104  Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting. {Am-^T\^rm' 
into  the  amido  component  has  the  same  effect  in  depressing  the 
antipyretic  influence.  He  has,  therefore,  experimented  on  a  sub- 
stance— para-ethoxytartranilic  acid- An  which  the  carboxyl  group 
is  neither  combined  with  the  benzol  nor  with  the  amido  component. 
This  substance  is  a  white,  tasteless  powder,  not  as  toxic  as  phena- 
cetin,  though  in  sufficient  doses  it  causes  changes  in  the  blood. 
Unlike  phenacetin,  however,  it  does  not  depress  temperature  in 
fever.  Succinanilic  acid,  which  is  of  analogous  composition,  gave 
the  same  result. 
These  experiments  all  go  to  show  that  in  whatever  way  the  car- 
boxyl group  COOH  is  introduced  into  an  antifebrine  or  phenacetin 
molecule  it  destroys  its  antipyretic  quality. 
Aronsen  finds,  too,  indications  that  the  presence  of  other  acid 
elements,  apart  from  the  salt-forming  acid  group,  suffice  to  prevent 
the  antipyretic  activity  in  the  same  manner  as  the  carboxyl  group 
does. 
Acetylpara-amidoacetophenon  has  the  same  composition  as  phena- 
cetin, except  that  the  group  OC2H5  is  replaced  by  the  acetyl  group 
CO  CH3,  but  the  antipyretic  action  of  phenacetin  is  quite  wanting 
in  the  first-named  compound.  If  it  were  possible  to  introduce  an 
acid  element  into  acetanilid  or  phenacetin,  without  destroying  their 
antipyretic  properties,  a  soluble  antipyretic  could  be  obtained. 
But  Aronsen's  observations  go  to  show  that  this  is  impossible,  and 
a  soluble  antipyretic  can  only  be  obtained  from  acetanilid  or  phena- 
cetin by  putting  into  these  compounds  a  basic  group.  Such  a  sub- 
stance is  phenocoll,  the  antipyretic  and  antirheumatic  properties  of 
which  have  been  recently  proved  by  Hertel. 
MINUTES  OF  THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  MEETING. 
Philadelphia,  January  19,  1892. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order,  and  Wm.  B.  Webb,  Ph.M.,  was  requested 
to  preside. 
The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  were  read  and  approved. 
The  following  donations  to  the  library  were  made  :  By  Mr.  Hans  M.  Wilder, 
eleven  volumes  of  Wiggers'  Jahresbericht,  vols,  xxvi  to  xxxvi,  inclusive, 
Fluckiger's  Pharmacognosie  des  Pfianzenreiches,and  Dr.G.  Heppe's  Chemische 
Reactionen  ;  by  the  author,  Prof.  Trimble,  vol.  i,  of  his  monograph,  entitled 
The  Tannins  ;  also  received  from  the  associations,  Proceedings  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association  for  1891,  and  Year-book  of  Pharmacy  of  the 
British  Pharmaceutical  Conference  for  1891.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  moved  and 
carried  to  the  donors. 
