Arajun°e,ri8P76arm  '}  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  279 
foetida,  with  variable  results,  but  found  that  by  the  addition  of  an  equal  amount  of 
sugar  of  milk  a  permanent  powder  could  be  produced. 
The  Professor  remarked  he  could  well  see  the  cause  of  the  variable  results, 
which  must  be  due  to  the  variable  composition  of  commercial  asafcetida,  which, 
according  to  Prof.  Dymock,  of  Bombay  (see  "Amer.  Jour.  Phar."  1875,  320),  is 
generally  more  or  less  adulterated. 
Prof.  Remington  thought  it  advisable  to  find  out  the  smallest  possible  amount  of 
sugar  of  milk  required  in  the  case  of  each  drug. 
Mr.  Bibby  thought  in  preparing  emulsions  with  these  powders  a  mortar  should 
be  used,  mere  agitation  in  a  vial  not  always  yielding  good  results. 
William  Mclntyre  read  a  paper  on  a  wafer  machine  and  press,  (see  page  267) 
illustrating  its  use  in  actual  practice.  All  the  apparatus  necessary  for  making  one 
size  of  wafer  disks  and  capsules  had  cost  $3. 
Prof.  Maisch  showed  a  handkerchief  with  initials  marked  thereon  eleven  months 
ago,  by  placing  upon  it  the  lower  surface  of  a  leaf  of  Magnolia  glauca  and  tracing 
the  letters  upon  the  upper  surface  with  a  pointed  instrument,  using  some  pressure  ; 
he  stated  that  his  attention  had  been  called  to  this  property  by  C.  E.  Hornberger,  a 
member  of  the  last  graduating  class.  The  handkerchief  exhibited  had  been 
frequently  washed,  without  affecting  the  marking. 
A.  P.  Brown  exhibited  an  inhaler  for  gaseous  chloride  of  ammonium,  which  has 
been  devised  by  H.  P.  Reynolds,  of  Plainfield,  N.  J.,  and  may  be  prepared  from  an 
ordinary  wide-mouth  bottle,  closed  with  a  tightly  fitting  perforated  cork,  so  as  to 
admit  of  two  tubes.  One  of  these  is  a  glass  syringe  tube,  passing  nearly  to  the 
bottom  and  filled  with  small  pieces  of  sponge  5  while  the  longer,  which  is  bent  to 
be  applied  to  the  mouth,  may  have  its  origin  just  below  the  bottom  of  the  cork. 
When  it  is  wanted  for  use,  the  cork  is  removed,  and  after  placing  three  or  four 
drops  of  chemically  pure  muriatic  acid  in  the  bottle,  and  the  same  quantity  of  strong 
aqua  ammonia?  in  the  syringe  tube  containing  the  sponge,  the  mouth-piece  of  the 
inhaling  tube  is  taken  between  the  lips  for  the  purpose  of  inhalation.  In  drawing 
air  through  the  apparatus,  the  ammonia  combines  with  the  muriatic  acid,  and  the 
air  becomes  charged  with  vapors  of  ammonium  chloride. 
Prof.  Remington  described  a  convenient  way  of  inhaling  substances  which  are 
usually  added  to  hot  water — a  rubber  tube  is  slipped  over  the  small  end  of  a  funnel 
which  is  placed  as  a  cover  over  a  tin  vessel  containing  the  water  and  drug. 
Prof.  Maisch  exhibited  the  seeds  of  Paullinia  sorbilis,  which  are  used  in  South 
America  in  the  preparation  of  guarana  ;  Strassburg  turpentine,  Terebinthina  argen- 
toratensis  from  Abies  pectinata,  which  is  similar  in  appearance  to  Canada  balsam, 
and  used  in  Europe  for  similar  purposes  ;  Dita  bark  from  Echites  scholaris,  which 
has  attracted  some  attention  as  a  febrifuge  ;  the  rind  of  the  fruit  of  Garcinia  mangos- 
tana,  recommended  as  a  reliable  remedy  in  dysentery  ;  Goa  powder,  which  contains 
much  chrysophanic  acid,  and  is  stated  to  be  very  useful  as  an  external  application  in 
ringworm  and  other  skin  diseases  $  the  fruit  of  Myrcia  acris,  resembling  allspice, 
but  more  oblong  in  shape,  which  is  used  with  the  leaves  of  the  same  plant  in  the 
distillation  of  bay-rum  ;  a  white  crystalline  saccharine  principle,  which  has  been 
isolated  by  Prof.  E.  S  Wayne,  from  American  bitter-sweet,  the  bark  of  Celastru 
scandens,  and  the  highly-aromatic  volatile  oil  of  spice-berry,  the  fruit  of  Benzoin. 
