Am.  Jour.  Ph«rir.\ 
March,  1898.  J 
Minutes. 
i/3 
the  following  :  Samples  of  metallic  antimony  and  antimony  ore  and  specimens 
of  white,  or  purging,  Agaric,  and  Scopola  japonica,  the  latter  being  said  to  be 
used  to  a  considerable  extent  in  the  manufacture  of  belladonna  plasters,  on 
account  of  the  atropine  which  it  contains. 
The  first  speaker  introduced  was  Mr.  Jokichi  Takamine,  now  of  Detroit,  but 
formerly  a  resident  of  Japan,  who  presented,  in  a  very  pleasing  manner,  an 
address  on  the  subject  of  "  Diastatic  Fungi  and  their  Utilization  "  (see  page  137). 
Before  taking  up  the  subject  proper  of  his  address,  Mr.  Takamine  said,  in 
reply  to  the  remarks  of  the  chairman  on  the  rapid  advancement  of  the  Japanese 
in  the  arts  and  sciences,  that  what  his  country  had  accomplished  in  recent 
years  was  due  to  American  enterprise.  Other  countries  had  been  opened  at 
the  cannon's  mouth,  but,  through  the  treaty  negotiated  by  Commodore  Perry, 
the  eyes  and  hearts  of  the  Japanese  people  had  been  opened,  and,  as  a  result, 
a  great  impulse  given  to  the  study  of  the  applied  sciences.  Through  the  in- 
fluence of  physicians,  the  study  of  medicine  was  the  first  to  be  undertaken  by 
them,  and  to-day  the  majority,  or  at  least  half,  of  the  members  of  the  govern- 
mental cabinet  of  Japan  are  members  of  the  medical  profession. 
In  discussing  the  relative  action  of  diastatic  substances,  Mr.  Takamine  ad- 
vanced some  interesting  theories  in  explanation  thereof.  He  said  that  all 
cereals  possess  certain  diastatic  power.  This  he  had  verified  experimentally. 
According  to  his  theories,  Taka-diastase,  or  the  diastase  produced  by  fungi,  is 
composed  of  one  starch-saccharifying  unit  in  proportion  to  three  starch-lique- 
fying units,  while  cereals  contain  only  starch-saccharifying  units,  which  do 
not  have  full  starch-converting  action,  until  combined  with  starch-liquefying 
diastase,  when  the  combined  potency  is  increased.  Malt  wras  represented  as 
containing  an  equal  proportion  of  these  two  kinds  of  starch-converting  units. 
Accompanying  the  address  were  micro-photographs  of  both  diastatic  and 
non-diastatic  fungi,  and  photographs  and  sectional  drawings  of  the  buildings 
used  by  Messrs.  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  in  the  production  of  diastase  from  fungi, 
these  all  being  exhibited  by  means  of  the  electric  lantern. 
In  the  general  discussion  which  followed,  Mr.  J.  W.  England  wished  to  know 
what  tests  are  used  for  Taka-diastase  and  what  advantages  it  has  over  malt  in 
the  treatment  ofamylolitic  dyspepsia.  The  answer  as  given  by  Mr.  Takamine 
to  the  first  query  is  embodied  in  the  article  on  page  141. 
The  advantageous  qualities  claimed  for  Taka-diastase  by  him  were  stability, 
and  freedom  from  sugars.  He  said  that  malt  is  a  nutrient  of  itself,  but  that 
in  dyspeptic  troubles  attended  by  fermentation  the  sugars  present  in  malt  have 
a  tendency  to  aggravate  the  trouble. 
In  answer  to  a  question  by  Professor  Remington  on  the  stability  of  Taka- 
diastase  in  solution,  Mr.  Takamine  said  that  it  does  not  lose  its  diastatic 
activity  at  a  temperature  of  650  C,  but  at  750  C.  it  is  completely  destroyed. 
Others  taking  part  in  the  discussion  were  the  chairman,  Prof.  S.  P.  Sadtler, 
Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  and  Mr.  L.  F.  Kebler. 
A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  Mr.  Takamine  for  his  excellent 
address. 
The  next  speaker  on  the  programme  was  Prof.  Henry  Trimble,  who  con- 
tributed a  paper  on  "An  Exudation  from  Larix  Occidentalis  "  (see  page  152). 
A  sample  of  the  exudation  received  from  Prof.  C.  S.  Sargent  was  exhibited. 
Two  samples  of  oil  of  bay  were  presented  by  Dr.  Miller.    He  reported  that 
