^'"ber'is^s^'""''}        Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  6'31 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHAKMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  November  20,  1883. 
In  the  absence  of  the  president,  Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  was  called  to  the  chair. 
The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  were  read  and  approved. 
Dr.  Miller  stated  that  he  had  talked  to  one  of  the  manufacturers  of  the 
American  Magnesium  Carbonate,  who  stated  that  it  was  their  aim  to  have 
the  case,  which  contains  480  blocks  of  the  magnesia,  weigh  a  little  more 
rather  than  less  than  120  pounds,  but  owing  to  the  varying  density  of  the 
magnesian  carbonate  and  the  variable  amount  of  water  which  the  magna 
contained,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  make  these  blocks  of  uniform  weight. 
Mr.  J,  W.  England,  in  response  to  the  call  for  written  communications, 
read  an  interesting  paper  upon  Syrup  of  lactucarium.  Tiie  paper  was 
accompanied  with  specimens  of  the  syrup  made  in  accordance  with  the 
pharmacopoeia  of  1880,  and  by  the  formula  which  he  indicated  in  his  paper. 
He  also  directed  attention  to  powdered  quartz  as  a  most  desirable  material 
for  comminuting  resinous  matters  of  a  character  like  lactucarium.  The 
reading  of  the  paper  elicited  a  number  of  inquiries,  and  a  vote  of  thanks 
was  passed  to  Mr.  England.  The  paper  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Publication. 
Professor  Maisch  presented  to  the  College,  for  the  Cabinet,  a  specimen  of 
tupelo  root,  the  Nyssa  grandidentata,  forwarded  b.y  Hiland  Flowers,  Ph. 
G.,  from  Louisiana;  its  extreme  lightness  makes  it  valuable  for  forming 
floats  for  fishing  nets,  and  it  has  been  used  in  surgery  for  the  fabrication  of 
"  tents,"  its  expansive  power  rendering  it  quite  suitable  for  this  purpose. 
Professor  Maisch  stated  that  he  had  received,  about  four  years  ago,  inqui- 
ries for  Nyssa  root  from  Europe,  and  then  he  could  only  obtain  the  roots  of 
Nyssa  multiflora  and  uniflora,  growing  in  the  Northern  States,  and  the 
wood  was  far  more  dense,  and  unsuited  for  the  purpose  of  making  tents. 
Professor  Trimble  called  attention  to  a  small  volume  entitled  "Pocket- 
book  for  Chemists,"  by  Thomas  Bailey,  Ass.  R.  C.  Soc,  containing  tables 
of  equivalents,  the  rules  for  converting  metric  in  grain  weights,  and  a  very 
large  amount  of  information  of  great  value  to  manufacturing  chemists  and 
others. 
Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  read  a  poetical  dissertation  on  Hamamelis,  or  Witch 
Hazel,  which  was  received  with  satisfaction. 
Professor  Maisch  exhibited  a  specimen  of  the  fruit  of  the  Japanese  per- 
simmon, Diospyros  Kaki,  handed  to  him  by  Miss  Hayhurst,  Ph.G.,  M.D. 
The  beauty  of  the  specimen  caused  it  to  be  much  admired  ;  it  is  of  a  bright 
red  color,  and  somewhat  like  a  thick  tomato,  but  rounder,  with  only  four 
slight  grooves  on  its  sides.  Although  a  native  of  Japan,  the  specimen 
shown  was  grown  in  Florida. 
Professor  Maisch  alluded  to  the  fact  that  the  Spigelia  which  was  com- 
monly sold  twenty-five  years  ago  had  entirely  disappeared  from  the  market, 
and  its  place  taken  by  much  smaller  roots  of  Spigelia  marilandica,  and  by 
one  or  more  species  of  Phlox,  principally  P.  Carolina.  A  pharmacist  of 
Georgia  informed  Prof.  Maisch,  when  in  Georgia,  several  years  since,  that 
the  reputation  of  Spigelia  was  built  upon  the  results  obtained  by  the  use  of 
the  phlox.    The  late  Mr.  Twining,  an  extensive  manufacturer  of  fluid 
