Am*oSlfiSarm*}     British  Pharmaceutical  Conference. 
523 
ral  wines  with  and  without  various  additions,  and  with  artificial  substitutes  of 
known  composition.  The  experiments  have  not  afforded  very  decisive  indica- 
tions, beyond  confirming  the  generally  received  opinion  that  the  changes  in 
the  preparation  are  brought  about  by  constituents  in  the  wine  used  as  well  as 
atmospheric  oxidation.  The  presence  of  sugar  and  of  glycerin  appeared  to 
exercise  a  retarding  influence  on  the  precipitation,  and  Mr.  Shenstone  suggests 
a  formula  in  which  wine  is  replaced  by  a  corresponding  quantity  of  alcohol 
and  water,  with  the  addition  of  10  per  cent,  of  glycerin  and  0.5  per  cent,  of 
malic  acid. 
A  variety  of  musk  derived  from  the  "  musk  rat  "  (Fiber  Zibethicus)  has  been 
the  subject  of  various  notices  in  Canadian  and  United  States  journals  during 
the  last  few  years  (see  Amer.  Phar.  Journ.,  1881,  p.  397),  and  has  been  sug- 
gested as  a  possible  substitute  for  the  more  expensive  variety  of  musk  for  vari- 
ous purposes  in  perfumery.  Dr.  Symes  reported  to  the  Conference  the  result 
of  an  examination  of  some  of  this  American  musk,  from  which  it  appeared 
that  as* at  present  met  with  it  had  the  disadvantage  of  being  contaminated 
with  matter  having  a  rancid  odor,  but  it  was  suggested  that  this  might  perhaps 
be  avoided  by  proper  precautions  taken  at  the  time  of  collecting  the  musk. 
Dr.  Symes  also  described  a  process  for  exhausting  the  pods  of  their  odor. 
Iodoform. — The  remaining  four  papers  were  then  briefly  summarized  by  the 
honorary  secretaries  in  the  absence  of  the  authors.  A  note  by  Mr.  Dott  on 
iodoform  was  a  defence  of  a  statement  made  by  him  last  year  as  to  the  extent 
of  the  volatility  of  iodoform,  which  has  been  questioned  by  Dr.  Vulpius.  Mr. 
Dott  reiterates  his  statement  that  the  average  volatilization  of  iodoform  at  100° 
C  amounts  to  6*7  per  cent,  per  hour,  and  appears  to  think  that  the  different 
result  mentioned  by  Dr.  Vulpius  was  probably  obtained  at  the  more  indefinite 
and  lower  temperature  of  a  water-bath. 
Cinchona. — In  the  next  paper  Mr.  David  Hooper  communicated  some  of  the 
results  obtained  in  the  course  of  his  quinological  work  in  the  Madras  cinchona 
plantations.  Shaving  cinchona  trees  as  a  method  of  harvesting  bark  is  now  very 
general,  but  the  question  as  to  the  limit  to  the  constant  and  successful  shaving 
of  the  tree  is  not  yet  fully  understood.  It  has  been  found  that  when  operating 
on  trees  of  six  years  old  the  increase  in  the  amount  of  quinine  during  the  first 
and  second  renewal  at  intervals  of  twelve  months  was  most  satisfactory,  but 
the  increase  was  not  so  marked  in  the  third  year  renewal,  although  the  conclusion 
arrived  at  is  that  renewal  by  shaving  might  be  permitted  for  at  least  four  years. 
The  beneficial  effect  of  renewal  by  shaving  was  very  marked  in  the  case  of  a 
six-year  old  succirubra,  which  yielded  twice  as  much  quinine  sulphate  as  from 
a  natural  succirubra  of  twice  that  age;  but  the  operation  was  not  satisfactory 
in  its  results  when  applied  to  trees  of  sixteen  to  twenty  one  years,  as  such  old 
trees  will  not  bear  the  shaving  treatment.  The  application  of  cattle  manure  to 
cinchonas  seems,  from  the  results  of  three  sets  of  experiments  on  succirubra  and 
magnifolia  trees,  to  have  the  effect  of  increasing  the  amount  of  total  alkaloids, 
and  in  two  instances  the  amount  of  quinine,  by  52  per  cent,  and  20  per  cent, 
respectively ;  but  the  usefulness  of  the  application  of  manure  was  not  so 
marked  in  old  trees,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  effect  of  manuring  would  be 
more  apparent  in  Crown  and  Ledger  barks.  It  is  also  stated  that  the  maxi- 
mum yield  of  quinine  in  Ledger  and  succirubra  barks  seems  to  be  attained  when 
