530  American  Pharmaceatlcal  Association.  {^""'oct.aSs*'''^" 
Limit  tests  for  calcium  tartrate  in  cream  of  tartar  was  the  title  of  the  last  paper 
by  C.  W.  Boetcher,  read  by  Prof.  Stevens.  The  object  was  to  ascertain  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  pharmacopoeial  test,  and  its  adaptation  to  the  detection  of  smaller 
percentages  of  the  impurity  by  changing  the  proportion  of  water  for  dilu- 
tion ;  the  results  were  as  follows  : 
No. 
Dilution. 
Per  cent.  Calcium 
Tartrate. 
1 
Time  of  Cloudiness,  i  Distinct  Turbidity. 
1 
100  cc. 
150  cc. 
200  cc. 
2 
2 
2 
-  ! 
%  minute.               j   1  minute. 
2  minutes.                I   4  minutes. 
None  in  5  minutes,  j 
2 
<( 
||| 
4 
4 
4 
%  minute.                  l}i  minutes. 
11^  minutes.             1   2  minutes. 
None  in  3  minutes,  j 
3 
§|§* 
6 
6 
6 
1  minute. 
13^  minutes. 
23^  minutes. 
13^  minutes. 
2  minutes. 
3-5  minutes. 
4 
<< 
600  cc. 
700  cc. 
800  cc. 
8 
8 
8 
%  minute. 
1}4  minutes. 
2  minutes. 
13^  minutes. 
2  minutes. 
3  minutes. 
5 
700  cc. 
800  cc. 
1000  cc. 
10 
10 
10 
}^  minute. 
1  minute, 
13^  minutes. 
1  minute. 
2  minutes. 
23^  minutes. 
Professor  Prescott  stated  that  Mr.  Boetcher  had  also  examined  a  large  num- 
ner  of  samples  of  cream  of  tartar  procured  from  drug  stores,  nearly  all  of 
which  answered  to  the  pharmacopoeial  tests,  a  few  only  containing  about  8  per 
cent  of  calcium  tartrate ;  but  the  cream  of  tartar  procured  from  groceries  was 
very  badly  adulterated  with  terra  alba,  alum  and  other  substances,  only  about 
40  per  cent,  of  these  samples  being  found  of  tolerably  good  quality. 
Dr.  S.  S.  Garriguep,  on  being  invited,  spoke  of  the  salt  industry  of  Michigan, 
with  which  he  had  been  connected  for  many  years  ;  and  especially  referred  to 
a  very  simple  method,  introduced  by  him  many  years  ago,  for  removing  the 
deliquescent  admixtures  with  which  table  salt  is  often  contaminated  by  wash- 
ing them  out  by  means  of  a  saturated  solution  of  sodium  chloride. 
The  report  of  the  committee  on  prize  essays  for  the  past  year  not  having  come 
to  hand,  it  was  ordered  to  be  referred  to  Council  in  case  it  should  be  received 
after  adjournment. 
The  new  officers  were  then  installed,  and  the  Section  adjourned. 
Section  on  Pharmaceutical  Education. — Professor  Judge  presided,  and  Professor 
Whelpley  acted  as  secretary.  Short  papers  on  this  subject  by  Dr.  Eccles,  Prof. 
Sayre  and  Prof.  Bastin  were  read.  The  first  paper  referred  chiefly  to  the  ob- 
jects and  methods  of  education  in  general,  while  Prof.  Sayre  treated  of  the 
importance  of  a  good  English  education  as  a  part  of  pharmaceutical  education. 
Prof.  Bastin's  paper  dwelled  upon  education  before  entering  college,  upon 
methods  of  instruction,  upon  the  necessity  of  increased  laboratory  work,  and 
upon  the  desirability  of  lengthening  the  courses  in  pharmaceutical  colleges 
to  two  terms,  of  forty  weeks  each.  The  discussions  touched  upon  different 
problems,  and  the  system  of  memorizing,  followed  in  many  public  schools  and 
in  some  colleges,  was  branded  as  the  bane  of  education.   On  the  question  of 
