428  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {^^l^S^m: 
should  be  made  to  have  the  patent  laws  allowing  monopolies  of  this 
character  to  be  modified.  The  constitutions  of  phenacetin  and  acet- 
anilid  were  compared  with  a  view  of  showing  how  difficult  it  is  to 
detect  the  latter  in  the  former  by  chemical  means.  The  physical 
and  chemical  tests  were  reviewed  and  their  utility  ascertained. 
There  are  numerous  misleading  statements  in  literature  relative  to 
the  efficacy  of  some  of  the  chemical  tests.  It  is  virtually  impos- 
sible to  secure  an  ounce  of  the  illegitimate  product  from  the  drug- 
gist, but  the  source  of  supply  is  usually  well  known  to  most  of  them. 
Very  little  phenacetin  appears  to  be  smuggled  into  this  country  at 
present.  It  is  said  to  be  regularly  imported,  duty  paid,  as  phena- 
cetin and  paracetphenetidin. 
Nux  Vomica  Assay. 
By  W.  A.  Puckner. 
The  results  obtained  by  the  author  show  that  the  aliquot  part 
method  in  the  assay  of  nux  vomica  gives  correct  results,  apparently 
through  a  compensation  of  errors ;  that  an  hour's  maceration  and 
subsequent  percolation  may  well  be  substituted,  and  that  alcohol 
should  here  be  added  to  the  light  chloroform-ether  mixture  usually 
used  in  the  Keller  method,  since  its  addition  facilitates  the  extrac- 
tion of  the  alkaloids,  and  also  prevents  the  formation  of  emulsions 
in  subsequent  steps  of  the  determination. 
Mesouite. 
By  E.  G.  Eberle. 
The  author  described  the  plant  and  mentioned  the  uses  of  the 
various  parts.  In  regard  to  the  gum,  he  said  that  one  tree  yields 
about  five  pounds.  The  dried  sap  with  some  of  the  gum  is  known 
as  "  black-gum." 
Contribution  to  the  Pharmacology  of  Narcotine  (A  Correc- 
tion). 
By  Albert  E.  Ebert. 
In  previous  papers  (this  Journal,  1867,  p.  196,  and  1902,  p.  157) 
the  author  states  that  it  is  "  a  mistake  to  remove  the  narcotine  from 
any  of  the  preparations  of  opium."  In  a  recent  paper  A.  C.  Craw- 
ford and  A.  R.  L.  Dohme  (Proc.  A.  Ph.  A.,  1902,  p.  478  ;  also  this 
