^eimbex-'foT-}       Society  of  Pharmacy  of  Pans.  573 
school,  the  buildings  and  property  of  the  Free  School  of  Pharmacy 
were  appropriated,  thus  virtually  discontinuing  the  society  by  de- 
priving it  of  its  property,  as  well  as  its  duties,  privileges  and  pre- 
rogatives. This  Imperial  school  has  long  since  become  world- 
famous  as  the  "  Ecole  Superieure  de  Pharmacie  de  Paris"  (The 
Superior  School  of  Pharmacy  of  Paris).  It  has  been  the  model  for 
almost  every  school  or  college  of  pharmacy  in  the  world,  and  has 
always  been  looked  up  to  and  admitted  to  be  in  fact  as  in  name,  the 
first  or  leading  school  of  pharmacy. 
The  Free  Society  of  Pharmacy,  however,  was  not  composed  of 
members  who  were  readily  disconcerted  or  disheartened.  In  place 
of  doing  in  fact  what  had  been  done  to  them  in  name,  ending  their 
existence  as  an  association  or  society  and  passing  into  history,  the 
members  promptly  met  and  decided  that  inasmuch  as  they  had  been 
deprived  of  their  duties  as  teachers  and  as  supervisors  of  the  trade 
interests  of  their  occupation,  they  would,  as  an  association,  have 
more  time  to  devote  to  the  study  of  scientific  problems  connected 
with  their  profession. 
It  is  as  a  purely  scientific  society,  therefore,  that  this  association 
of  Parisian  pharmacists  has  just  celebrated  its  centenary,  and  it 
is  with  pardonable  pride  that  M.  Bourquelot,  the  able  and  effi- 
cient secretary  of  the  society,  in  the  course  of  his  historical  sketch, 
recalled  the  names  of  some  of  the  earlier  members  and  recounted 
their  scientific  achievements.  What  a  galaxy  of  nobles  they  must 
have  been,  headed  by  Parmentier,  the  chief  apothecary  of  Napoleon's 
army,  who  well  advanced  in  years,  it  is  true,  was  still  active.  He  had 
accompanied  the  French  army,  under  various  leaders,  into  half  the 
countries  of  Europe,  and  had  always,  by  close  observation,  been 
able  to  gather  new  facts,  which  he  in  turn  communicated  to  his 
confreres  at  home. 
The  Vice-President,  M.  Vauquelin,  a  pharmacist  and  world- 
renowned  chemist,  was  one  of  the  first  to  suggest  the  presence  of 
active  principles  in  medicinal  plants,  and  was  the  undoubted  dis- 
coverer of  nicotine  in  tobacco. 
M.  Derosne,  who  was  also  one  of  the  founders,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  make  a  chemical  study  of  opium,  separated  narcotine  and 
probably  morphine. 
The  list  is  too  long  to  give  in  detail.  In  it  appear,  among  others, 
the  names  of  Caventou,  Pelletier,  Magendie  and  Robiquet,  all  names 
