}        American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  537 
Fifth  Session,  Thursday  Afternoon,  Sept.  \Wi. 
The  session  was  opened  with  the  reading  of  tlie  minutes  of  the  preceding 
session  and  of  the  Council  meeting,  and  with  the  proposition  of  17  appli- 
cants for  membership.  The  Committee  on  Exhibits  made  a  partial  report, 
and  was  granted  time  to  fin  is  1 1  it  for  publication. 
Mr.  Gordon  read  a  paper  on  the  production  of  bromine  in  the  United 
States.  The  annual  yield  is  450,000  to  500,000  lbs.,  divided  as  follows  :  Alle- 
gheny river.  Pa.,  70,000  lbs.  ;  Clifton,  Macon  City,  and  Hartford  City,  W. 
Va.,  110,000  lbs.;  Middleport,  Pomeroy,  and  Coneport,  O.,  130,000  lbs.  ; 
Kanawha  river,  W.  Va.,  45,000  lbs.  ;  Canal  Dover,  30,000  lbs.,  and  Midland 
and  St.  Louis,  Mich.,  100,000  lbs. 
Mr.  Kennedy  read  a  paper  on  the  asserted  presence  of  magnesium  sid- 
phate  in  cinchonidine  sulphate,  and  reported  that  samples  of  cinchonidine 
from  the  four  American  manufacturers  had  been  found  free  from  the  impu- 
rity. 
Two  papers  on  Stathmetometric  or  Stathmetic  Analysis  were  read,  one  by 
Prof.  W.  W.  Bartlet,  the  other  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Taylor,  both  papers  advocating 
in  favor  of  this  method,  as  being  not  only  available,  but  superior  to  the 
volumetric  method,  on  account  of  greater  accuracy,  for  the  reason  that  the 
result  is  not  affected  by  the  expansion  or  contraction  through  changes  of 
temperature.  The  method  resembles  volumetric  analysis,  but  the  test  solu- 
tions are  brought  to  a  definite  weight  instead  of  measure,  and  the  amount 
of  test  liquid  used  for  analysis  is  likewise  weighed. 
Mr.  Rice  acknowledged  the  greater  accuracy  and  also  the  usefulness  of 
this  method,  but  considered  the  volumetric  method  as  rather  more  conve- 
nient, if  care  be  taken  to  prepare  all  volumetric  test  liquids  at  the  same 
temperature  and  afterwards  preserve  them  under  identical  conditions  as 
regards  temperature.  While  the  ratio  of  expansion  and  contraction  of 
these  liquids  was  doubtless  not  absolutely  identical,  yet  the  differences 
were  so  slight  that  they  might  be  disregarded.  Every  stathmetometric 
analysis  required  three  weighings,  against  one  by  the  volumetric  method  ; 
the  former,  moreover,  necessitated  the  use  of  more  accurate  balances.  At 
present  there  was  very  little  difficulty  of  obtaining  accurate  burettes. 
Prof.  Bartlet  again  referred  to  the  advantages  of  the  method  and  said  that 
scales  sensitive  to  1  milligram  should  be  found  in  every  store.  Prof.  Par- 
sons prefers  the  volumetric  method  as  being  more  expeditious  and,  with 
ordinary  care,  equally  good  ;  the  success  of  both  depends  upon  personal 
skill  and  attention. 
A  paper  by  Mr.  Wm.  M.  Thomson  was  read  on  an  improved  process  with 
apparatus  for  manufacturing  fluid  extracts  on  a  large  scale.  The  apparatus 
consists  of  *  hree  chambers,  the  upper  one  constituting  the  reservoir.  In  this 
a  vacuum  is  created,  the  menstruum  is  then  drawn  in,  afterwards  subjected 
to  a  pressure  of  3  or  4  atmospheres  and  retained  under  compression  until 
required.  The  middle  vessel  is  the  percolator  in  which  the  properly 
moistened  material  is  packed  between  two  diaphragms  and  macerated  with 
menstruum  in  a  partial  vacuum.  The  lower  vessel  is  the  receiver,  and 
before  being  put  in  operation  a  vacuum  is  produced  therein.  After  suffi- 
cient maceration  of  the  drug,  communication  between  the  three  chambers 
I 
