J. VON MOSZEZENSKI-"Determination of Tartaric Acid."

MARTIN L. GRIFFIN-"The Evolution of the Sulphite Digester."

E. C. UHLIG-"American-made Chemical Glassware" (with exhibition).

The paper on the determination of tartaric acid was read by Dr. Schweitzer. The author first reviewed the method of Goldenberg-the so-called acid method. The material containing tartaric acid, such as argols or wine lees, is decomposed with hydrochloric acid, and the filtrate boiled with excess of potassium carbonate, which precipitates lime and potassium salts. To the filtrate obtained from this is added acetic acid, which converts the neutral tartrate into a bitartrate, which is almost insoluble in strong alcohol. It is finally precipitated and washed with alcohol of 90 per cent strength. The amount of pure cream of tartar contained in the precipitate is then determined by titration with caustic alkali, each molecule of cream of tartar being considered the equivalent of one molecule of tartaric acid present in the substance examined.

Errors in Goldenberg's Method.

Dr. Moszezenski stated that the cream .of tartar obtained by Goldenberg's method must be contaminated with those impurities in the original sample that are soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid, and not afterward thrown down in the presence of tartaric acid by boiling with potassium carbonate, or removed by the final washing with strong alcohol.

Among the compounds which would most probably be carried over with the cream tartar as a contamination, according to Dr. Moszezenski, is the so-called pectinic matter, which is often present in argols and lees in considerable quantity. He also named iron and alumina as common factors of error. The pectinic matter interferes most with the final results, especially when the substance treated is boiled with potassium carbonate as in Goldberg's method.

The Author's Method.

The author's method for separating pectinic matter was then described in detail. The wine lees, argol or other substance containing tartaric acid is first treated with sulphuric acid (10 to 15 per

amount used varies with the kind of tartaric acid compounds under examination. 1 mol. cream tartar, for instance, requires 1.7 mol. of U. S. P. dilute sul phuric acid, to insure its complete conversion into tartaric acid and potassium sulphate.) After remaining sufficiently long in contact with the acid, alcohol is added, the alcohol taking up all the tartaric acid and free sulphuric acid present. A portion of this alcoholic solution is then filtered off and potassium acetate added to it, which removes the sulphuric acid in the form of potassium sulphate and the tartaric acid as potassium bitartrate. The mixed precipitate is now collected, washed with strong alcohol and titrated.

How to Work the Process.

It is very important not to allow the alcoholic solution containing free sulphuric and tartaric acid to stand too long, since ethylated tartaric acid might be formed, which would affect the results, the latter being incapable of conversion into potassium bitartrate.

The alcoholic solution is transferred to a porcelain dish; alcoholic solution of potassium acetate is added in sufficient amount and the whole well stirred. To reduce the solubility in alcohol of the cream of tartar thus formed, it will be found advantageous to add 5 Cc. of concentrated solution of potassium chloride.

Points to Observe.

Working with argols or lees, it is easy to find the point when enough potassium acetate has been added by observing the change of color from pure red to pale-bluish red. If it is desirable to determine whether sufficient potassium acetate has been added, a little of the supernatant liquid may be poured into a test tube, and a few drops of potassium acetate solution added. If no precipitate is thrown down, it is an indication that the required amount of potassium acetate has been used.

Cream tartar is slightly soluble in alcohol, and allowance must be made for this in calculating results. When 5 Gms. of substance are used in 250 Cc. of 90 per cent alcohol, the loss amounts to 0.3 per cent tartaric acid, which should be added to the result.

Dr. Moszezenski thought it would be possible, after carrying out his process and starting with a known amount of H2SO., to determine the amount of tartaric acid (H2T) present as cream tartar (KHT), according to the following equa

tion:

the problem confronting chemists was how to apply the lining so as to overcome the destructive influence of the acid and the changes of temperature to which the digesters are subjected. Lead is prone to expand with heat, and on contracting it becomes quite brittle. The author stated that this phenomenon is seen at its best in hotels, where the lead pipes conveying hot water, which are much used in the morning and early part of the day, and very little used in the afternoon, expand and creep out of place to such an extent as to render them useless. They become brittle and break in a very short time.

Superiority of American Glassware.

The bulk of the fine chemical glassware used in American laboratories is imported from Germany, though in recent years American manufacturers have improved their methods so materially as to make the domestic glassware quite equal to the imported. This was fully brought out in the paper by E. C. Uhlig, the chemist of Whitall, Tatum & Co., who, in the course of some extremely technical details, gave the comparative analysis of fine Bohemian glassware and that made in this country from the Bohemian model. In the case of American glass the high proportion of silica was cited as a good feature. The claimed superiority of the imported glassware refers only, of course, to chemical glassware, and not to plate and bottleware in which the American product is superior to any.

In discussing the paper, Professor Coblentz said that when the amount of chemical glassware in use by teaching institutions throughout the country was considered, it was a wonder that manufacturers had not taken up the subject before. He was gratified to know that American manufacturers were now occupying themselves with methods for improving their product. He, himself, had used Whitall, Tatum & Co.'s glassware for a number of years and with satisfactory results. Dr. Schweitzer stated that he had also used the domestic make of glassware, and found it fully equal to the imported. The price, he said, was something to be considered, too, for the domestic article is much cheaper.

An exhibition of chemical flasks and tubes was viewed after the meeting adjourned, and the specimens of apparatus were inspected closely by the members.

The meeting adjourned a little after 10 o'clock.

A New Form of Insurance for Work

ers in Chemical Laboratories. Since the beginning of the academical half-year all students attending the chemical and physical laboratories of the University of Heidelberg have been insured against accidents happening in the course of the lectures, of the laboratory work and of scientific excursions. The insurance premium is paid by the treasury of the University, which has also made a new regulation in connection with the subject requiring the students to pay a small sum in addition to the class fees. This step is surely deserving of imitation by other universities and such advantages ought not to be limited to laboratory work only, for medical students run much greater risk both in the dissecting-rooms and as dressers in the surgical clinics and as clerks in the infection wards of the university hospitals.

NEW FORMULAS.

Formulary of the Cincinnati Acad

T

emy of Pharmacy.

HE Cincinnati Academy of Pharmacy is to be commended for the very excellent little handbook of the National Formulary which it has recently issued under the title "An Epitome of the National Formulary of Unofficial Preparations." Part 1 of the epitome contains the names and composition of the preparations of the National Formulary in most common use throughout the country, and references are numbered to correspond with the numbers given in the National Formulary. The complete formula is not given in this part of the book, and the composition of many of the compounds is merely indicated in a general way. Part II. is taken up with a list of formulas recommended by the Academy of Pharmacy, the greater part of which are intended as a standard for the many preparations in popular use. of the formulas are original, and as our readers are all interested in formulas, we give the following selections, omitting the latin titles, which, however useful to the physician in prescribing, are not essential for reproduction here.

Many

Oil of lemon, ten drops or Distilled water

80

.35 Gm. .35 Gm. Cc.

.1000

Cc.

Syrup, a sufficient quantity to
make

Rub the almonds to powder, add the water gradually to make smooth paste, add the creosote; emulsify, add balance of water and strain.

Beat the yolk of egg with the brandy and add gradually the oils; emulsify, add the creosote mixture and then the solution of peptonate of iron. Agitate thoroughly and add sufficient syrup to make 1,000 Cc.

This preparation should be freshly prepared when wanted.

Each fluid dram contains about 20

drops of cod liver oil, three drops of creosote and six drops of solution peptonate of iron.

Dose: One to four teaspoonfuls.
Palatable Emulsion of Castor Oil.

Water, a sufficient quantity to
make

Emulsify the oils in mortar with white of egg and 100 Cc. of water. Dissolve in this the sugar; strain through wetted straining cloth. Add enough water through strainer to make 1,000 Cc.

This preparation should be freshly made when wanted. It contains 50 per cent of castor oil, and affords an excellent mode for its administration.

Aromatic Fluid Extract of Senna. (Fluid

Percolate the senna as in formula 174, National Formulary. Then take out the senna, dry it and prepare a fluid extract by process A and diluted alcohol. Dissolve 350 Gms. of sugar in the reserved percolate by heat over water bath and evaporate to about 700 Cc. Dissolve the remainder of the sugar in the exhaust percolate and evaporate on water bath until this, when mixed with the reserved portion and strained, will measure 1,000 Cc.

Note. This preparation contains very little or no alcohol. It contains the strength of the fluid extract with the properties of the syrup, and is, therefore, especially adapted for children. Dose: One to four teaspoonfuls.

Liniment of Stillingia.

Oil of stillingia

Oil of lobelia

Oil of cajuput

26.5 Cc.

7 Cc. 13.5 Cc.

.100 Cc.

Alcohol, a sufficient quantity to make

Antiseptic Solution.

Boric acid

Sodium bicarbonate

Benzoic acid
Thymol
Menthol

Oil of gaultheria

Oil of eucalyptus. Tincture of baptisia

Alcohol

Distilled water, a sufficient quantity to make

13 Gms.

.1000

Cc.

Introduce the arsenous acid and the iodine into a flask and add about 500 Cc. of distilled water; heat until the iodine has dissolved, being careful to avoid loss of iodine. Dissolve the triiodide of gold in this solution; transfer it to a porcelain capsule and heat over water bath until free of iodine; cool and add enough distilled water to make 1,000 Cc.

Ten Mms. of this solution contains 1-32 gr. of triiodide of gold and 1-32 gr. of pentoxide of arsenic or equal to gr. of triiodide of arsenic. Valuable alterative; useful in scrofula and tubercular disease.

Gold triiodide may be prepared by dissolving 17 Gms. gold in nitro-hydrochloric acid to form chloride. Heat to gentle temperature with 20 Gms. potass. iodide and 100 Cc. diluted sulphuric acid. Cool and shake out the gold triiodide with ether and evaporate spontaneously and weigh.

Solution of Albuminate of Iron.
Ferric chloride

Fresh egg albumen

Dissolve the ferric chloride in 125 Cc. of water. Mix the egg albumen with 250 Cc. of water; add the solution of iron to the mixture of egg albumen and allow it to stand twelve hours. Then add the glycerin, mix and filter, adding sufficient water through the filter to make 1,000 Cc. Keep the product in well-filled bottles and in a cool place.

A clear solution of almost neutral iron chloride with egg albumen in combination without turbidity.

Each fluid ounce contains 4 grs. of crystallized ferric chloride, which is equivalent to about 40 drops of tincture of ferric chloride.

Triturate together and heat on a water bath until liquefied. Strain through a pellet of cotton if necessary.

Note.-Each fluid dram of this liquid represents 75 grains (4.86 Gms.) of sodium phosphate.

This preparation will crystallize at 15° C. (59° F.), but will readily liquefy again upon warming. It is miscible with water or syrup in all proportions without separation.

Cathartic and antilithic. Stimulant of biliary secretion. Useful as mild laxative and in calculi of bladder.

Dose: One-half to one teaspoonful.
Syrup of Albuminate of Iron.

Ferric chloride

Fresh egg albumen

Sugar

Distilled Water,

sufficient a

10 Gms. 375 Cc. 750 Gms. quantity to make .1000 Cc. Dissolve the ferric chloride in 60 Cc. of water. Add this solution to the egg albumen previously mixed with 200 Cc. of water. Percolate this solution through the sugar and add sufficient water through the percolator to make 1,000 Cc. Dose: One teaspoonful.

Syrup of Glycyrrhiza and Eriodictyon.

Fluid extract of eriodictyon...
Pure extract glycyrrhiza (U.

S. P.)

Sugar

50 Cc.

50 Gms.

50 Gms.

600 Gms.

20 Gms. .1000 Cc.

Mix fluid extract of eriodictyon with 100 Gms. of sugar and the magnesium carbonate in a mortar. Add gradually 200 Cc. of water. Filter and add sufficient water through the filter to make 400 Cc. of filtrate. Add the extract glycyrrhiza,

dissolved in 50 Cc. of water, the remainder of the sugar heat to a boiling point; strain and add sufficient water to make 1,000 Cc.

Keep the syrup in a cool, dark place. This syrup makes a pleasant and perfect vehicle for quinine.

Compound Syrup of Phospho Muriate of
Quinine.

Potassium bicarbonate
Magnesium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Soluble ferric phosphate
Quinine hydrochlorate
Strychnine

35

Gms.

20

Gms. 20 Gms. 16 Gms. 4 Gms.

.14 Gms.

Phosphoric acid (U. S. P. 85
p. c.)

Orange flower water
Syrup sufficient to make

Dissolve the salts in a mixture of the phosphoric acid and the orange flower water. Add sufficient syrup to make 1,000 Cc.

Each fluid dram of this preparation contains one-fourth grain of quinine muriate, 1-120 grain of strychnine, 1 grain of iron phosphate and about 4 grains of the combined phosphates of potassium, magnesium and calcium.

This preparation is to be freshly prepared when wanted for use. An admirable tonic for the nervous system and digestive organs.

Compound Syrup of Trifolium.

Distilled water, a sufficient quan-
tity to make

Mix the fluid extracts with sufficient water to make the whole measure 600 Cc. Allow to stand one hour, filter and percolate the sugar with the filtrate. Dissolve the potassium iodide in the syrup and add sufficient water to make 1,000 Cc. Powerfully alterative.

An agreeable and pleasant ointment. for exzema, scabies, etc.

Improved Ointment of Yellow Mercuric Oxide.

Saccharated sodium bicarbonate (N. F. 341) Saccharated tartaric acid (N. F. 8) Saccharated F. 5) Granulate according to the general formula (N. F. 319 B.) and divide into 1,000 tablets by pressure.

Each tablet contains three grains of artificial vichy salt (N. F.) and 4 grains of lithium citrate. A superior remedy for all rheumatic and kidney troubles. Dissolve one in a goblet of water three times a day.

Distilled water, a sufficient quan

Soft petrolatum, a sufficient quantity to make

100 Gmg.

Prepare yellow mercuric oxide, using 13 Gms. of corrosive mercuric chloride and 5 Gms. of soda and following the directions given in the United States Pharmacopoeia. Be sure that all trace of chloride is removed. Allow the precipitate to drain, transfer the magma to a porcelain mortar and triturate in its moist state, adding a little distilled water if necessary to make a thin paste. Then add first the hydrous wool fat, triturating until a perfectly smooth mixture results; then gradually incorporate the petrolatum and mix thoroughly.

Note. This ointment contains 10 per cent of yellow mercuric oxide and is perfectly free from grit. To make the 2 per cent ointment take of this ointment 20Gms. and add a sufficient quantity of soft petrolatum to make 100 Gms. and thoroughly mix together. This strength (2 per cent) is suitable for application in inflammation of eye.

PERFUMERY FOR PHARMA

CISTS.*

In ancient times the manufacture of

perfumes was a part of the apothecary's art (Exodus, xxx., 23-25 [O. V.]). During the present century it has become a special business, and pharmacists, who, by reason of their superior knowledge of organic chemistry, are specially fitted to prepare perfumes, have, as a rule, been content to simply buy and sell readymade perfumes on the same footing as the hairdresser, draper, stationer or general stores, instead of preparing special perfumes as proprietary articles of their own, and thus increasing their profits. The knowledge of perfumes is gradually being reduced to a science, and it behooves the pharmacist not to neglect this collateral source of income, but to keep himself abreast of the progress that has been made. For a long time essential oils were regarded as almost simple bodies, and as it was almost impossible to ascertain their purity except by such rough tests as the odor, and their solubility in alcohol of definite strengths, there were few chemicals SO much sophisticated as the essential oils. It is even now not many years since it was practically impossible to obtain really pure otto of rose or essence of lemon, and the purer grades of the latter were known as "perfumers."

Volatile Oils Complex Bodies. Recent researches have shown that the volatile oils are in reality very complex bodies, and that the different constituents are normally present in definite proportions and can be separated by fractional distillation, freezing, or by the use of chemical reagents, and consequently definite standards of purity have in many cases been adopted. Some of the constituents have been found to occur in many different oils, in which their odors are modified by the presence of small proportions of other constituents. It has been observed that perfumes may be arranged in groups, in which the type is thus variously modified. The odor of the rose is evident in the Damask, Marechal Niel, Gloire de Dijon, General Jacqueminot, Maiden's Blush, and other roses, yet each differs from the other in odor. The flowers of Poeonia alba, the leaves of ginger grass, and of the rose geranium have all an odor of rose. Wherever this odor is found in plants it is more or less modified by other odors. It is the same with nearly every other plant perfume in nature. It is by imitating nature, therefore, in this particular that the most satisfactory results are obtained. In other words, every perfume made to imitate the fragrance of any flower must have a basis, and the perfumes that are auxiliary must not be so strong as to overpower it. Odors are like musical notes-they can be combined in an infinity of ways. Artificial perfumes which do not convey the scent of any flower in particular should have a somewhat different character. In them no special odor should be recognizable; they should possess sweetness and diffuse an agreeable, but not oppressive odor, and should leave a lasting fragrance when evaporated. The chemical examination of essential oils has confirmed the above view. The fractional distillation of essential oils obtained from plants has

Pharmaceutical Journal.

ester,

accom

shown that they consist of a nearly odorless vehicle, which usually consists of one or more hydrocarbons of the terpene class, a principal odorous constituent hyde, ketone, ether, or which may be an alcohol, phenol, aldeanied by small quantities of various compounds which have not all been as yet determined. These modifying constituents may vary even in different parts of the same plant. Thus cinnamon bark oil phellandrene; cinnamon leaves contain in contains cinnamic aldehyde, eugenol and addition saffrol, and cinnamon root oil camphor. Oil of cassia, which also contains cinnamic aldehyde, owes its different odor chiefly to the presence of the ester, cinnamyl acetate.

Terpeneless Oils.

These differences in the varieties of essential oils of commerce must be borne in mind in mixing perfumes, and care be taken that one commercial variety of oil is not substituted for another. It is also necessary to remember that the amount of the principal ingredient in essential oils often varies. In some cases this is due to the fact that in distilling a large quantity of oil, the earlier and therefore more volatile products are mixed with the later distillates so as to secure uniformity, and sometimes for less satisfactory reasons. In many cases the normal amount of the principal odoriferous ingredient has been carefully ascertained by chemists, and essential oils can now be obtained with a guarantee as to the proportion present. There have also been introduced into commerce a number of essential oils which have been

not

deprived of their vehicle or terpene, by distillation in vacuo or other means, and are known as terpeneless oils. The principal odorous ingredients of volatile oils can also be obtained in a comparatively pure state from the oil by chemical means or by freezing These are not, as a rule, SO satisfactory as the terpeneless oils, which usually contain in addition the modifying constituents present in the natural oil. This is so much the case that it has been found necessary to distil geraniol or rhodinol off rose leaves to give it the modifying constituents, when the geraniol has been derived from other sources than the rose. The same is the case with the oil of lemon; citral, its chief constituent, does not wholly represent the flavor of the fresh lemon, and the terpeneless oil is, therefore, preferable. The chief advantage of employing the terpeneless oils is that they are more likely to be free from adulterants than the natural oils.

Intensifying Odors.

If

In artificial perfumes the natural law is followed. The vehicle used is generally grape spirit for the finer class of perfumes, as it is less apt to contain traces of amyl or other offensive alcohols. in imitation of a flower, the essential oil of the flower, such as orange blossom, is used, if procurable, but in such cases as the violet, jasmine and a few others, from which the volatile oil cannot be procured by distillation, an artificial product is substituted; a list of these is given below. If the odor itself is faint or easily passes off, a degree of permanence is given by the addition of a very small quantity of a persistent substance. In some cases where the leading perfume is naturally sweet, as in rose or honeysuckle, an aromatic persistent substance is added, or in cases

where the leading odor is aromatic the persistent substance must give sweetness. In the former case, the lasting aromatic odor is given by one or more of the following: Ladanum, cloves, patchouli, vetivert, sandal wood, almonds, vanilla, tonka bean, verbena and ylang-ylang. In the latter case, liquid storax, musk, otto, bergamot, civet, ambergris, and ambrette or musk seed are the substances chiefly employed. In many cases a tincture is preferable to a separate product, since a small amount of resinous matter tends to In make the perfumes more lasting. using the more powerful odors, such as patchouli, almonds, cloves, verbena, etc., it is best to use a dilute solution of the oil, so as to add a very little at a time, until the required modification of the principal odor is effected.

In endeavoring to imitate a flower or a perfume, the best time to analyze the constituents by means of the sense of smell is in the morning after being in the open air. At that time of the day the olfactory nerve is more sensitive and the difference in odors more readily perceived. To ascertain the mixed odors in a flower, the curious physiological law must be taken advantage of, viz., that it is possible to tire some of the minute terminations of the olfactory nerve-just as those of the eye-so that after fixing the eye upon one color for some time, the eye becomes temporarily blind to it and can only see the complementary colors. Thus, after smelling a flower for a few seconds, a different odor is perceived. In the wallflower an odor resembling cassie flowers (Acacia farnesiana) is first perceived, then an odor of tonka beans, then faintly that of cloves. a violet odor and an aroma recalling Or in smelling heliotrope, the odor recalls at first that of vanilla and coumarin, and then almonds.

In examining a spirituous perfume a little is rubbed on the back of the hand, and smelt at intervals of a few seconds, inhaling pure air between each interval. In this way, after a little practice it will be comparatively easy to detect the con

stituent odors. Sometimes the addition of a little water to the perfume will render some of the odors more pronounced, or slightly heating the mixture in a test tube and noticing the odors as they are given off, according to their greater or less volatility. It must be further remembered that perfumes in many cases will become mellowed by keeping, and that some aldehydes, like heliotropin and prolonged exposure to air. citral, are altered by heat and light or It may be

useful to direct attention here: 1. To the known constituents of some of the principal oils used in perfumery. 2. To some of the more important artificial synthetic perfumes, and,

3. To the more recently introduced natural perfumes.

1.-PRINCIPAL OILS IN PERFUMERY.

Bergamot. The chief constituents are linalool and acetate of linalool. Bay (Pimenta acris).-Citral, methylchavicol, chavicol, methyl-eugenol, eugenol.

Cassia. Cinnamic aldehyde and acetate of cinnamyl.

Cinnamon.-Bark: Cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol. Leaves: In addition, saffrol. a larger proportion of eugenol and benzoic acid. Root: In addition, camphor.

Citronella.-Citronellal, geraniol and methyl-heptenone.

Clove. - Eugenol, methyl-ketone.

Champaca Oil (Schimmel).—Michelia ohampaca and M. longifolia. Has an aro

acetate,

Linaloe.-Linalool, geraniol, methyl

heptenone.

Lemon.-Citral, citronellal. Neroli.-Linalool, linalyl acetate, geranyl acetate.

Rose.-Geraniol, citronellol,
Rosemary.-Cineol, camphor, borneol.
Sandalwood.-Santalol and santalal.
Geraniol, citral, methyl-

Verbena. heptenone.

Ylang-Ylang.-Linalool, geraniol, and their acetic and benzoic esters, para-kresol-methyl-ether.

It will be seen from the above list that many of these oils contain the same constituents, but, of course, in different proportion, and this suggests the idea that many other combinations might be formed artificially. It may be noted here that the odor of Russia leather in perfumes is given by enpyreumatic oil of Betula alba, but a purer, odor could probably be obtained by heating betulin, the crystalline principle contained in it.

2.-SYNTHETIC PERFUMES.

Anisic Aldehyde.-Known commercially as "Aubepine." It possesses the odor of hawthorn flowers, but requires mixing with other odors to render it agreeable.

Benzyl Cinnamate, has the odor of balsam of Peru.

Bornyl Acetate has the odor of fir trees.

Carvacrol has a thyme-like odor. Cinnamyl Alcohol has an hyacinths.

odor of

Citral or Geranic Aldehyde has the odor of lemon, and is more readily soluble in alcohol than essence of lemon.

Cumarin has the odor of new-mown hay. Eugenol has the odor of cloves. Geraniol. Also called rhodinol and limonol. It has the odor of rose. Geranyl acetate has a lavender odor; geranyl formate is also made.

Ionone. A ketone obtained from citral. It has a very powerful odor of violets.

Linalool and Linalyl Acetate have an odor between that of bergamot and French lavender. The latter is the "Bergamiol" of commerce (Schimmel). Linalyl formate resembles the odors of petitgrain and bergamot.

Methyl Benzoate.-The "oil of Niobe" of commerce.

Methyl Salicylate.-Artificial oil of wintergreen.

Saffrol has the odor of sassafras. Salicylal or Salicylic Aldehyde has the odor of meadow sweet.

Terpineol has the odor of lilac. Vanillin has the odor of vanilla. There are also to be met with in commerce the synthetic oils of jasmin and neroli (Schimmel), and artificial musk (Baur).

3.-RECENTLY INTRODUCED NATURAL PERFUMES.

Canada Snake Root Oil. - Asarum canadense.

Champaca Oil (Haensel).-Guaicum wood oil-Schimmel; derived, according to Haensel, from Bulnesia sarmienti, Lorenz. Used with otto of rose to give the odor of the tea rose, etc. Costus Oil.-Aplotaxis auriculata. It has a violet odor.

(Haensel). Botanical

Frejar Oil source unknown. Kuromoji Oil.-Lindera serica. Has a pleasant, spicy odor.

Ladanum Oil.-Cistus creticus, very persistent odor, somewhat like ambergris. Nagkesar Oil (Haensel).-Mesua ferrea. Odor of a violet character.

Nigella Oil.-Nigella damascena. It has an odor like raspberries.

Opoponax Oil.-Balsamodendron kafal. Obtained from the gum resin (Bissabol). Odor somewhat aromatic.

Peru Balsam has the odor of the balsam, but less empyreumatic. Sandalwood Oil, African, has an odor resembling sandalwood.

Spicewood Oil.-Laurus Benzoin. Odor somewhat spicy.

Storax Oil has the odor of liquid

storax.

Tulu Balsam Oil has a hyacinth odor. Numerous oils available for culinary essences are also now procurable in commerce, e. g., angelica, basil, celery, cherry-laurel, marjoram, parsley, parssnip, sage, summer savory, tarragon, leaves, thyme, walnut etc. Further

details concerning essential oils may be found in Sawyer's Odorographia," in the past volumes of the Pharmaceutical Journal, and in a handy morm in Power's "Descriptive Catalogue of Essential Oils and Organic Chemical Preparations," published by Fritsche Bros., of New York.

Those who have sufficient chemical knowledge to form new esters from aromatic acids and various alcohols will find a wide field of possibly new perfumes before them.

Engineering Skill of Bacteria.

Edward Verney, in an article on "The Inhabitants of Milk," states that if a drop of milk be mixed with gelatine and examined under a microscope some hours afterward it will be found that three different operations have taken place through the engineering skill of bacteria. In one part of the gelatine excavations have been made; in another, little hillocks have been thrown up, and in a third liquid lakes have been formed. Through the careless methods employed in milking cows and the subsequent exposure of the fluid to contaminations, it should never be used as a beverage, except after heating at a temperature of 140° F. Of the infectuous influences to which milk is open Mr. Verney mentions among others the non-rejection of the first flow from the udder of the cow, the dust and dirt on the coat of the animal, and the unclean hands of the milker. From a cow where absolute cleanliness was enforced the milk contained only 330 bacteria. The same volume taken under the usual conditions from a mixed herd showed 15,000 bacteria. Prof. Fleischmann says that thorough sanitary precautions are almost totally ignored in the milking of cows.

Correspondence.

An Insight.

To the Editor:

Sir: There is much that is constantly occurring, in event, in the sphere of pharmacy which is observed by the mind, but not recorded on the page. The world is not hesitant in applauding success, whether it be shown in the enterprises of business-the originality of plans and of purposes or the advancement of personal eminence, and repute. This same censor, however, demands that these accomplished steps shall have a foundation which is real and true-a merit and worth that can be tested and measured-and not an ephemeral creation of a day, disappearing with the diurnal limit-or an iridescent bubble vanishing into nothingness with the puncture of truth, or the probe of scrutiny. Civilization and growth in intelligence expand the area of thought, broaden the intent and purpose of life, and of human strength and ambition to reach the goals of honor and reward, and human opportunities are augmented, and the prizes are tempting. But with all this properly impelling incentive we are confronted with much that is fictitious, as well as unreal. Adventitious aids are called in to help the aspirant and reputed fame is often reached by the apparent efforts of the individual to achieve an overestimate of himself. It may be said to be an era of easily attained prominence; thrusting one's self into public gaze, conspicuously appearing upon every convenient occasion, seeking the laudation and plaudits of the multitude, urged by selfesteem; omitting no occasion of personal presence, and appearing frequently All in portraiture in the public prints. these means impress the unreflecting, but do not deceive the wise.

Pharmacy, particularly, stands in great need of honest and earnest counsellors. These must command respect and confidence. They must show by signs which are unmistakable that they are striving for pharmacy, not for self! Opportunities for this self-advancement have been too thoughtlessly held out to the designing. That sinister purpose and greed have usurped need not cause surprise. Especially so when that which should be a just integrity of purpose is perverted, or surrendered to a selfish expediency.

Philadelphia, Pa.

W. B. T.

BOOKS RECEIVED. PROCEEDINGS of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts State Pharmaceutical Association, held at Plymouth, Mass.. June 8, 9 and 10, 1897. Published by the Association.

This publication has a prosperous look, which is well carried out by the appearance of its advertising pages. It is printed on heavy glazed paper, which is adapted for the satisfactory printing of a set of handsome engravings of the officers. The proceedings of the association and pharmacy papers presented at the meeting have been given in full in this journal at the time of meeting, but the present volme should be preserved by the members for the numerous references it contains to court decisions affecting the practice of pharmacy in Massachusetts.