Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
October,  1911.  j 
British  Phar.  Conference: 
493 
or  purchases  the  concession  to  carry  on  the  business  of  an  old- 
established  pharmacy  or  to  open  a  new  one  where  the  growth  of  the 
population  warrants,  the  State  granting  a  new  concession. 
Mr.  Wells  also  discussed  several  other  acts  or  laws  of  Great 
Britain  which  are  closely  connected  with  pharmacy,  the  most  im- 
portant the  Sale  of  Food  and  Drugs  Act.  He  states  that  there  is 
room  for  improvement  in  this  act.  It  should  be  amended  so  as  to 
make  conviction  certain  when  fraud  is  clear;  too  many  technicalities 
are  available  under  which  offenders  escape  punishment. 
Among  the  interesting  communications  brought  to  the  attention 
of  the  Conference  were  the  following  papers  : 
Further  Note  on  Podophyllum  Emodi. 
By  John  C.  Unmey. 
The  writer  mentions  the  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the 
therapeutic  value  of  the  resins  of  the  two  species  of  podophyllum — 
the  American,  Podophyilum  peltatum,  and  the  Indian,  Podophyllum 
Emodi.  He  thinks  this  matter  should  be  settled  before  the  next 
British  Pharmacopoeia  is  issued. 
The  result  of  chemical  and  physiological  tests  brings  him  to  the 
conclusion  that  a  reasonable  method  of  judging  the  resin  is  by 
means  of  podophyllotoxin  assay.    He  gives  such  a  method. 
The  Supposed  Loss  of  Morphine  in  the  Preparation  of  Tinc- 
ture OF  Opium. 
By  E.  H.  Farr  and  R.  Wright, 
The  authors  state  that  from  time  to  time  statements  have  been 
made  to  the  effect  that  in  the  conversion  of  opium  into  extract  or 
tincture  a  loss  of  alkaloid  results,  or,  rather,  that  the  quantity  of 
morphine  shown  by  the  official  assay  of  a  sample  of  opium  is  always 
greater  than  the  amount  found  in  the  finished  product,  even  when 
the  utmost  care  has  been  taken  to  secure  perfect  exhaustion  of  the 
drug.  The  authors  carried  out  some  experiments  with  the  view  of 
testing  the  accuracy  of  these  statements.  They  also  give  their 
method.  Thev  find  that  when  official  mctliods  arc  followed  through- 
out there  is  alwa\s  a  loss  of  morphine.  They  think  that  the  loss  is 
probably  due  to  occlusion  of  the  alkaloid,  making  its  complete  ex- 
traction 1)y  water  or  alcohol  a  matter  of  nuich  difficulty. 
