Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Oct.,  1875.  ; 
Varieties. 
471 
of  heat.  Dr.  Pile's  collection  of  hydrometers  and  specific  gravity  bottles  was  much 
admired. 
Prof.  Babcock  exhibited  a  valuable  collection  of  chemical  and  pharmaceutical 
books  and  a  large  assortment  of  scientific  journals.  Chas.  A.  Heinitsh,  of  Lan- 
caster, presented  an  interesting  collection  of  nickel  ores  Robert  R.  Kent,  of  Bos- 
ton, brought  out  a  druggist's  sign  on  copper  that  had  done  good  service  100  years 
ago,  together  with  some  other  ancient  relics.  The  Massachusetts  College  of  Phar- 
macy also  displayed  some  venerable  remnants  of  by-gone  days,  in  the  shape  of  old 
mortars,  syrup-jars,  etc.  One  entire  side  of  the  hall  was  occupied  by  a  highly  in- 
teresting and  instructive  exhibition  of  living  medicinal  plants,  which  was  well  worthy 
of  careful  study,  and,  in  reality,  deserved  very  much  more  attention  than  it  received. 
The  collection  of  Materia  Medica  specimens  presented  by  Lazell,  Marsh  & 
Gardiner  had  been  personally  prepared  by  Prof.  P.  W.  Bedford,  and  possessed  more 
than  ordinary  interest.  The  total  value  of  all  the  goods  on  exhibition  was  variously 
stated  between  $200,000  and  !fi3oo,coo,  a  fact  that  seemed  to  draw  forth  from  the 
daily  papers  numerous  flattering  comparisons  between  Shakespeare's  apothecary  and 
the  pharmacist  of  to-day.  The  Exhibition  Committee  neatly  and  forcibly  expressed 
the  same  idea,  by  prominently  displaying  the  following  quotation  from  Romeo  and 
Juliet  : 
"  I  do  remember  an  apothecary, — 
And  hereabouts  he  dwells, —  .... 
And  in  his  needy  shop  a  tortoise  hung, 
An  alligator  stufF'd,  and  other  skins 
Of  ill-shaped  fishes  ;  and  about  his  shelves 
A  beggarly  account  of  empty  boxes. 
Green  earthen  pots,  bladders  and  musty  seeds, 
Remnants  of  packthread  and  old  cakes  of  roses, 
Were  thinly  scattered  to  make  up  a  show  
And  if  a  man  did  need  a  poison  now  .... 
Here  lives  a  caitiff  wretch  would  sell  it  him." 
While  in  opposition  to  it  there  was  the  quiet  and  modest  observation  : 
"  Tempora  mutantur,  et  nos  mutamur  in  illis." 
Essential  Oil  of  Achillea  AcERATUMi  By  S.  de  Luca. — This  plant  gives 
out  an  aromatic  camphorous  odor  when  rubbed  between  the  hands,  and  if  distilled 
in  a  current  of  steam,  furnishes  an  essential  oil.  The  largest  yield  is  obtained  about 
the  month  of  May,  before  the  plant  blossoms.  The  essential  oil,  which  has  a  density 
of  0-849  2,4°,  does  not  sensibly  absorb  oxygen  when  confined  over  mercury  along 
with  the  gas,  even  in  presence  of  platinum  black.  The  portion  which  distils  between 
165°  and  170°  remains  liquid  at  a  temperature  of  —  18^,  even  when  exposed  to  it  for 
four  hours.  The  fraction  which  comes  over  between  180°  and  182°  gave  by  analysis 
results  corresponding  with  the  formula  C26H44O3. — Journ.  Chem.  Soc.  [Lond.],  from 
Ann.  Chim.  Phys.  [5],  iv,  132-134. 
Salicylic  Acid  as  a  Disinfectant.  By  W.  Wagner. — As  the  results  of 
experience,  Wagner  asserts  that — (i.)  Salicylic  acid  is  superior  to  phenol  as  a  dis- 
infectant for  both  fresh  wounds  and  old  sores.  (2.)  A  disinfecting  action  is  insuf- 
ficient for  venereal  sores,  and  corrosion  is  requisite.  (3  )  In  eczema  of  the  head 
and  face,  with  discharge,  salicylic  acid  is  extraordinarily  efficacious,  presumably 
