Amoc°tu,ri8P79arm' }  American  Pharmaceutic  a  l  Association.  513 
with  diluted  alcohol  to  which  a  little  ammonia  has  been  added  (3  fluidrachms  for  16 
troyounces  of  senega).  Gelatinization  is  thereby  prevented,  and  the  preparations 
are  strongly  acrid  to  taste. 
A  very  valuable  and  practically  useful  contribution  was  made  by  Mr.  P.  C.  Can- 
didus,  in  answer  to  Query  13,  the  subject  being  the  changes  of  bulk  produced  by 
dissolving  solids  in  liquids.  We  hope  to  reproduce  this  paper  in  a  future  num- 
ber, and  note  with  pleasure  that  the  author  will  continue  his  investigations. 
The  next  paper  was  an  essay  on  the  conditions  necessary  to  successfully  conduct 
percolation,  by  Mr.  J.  U.  Lloyd.  It  is  impossible  to  give  in  this  place  a  brief  abstract 
of  the  theoretical  deductions  and  of  the  numerous  experiments  detailed  by  the 
author  5  a  perusal  of  the  entire  paper  will  be  required  to  fully  appreciate  it.  On 
motion  of  Professor  Diehl,  seconded  by  Professor  Maikoe,  a  vote  of  thanks  was 
tendered  to  the  author. 
The  absorption  of  moisture  by  glycerin  in  open  vessels  was  discussed  by  Mr.  G, 
W.  Kennedy  in  a  paper  detailing  a  number  of  experiments  commenced  November 
2,  1877,  and  continued  to  September  4,  1879.  Similar  observations,  though  extend- 
ing over  a  much  shorter  period,  were  reported  to  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great 
Britain  by  Mr.  W.  Willmott  (see  "American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,"  1879,  p. 
313).  Mr.  Willmott  determined  the  cessation  of  the  absorbing  power  of  glycerin 
after  it  had  combined  with  three  measures  of  water,  or  in  other  words,  when  the 
mixture  consisted  of  70  parts,  by  weight,  of  water  and  30  parts  of  glycerin. 
According  to  Mr.  Kennedy's  observations  the  amount  of  moisture  absorbed  by 
glycerin  in  flat  jars  was,  in  12  months,  59*4  per  cent.,  and  was  in  22  months,  in  nar- 
row-mouthed bottles,  21  per  cent.,  and  in  wide  mouthed  bottles  45  8  per  cent. 
In  a  volunteer  paper  on  the  medicinal  preparations  from  herbs  Mr.  William  T. 
Ford  advocated  that  all  liquid  and  solid  galenical  preparations  be  assayed  and  brought 
to  a  definite  standard  of  strength. 
Mr.  Wellcome  gave  some  information  in  relation  to  the  cultivation  in  this  country 
of  exotic  medicinal  plants. 
The  President  appointed  Professor  Good  to  act  on  the  committee  on  the  time 
and  place  of  the  next  annual  meeting,  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Crawford,  in  case  the  latter 
gentleman,  who  had  been  suddenly  taken  sick,  should  be  unable  to  serve.  For- 
tunately Mr.  Crawford's  illness  was  not  serious. 
An  adjournment  was  had  until  Thursday  morning  at  9  o'clock. 
Fourth  Session,  Thursday  Morning,  September  nth. — After  the  approval  of 
the  minutes  of  the  third  session  a  paper  by  Mr.  Wm.  Saunders  on  the  preparation 
of  infusions  and  decoctions  from  fluid  extracts  was  read.  In  estimating  the  relative 
value  of  the  preparations,  the  author  relied  on  the  evidence  of  the  senses  of  taste, 
smell  and  sight  as  affording  the  most  satisfactory  basis  of  comparison,  and  found 
that  infusions  nearly  identical  with  those  prepared  from  the  drug  could  be  made 
from  the  fluid  extracts  of  cinchona  flava,  digitalis,  krameria,  pareira,  senna,  spigelia, 
taraxacum,  while  fluid  extract  of  calumba  yields  a  stronger  infusion  than  the  drug 
itself.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fluid  extracts  of  buchu,  rheum,  serpentaria,  Valeriana 
and  zingiber,  when  diluted  with  water,  yield  mixtures  which  even  after  filtration 
remain  very  unsightly,  though  mostly  stronger  in  taste  than  the  corresponding  infusions 
32 
