876  News  Items  and  Personal  Notes.  {AmbJe°cu,riSiarm* 
To  Distinguish  Oubaix  From  Strophanthin. — A  few  crys- 
tals of  the  substance  are  added  to  a  mixture  of  4  to  5  ml.  of  con- 
centrated hydrochloric  acid  and  a  small  pinch  of  resorcin  in  a  test 
tube  and  the  mixture  is  heated  at  60-70  in  a  water  bath  for  several 
minutes.  Strophanthin  gives  a  rose  coloration;  ouabain  gives  no 
color. —  (A.  Richaud,  7.  de  Pharm.  Chemie.,  v.  113,  p.  161  [1921].) 
J.  F.  C. 
NEWS  ITEMS  AND  PERSONAL  NOTES 
The  augmented  faculty  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy gathered  together  at  the  festive  board,  on  Monday  evening, 
October  the  24th,  at  Kugler's  Restaurant.  This  initial  gathering 
marks  the  opening  of  the  series  of  monthly  faculty  meetings  which 
have  been  the  custom  for  some  years  past.  The  new  members  of 
the  faculty  were  introduced  and  were  given  the  glad  hand  of  wel- 
come. The  monthly  meetings  of  the  faculty  have  been  inspirational 
and  educational  and  are  zealously  attended  by  every  member  of  the 
instructional  corps  of  the  College.  Scientific  papers  are  usually  read 
by  individual  members  of  the  faculty,  these  papers  subsequently  ap- 
pearing in  the  College  publication,  The  American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy. 
The  course  of  lectures  on  popular  subjects  was  opened  to  a  well 
attended  house  on  October  6,  1921,  when  Dr.  Henry  Leffmann,  Lec- 
turer on  Research  at  the  College,  delivered  an  address  on  "The 
Chemistry  of  Other  Worlds."  The  wisdom  of  the  persons  who 
suggested  this  course  of  lectures  was  reflected  in  the  high-class  type 
of  audience  that  attended  this  first  address.  Prof.  Freeman  P. 
Stroup,  Professor  of  Chemistry  at  the  College,  on  October  20, 
192 1,  delivered  the  second  lecture  on  "Petroleum  Products  and  Their 
Modern  Uses."  A  working  model  of  oil  well  machinery,  hand- 
carved  by  the  lecturer,  was  an  interesting  exhibit  at  this  lecture 
which  was  also  listened  to  by  an  appreciative  audience. 
The  rehabilitated  and  renovated  College  found  its  annual  ses- 
sions opened  to  record  breaking  classes  of  students.  The  elevation 
of  pre-requisite  requirements  seems  not  to  have  materially  altered  the 
number  of  apprentice  pharmacists.   It  was  possible,  however,  to  give 
