^ctob™'  miF'}  San  Fr^ncisco  Meeting  of  the  A.  P.  A.  483 
Constituents  of  Gynocardic  Acid. 
The  mean  molecular  weight  of  the  acids  calculated  from  the 
neutralization  values  gave  242  in  case  of  Smith  acid  and  236  in 
case  of  the  other  acids.  The  high  neutralization  value  (230)  indi- 
cates the  presence  of  saturated  fatty  acids  of  the  general  formula 
CnH2n02,  and  this,  combined  with  the  ready  solubility  of  the  cal- 
cium and  magnesium  salts  in  boiling  alcohol,  suggests  the  presence 
of  lauric  acid.  Further,  the  ready  decomposibility  of  the  calcium 
salts,  as  also  its  solubility,  makes  the  presence  of  linoleic  acid  very 
probable.  The  various  quantitative  determinations  show  that  chaul- 
moogra  oil  is  a  mixed  triglyceride  of  lauric,  chaulmoogric,  and 
linoleic  acids.  The  approximate  percentage  composition  calculated 
from  these  data  gives  the  following: 
Per  cent. 
Linoleic  acid  (series  Cnti2n-402)    70 
Oleic  acid  (series  CnH2n-202)   28 
Lauric  acid  (series  CnH2n02)    12 
100 
The  examination  of  the  other  salts  of  the  gynocardic  acid,  as 
also  the  detailed  examination  of  the  individual  fatty  acids,  is  in 
progress. 
THE  SAN  FRANCISCO  MEETING  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION. 
By  Joseph  W.  England,  Ph.M. 
The  sixty-third  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association  was  held  at  the  Exposition  City  during  the  week  of 
August  9,  191 5,  and  the  "  Land  of  Sunshine  and  Flowers  "  was  true 
to  its  name.  The  weather  was  delightful,  and  the  meetings,  educa- 
tionally, legislatively,  scientifically,  commercially,  practically,  his- 
torically, and  socially,  were  full  of  interest,  and  a  whole  lot  of  real 
constructive  work  was  done. 
The  total  registration  was  about  250,  which  was  a  good  showing" 
in  view  of  the  distance  from  which  many  of  the  members  came. 
Excellent  papers  in  all  the  sections  were  read,  and  the  discus- 
sions were  many  and  spirited.  The  committees  were  unusually 
active,  and  much  new  work  was  mapped  out  for  the  future. 
Education  was  the  topic  most  discussed.    Beginning  with  the 
