EDITORIAL. 
187 
On  the  Polar  Decomposition  of  Water  by  Frictional  and  Atmospheric  Elec- 
tricity. By  Prof.  Andrews. — The  author  having  drawn  attention  to  the 
fact,  that  water  had  never  been  decomposed  by  the  action  of  the  common 
friction  electricity,  so  as  to  collect  the  gases  and  exhibit  them  at  the  oppo- 
site poles,  stated  that  the  cause  of  the  failure  of  the  experiment  was  the  so- 
lution of  the  gases  in  the  mass  of  the  liquid.  By  fusing  platina  wires  in 
thermometer  tubes,  this  difficulty  is  avoided,  and  the  gases  may  then  be 
obtained  and  collected  with  the  same  facility  as  in  ordinary  eudiometric 
experiments.  By  arranging  a  series  of  such  tubes,  the  operations  may  be 
almost  indefinitely  repeated.  On  raising  an  electrical  kite,  the  author  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  the  polar  decomposition  of  water  by  atmospheric  elec- 
tricity. The  observations  were  made  in  fine  weather,  when  the  atmosphere 
was  not  usually  charged  with  electricity.  Although  the  gases  were  easily 
collected  and  measured,  from  the  delicate  form  of  apparatus  employed,  the 
quantity  of  water  decomposed  in  this  case  amounted  to  only  one  70G,000fch 
of  a  grain  in  the  hour. — F.  Inst.  Journal,  Dec.  1855. 
(Editorial  Department. 
Certificate  of  Membership  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation.— At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Association  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  get  up  a  certificate  of  membership,  with  power  to  decide  on  the  design 
and  manner  of  execution.  The  committee  having  completed  their  labor 
are  about  distributing  the  certificate  to  the  several  members  who  have  sub- 
scribed for  it.  The  design  originated  with  the  Committee,  but  in  perfecting 
it  they  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Robert  C.  Davis  of  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  to 
the  artist  Mr.  Magee,    The  following  is  a  description  of  the  engraving. 
Near  the  centre  of  the  picture  is  a  monument  in  honor  of  Pharmacy, 
consisting  of  a  square  pannelled  base,  from  which  rises  a  fluted  column, 
surmounted  by  the  mortar  and  pestle.  Encircling  the  shaft  of  the  column 
is  a  winding  scroll,  on  which  appear  the  names  of  Galen,  Geber,  Avicenna, 
Basil  Valentine,  Lemery,  Baume,  Scheele,  Davy,  Sertuerner,  Robiquet, 
Pereira,  and  Liebig.  One  of  the  panels  represents  an  alchemist  at  his  fur- 
nace, the  other  exhibits  a  series  of  pharmaceutical  apparatus,  the  balance, 
gas  burners,  Liebig's  condenser,  graduated  measure,  1000  gr.  bottle,  etc, 
There  are  four  human  figures;  an  European,  a  Turk,  a  Chinese,  and  an 
American  Indian.  The  European  is  leaning  gracefully  with  his  left  arm  on 
the  monument,  with  a  book  (the  Pharmacopoeia)  in  his  left  hand,  whilst  his 
