386  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations.  {Ami£g;u§£Tm' 
and  the  two  preceding  ones  "  dry  tears  "  and  "  soft  tears,"  respectively.  The 
undissolved  portions  proved  to  be  gum  and  various  kinds  of  earthy  matters. 
Saccharum  lactis.—The  paper  on  milk  sugar,  by  A.  J.  Tafel,  states  that  this 
sugar  was  first  recommended  as  a  remedy  by  Prof.  Ludovico  Testi,  of  Reggio, 
in  1698.  The  process  for  preparing  it  in  Switzerland  from  the  whey  of  cow's 
milk  by  evaporation  and  recrystallization  with  the  addition  of  a  little  alum 
and  removing  the  scum  during  the  boiling,  has  recently  been  improved  upon 
by  running  the  whey  through  animal  charcoal,  and  concentrating  the  filtrate 
by  means  of  a  vacuum  pan  ;  thus  prepared  milk  sugar  contains  traces  of 
albuminoids  and  a  larger  proportion  of  salts  than  is  found  after  recrystalli- 
zation. If  the  free  acid  contained  in  whe}'  be  neutralized  with  prepared  chalk, 
the  yield  of  milk  sugar  is  stated  to  be  increased  from  about  3  to  4  per  cent. 
An  admixture  of  cane  sugar  may  be  detected  by  Iyacrin's  process,  by  heating  it, 
mixed  with  an  equal  weight  of  oxalic  acid,  by  means  of  a  water-bath,  when 
the  mixture  melts  and  becomes  but  slightly  darker  on  continuing  the  heat ;  in 
the  presence  of  one  per  cent,  or  more  of  cane  sugar  the  mass  becomes  rapidly 
darker,  greenish  brown,  or  even  black.  About  thirty  years  ago  from  40  to  50 
tons  of  milk  sugar  were  annually  consumed  in  the  United  States  ;  but  at 
present  four  or  five  times  that  quantity  are  used.  Many  thousands  of  gallons  of 
whey  are  still  annually  running  to  waste  in  this  country  at  the  numerous 
cheese  factories  ;  were  these  utilized,  it  is  believed  that  milk  sugar  might,  in 
time,  become  an  article  of  export,  instead  of  being  in  great  part  imported  as 
at  present. 
Polygala  alba. — Specimens  of  the  plant,  with  root,  were  shown  by  Prof. 
Maisch,  the  root  varying  in  thickness  from  almost  filiform  to  Y%  inch  in  thick- 
ness near  the  crown.  The  party  sending  it  from  northern  Kansas  wrote  that 
the  plant  abounds  in  large  quantities,  and  the  people  would  be  glad  to 
supply  the  root. 
Aden  Senna  was  also  exhibited  by  Professor  Maisch,  who  had  received  it 
from  Mr.  H.  G.  Greenish.  It  consists  of  the  leaflets  and  some  pods  of  Cassia 
holosericea,  which  plant  is  perhaps  better  known  as  C.  pubescens  and  C.  Schim- 
peri ;  it  grows  in  Abyssinia,  and  though  considered  inferior  to  C.  acutifolia, 
has  appeared  in  European  commerce,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  Alexandria 
senna  ;  the  leaflets  appear  to  be  present  in  some  lots  of  what  is  now  sold  as 
Alexandria  senna  in  the  United  States. 
The  preparation  of  fruit  juices  by  pharmacists  for  their  own  use  was  recom- 
mended in  a  paper  by  L.  Emanuel  as  being  quite  profitable.  These  juices 
may  be  preserved  by  adding  120  grains  of  boric  acid  dissolved  in  one  fluid 
ounce  of  boiling  water  to  each  quart  of  the  juice.  However,  the  author  pre- 
fers to  convert  the  fresh  juice  into  syrup. 
Asepsis  and  antisepsis  was  the  title  of  a  paper  by  Dr.  J.  J.  Edmundson, 
describing  the  precautions  that  should  be  adopted  in  preparing  dressings  as 
well  as  at  the  operating  table.  Formulas  for  the  solutions  used  for  impregnat- 
ing dressings  were  given  for  borated,  carbolated  or  salicylated,  as  follows  :  Acid 
(boric,  carbolic  or  salicylic)  5  p.,  glycerin  5  p.,  and  water  enough  for  100  p. 
Iodoform  solution  :  Iodoform,  10 p.;  glycerin,  10  p.;  alcohol,  sufficient  for  loop. 
Corrosive  sublimate  solution:  Corrosive  sublimate,  1  p.;  tartaric  acid,  2  p.; 
glycerin,  50  p.;  water  sufficient  for  1,000  parts. 
