Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
January,  1901.  J 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
45 
and  it  is  highly  probable  that  there  is  no  chemistry  published  in 
the  English  language  for  the  use  of  medical  and  pharmaceutical 
students  that  treats  so  concisely,  thoroughly  and  accurately  of  the 
departments  of  physics  and  chemistry  and  their  application  in 
medicine  and  the  arts. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
The  third  of  the  series  of  pharmaceutical  meetings  of  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy,  for  1900-1901,  was  held  on  Tuesday, 
December  18,  1900.  James  T.  Shinn,a  well-known  member  of  the 
College,  presided.  The  meeting  was  an  exceptionally  valuable  one 
owing  to  the  number  of  practical  matters  that  were  discussed.  Dr. 
Henry  Leffmann  spoke  on  the  subject  of  high  and  low  explosives, 
exhibiting  samples  of  the  powders  used  in  modern  warfare ;  also 
giving  a  few  practical  demonstrations  of  the  mode  of  action  of 
explosives.    His  address  was  in  part  as  follows  : 
"  Various  mixtures  of  a  more  or  less  explosive  character  were 
used  in  ancient  times.  Greek  fire  is  believed  to  have  been  a  mix- 
ture of  bituminous  matters,  nitre  and  sulphur.  This  would  burn 
under  water  and  was  used  with  great  destructive  effect  before  the 
invention  of  firearms.  Cannon  were  used  over  five  hundred  years 
ago.  It  is  stated  that  the  cannon  used  at  the  siege  of  Constanti- 
nople in  1453  was  fired  only  about  eight  times  a  day. 
"The  increase  in  the  size  of  cannon  in  modern  times  has  neces- 
sitated increase  in  the  size  of  the  grains  of  powder,  because  a  very 
fine  grain  powder  would  be  too  powerful.  I  have  here  specimens 
of  the  large  hexagonal  grains  of  ordinary  black  powder,  also  the 
brown  powder,  the  latter  containing  a  charcoal  of  lighter  color. 
These  specimens  are  intended  for  the  large  cannon.  Here  are  cubi- 
cal grains  about  the  size  of  common  dice  intended  for  rapid-fire 
guns,  also  spherical  grains  about  y2  inch  in  diameter.  Another 
interesting  class  is  that  in  which  sodium  nitrate  is  substituted  for 
potassium  nitrate.  Contrary  to  what  I  have  always  been  taught, 
this  powder  is  not  appreciably  deliquescent.  The  use  of  the 
sodium  compound  is,  of  course,  for  the  sake  of  economy.  These 
powders  are  used  for  mild  blastings,  such  as  getting  out  coal.  Here 
is  a  sample  of  Dupont's  CCC  grade,  the  grains  of  which  are  nearly 
as  large  as  peach-kernels. 
