^ptimbe^ilS1'}  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  483 
could  be  obtained.  A  line  of  experiments  which  these  gentlemen  instituted 
showed  that  all  but  one  per  cent,  of  the  whole  amount  of  hydrocyanic  acid 
present  could  be  obtained  by  the  method  of  estimation  which  they  used.  The 
glucoside  existing  in  the  barks  was  estimated  by  extracting  the  bark  with  abso- 
lute alcohol,  evaporating  the  alcoholic  extract  to  syrupy  consistence,  after 
which  the  glucoside  was  precipitated  by  the  addition  of  ether.  The  impure 
glucoside  obtained  in  this  manner  was  freed  from  resin  by  dissolving  it  in 
water.  The  residue  that  was  obtained  when  this  water  solution  was  evaporated 
to  dryness  was  considered  as  glucoside.  The  yield  of  this  substance  from  the 
thick  bark  equalled  4/12  per  cent.,  and  from  the  thin  bark  3"i6  per  cent.  Mr. 
Ebert  mentioned  that  this  paper  was  of  practical  value  from  the  fact  that  the 
thin  bark  had  always  commanded  a  higher  price  than  the  thick,  yet  at  the 
same  time  it  was  not  near  so  good  as  the  latter.  The  papers  were  referred  to 
the  Publication  Committee.  On  motion,  the  section  adjourned  until  3.30  P.M. 
At  this  hour  the  second  session  convened. 
After  the  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  morning  session,  the  Committee  on 
Chairman's  Address,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Sayre,  Prescott  and  Diehl,  reported 
favorably,  and  suggested  that  a  sub-committee,  to  be  known  as  a  Special 
Research  Committee,  be  appointed  by  the  present  incumbent  of  the  chair.  The 
committee  was  to  consist  of  three  members  of  the  Association,  and  the  Chair- 
man of  the  Section  on  Scientific  Interests  and  of  the  Committee  on  the  Revis- 
ion of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  ex-officio.  They  were  to  have  charge 
of  any  special  investigation  which  in  their  discretion  was  within  the  province 
of  the  section  on  scientific  interests.  It  was  recommended  that  this  committee 
shall  receive  such  encouragement,  financially,  as  is  necessary  to  advance  its 
work.  The  suggestion  was  adopted,  but  made  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
Council.  Prof.  Samuel  P.  Sad  tier,  of  Philadelphia,  was  unanimously  elected 
chairman  of  the  section  for  next  year.  A  ballot  for  secretary  then  took 
place.  W.  C.  Alpers  received  a  majority  of  votes.  A  committee,  which 
had  been  appointed  to  revise  the  business  of  the  section,  proposed  that  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  procedure  of  business,  a  general  rule  be  enacted  which 
would  limit  the  time  allowed  for  the  reading  of  a  paper  to  fifteen  minutes.  Dis- 
cussion was  to  be  unlimited,  provided  it  had  bearing  on  the  subject.  The 
papers  of  authors  who  were  present  were  to  be  given  preference.  These  rules 
were  to  be  subject  to  the  vote  of  the  section,  by  which  means  the  time  allowed 
for  reading  could  be  lengthened.  In  order  to  encourage  discussion,  it  was 
ordered  that  the  printed  papers  be  distributed  on  the  day  of  the  first  general 
session,  and  that  a  bulletin  of  them,  stating  the  title  and  the  time  when  they 
would  likely  be  read,  be  posted  in  the  proper  places.  The  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Revision  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  was  then  read  by 
Chairman  Eliel,  in  order  that  there  might  be  discussion  regarding  the  sugges- 
tion which  it  contained.  The  committee  recommended  that  granulated  opium 
be  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  tincture  and  the  deodorized  tincture,  and 
that  the  use  of  precipitated  calcium  phosphate  be  omitted  in  their  preparation. 
Professor  Remington  supported  the  use  of  the  calcium  compound,  and  referred 
to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  granulated  opium  as  the  objection  to  its  use.  Pro- 
fessor Hallberg  was  decidedly  in  favor  of  granulated  opium  and  the  dropping  of 
the  precipitated  phosphate.  Professor  Caspari  had  obtained  best  results  with 
No.  40  granulated  opium,  and  had  found  the  official  method  unsatisfactory. 
