Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
Feb.  1, 1871.  J 
Minutes  of  the  College. 
89 
The  Pharmaceutical  meetings  were  again  resumed,  after  several  years'  inter- 
mission, on  the  18th  of  October,  1870.  At  the  meeting  held  in  the  College  hall 
this  date,  there  were  present  several  of  their  originators.  Dr.  W.  H.  Pile 
acted  as  Registrar  or  Secretary  until  there  should  be  one  elected  to  serve  for 
the  ensuing  year.  A  ballot  was  next  ordered,  and  Clemmons  Parrish  was 
elected  to  fill  that  position.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  to  Dr.  Pile  for  the 
able  manner  in  which  he  had  filled  the  position  of  Registrar,  also  for  the  uniform 
and  untiring  interest  he  has  always  manifested  in  these  meetings  of  the  Col- 
lege. 
Dr.  Pile  presented  to  the  College  accurately  graduated  minim  and  pint 
measures  of  his  own  making. 
It  was  stated  that  the  object  of  this  meeting  was  more  especially  to  consider 
the  best  mode  of  conducting  our  future  gatherings,  that  those  participating 
may  derive  the  fullest  benefit  from  them  ;  that  all  may  have  something  beside 
the  benefit  derived  from  social  interchange  of  ideas.  The  Registrar  was  au- 
thorized to  publish  notice  of  meetings  in  the  "  Public  Ledger,"  also  to  give  a 
wide  circulation  to  cards  of  invitation.  He  was  also  requested  to  invite  the 
class  now  attending  lectures  in  this  hall. 
The  following  committee  was  appointed  to  furnish  a  plan  for  conducting 
these  meetings:  Israel  J.  Graham,  Prof.  Maisch,  and  Dr.  Pile,  to  report 
next  month. 
Prof.  Maisch  exhibited  a  specimen  of  the  so-called  African  saffron,  obtained 
from  Chicago.  Upon  examination,  this  proved  to  be  Carthamus,  much  broken 
and  discolored.  Also  a  sample  of  gum  sennaar,  a  species  of  Acacia,  at  about 
two-thirds  the  price.  This  gum  comes  into  commerce  via  Trieste,  from  a  port 
on  the  Red  Sea.  Externally  it  resembles  a  good  quality  of  true  gum  Arabic, 
forms  a  mucilage  which  is  not  so  bland  as  that  produced  from  true  gum.  This 
may  be  distinguished  from  the  Acacia  Vera  by  the  following  characters  :  A 
mucilage  from  true  gum  with  Goulard's  Extract  produces  slight  opalescence. 
A  mucilage  from  gum  sennaar  filters  slowly  with  milkiness  ;  the  addition 'of 
aqua  ammonia  to  the  filtrate  of  these,  in  the  case  of  true  gum,  in  24  hours  a 
slight  opalescence  is  found,  whereas  in  the  filtrate  from  gum  sennaar  with  am- 
monia is  a  gelatinous  mass  in  the  same  space  of  time. 
At  the  meeting  on  November  15th,  the  order  of  business  was  as  at  meetings 
generally.  The  Committee  appointed  at  last  meeting  reported  the  following 
suggestions  : 
1st.  As  it  is  of  primary  importance  that  a  general  interest  should  be  felt  or 
created  in  the  attendance  of  these  meetings,  the  Committee  would  recommend 
that  an  earnest  invitation  be  extended  to  the  members  of  the  College,  and  all 
others  who  may  desire  to  participate  in  the  proceedings,  to  produce  at  each  of 
our  meetings  either  written  or  oral  contributions  on  subjects  pertaining  to 
chemistry  or  pharmacy,  or  the  commercial  relations  of  drugs.    Upon  the  con 
