AmM?y,r'i8>76arm' }  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations,  229 
denied,  Bidder  and  Schmidt,  among  others,  proving  that  the  decomposition  of  fats 
is  prevented  by  the  presence  of  acids  and  of  the  digestive  fluids  of  the  stomach. 
Dobell,  in  1868,  found  the  pancreatic  liquid  of  pigeons  always  to  possess  an  acid 
reaction,  and  to  have  the  power  of  emulsionizing  lard,  but  not  to  decompose  it.  In 
most  cases,  however,  and  more  particularly  after  feeding,  the  reaction  of  the  pan- 
creas is  alkaline,  and  this  condition,  or  the  absolute  absence  of  free  acid,  appears  to 
be  necessary  to  effect  the  decomposition  of  the  neutral  fats.  Whether  this  is  or  is 
not  an  important  function  of  the  pancreas  in  the  animal  economy  seems  to  be  of 
minor  importance  for  the  question  before  this  committee  5  but,  since  pancreatic 
preparations  have  been  recommended  and  used  in  medicine,  it  was  important  to 
know  whether  or  not  the  pancreatic  liquid  would  lose  its  identity  or  remain  unal- 
tered when  in  contact  with  the  digestive  principles  of  the  stomach,  and  this  ques- 
tion appears  to  be  decided  by  the  experiments  of  Prof.  Scheffer,  proving  that  the 
presence  of  free  mineral  acid,  or  of  pepsin  and  free  acid,  not  only  prevents  the  ac- 
tion of  the  pancreatin,  but  that  the  latter  is  destroyed. 
The  committee  deem  this  short  criticism  (made  in  a  friendly  spirit)  as  necessary 
to  explain  the  conclusion  to  which  they  have  arrived,  viz.,  that  the  results  attained 
to  by  the  authors  of  these  papers  have  been  foreshadowed  by  the  investigations  of 
previous  writers  to  such  an  extent  that  they  do  not,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Com- 
mhtee,  fairly  come  within  the  provisions  prescribed  by  Mr.  Ebert  in  founding  the 
"  Ebert  Prize." 
Chas.  Bullock, 
W.  H.  Pile, 
John  M.  Maisch. 
Philadelphia,  March  17,  1876. 
Massachusetts  College  of  Pharmacy. — The  tenth  annual  commencement 
was  held  at  Parker  Memorial  Hall,  April  20th.  After  some  introductory  remarks, 
by  President  S.  M.  Colcord,  an  address  was  delivered  by  Francis  Wharton,  LL.D. 
The  degree  of  graduate  in  pharmacy  (Ph.G.)  was  conferred  upon  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen :  Benjamin  F.  Bradford,  Wm.  A.  D.  Cragin,  Eugene  F.  Dunbai 
and  Thos.  R.  A.  Shannon,  of  Maine;  Chas.  D.  Chase,  Ashton  E.  Hemphill,  Wm. 
M.  Howes,  Edward  O.  Punchard,  Benjamin  F.  Smith  and  Duane  B.  Williams,  ot 
Massachusetts,  and  John  E.  GrofF,  of  Rhode  Island.  The  valedictory  address  was 
delivered  by  Prof.  J.  M.  Merrick,  B.  Sc. 
New  York  Alumni  Association  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy. — At  the  annual  meeting,  held  in  Plimpton  Hall,  President  P.  W. 
Levering  in  the  chair,  several  amendments  were  made  to  the  constitution,  and  the 
following  officers  elected  to  serve  the  ensuing  year  :  President,  Henry  S.  Well- 
come; Vice  Presidents,  J.  W.  Wood,  R.  J.  C.  Williams;  Secretary,  Edward 
Plummer;  Corresponding  Secretary,  Wm.  Wilson;  Treasurer,  A.  J.  Ditman  ; 
Members  of  the  Executive  Board,  to  serve  three  years,  T.  B.  McElhenie,  J. 
Messing  ;  Delegates  to  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  B.  F.  Fairchild,  H. 
S.  Wellcome,  J.  Jungmann,  F.  C.  Von  Weber,  M.  D.,  Wm'.  Wilson,  J.  W. 
Wood.    The  retiring  president  delivered  the  annual  address,  giving  a  brief  review  of 
