480 
EDITORIAL. 
lents  of  its  water  of  crystallization  ?  Dr.  Squibb's  averments  are  based  on 
the  assumption  that  it  does.  Mr.  Weightman's  results  convince  him  that 
it  does  not.  Again  ;  Dr.  Squibb,  in  asserting  that  other  impurities  exist, 
does  not  appear  to  have  duly  considered  the  alterations  incident  to  the 
action  of  heat  and  air  on  the  alkaloid  base  of  the  salt,  during  the  desiccating 
and  evaporating  processes  to  which  it  was  subjected  in  his  experiments — 
influences  well  known  to  act  on  almost  all  forms  of  organic  matter,  as  sug- 
gested by  Mr.  Weightman.  When  the  subject  was  first  brought  forward 
by  Dr.  Squibb,  we  looked  upon  it  in  the  light  of  a  new  fact,  previously 
overlooked,  that  this  salt  might  crystallize  with  more  than  the  eight  equiva- 
lents of  water,  as  usually  stated  by  chemical  writers,  and  that  it  should  be 
known,  else  we  should  have  recommended  that  justice  to  the  uniformly 
good  quality  of  their  chemicals  should  have  claimed  for  the  manufacturers 
a  private  hearing,  at  least  until  the  reality  of  their  shortcoming  should 
have  been  unequivocally  demonstrated  by  a  series  of  parallel  examinations 
made  with  the  commercial  sulphate  of  quinia  of  other  manufacturers, 
foreign  and  domestic.  Until  this  is  done  by  Dr.  Squibb  or  a  disinterested 
third  party,  we  claim  the  privilege  of  arresting  a  judgment  which,  however 
well  intentioned  by  Dr.  Squibb,  is  calculated  to  injure  the  deservedly 
excellent  reputation  of  the  manufacturers. 
New  York  College  of  Pharmacy.  Prescriptions. — The  New  York 
College  of  Pharmacy,  in  July  last,  issued  a  circular  letter  to  the  physicians 
of  that  city  in  reference  to  the  want  of  uniformity  in  the  language  and 
construction  of  prescriptions  as  a  fruitful  source  of  errors  in  compounding 
them.  Looseness  in  this  important  office  of  the  physician  has  perceptibly 
diminished  in  this  city  since  the  joint  action  of  the  County  Medical  Society 
and  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  yet  there  is  room  for  much  improvement  at 
the  present  time,  not  only  in  the  mechanical  execution  but  in  attention  to 
the  officinal  nomenclature.  Habit  is  as  powerful  an  auxiliary  in  well-doing 
as  in  ill-doing,  and  much  would  eventually  be  gained  if  medical  pre- 
ceptors and  teachers  would  insist  on  the  importance  of  correct  and  neat 
prescriptions  in  their  instruction  to  their  students. 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. — The  School  of  Pharmacy  in  this 
Institution  will  be  opened  by  a  general  introductory,  on  the  second  of 
October.  A  programme  of  the  courses  will  be  found  in  our  advertising 
columns,  together  with  an  extract  from  the  By-laws  in  reference  to  the 
qualifications  required  of  candidates  for  graduation. 
