to  the  drugs  to  which  they  were  applied, 
and  that  in  this  respect  many  of  the  acetic  extracts  merited  our  favorable  con- 
sideration. He  inclined  to  the  belief,  however,  that  the  peculiar  aroma  or 
vinous  odor  which  belongs  to  alcoholic  extracts,  particularly  after  having  been 
kept  for  some  time,  entitled  them  to  superior  rank.  In  the  case  of  the  acetic 
extracts  he  thought  that  the  odor  of  the  acid  menstruum  prevailed,  not  only 
