{ ^o™,riI£arm'     British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  521 
with  which  effervescence  did  not  take  place  being  the  solution  containing 
per  cent. 
The  Conference  then  adjourned  for  luncheon. 
Belladonna  liniment. — Upon  resuming,  the  last  sitting  commenced  with  the 
reading  of  a  paper  which  might  be  looked  upon  as  a  criticism  from  a  manufac- 
turer's point  of  view  of  the  new  Pharmacopoeia  process  for  making  belladonna 
liniment.  In  making  the  liniment  strictly  according  to  the  official  directions  Mr. 
Ransom  has  found  that  in  order  to  obtain  the  30  fluid  ounces  of  final  product  54 
ounces  of  rectified  spirit  had  to  be  used ;  further  the  fineness  of  the  powder  proved 
inconvenient  when  working  on  a  large  scale.  The  process  was  therefore  varied 
by  percolating  a  No.  20  powder  until  40  fluid  ounces  of  spirit  had  been  used  and 
then  pressing  the  marc.  In  this  way  30  ounces  of  liniment  were  obtained  of 
almost  identical  alkaloidal  strength  with  that  prepared  by  the  official  process, 
but  with  a  saving  of  14  fluid  ounces  of  spirit.  Some  other  experiments  were 
directed  to  testing  the  statement  made  in  a  footnote  to  the  process  in  the  Phar- 
macopoeia of  1885  to  the  effect  that  improved  exhaustion  requires  the  increase  of 
spirit  as  compared  with  the  quantity  ordered  in  the  previous  edition.  Prac- 
tically it  was  found  that  the  liniments  prepared  by  the  two  processes  were  equal 
in  alkaloidal  strength.  The  next  point  sought  to  be  determined  was  the  extent 
to  which  by  the  present  official  process  for  belladonna  liniment  the  alkaloids  are 
removed  from  the  root.  It  was  found  that  the  exhaustion  was  far  from  com- 
plete, being  71  per  cent,  of  the  total  alkaloids  in  one  case  and  63  per  cent,  in 
another,  but  that  the  exhaustion  was  more  complete  from  the  richer  root. 
The  experience  of  the  author  leads  him  to  favor  the  standardizing  of  this  pre- 
paration. Mr.  Ransom  also  criticizes  the  official  description  of  the  root  as  favor- 
ing the  omission  of  young  roots  which  are  relatively  rich  in  alkaloid. 
Salol,  or  salicylate  of  phenol,  a  new  antiseptic  which  is  attracting  consider- 
able attention  just  now,  was  the  subject  of  a  communication  from  Mr.  J.  Moss. 
The  first  portion  of  the  paper  was  devoted  to  the  useful  purpose  of  a  rechauffe 
of  the  description  of  this  compound  and  the  claims  that  have  been  put  for- 
ward on  its  behalf.  Most  of  this  information  was  practically  the  same  as 
appeared  in  previous  notes.  (See  August  number,  p.  380).  It  was  further 
mentioned  that  Professor  Von  Nencke's  supposition  that  the  decomposition 
of  salol  in  the  duodenum  after  passing  unaltered  through  the  stomach  is 
due  to  the  pancreatic  ferment  is  incorrect,  it  being  in  fact  due  to  the  alkalinity 
of  the  liquid.  Mr.  Moss  has  indeed  found  that  the  saliva  is  sufficiently  alka- 
line, though  of  course  only  to  a  small  extent.  The  latter  part  of  the  paper 
recorded  the  author's  failure  to  manufacture  the  compound. 
Terebene. — The  next  two  papers  read  were  on  the  subject  of  the  quality  of  so- 
called  u  pure  terebene."  The  first,  which  was  by  Mr.  W.  Lascelles-Scott,  gave  the 
results  of  the  examination  of  fifteen  samples,  from  which  it  appeared  that  he 
considered  only  two  samples  were  entitled  to  be  spoken  of  as  good,  most  of  the 
others  giving  indications  of  having  undergone  oxidation  by  formation  of  perox- 
ide of  hydrogen  and  consequently  yielding  on  evaporation  various  quantities 
of  resin.  One  sample  which  was  credited  with  having  caused  a  cutaneous  erup- 
tion gave  as  much  as  2*10  per  cent,  of  resin.  The  second  paper,  by  Mr.  John 
Hodgkin,  dealt  with  the  impurity  of  ''pure  terebene"  as  indicated  by  the 
polarimeter.  Proceeding  upon  the  assumption  that  American  turpentine  is  usu- 
