472  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference. 
KIESELGUHR  AND  OTHER  INFUSORIAL.  EARTHS. 
By  John  Moss. 
The  author  gives  a  valuable  essay  on  the  origin,  composition  and  uses  of 
infusorial  earths.  He  suggests  the  employment  of  diatomite  as  a  diluent 
for  hygroscopic  powders,  such  as  euonymin  when  made  by  the  late  Phar- 
macopoeia process.  It  may  also  be  employed  for  binding  together  drugs 
that  compress  with  difficulty. 
PHARMACISTS  AND  THE  PHARMACOPOEIA. 
By  Peter  MacKwan. 
The  British  Pharmaceutical  Conference  should,  in  the  author's  opinion, 
take  upon  itself  the  task  of  revising  the  Pharmacopoeia.  He  would  have  the 
Formulary  Committee  reorganized  so  that  it  should  be  representative  (i)  of 
the  more  important  centres  in  the  three  kingdoms,  preferably  through  local 
pharmaceutical  associations ;  (2)  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Societies  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  ;  and  (3)  of  every  pharmaceutical  association  and  society 
of  interest  in  Canada,  India,  and  the  Colonies.  This  Grand  Committee  should 
appoint  a  smaller  working  committee,  which  should  secure  the  co-operation  of 
the  Pharmaceutical  Research  Laboratory,  and  of  any  similar  institution  at  home 
and  abroad.  Pharmacists  would  thus  take  the  lead  in  the  matter  of  Pharma- 
copoeia revision,  and  might  stipulate  for  more  satisfactory  conditions  than  now 
prevail  when  asked  by  the  General  Medical  Council  for  assistance. 
MATERIA  MEDICA  ANIMALIS. 
By  J.  C.  McWalter. 
The  author  has  given  a  concise  and  succinct  account  of  the  present  state  of 
our  knowledge  on  the  following  animal  extracts  :  succus  testibus  paratus  ; 
sperminum;  cerebrum  exsiccatum  pulv. ;  cerebrum  siccatum;  glandulse  su- 
prarenales  siccatae  pulvis  ;  hypophysis  cerebri  siccat.  pulv.;  medulla  ossium 
rubra;  ovaria  siccata;  renes  siccata;  thymus  siccatus;  prostata  siccata  pulv.  ; 
thyroidinum  siccatum;  hepar;  lien  preparatus;  lien;  mammae;  pulmones; 
glandulae  bronchiales;  extractum  corporis  ciliaris;  glandula  parotis. 
ON  THE  SALIENT  FEATURES  OF  THE  IRISH  FLORA. 
By  G.  C.  Druce. 
The  species  of  flowering  plants  are  relatively  fewer  in  numberin  Ireland  than 
in  England,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  Ireland  is  deficient  in  large,  bright  colored 
flowers,  such  as  are  found  in  the  Compositae,  Labiatae  and  Leguminosae.  There 
is  also  a  great  falling  off  of  Germanic  types  in  Ireland,  and  the  Scandinavian 
types  are  only  about  one-third  as  many  as  in  England. 
A  Delicate  Reaction  for  Tannin  is  said  to  consist  of  a  solution  of  1  part  of 
sodium  tungstate  with  2  parts  of  sodium  acetate  in  10  parts  of  water.  A  straw 
yellow  precipitate  is  produced  with  this  reagent  in  a  tannin  solution. 
Pilocarpus  Finnatifolius  grown  in  the  Botanical  Gardens  of  Palermo,  yielded 
according  to  Gaylio  (Apoll.  Zeit.,  1898,  130)  as  much  as  o'62  per  mille  of  pilocar- 
pine nitrate.  It  is  suggested  that  the  cultivation  of  Pilocarpus  in  Sicily  might 
prove  to  be  a  paying  industry. 
