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EDITORIAL. 
it  is  to  devise  and  direct  the  building  of  bridges,  aqueducts,  &c.,  is  a  civil 
engineer,  both  by  custom  and  the  dictionary  ;  but  this  fact  does  not  lessen 
the  significance  of  the  College  diploma  of  Civil  Engineer.  This  School 
gives  the  diploma  of  Pharmaceutical  Chemist,  because,  of  customary 
terms,  these  best  express  the  educational  design  of  this  School.  The 
meaning  of  the  diploma  will  depend,  of  course,  upon  the  worth  of  the 
education.  In  choice  of  title  we  had  no  precedent;  for  our  methods  of 
study,  and  requirements,  differ  from  those  elsewhere  preceding  pharmacy 
graduation. 
With  a  full  appreciation  of  the  invaluable  work  which  has  been  done 
with  young  men  engaged  in  the  drug  business  by  the  Colleges  of  Phar- 
macy of  the  United  States  (would  there  were  more  of  them  !),  it  appears 
to  us  that  something  should  also  be  done  in  the  "Universities"  of  our 
country  to  educate  for  an  avocation  that  must  be  scientific  to  be  useful. 
Agriculture^  Mechanics,  Engineering,  Mining,  and  almost  every  responsi- 
ble occupation,  whether  mainly  mental  or  manual,  have  their  courses  of 
liberal  instruction  laid  out  in  our  institutions  of  learning  ;  courses  era- 
bracing  years  of  discipline  in  science,  absorbing  the  entire  time  and  en- 
ergy of  the  student,  and  designed  to  precede  business  experience.  We 
labor  toward  placing  pharmacy  in  scientific  hands  ;  who  welcomes  our 
effort?  A.  B.  Prescott,  M.D. 
Is  Glycerin   and  Saw   Dust   Spontaneously  Combustible?  The 
following  letter  from  our  friend  Brown  is  worthy  of  a  little  thoaght.  Our 
own  experience  furnishes  no  solution  to  the  phenomenon,  assuming  the 
case  to  be.  as  the  relator  supposes,  a  mere  mixture  of  glycerin  and  saw- 
dust. Under  these  circumstances,  by  capillary  attraction  the  glycerin 
would  be  extended  over  an  immense  surface  of  ligneous  cell  structure, 
presenting  a  large  surface  to  the  air  in  contact.  Whether  oxidation, 
resulting  in  visible  combustion,  takes  place  under  these  conditions,  is  the 
question.  Can  any  of  our  readers  throw  light  on  it,  yea  or  nay,  or 
must  the  ignition  be  due  to  a  match  or  other  cause  accidentally  present? 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  Nov.  27,  1869. 
Dear  Sir. — I  wish  to  relate  to  you  the  following  circumstance,  that 
occurred  in  this  city,  and,  as  it  seems  to  be  a  mystery  to  us,  it  may  not  be 
to  you.  A  druggist  here  purchased  from  W.  J.  M.  Gorden  a  box 
containing  a  number  of  lb.  bottles  of  glycerin,  packed  in  saw  dust.  Upon 
opening  the  box  he  found  several  of  the  bottles  broken.  After  taking 
out  all  the  perfect  bottles,  he  put  back  the  saw  dust  and  nailed  the  box 
up,  and  placed  it  aside  in  his  store.  It  remained  there  a  day  or  two, 
when  he  discovered  the  box  to  be  smoking,  and  upon  opening  it  burst  out 
in  a  flame  and  burned  rapidly.  He  carried  the  box  out  in  the  street,  and 
by  the  aid  of  water  the  fire  was  put  out. 
Query.  What  produced  spontaneous  combustion?  A  letter  from  Mr. 
Gol  den  states  that  it  was  packed  in  saw  dust  from  the  mill,  and  he  never 
had  heard  of  a  similar  case  before.  Would  packing  in  damp  saw  dust, 
and  fermentation  going  on,  produce  it? 
Yours,  truly,  R.  J.  Browk. 
