378 
Minutes  of  the  College. 
j  Am.  .lour  Pharm. 
1      July,  1883. 
action  it  strongly  resembles  chloral.  A  dose  of  three  grams  procures  quiet 
and  refreshing  sleep  for  from  four  to  seven  hours.  It  differs  from  chloral  in 
its  action  on  the  circulatory  system,  strengthening  the  heart's  action,  while 
diminishiug  its  frequency.  It  has  also  a  well-marked  action  on  the  kidneys, 
greatly  increasing  the  flow  of  urine.  The  skin  is  not  at  all  affected.  The 
drug  does  not  give  rise  to  digestive  disturbances,  to  headache,  or  to  any 
other  unpleasant  symptom.  Up  to  the  present.  Professor  Morselli  has  used 
paraldehyde  about  350  times.  He  has  found  it  a  valuable  remedy  in  mania, 
melancholia,  and  other  nervous  affections,  as  well  as  in  the  sleeplessness 
that  accompanies  acute  bronchial  catarrh,  lobar  pneumonia,  and  heart 
diseases.  He  believes  that  it  will,  to  a  large  extent,  take  the  place  of  chlo- 
ral.— British  Medical  Jo  urn  at  ^  FeJjriiari/  3,  1883.    Quart.  T/ierap.  Rev. 
The  Cyanides  in  Acute  Rheumatism. — Dr.  A.  Luton  gives  the 
cyanide  of  zinc  in  pill,  in  doses  of  from  three-fourths  to  one  and  a  half 
grains  in  a  single  day.  The  cyanide  of  potassium,  pure  and  well  prepared, 
is  perhaps  to  be  preferred,  he  thinks,  to  the  salt  of  zinc,  on  account  of  its 
evident  activity.  In  mixture  he  gives  it  in  the  dose  of  one  and  a  half 
grains  per  day.  It  is  best  administered  in  the  form  of  pills,  coated  with 
silver.  It  is  not  advisable  to  go  beyond  two  grains  a  day.— ^mer.  Med. 
Digest^  February  15  ;  Independent  Praetltioner. 
The  Action  of  Thymoe  on  the  Circulation. — The  London  Med. 
Record,  January  15,  1883,  says  that  Dr.  Fiori  used  thymol  in  fever  and 
apyrexia,  with  heart  sound  or  diseased,  taking  observations  of  the  temper- 
ature, pulse,  respiration,  blood-pressure,  in  doses  from  h  gramme  to  5 
grammes.  The  observations  were  taken  every  quarter  of  an  hour.  Sixteen 
individuals  were  experimented  on.  He  concludes  that  thymol  produces 
rapid  and  considerable  fall  of  temperature  and  diminution  of  the  frequency 
of  the  pulse  in  fever.  In  healthy  persons  also  it  retards  the  pulse.  In  the 
sphygmographic  tracings  is  seen  in  most  cases  a  tendency  to  rounding  of 
the  curves,  and  at  the  bifurcation  of  the  apex  of  the  curve  a  greater 
accentuation  of  the  occillations  of  elasticity.  With  the  fall  of  temperature, 
the  blood-pressure  diminishes.  Thymol,  while  it  lowers  the  temperature, 
has  no  bad  effect  on  the  heart;  and  can  therefore  be  considered  a  true 
antipyretic  remedy. — Med.  arid  Surg.  Rep.^  February  17,  1883^. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  COLLEGE. 
Philadelppiia,  June  25,  1883. 
A  stated  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  was  held  this 
day  at  the  College  Hall.  Charles  Bullock,  Vice-President,  in  the  chair. 
15  members  in  attendance. 
The  minutes  of  the  last  stated  meeting  were  read,  and,  on  motion,  adopted. 
The  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  for  April,  May,  and  June,  were 
read  by  William  C.  Bakes,  Secretary  of  the  Board,  and,  on  motion,  approved. 
These  minutes  inform  us  that  the  Board  have  authorized  a  new  Diploma, 
which  will  be  handsomely  engraved,  and  so  displayed  as  to  present  a  more 
elegant  and  finished  appearance  than  the  old  one. 
