520         Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations.  {  Am- J^f^™1' 
adding  dilute  sulphuric  acid  to  the  clear  liquid  the  dissolved  lime  is  precipitated, 
and  by  diluting  the  resulting  clear  liquid,  and  filtering  through  powdered  pumice  or 
silica,  the  wax,  fat,  extractive,  and  the  rest  of  the  resin  is  got  rid  of,  together  with 
any  excess  of  volatile  oil. 
The  next  paper  gave  an  account  of  an  investigation  conducted  by  Mr.  Stoddart, 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  a  periodical  fatality  amongst  sheep  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Bristol.  Though  the  inquiry  was  not  originally  of  any  apparent  pharmaceutical 
interest,  it  incidentally  furnished  results  of  value  in  regard  to  the  period  at  which 
ergot  should  be  gathered  for  medicinal  purposes.  It  was  observed  that  the  sheep  fed 
on  natural  herbage  always  had  foot-rot,  even  in  summer,  and  other  circumstances 
led  Mr.  Stoddart  to  suspect  that  the  mischievous  effects  might  be  due  to  ergotism. 
On  examining  the  old  mature  plants  of  Lolium  perenne  he  noticed  well  formed  pur- 
plish dark  colored  ergots,  but  could  not  discover  these  upon  the  younger  plants, 
which  were  greedily  devoured  by  the  lambs,  while  they  sought  to  avoid  the  old 
plants.  In  the  following  spring  Mr.  Stoddart  obtained  specimens  of  Lolium  perenne, 
the  inflorescence  of  which  was  just  commencing,  and  he  traced  the  development  of 
the  ergot  from  this  stage  of  its  growth  until  the  commencement  of  August,  at 
which  period  he  found  the  fungus  had  reached  the  limit  of  its  vegetative  or  myceloid 
growth.  It  is  at  this  stage  that  the  peculiar  medical  effect  of  the  Clwviceps  on  the 
animal  economy  exists  in  greatest  intensity,  and  it  was  at  this  period  that  the  effect 
produced  upon  the  sheep  was  greatest.  After  carrying  out  these  observations  for 
six  or  seven  years  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  for  all  medicinal  purposes  ergot 
should  be  gathered  in  the  months  of  August  or  September,  because  at  the  end  of 
the  vegetative  period  its  action  is  greatest. 
Dr.  Symes  then  read  a  paper  describing  the  construction  and  principles  of  the 
different  forms  of  polarimeter  and  its  application  in  pharmacy.  Among  other  illus- 
trations of  this  he  gave  the  results  of  the  determination  of  the  rotatory  power  of  a 
number  of  essential  oils.  Another  illustration  of  the  utility  of  the  polarimeter  had 
reference  to  the  examination  of  urine,  a  legitimate  branch  of  the  pharmacist's  call- 
ing, not  subject  to  the  influence  of  unfair  competition  on  the  part  of  uneducated 
outside  traders. 
Next  in  order  were  three  papers  by  Mr.  Siebold.  The  first  described  the  applica- 
tion of  chloroform  in  the  testing  of  drugs,  and  was  based  upon  the  principle  indi- 
cated by  Dr.  Himley,  that  the  presence  of  mineral  adulterants  in  flour  can  be 
detected  by  their  sinking  in  that  liquid,  while  the  normal  constituents  of  the  flour 
float  at  the  surface.  Mr.  Siebold  described  the  results  obtained  in  this  way  as  being 
more  satisfactory  than  those  obtained  by  incineration.  The  second  paper  suggested 
that  the  difference  in  the  coloration  of  chloroform  by  iodine  according  to  the 
presence  or  absence  of  alcohol  afforded  a  means  of  detecting  the  presence  of  alcohol 
in  chloroform.  With  a  mixture  of  chloroform  and  alcohol  the  brown  color  of  the 
alcoholic  solution  of  iodine  predominates  over  the  purple  color  of  the  chloroform 
solution  sufficiently  to  give  indications  to  satisfy  the  requirements  of  the  pharmacist, 
as  in  this  way  the  presence  of  half  per  cent,  of  alcohol  can  be  detected.  The  third 
paper  was  on  the  use  of  the  hydrometer  in  determining  the  specific  gravity  of  liquids, 
and  described  a  number  of  experiments  undertaken  with  the  object  of  deciding 
whether  the  indications  of  the  hydrometer  can  be  depended  upon  with  liquids  con- 
) 
