Am,FeCil>9h2arm" } Minutes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  105 
A  paper  upon  Trillium  erectum  was  read  by  Mr.  Vivian  I.  Reid  of  the 
present  senior  class. 
Professor  Trimble  read  a  paper  on  the  seeds  of  Purshia  tridentata,  the 
material  having  been  sent  by  Dr.  Havard,  U.  S.  Army. 
A  paper  on  the  business  aspects  of  pharmacy,  by  Joseph  Harrop,  was  read  by 
Joseph  W.  England. 
Mr.  William  B.  Thompson  read  a  paper  suggested  by  an  article  in  one  of  the 
medical  journals,  under  the  title  of  Remarks  on  Pharmacists. 
A  paper  upon  percentages  hi  solutions  was  read  by  Joseph  W.  England,  Ph.G. 
Prof.  Maisch  said  that  the  only  exact  method  of  making  solutions  of  a 
■definite  percentage  was  by  basing  the  calculation  upon  the  proportion  of 
weight  of  the  article  to  be  dissolved  to  the  total  weight  of  solution  obtained  ; 
if  a  definite  volume  of  such  a  solution  be  wanted,  it  should  be  measured  after- 
wards. In  the  discussion,  attention  was  drawn  to  percentages  by  volume,  and 
it  was  stated  that  in  many  cases,  on  mixing  liquids,  condensation  of  volume  was 
observed,  and  that  wherever  chemical  action  takes  place  change  of  volume  was 
sure  to  follow. 
Mr.  England  made  some  remarks  on  pyoktanin  of  the  several  kinds  in  the 
market,  and  said  that  the  conclusions  of  those  who  had  used  it  were  not  as 
favorable  as  the  reports  first  made  about  it. 
F.  W.  Haussmann,  Ph.G.,  read  a  paper  upon  fluid  extract  of  vanilla  ;  he  said 
that  inquiry  of  three  or  four  druggists  revealed  the  fact  that  they  used  two  and 
a  half  ounces  of  the  bean  to  make  a  gallon,  as  it  was  not  possible  to  compete 
with  the  grocery  store  vanilla  extracts  in  price  if  the  full  quantity  of  bean  were 
used.  Some  of  the  members  present  stated  that  they  had  always  made  flavor- 
ing extract  of  vanilla  of  the  strength  of  one  ounce  to  the  pint.  Attention  was 
also  drawn  to  the  pharmacopoeial  tincture,  which  is  of  10  per  cent,  strength. 
Prof.  Maisch  said  that  about  25  years  ago  he  saw  a  short  and  rather  thick 
vanilla,  much  lower  in  price  than  Mexican  or  Bourbon  vanilla  ;  but  that  the 
drug  brokers  would  not  sell  him  even  a  sample  for  his  cabinet,  as  they  were 
under  contract  to  furnish  all  to  certain  manufacturers  of  flavoring  extracts. 
Mr.  Thompson  said  that  apothecaries  had  or  could  have  sufficient  influence  to 
get  laws  passed  preventing  the  sale  of  articles  inferior  in  quality  or  made  in 
imitation  of  good  preparations  sold  by  the  apothecary.  The  term  adulteration 
is  one  that  is  difficult  to  define  ;  the  mixing  of  one  substance  with  another  of 
less  value  or  strength  is  generally  considered  an  adulteration,  but  certain  com- 
modities have  to  be  colored  to  some  extent  to  satisfy  popular  demand. 
This  discussion  led  to  some  remarks  on  Alexandria  senna  as  illustrating 
changes  in  the  character  of  articles  of  commerce.  Prof.  Maisch  said  that 
thirty  and  more  years  ago  the  Alexandria  senna  of  commerce  consisted  of  the 
leaflets  of  Cassia  acutifolia  mixed  with  the  leaves  of  Cynanchum  Arghel  in 
varying  proportions  ;  the  latter  were,  in  later  years,  sometimes  entirely  absent. 
The  political  complications  in  the  Soudan  caused  a  scarcity  of  supply  of  C. 
acutifolia,  and  for  some  time  these  leaflets  were  mixed  to  some  extent  with 
those  of  C.  obovata,  and  the  latter  were  even  offered  as  senna.  These  had  been 
used,  in  1876,  as  packing  material  for  Egyptian  goods  sent  to  the  Centennial 
Exhibition  ;  they  were  regarded  in  Egypt  as  of  little  medicinal  value.  Recently 
he  had  been  able  to  procure  from  wholesale  druggists  as  Alexandria  senna  an 
article  consisting  of  small  leaflets  of  C.  elongata  mixed  with  a  very  small  pro- 
