58o 
International  Congresses. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
\    December,  1909. 
FRANGULA. 
Frangula  frequently  has  admixed  with  it  or  substituted  for  it 
the  bark  of  Rhamnus  carniolica,  Five  samples  were  examined.  One 
consisted  entirely  of  Rhamnus  carniolica,  one  was  frangula  of 
U.S. P.  quality,  and  three  were  mixtures  of  frangula  and  Rhamnus 
carniolica. 
The  bark  of  Rhamnus  carniolica  is  usually  thicker  than  frangula, 
being  I  to  3  mm.  thick;  the  external  surface  is  grayish  or  grayish 
brown,  usually  somewhat  wrinkled  longitudinally ;  and  with  numer- 
ous lenticels  1  to  2  mm.  long,  rather  obscure;  the  inner  surface  is 
grayish  to  dark  brown,  longitudinally  striate  from  the  bast  fibres 
near  the  surface;  the  fracture  is  short-fibrous,  the  bast  fibres  fre- 
quently projecting  .5  to  1  cm.  from  the  inner  bark;  the  inner  surface 
is  reddened  by  alkalies  as  in  frangula;  the  odor  is  slight,  and  the 
taste  bitter  and  astringent. 
The  cross  section  shows  numerous  groups  of  bast  fibres  occa- 
sionally surrounded  by  crystal  fibres  with  small  monoclinic  crystals ; 
the  medullary  rays  are  4  to  7  cells  wide  and  there  are  numerous 
rosette  aggregates  of  crystals  of  calcium  oxalate,  15  to  25  fi  in  diam- 
eter in  the  parenchyma. 
In  frangula  the  bark  is  thinner,  darker  brown,  with  more  numer- 
ous, prominent,  and  larger  lenticels;  the  inner  surface  is  more 
finely  striate,  there  are  fewer  bast  fibres,  and  the  medullary  rays 
are  only  2  cells  wide ;  the  taste  is  only  slightly  bitter. 
New  York,  November  4,  1909. 
REPORTS  ON  THE  TWELFTH  INTERNATIONAL  CON- 
GRESS ON  ALCOHOLISM,  AND  THE  SIXTEENTH 
INTERNATIONAL  MEDICAL  CONGRESS.* 
By  Reid  Hunt,  M.D., 
Chief  of  the  Division  of  Pharmacology,  Hygienic  Laboratory,  United  States 
Public  Health  and  Marine  Hospital  Service. 
In  accordance  with  bureau  letter  of  July  3,  1909,  detailing  me  to 
attend  the  Twelfth  International  Congress  on  Alcoholism  to  be  held 
in  London,  July  18-24,  1909,  and  the  Sixteenth  International  Med- 
*  From  Public  Health  Reports,  XXIV,  No.  41,  pp.  1487-1489. 
