156  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  {^'Va?'"i883 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  February  20,  1883. 
In  the  absence  of  the  president,  Mr.  Andrew  Blair  was  called  to  the 
chair. 
Tlie  minutes  of  the  last  pharmaceutical  meeting  were  read  and  approved. 
Mr.  AVallace  Procter  presented  on  behalf  of  Messrs.  John  M.  Maris  &  Co. 
a  gallon  bottle  nearly  full  of  Oil  of  monarda,  which  has  been  in  their  pos- 
session for  thirteen  years,  and  in  which  there  was  a  deposit  of  nearly  one- 
third  of  its  bulk  of  thymol,  portions  of  which  seemed  to  be  very  pure. 
On  motion  the  thanks  of  the  college  were  directed  to  be  returned  to  the 
donors.  Professor  Maisch  directed  attention  to  the  pale  color  of  the  oil, 
and  to  the  two  strata  of  the  thymol,  the  lower  and  thickest  layer  consisting 
of  large  crystals  and  being  nearly  transparent,  while  a  much  thinner  layer 
on  the  top  of  the  first  one  is  composed  of  small  crystals,  giving  it  a  white 
<?olor ;  it  would  be  interesting  to  determine  the  amount  of  thymol  still 
remaining  in  the  liquid. 
Mr.  Wallace  Procter  i^resented  an  air  thermometer,  with  both  R6aumur 
&  Celsius'  scale,  that  was  given  to  his  father  by  Mr.  Henry  W.  Leslie,  an 
-apothecary  in  Bristol,  Pa.,  and  was  dated  on  the  back  sixty  years  old  in 
1861  ;  it  was  accepted  with  thanks. 
Donations  to  the  library  were  made  as  follows :  From  the  British  Phar- 
maceutical Conference,  the  Year-Book  of  Pharmacy  for  1882 ;  Report  of  the 
•Chief  Officer  of  the  Signal  Service  Bureau  for  1880;  and  a  copy  of  the 
Chemist  and  Druggists'  Diary  for  1883. 
Mr.  M.  William  Coleman,  a  member  of  the  present  senior  class,  read  a 
paper  upon  the  composition  and  solubility  of  the  commercial  sulphate  of 
strychnine  (see  page  113) ;  the  paper  was  listened  to  with  satisfaction  and 
referred  to  the  Publication  Committee. 
Professor  Maisch  said  he  was  gratified  in  two  ways  by  this  paper ;  first, 
that  such  a  paper  was  offered  by  a  member  of  the  class,  and  next,  that  it 
cleared  up  several  iwints  in  regard  to  tiiis  salt. 
Profcvssor  Power  called  attention  to  the  considerable  difference  in  alka- 
loidal  strength  of  the  mono-  and  di-strychnine  sulphate,  and  to  the  differ- 
ence in  the  statements  regarding  the  solubility  of  the  latter  in  water,  vary- 
ing from  10  to  50  parts  for  1  part  of  the  salt. 
Professor  Maisch  read  a  note  frrm  F.  M.  Tilton,  Ph.G.  of  Haddonfield, 
N.  J.,  giving  a  formula  for  the  preparation  of  unguentum  h^drargyri  nitratis 
(see  page  145)  which  yielded  an  ointment  peculiar  in  this  respect  that  it 
retained  its  color  and  did  not  discolor  a  metallic  spatula  when  manipulated 
therewith  ;  the  ointment  thus  prepared  was  exhibited  by  Professor  Maisch 
last  year  and  was  now  again  brought  before  the  meeting  ;  it  had  be- 
<;ome  darker  in  color,  but  did  not  affect  iron  even  when  rubbed  up  in  the 
presence  of  water.  Professor  Maisch  said  that  probably  camphorate  of 
mercury  was  formed,  which  salt  is  stated  by  chemical  works  to  be  nearly 
insoluble  in  water  and  alcohol,  but  slightly  soluble  in  ether;  he  thought  it 
might  perhaps  be  soluble  in  fats.    A  member  asked  if  the  reaction  that  is 
