5i6         Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  {"^""iJov'iSy 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  session  was  held  October  19th,  1875,  Dillwyn  Parrish  In 
the  chair.  William  Mclntyrc  was  re-elected  registrar.  The  minutes  of  the  last 
meeting  were  read  and  approved.  The  chairman  welcomed  students  and  strangers 
to  the  meeting. 
C.  L.  Mitchell  presented  to  the  cabinet  a  specimen  of  damiana.  Professor  Maisch 
exhibited  three  specimens  of  this  drug  and  drawings  of  the  leaves,  sent  by  H.  S. 
Wellcome,  now  of  New  York.  The  kind  presented  by  Mr.  Mitchell  is  the  same 
as  what  Mr.  Wellcome  designates  as  New  York  damiana,  which  belongs  to  a  genus- 
allied  to  the  asterinese,  but  which  he  has  not  had  the  time  to  determine. 
Dr.  Miller  presented  an  additional  specimen  of  this  kind  which  is  obtained  from 
Mexico,  where  it  is  known  as  daminia.  Mr.  Bullock  observed  the  odor  and  taste 
of  the  latter  damiana  differed  from  that  of  the  fluid  extract  introduced  by  a  Wash- 
ington manufacturer,  which  reminded  of  matico. 
Dr.  Miller  also  showed  samples  of  two  other  drugs  of  recent  introduction,  baldo 
and  jaborandi. 
Professor  Maisch  exhibited  jaborandi  leaves  and  capsules  from  Dr.  Greene, 
U.  S.  N.,  which  is  the  kind  figured  in  "Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1875,  P*  ^7 Si  ^"^^ 
probably  comes  from  Pilocarpus  pennatifolius  or  some  species  allied  to  it.  The 
fluid  extract  prepared  with  50  per  cent,  alcohol  is  an  active  sialagogue  and 
diaphoretic. 
Dr.  Miller  presented  a  curious  fungous  growth  obtained  from  the  south,  where  it 
is  occas,onally  found  as  a  parasite  on  the  roots  of  larch  trees ;  in  the  far  West  it  is 
used  as  an  article  of  food  by  the  Indians,  and  is  known  as  tuckabo  or  Indian  head. 
Its  botanical  name  is  Lycoperdon  solidum.  It  contains  about  82  p  er  cent,  of  starchy 
and  4  per  cent,  of  nitrogenous  matter,  so  that  it  is  highly  nutritious  Occasionally 
the  fungus  attains  large  dimensions,  equaling  a  man's  trunk  in  size  or  resembling  a 
human  head  in  shape,  whence  the  name  of  Indian  head. 
Professor  Maisch  presented  kernels  of  PInus  pinea,  which  have  lately  been  im- 
ported into  this  port  for  the  purpose  of  being  used  in  place  of  sweet  almonds  in 
confectionery.  After  soaking  in  warm  water  their  origin  is  readily  recognized  from 
the  unfolding  of  the  ten  or  twelve  cotyledons. 
Dr.  Miller  presented  a  very  choice  sample  of  California  honey  obtained  by  him 
from  Los  Angelos.  It  is  clear,  transparent  and  of  a  very  superior  flavor  j  the  bees 
producing  it  were  stated  to  feed  chiefly  on  the  so-called  white  sage  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  On  being  interrogated  as  to  the  relative  price,  it  was  stated  to  hive 
cost  12  J  cents  per  lb.  in  gold,  in  Los  Angelos,  and  the  expense  of  bringing  it  on  in 
larger  quanties  was  about  5  cents  per  lb. 
E.  M.  Boring  exhibited  a  very  nice  domestic  honey  and  also  bees- wax  ;  from  8  lb. 
of  honey- comb  a  little  over  2  oz.  of  wax  was  obtained. 
Dr.  Miller  read  a  paper  on  rectified  spirit,  which  was  referred  to  the  publication 
committee  (see  p.  490). 
