554
* I
§3 Scientific Library $
a — £
THE
AMERICAN
Journal of Pharmacy.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE
PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF PHARMACY, HE^TRY. KRAEMER. '
PUBLISHING COMMITTEE FOR I90I.
HENRY N. RITTBNHOUSE, JOSEPH W, ENGLAND,
SAMUEL P. SADTLER, RICHARD V. MATTISON,
WALLACE PROCTER, JOSEPH P, REMINGTON,
AND THE EDITOR.
VOLUME 73
{
PHILADELPHIA : 1901.
(
THE AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF PHARMACY
JANUARY, igoi.
ADULTERATIONS OF ESSENTIAL OILS. By Dr. Geo. R. Pancoast and Lyman F. Kebi<er.
In early times technical equipments for the production of volatile oils were very incomplete, and various expedients were necessarily- resorted to for the purpose of extracting the many odorous princi- ples from the host of plant tissues; fatty products, turpentine and alcohol were frequently employed for this purpose, and consequently there was a certain justification formerly for the presence of some of these solvents in certain essential oils. But modern methods render the use of these foreign substances entirely unnecessary and they must be looked upon as adulterations pure and simple.
Adulteration is chiefly resorted to on the one hand because of its profitableness, and on the other hand because of the ignorance of the consumer and his desire to purchase as cheaply as possible. The latter frequently does not seem to care for quality, but wants quantity. It is often due to this that an honest producer may be induced to offer spurious goods, because he cannot get reasonable prices, while his competitor is able to dispose of large quantities of adulterated oils. It must not be forgotten that formerly the adul- terator could ply his art fearlessly without much danger of exposure, and this probably emboldened him. To-day he is compelled to act a little more cautiously owing to the developments of the chemis- try of terpenes and their derivatives, as well as a more or less complete knowledge of the composition of a number of the volatile oils. The " Black Art " of volatile oils is passing away.
The writers are fully convinced that the large distillers and reputable wholesalers are not responsible for some of the adulter- ated oils met with, even though they pass through their hands.
(i)
2 Adulterations of Essential Oils. {A ^nJa0aurry f^m-
They are generally beyond their control, as will be seen by some of the subsequent remarks.
The guileless farmer or peasant who constructs a crude still and collects oils by his primitive methods (besides the impurities to be expected from this source) frequently adds a goodly proportion of a cheaper oil or synthetic sent to him by a friend in the wicked city. Synthetic oil of wintergreen is said to be largely used in this manner, and the resulting product sold for true oil of wintergreen.
The Turkish peasant in like manner and for similar reasons adds geranium oil to his rose leaves before he begins his distillation of pure otto of rose. Even John Chinaman, forced to keep " open door, " manages to return the " Foreign Devils" coal oil by con- scientiously " plugging " some of the essential oils which he sells, especially oils of aniseed and cassia. And the warm-blooded Sicilian, in response to an increasing demand for his goods, rejuven- ates a worn-out or poor quality oil by adding the necessary constit- uents taken from a cheaper source; for example, oil of lemon is- fortified with citral obtained from oil of lemongrass, and oil of ber- gamot is " pieced out " with lemon and orange oils.
Then some of the primitive distillers themselves, and possibly some of the middlemen or the jobbers, try their hands at improving nature. This is practiced in some instances to such an extent that the farther the oil travels, and the larger the number of hands it passes through, the more it adds unto itself, until finally, in some instances, at least, it is not recognized by its friends. Some of these adulterations may be due to ignorance, carelessness or accident, but many, very many, are due to design, and unless there is some im- provement in this respect, we may be prepared to hear in the near future of some one liberally supplying himself with synthetics, esters, aldehydes, alcohol, oil of copaiba and plenty of French tur- pentine, then opening up an office with the sign " Essential Oils Made to Order While You Wait."
Essential oils are frequently met with that are unnaturally low in their characteristic constituent, so much so that, being otherwise satisfactory, only one conclusion can be drawn, viz., that they have been robbed or looted; for example, de-mentholized peppermint oil ; oil of cloves, minus a large part of its eugenol ; caraway, de- prived of some of its carvone ; and oil of lemon, abnormally low in its citral. We shall hereafter for brevity's sake call this class of
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901. j
Adulterations of Essential Oils.
3
oils "looted oils." By such tactics a double profit is made by the manipulator. The consumer in these cases makes two pur- chases where he should make but one and save money by so doing ; as for instance, he buys eucalyptol and a cheap oil of eucalyptus ; then, in order to make the oil answer the proper requirements, it is necessary for him to use the eucalyptol to strengthen his inferior oil of eucalyptus.
Another matter not generally known is that certain manufactur- ers claim that some absolutely pure oils need to be modified so as to conform to some arbitrary standard ; for example, one very promi- nent and reliable house lists oil of pimento at $2. 10 per pound, but oil of pimento said to be made to meet the requirements of the U.S. P. is offered at $1.60. The same criticism is applied to the U.S. P. requirements for oils of bay and coriander.
Among the favorite articles used as adulterants, and to be looked for, are cheaper essential oils (turpentine, copaiba, cedarwood and gurjun balsam), alcohol and fixed and mineral oils.
PRELIMINARY TESTS.
(1) Physical appearance.
(2) A common method and a very useful one is that of exposing a drop or two of the oil on white glazed paper, and from time to time observing the odor. By this means alone, in many cases, a cheap oil can be detected, especially turpentine. Lemon and orange re- quire from twelve to fifteen minutes ; bergamot, two to four hours ; lavender, twelve to fifteen hours ; cloves, twenty-five hours ; and sandal wood, two days, for comparison. Fixed oils leave a perma- nent greasy stain. Results by the above procedure give only indi- cations, which must be verified by established methods.
Alcohol. — Several tests can be applied to give indications of the presence or absence of alcohol. Oils free from alcohol (acetone or purified wood alcohol), when dropped into water, remain transpar- ent, but the presence of alcohol causes the globules to become opaque or milky. When a considerable amount is present, it may be approximately estimated by placing a given volume of the oil into a graduated cylinder, adding an equal volume of water, agitat- ing well, and then -setting aside until complete separation results. If there is any appreciable diminution in the volume of oil, alcohol (acetone, acetic ether or purified wood alcohol) is present. The
4 Adulterations of Essential Oils. { A^uaryPi9oim*
diminution of volume is generally proportional to the amount of adulterant. Glycerin can be used in place of water.
In order to positively establish the presence of any of the above, fractional distillation must be resorted to and the substance finally identified by means of the iodoform reaction, boiling point, etc.
CHEAPER ESSENTIAL OILS.
Turpentine generally introduces abnormalities, lower specific gravity, diminished solubility, lower boiling temperatures and dis- turbed optical rotation. The latter can easily be remedied by mixing the proper proportions of dextrogyrate and lsevogyrate turpentines. Before a positive opinion can be given relative to the presence of added turpentine, in many cases a careful comparison must be made and the characteristic derivatives of pinene isolated.
Cedatwood, copaiba and gutjun balsam oils are generally indi- cated by their lesser solubilities, higher specific gravities and opti- cal rotations, but the two latter can readily be adjusted by the proper kind and amount of turpentine.
Mineral oils (petroleum, kerosene, etc.) are generally revealed by their insolubility and indifference to the action of strong acids and alkalies. They may be variously isolated, by their insolubilities, polymerizing the oil with concentrated sulphuric acid and then dis- tilling the mixture with aqueous vapor, or by oxidizing with fuming nitric acid and then removing the oxidized portion with hot water, thus leaving the unaffected petroleum behind.
DETERMINATION OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES.
The specific gravity is one of the best known properties of oils and is the one most generally applied because it is readily determined. The specific gravity is a very important factor, but is readily tam- pered with, consequently very careful deductions based on it must be made.
Solubility Very definite and satisfactory data have been estab- lished for many oils relative to their solubility ; so much so that this physical property is probably more reliable than any other single one. The common adulterants are generally revealed by the applica- tion of this test. The volatile oils are quite readily soluble in alcohol, ether, acetone, acetic ether, glacial acetic acid, carbon disulphide, chloroform, benzol, petroleum ether and paraffin oil.
A jaSa?yfSm"} Adulterations of Essential Oils, 5
The optical rotation is exceedingly valuable, frequently being the only means by which the purity of an oil can be arrived at, and should never be omitted.
Fractional distillation is usually resorted to in cases of admixture.
The congealing -point is especially useful and necessary with anise oils.
QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF CONSTITUENTS.
Before an oil can be submitted to a chemical examination, it is necessary to know at least its chief constituents, and then the methods must be so adjusted that these constituents can be esti- mated quantitatively with a considerable degree of accuracy. Such methods have been elaborated only within recent times, and are based on well-known organic reactions.
The oldest and probably the most useful is the method of ester determination or saponification. It was originally applied to essential oils as we now apply it to fixed oils, and is based on the fact that fixed alkalies resolve the esters into their respective alco- hols and acids, the alkalies combining quantitatively with the latter. Then, knowing the ester in a given oil, the amount can readily be calculated by the quantity of alkali consumed by a given weight of oil. The linalyl acetate of lavender and bergamot oils is readily es- timated by this process.
Aldehydes. — In the case of aldehyde-bearing oils, as cassia, the property of sodium bisulphite forming a compound soluble in water, containing an excess of sodium bisulphite, is utilized. This process is of much practical value with oil of cassia, and the oil is now generally purchased on the basis of aldehyde content.
Acetylization. — Many of the oils contain alcohols as essential con- stituents. These can mostly be estimated by converting them into acetic esters, by means of acetic anhydride, removing water-soluble products by washing with water, then dehydrating the residue by means of fused sodium sulphate, and estimating the amount of acetyl group contained in a given weight of the acetylized oil.
PHENOL DETERMINATION.
It is the custom in France to rectify oil of thyme with consider- able quantities of turpentine oil. The original cause of this pro- cedure is probably due to the fact that the consumer requests a colorless oil, and oil of thyme contains a goodly per cent, of phenol
6
Adulterations of Essential Oils.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901.
bodies, which cause the freshly distilled oil to develop a coloration in a short time. The smaller the amount of phenol, the longer the oil will remain colorless. Careful analyses of this oil show that a pure product contains about 25 per cent, of phenols, and these can be approximately estimated by treating a given volume of oil with a 5 per cent, solution of sodium hydroxide, in a burette, and not- ing the diminution of volume of the oil. The alkaline solution forms soluble compounds with the phenols.
The following comprises a list of oils and the impurities found in them by various observers, as well as the writers :
Almonds, bitter, true. — There are no objections, so far as the writers know, to the preparation of a so-called oil of bitter almonds made from apricot or peach kernels, but it ought not to be offered as the genuine article. The true oil is often adulterated with alcohol, nitrobenzol, turpentine and benzaldehyde, the latter sometimes in toto.
Aniseed, spermaceti up to 35 per cent., alcohol as much as 80 per cent., kerosene, wax, oils of fennel, cedar, copaiba, camphor, turpentine, fennel stearoptene and oil of caraway, obtained from both the seed and the chaff.
Angelica, copaiba.
Amber, crude, resin mixed with coal oil and turpentine. It is rumored that crude petroleum is frequently supplied for this article.
Amber, rectified, resin oil, turpentine and kerosene. Note remarks made under amber, crude.
Bay, cloves, pimento, turpentine and oils containing phenols. It has also been adulterated with redistilled oil of cinnamon leaf, with a slight admixture of redistilled oil of lemongrass. Such an article has been pronounced by those of little experience superior to the pure product, appearing sweeter, more aromatic and not as heavy in odor as a pure oil.
Birch, methyl salicylate, and there is no absolute method to de- tect it.
Bergamot, lemon, orange, French turpentine, linaloe, fatty oils.
Cajeput ; this is often looted. A mixture of rosemary or savin with camphor and resin of milfoil is often substituted. Oils of campjior and turpentine must be looked for.
Cajeput, Formosa, said to be a mixture of cajeput and oil of camphor.
Aj^Sa&,Pi9oi.m'} Adulterations of Essential Oils. 7
Camphor y benzine, coal oil, turpentine, one case 25 per cent. Canada snakeroot, copaiba, Cananga, coca nut oil.
Cassia, coal oil, fatty oils, resin (one case 18 per cent.), oil gurjun balsam, cloves, cinnamon leaf, cedarwood. A 90 per cent, aldehyde containing oil of cassia reduced to a 70 per cent, strength oil, by the addition of enough coal oil. A large profit in coal oil.
Caraway seed, often a looted oil ; turpentine, oil of caraway chaff and added limonen. The term " twice rectified " for this article is rather misleading, as each rectification reduces the percentage of carvol. The single distillation of Dutch caraway seed produces a superior oil and of much greater strength than the so-called " twice rectified."
Cedrat, a mixture of orange and bergamot.
Cedar, hemlock, spruce, turpentine, oil of camphor.
Cedar leaf , cedarwood, thuja.
Celery seedy celery leaf, turpentine.
Chamomile, cedar, copaiba, turpentine, milfoil, lemon. The manu- facturer sometimes distils lemon or turpentine over his chamomile flowers.
Cinnamon, cloves, cassia.
Citronella, Japanese oil of camphor, the light variety. This article was preferred by some, as it had a sweeter odor. Fatty oils, oil of gurjun, coal oil, coca nut oil. A controversy occurred in England as to whether a mixture of citronella 35 per cent., lemon 10 per cent, and coal oil 55 per cent, could pass as citronella oil.
Coriandefy orange, cubebs, cedar, turpentine. Oil of orange distilled with coriander.
Copaiba, oil gurjun balsam.
Cloves, clove stems, fatty oils, copaiba, pimento, coal oil, turpen- tine and carbolic acid. A looted oil is sometimes met with. Cubebs, copaiba.
Curacoa orange, bitter orange and bergamot. Dilly caraway chaff oil, mace, turpentine.
Eucalyptus, looted oil, cheaper grades of eucalyptus. Turpen- tine is said to smooth a rough oil.
Fennel seedy looted oil, fennel chaff, alcohol, oils containing phe- nols.
Geranium, gingergrass, rectified citronella, fatty oils.
$ Adulterations of Essential Oils. {A janSa^fmf.111,
Geranium, Turkish, fixed oils, turpentine, coal oil. Gingergrass oil, mineral oil and turpentine. Hemlock, spruce, turpentine. Juniper wood, turpentine.
Lavender, garden, spike, oil of camphor, turpentine.
Lavender flowers, turpentine, alcohol. A poor oil is sometimes found " plugged " with ester. According to Schimmel, the test for solubility, one part to three of 70 per cent, alcohol, does not prove or disprove the presence of turpentine. The method of distillation is responsible in the majority of cases for the variations in specific gravity, optical rotation and solubility.
Lemon, poor lemon oil, with citral from lemongrass added, poor or old orange oil, turpentine. When testing on paper, use a piece of fresh lemon peel for comparison.
Lemongrass, fixed oils.
Limes, expressed, lemon.
Melissa, lemon, citronella or lemongrass distilled over melissa leaves. Mixtures of lemon and citronella or lemongrass. Matico, alcohol, turpentine. Mace, distilled, poor quality nutmeg oil.
Neroli, petit-grain, with a little bergamot, improves the quality of a poor oil. Lemon or orange increase optical rotation. Petit- grain or linaloe decrease optical rotation.
Orange, alcohol, turpentine. When testing on paper, use orange peel for comparison.
Origa7ium, a mixture of thyme, oil of camphor, turpentine and coloring matter ; crude oil of sassafras, rectified resin oil, Barbadoes tar, crude petroleum.
Palmarosa, coca nut oil, petroleum.
Patchouli, cedarwood, cubebs, turpentine, coal oil.
Peppermint, mixture (peppermint, glycerin, alcohol and turpen- tine) copaiba, erigeron, turpentine, castor oil, pennyroyal, alcohol, glycerin, oil of camphor, sassafras, looted oil.
Pennyroyal, de-mentholized mint, turpentine, alcohol, residue from peppermint distillation.
Petit-grain, turpentine.
Pimento, cloves, carbolic acid.
Pine-needle oil, turpentine. Much confusion exists in these oils, due partly to the nomenclature of the coniferse.
A January Pih™"} Adulterations of Essential Oils. g
Pinus Sylvestris, Scotch oil of fir, coal oil, turpentine. Very little genuine is to be had.
Rose. — The leaves of rosa alba added to the Bulgarian rose, as the oil from this mixture contains more stearoptene, so that the distiller is able to add more geranium oil without reducing the melting point below the minimum. Indian geranium or ginger- grass, palmarosa, true oil of rhodium, light paraffin oils, fixed oils, guaiac wood oil, alcohol, spermaceti, paraffin. This is the record breaker for number of adulterations.
Rhodium, a mixture of rose and copaiba.
Rosemary, camphor and lavender, turpentine, spike oil, petroleum oil, alcohol, rectified camphor oil. * Rue, turpentine, coal oil.
Sandal, " German" mixture of sandal-English and copaiba.
Sandal, " East India" or " English" castor oil, copaiba, fatty oils, cedarwood, oil of gurjun, West India sandals. Chloroform and alcohol were found in one sample that is said to have answered the U.S.P. requirements. This oil should be from one to two years old, as ageing considerably improves the fineness of the aroma. The U.S.P. requires a specific gravity 0-970 to 0 978. Ten observers, including Schimmel, Umney, Parry, Bush and Squires, average 0-971 to 0-979. Optical rotation, — 120 to — 200 ; santalol, from 86 to 98 per cent.
A safe average for a good oil would be, optical rotation, from — 170 to — 190 ; specific gravity, 0-975 at lS° C-> an<^ santalol at least 90 per cent. A lot of oil made by a certain firm had a specific gravity of 0-9767; optical rotation, — I7'5°; contained 97-16 per cent, of santalol, and was freely soluble in five volumes of 70 per cent, alcohol.
Savin, juniper, turpentine. Mr. Dohme found 80 per cent, of turpentine in one sample.
Sassafras, safrol, coal oil, oil of camphor.
Spearmint, turpentine.
Spruce, turpentine.
Tansy, spruce, turpentine.
Thuja, cedar, pine leaf, turpentine.
Thyme, camphor, turpentine. A recent examination showed that a pure article can be obtained, but generally it runs very low in phenol content.
10
Drug Culture.
f Am. Jour. Pharm 1 January, 1901.
Verbena, lemongrass. • Vetivert, fixed oils.
Wine, light oil, fusel oil and the distillate obtained from the resi- due left in the manufacture of ether.
Wormwood, turpentine. Residue from the distillation of oil of tansy. A mixture was once sold as oil of wormwood which cost about 65 cents per pound to make. It consisted of oils of cedar, spruce, amber, tansy refuse, alcohol and turpentine. One of the authors had a sample of this unique compound shown him. Even a hasty examination should have disclosed most of the ingredients.
Wintergreen, true. — There is practically little of this oil to be had. Birch, pure methyl salicylate and mixtures of the two are often sold for it. When it was a common commercial article, Japanese oil of camphor, other light oils,vcoal oil, sassafras and chloroform were the chief adulterants. There appears to be no satisfactory test to identify an admixture of methyl salicylate and birch except optical rotation, and this observation must be made with extreme care.
Ylang Ylang (Flower of Flowers), kananga, fatty oils, syn- thetic oil.
In conclusion, the writers would state that they make little claim for originality. This paper contains the results of some years of observation and information supplied by friends. Existing litera- ture was largely drawn upon, chief among which were "Die Aetherische Oele," von E. Gildermeister und Fr. Hoffmann ; the English translation of this by Edward Kremers ; " The Chemistry of Essential Oils and Artificial Perfumes," by Ernest J. Parry; " Odorographia, " by J. Ch. Sawer, and the " Semi- Annual Reports of Schimmel & Co. "
DRUG CULTURE. By F. B. Kilmer.
^1 have heretofore urged attention to the study of medicinal plants at their source of supply, both in their natural habitat and under cultivation.
In one instance I pleaded for the publication of specific informa- tion as to the propagation, growth, collection and preparation of medicinal plants, having in view the highest conservation of their medicinal constituents, and of securing more uniform production,
Am. Jour. Pharm. ]_ January, 1901. J
Drug Culture.
1 1
and especially the issuance, either by the Government or otherwise, of bulletins containing information as to the best modes of cultivat- ing, collecting and preparing such medicinal plants as are suited to the climates of our States and territories.1
That these appeals have not passed unheeded is evident from the interest now manifested in the subject of drug culture.
The object of the present communication is to stimulate, and, if possible, add a few practical notes to the somewhat meagre litera- ture on this subject. In the consideration of the cultivation of medicinal plants several points present themselves:
It is stated that the time is not far distant when we will be de- pendent upon the agriculturist for our medicinal plants ; that the destruction of wooded lands and other causes are lessening the supply of drug-yielding plants, and that drug farms will soon be a necessity.
Scientific agriculture has taught the grower how to develop given products of plant life force. If, by scientific cultivation, we can augment or regulate the important active principles of drug plants, there is hope for an economic and scientific recompense.
After a somewhat careful review of the situation it is evident to me that the problem in the cultivation of medicinal plants can best be solved by the American pharmacist.
In this country we can call to our aid resources of a most extensive and varied soil and climate, and scientific agriculture here reaches the'highest attainable point. From the beginning we shall have the advantages of American machinery and methods as against peasant labor, which now supplies the bulk of the European products. But of striking importance to pharmacy and medicine is the fact that intelligent drug culture will tend to throw light upon the problem as to the relative value and activity of drugs gathered in a wild state, as compared with those under culture.
Heretofore cultivation has not been necessary or expedient for many drug plants. Our knowledge of the influence of cultivation upon their medicinal and active principles is, therefore, very meagre.
In respect to narcotic drugs, the statement that those which grow wild contain the greater proportion of alkaloids is generally accepted
1 " In L,ands Where Drugs Grow." American Journal of Pharmacy, April, 1900.
12
Drug Culture,
( Am. Jour. Pharm. 1 January, 1901.
as true, yet I have seen specimens of cultivated belladonna root which would assay over I per cent, alkaloids. We are also con- fronted by the fact that under industrial stimulus cultivation has had the effect of increasing the alkaloidal yield in cinchona, poppy, coca, the caffeine-bearing plants, tobacco, etc.
On one hand the possibility of a scarcity of certain drugs and the probability of the betterment of our vegetable materia medica would seem to be questions of great importance to pharmacy, and would seem to answer the first and most natural query : Will it pay ?
The following notes here are given with a view to stimulate further study rather than as having any practical value.
It is quite apparent that the conditions which influence the growth of plants and agricultural products in general will apply more or less to the cultivation of drug plants.
The controlling influences of climate (heat, light and moisture) upon plant growth are well known. To a certain extent climatic conditions are more than soil. The influence of climate upon the medicinal principles of plants is undeniable, but in this respect we have no accurate data upon which to form conclusions.
Numerous alkaloidal drugs at the present time are grown in Great Britain and Western Europe. Here we have cool summers (in England considerable humidity) and a gradual approach of cold weather. Maturity is late and indefinite. Under these conditions we find that certain plants are rich in alkaloids.
These same plants, if transplanted to America, would probably be killed by the fall frosts before maturity, and after a few genera- tions they would acquire the quick-ripening habits which are char- acteristic of our vegetation. Would the alkaloidal yield follow this change of growth?1
Temperature is seemingly not the all-important factor influencing the alkaloidal yield. Some Northern-grown tobaccos are weak in nicotine and others are very rich. Kentucky tobacco is very high in alkaloid. Certain tropical-grown tobaccos are the weakest of all. Poppies have been grown in France yielding many times the amount of morphia of those grown in India. Indications point to humidity and rainfall as more potent than heat.
1 Atropa belladonna is quite at home in England, but I have seen thrifty speci- mens in the tropical gardens of the West Indies as well as in Northern New York.
Am. Jour. Pharm.\ January, 1901. J
Drug Culture.
13
In my observations upon the European narcotic drugs, the most thrifty specimens, rich in alkaloids, were found among the dense foliage of forests where the rays of the sun never reach the soil, and, as naturally would be expected, these same plants, when culti- vated in narrow valleys with a northern or eastern aspect, were the most prolific in growth.
In considering the influence of climate upon drug culture we must also bear in mind that there are vertical as well as horizontal zones of vegetation, and we must therefore expect that the growth of drug plants will follow the well-known range of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, etc., in this respect. 1
As to the soil best adapted to the growth of medicinal plants we know almost nothing. It will be necessary to study each plant by itself in this respect. Taking the European-grown drugs as types, it has seemed to me that those regions where the soil was a mix- ture of humus and calcareous earths were the most productive; soils rich in sand or clay produced the least.
In England aconite and henbane are cultivated in Kent on light sandy soils. They grow wild on marshy land. The soil in Lincoln- shire, where drugs are cultivated, contains a good percentage of fine sand and vegetable matter and is not very high in lime.
In another section, where the same drugs are grown, the soil is a brown loam lying over a chalk formation, and contains 15 per cent, of lime. The vegetable matter from this soil is not very high. From the Continent a sample of soil on which lavender and several narcotic herbs are grown was reported to contain 35 per cent, vegetable matter, 51 per cent, of sand (quite fine), 10 per cent, of lime and 2 per cent, of phosphoric acid.
So far as I could learn the potash content in these soils was not high. Observing the conditions under which many medicinal plants thrive, we might conclude that rich soil was not a necessity.
In one of my experiments I selected a very poor red shale soil where grass would not grow, even under fertilization with compost, and on this soil the growth of rhubarb, digitalis, conium, cotton, aconite, etc., was a pronounced success. 2
1 The writer is preparing a list of the common drug plants suited to the tem- perate zone of the United States with such information as can be gathered as to the zone of vertical cultivation, and will be pleased to receive aid and sug- gestions.
2 An analysis of this red shale soil gave the following results :
14
Drug Culture.
( A.m. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901.
In botanical gardens . the drug plants in the richest beds generally look the least thrifty. It has been stated by experienced drug cul- tivators that the alkaloidal content of plants is lessened by high fertilization. This statement accords with such actual practices as have come under my notice. Against this statement we have re- ports of experiments made in the sewage gardens of Berlin and else- where which tend to show that fertilization with sewage gives an increase in the alkaloidal yield.
In plants which yield aromatic principles high fertilization is con- ceded to be beneficial.
I am inclined to the opinion that fresh manure is prejudicial, and that compost, especially that from rotted leaves, straw, etc., is the best. We seem to have no information respecting the use of arti- ficial fertilizers upon drug plants.
It is probably unnecessary to urge the selection of good seeds. It will be found advisable to obtain seeds from plants grown in the same geographical region, or especially in the region representing as nearly as possible the same climatic conditions as our own. My experience has shown that from some cause but a small propor- tion of the seeds of medicinal plants germinate. (In some of my experiments only 25 per cent, of selected seeds were fertile.)
Every farmer sows from five to twenty times more seed than he needs, and of the seeds which germinate, it is estimated that not more than 10 per cent, give mature plants.
For the present the source of seed supply for medicinal plants not indigenous to our country must be such as can be obtained from wholesale druggists. These will often prove unreliable. The processes of drying, age and other influences to which they have been subjected are not conducive to growth.
It is to be hoped that our seedsmen and botanical gardens will in
Silicic acid and quartz 73 *oo
Peroxide of iron 10*00
Alumina 3*20
Lime ....... V : 4-93
Magnesia . 0*90
Potash 073
Soda 0*97
Sulphuric acid trace
Carbonic acid
Water i*oo
Am. Jour. Pharm.l January, 1901. J
Drug Culture.
*5
time become reliable sources of supply. For indigenous plants the wild plants themselves will furnish the seed required.
The effects of cultivation upon medicinal plants, while of deep significance, are beyond the scope of this paper. The words of Dar- win should be kept in mind : " Changes of any kind in the condi- tions of life, even extremely slight changes, often suffice to cause variability." Changes of food, climate, changes of any of the con- ditions of environment, have a modifying effect upon colors, propor- tions, details of structure, etc.
Under cultivation, the growth of tubers, roots, stalks, leaves, etc., changes. Thus it may be expected that the plant functions from which arise the odorous, alkaloidal or other active principles will also vary between wild and cultivated plants. As to the nature and extent of the effects of cultivation upon the production of these me- dicinal principles, we have no tangible knowledge. My impression is that in our first attempts we shall do too much cultivation.
The most virile drug plants that we know are for the most part wild. They live a savage life. Their vital force is the accumula- tion of ages of struggle in the winds and storms of the wilderness ; rooted in the black mold rich in the decay of countless preceding generations, a change from barbarism to civilization, from the for- est to the conservatory, must cause a marked reaction.
Weeds are always stronger than the cultivated plant. Thus it seems to me that when we bring wild medicinal plants from another country to our own, we had best plant them out in the fields under as nearly as possible the same surroundings as were experienced in their habitat. In other words, let them grow as weeds. It may be that in this way we can utilize some of our fallow lands and waste ground.
Every pharmacist can do his part to help along the cause of drug culture. The Michigan University, with a few acres, and Frederick T. Gordon, with a garden bed, have given us helpful examples.
Every college of pharmacy should have a college farm. Through the aid of this farm and the college laboratory the question of soil, climate and fertilization, as well as other influences upon the plant constituents, can be studied.
In England many country chemists, and on the Continent the rural Apotheker, give considerable attention to, and derive a profit- able income from, the cultivation and gathering of medicinal plants.
1.6
Syrup of Iodide of Iron.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901.
Some of these have achieved quite an enviable reputation for preparations made from plants of their own culture.
Could not American pharmacists in the rural districts take up drug culture, and might it not be a notable feature to be able to advertise : " Rhubard, ipecac and jalap fresh from our own drug farm?"
Pharmacists can invoke the assistance of agricultural experiment stations. Many of these institutions can and will carry out experi- ments and give reports which from a horticultural standpoint will be of value.
Cultivation of good-sized plots in a variety of locations with records of soil, climate and results, while it may not prove im- mediately remunerative, will furnish a vast amount of information and interest. Wholesale druggists can materially assist by supply- ing seeds which are authentic and reliable.
As an easy and instructive experiment for the beginner, I suggest the cultivation of certain alkaloidai plants which are indigenous (stramonium, hydrastis, etc.), with a view of obtaining records of assay of wild and cultivated drugs grown in the same locality.
In a succeeding communication I shall bring together notes of methods followed in the cultivation of certain medicinal plants which have come under my observation.
THE DISCOLORATION OF SYRUP OF IODIDE OF IRON. By F. W. Haussmann.
The causes of the color change in syrup of ferrous iodide have frequently been investigated, and the published statements resulting from these researches cannot be regarded as conclusive.
Chemical decomposition of the ferrous iodide, indicated by the liberation of iodine, or the formation of ferric compounds, furnish the basis upon which the majority of investigators agree. A considera- tion of the process of preparation, involving the several steps, especially the common mistake of the tyro to filter the iron solu- tion while yet brown, will readily explain the universal acceptance of such statements.
It has, however, been observed by many pharmacists that the syrup, despite the efforts at preservation by following a number of
A.m. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901. J
Syrup of Iodide of Iron.
contradictory suggestions, such as exposure to direct sunlight on one hand and entire exclusion of light on the other, gradually turns darker.
The fact that application of the starch test gave negative evi- dence of the presence of free iodine indicated the necessity of another explanation.
This was believed to be found by advancing the theory that a ferric compound is formed, and the statement that ferrous iodide changed to ferric iodide or oxyiodide was accepted as conclusive.
This change probably takes place if an aqueous solution of ferrous iodide is evaporated with the view of obtaining the salt, but, based upon results obtained from the examination of a number of specimens of various age and shade of color, the writer ques- tions if this takes place in the syrup.
In an examination of some fifteen discolored samples not one reacted for the presence of ferric compounds.
This result practically excludes this theory, and the cause of dis- coloration must be sought elsewhere.
Recently the action of free acids upon syrups has received atten- tion, and the changes produced thereby have been described. Con- siderable work still remains to be done in this direction, and the action of metallic salts, in particular those of an acid reaction, upon saccharine solutions demands exhaustive investigation*
Regarding the reaction of ferrous iodide, the statements of the Pharmacopoeia are contradictory, the saccharated iodide being stated to have a slightly acid and the syrup a neutral reaction. Founded on the results of an investigation carried on for some time, the writer inclines to the belief that the action of the iron salt, with- out itself undergoing any chemical change, causes discoloration of the syrup.
The amount of heat employed in preparing the syrup also has an important influence.
The following reasons may serve to substantiate these assertions :
Ferrous iodide is not the only iron salt which, with the influence of heat, causes darkening in syrup.
A syrup of ferrous sulphate, containing 10 per cent, of the salt, prepared by dissolving sugar in an aqueous solution and heating to boiling, on standing from 4 to 6 months with exposure to light, turned from a light green to a brown color.
Examination at the expiration of six months, with the view of
IS
Syrup of Iodide of Iron.
J Am. Jour. Phariru t January, 1901.
determining the possible formation of a ferric compound, gave a negative result.
Identical results were obtained with a syrup containing 10 per cent, of ferrous chloride.
The influence o( temperature is demonstrated by the fact that syrups prepared by dissolving the sugar in the iron solution at a temperature below the boiling point, possess greater stability than those heated to boiling.
The addition of hypophosphorous or other acids exerts no influ- ence except to prevent the liberation of iodine.
Several specimens of the syrup to which hypophosphorous acid was added, originally of a bright green color, have gradually turned brown.
The premature addition of an acid may cause the syrup to rapidly change in color.
In an instance, where this possibility was considered, the addition of hypophosphorous acid to a boiling bright green syrup was fol- lowed by an immediate change to dark brown.
This points to the necessity of adding the acid only to the per- fectly cold syrup.
This color change may also be noticed if a small quantity of the syrup, either with or without an addition of acid, be heated to boil- ing and the heat continued. Caramelization will be the consequence.
Brief mention may be made of the restoration of discolored syrups of iodide of iron.
Specimens containing free iodine may* be restored by the well- known practice of digestion with iron filings.
Care in the regulation of heat must be observed, and addition of a sufficient amount of water to restore the original weight of the syrup should not be neglected.
A syrup, in which the brown color is due to caramelization, is difficult of restoration.
Animal charcoal will remove some of the brown color, but the writer has never been able to completely restore the original bright green color by this method. • §
It may incidentally be mentioned, that if further investigations should prove this action of iron salts upon saccharine solutions to be true, the color change in elixirs containing scaled iron salts, which is the source of much annoyance to the pharmacist, is thereby ex- plained.
A January Pi 901 m } Pharmacists Apparatus Stand. 19.
PHARMACISTS' APPARATUS STAND.
By J. Percy Remington, B.S.
A stand adapted for supporting all kinds of apparatus used in the daily work of the store and laboratory has been a desideratum for many years.
The busy pharmacist has to perform every day many operations that require the use of apparatus of various size and shape. Per- colation, filtration, evaporation, distillation and testing all require the use of such vessels, and the problem of devising a stand for holding these firmly, and in the proper position, is one of far- reaching importance.
How often has the pharmacist, harassed by a multitude of exact- ing duties and interruptions, started an operation, and after care- fully selecting the materials and setting up the apparatus, had the flimsy stand upon which he was depending break down and upset the vessel, thus losing time, patience, apparatus, results and possibly a suit of clothes. Or it may be that after several operations have been started and are under way an emergency arises and a sudden call forces the operator to start another filtration ; he finds that his single retort stand is crowded to its full capacity, and he looks despairingly at the limited counter space at his disposal, which he dare not encroach upon.
The ordinary ring stand has been, so far, the only means of sup- plying support for the various pieces of apparatus in constant use by the pharmacist. For a long time it has been evident that a new device, which would satisfy all the various needs, is an actual neces- sity. These ring stands are constructed of a rod screwed into an iron base, the ring clamps being secured to the upright rod by thumbscrews. They are not made strong enough to stand the weight which is often put upon them, the number of positions in which the rings can be placed is very limited, and they do not vary sufficiently in size to be of equal value for the needs of all stores.
The points which must be taken into consideration in devising; something which will fulfil all the requirements are : That the apparatus shall be sufficiently strong to support a heavy weight likely to be put upon it; that it may be so adjustable that the rings may be put in any position necessary ; that it may be compact enough to occupy very little space (and this to be the least valu-
^^uary,Pi9oim'} Pharmacists Apparatus Stand. 21
able) ; that it may be so constructed that it may be made of any dimensions to fit the space available ; and that it may be enlarged or diminished in size, to suit the needs of the business.
The stand which is here described is the result of an effort to supply all these requirements. It is constructed of two upright tubes of heavy iron, secured firmly at the bottom by counter plates. Two parallel, horizontal, double tubes are arranged so as to slide up and down these upright tubes, and made secure by means of thumbscrews at each end. This completes the framework of the stand. The ring clamps, instead of being all in one piece, as in the ordinary stands, are made in two parts, the clamp composing one part, and the rings, with 1 2-inch shanks, the other part. The shanks of the rings are passed through two openings in the clamps, and are made secure by thumbscrews. The clamps are of two kinds, those which slide horizontally on the double tubes, and those which slide vertically on the upright tubes. The shafts of the rings are all of the same size, so that they can be used with either form of clamp, the rings varying in diameter from 3 inches to 7 inches.
All the thumbscrews are of brass, so as to prevent the possi- bility of rusting, and the castings are of malleable iron, so that the chance of breakage is very slight. The framework, being all composed of heavy iron tubing, is sufficiently strong and firm to uphold any weight which would be likely to be put upon it, and every part is constructed with a view to withstand hard usage.
It will be readily seen that the adjustability of this apparatus stand is complete. It is possible to get any desired position of the rings in the three dimensions of space, upward or downward, right or left, backward or forward.
The space which it occupies when not in use and the rings re- moved is very small. The frame stands on the counter 4 inches from the wall, thus taking up the room which is least valuable, and leaving all the front part of the counter available for other pur- poses. As the amount of space varies considerably in different stores, the advantage which this stand possesses in being made of iron tubing which can be cut in any length to suit the space avail- able, and the fact that it can be screwed to the counter or to the wall, or suspended from a shelf or the ceiling, will commend it to the practical and busy pharmacist.
22 Assay of Belladonna Root, {A January St1^
THE ASSAY OF BELLADONNA ROOT AND ITS SOLID
EXTRACT.
By Arthur Wayne Clark, B.S.
Having occasion constantly to handle samples of large quantities of the root of Atropa Belladonna used in preparing solid extract for use in belladonna plasters, the writer has had some experience with about all the standard methods of assay, and while little that is new is herein described, yet the method of procedure is given in detail, believing this attention to minutia to be a necessity to success and lack of such information the chief difficulty in working out a rational method for one's own constant use.
In favor of the method here described, it can be said that it is quite accurate, and yet can be carried out with a relatively short amount of time actually given to the work.
The method of extraction used is hot extraction with a reflux condenser, and while this and the other parts of the process require about twelve consecutive hours for the completion of one assay, still the total time given to the work need not exceed three or four hours, and during the shaking-out process the work can be left for any length of time necessary; in fact the longer the better. Besides this, duplicate assays can readily be managed at the same time, thus effecting a considerable saving of labor.
The objection is sometimes made to hot extraction of belladonna root, that there is a possibility of loss of alkaloid from the heat applied, but the writer could never see the force of this argument, for practically all the methods ever proposed finish by evaporating down the alkaloidal solution in chloroform or ether, thus applying the very heating process objected to above.
The fact that the mixed menstruum boils at 65 0 C. would seem also to make it impossible that there should be any loss from this source.
The advantages of hot reflux extraction are that it can be carried out much more quickly than a cold percolation, is more economical of menstruum, an important factor where a large number of assays is constantly being performed for commercial purposes, and it re- quires no attention whatever after the heat is once regulated, pro- vided, of course, there is sufficient water-bath capacity to run for the required time.
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901. J
Assay of Belladonna Root.
23
More important than all these considerations is the fact that, on account of the concentrated character of the menstruum used, there is very little inert resinous matter carried through, and consequently the shaking-out part of the assay is free from this serious complica- tion, always present in assaying an ordinary extract. Presumably, because of this feature, emulsification of the alkaline solution is quite infrequent instead of being the rule, as in assaying an extract.
METHOD OF PROCEDURE.
Weigh out in a tared beaker about 20 grammes of the root ground moderately fine. It is not necessary to weigh closer than the third decimal place in grammes, as an error of -00 1 gramme here is not appreciable in the percentage result. Pour the weighed contents of the beaker carefully into a clean, smooth porcelain dish, of 1 8 or 20 centimetres diameter, tapping the beaker to shake out as much of the root as possible.
The menstruum used is that advised by Dunstan and Ranson, and is manipulated as follows : Mix up 6o c.c. or 70 c.c. of equal parts by volume of absolute alcohol and chloroform, and take about one- quarter of the mixture to moisten the root in the porcelain dish. Pour this portion of the alcohol-chloroform mixture first, into the tared beaker, whirling it around to collect the fine particles of root which adhered to the glass, then pour it into the dish and mix up well with a clean spatula until the root is evenly moistened.
Now take the inside glass cup of the reflux extractor, which should be about I inch in diameter and 3 inches deep, put in the bottom an absorbent cotton plug moistened with the alcohol-chloro- form mixture and, holding the cup over the dish so as to catch in the latter any that falls, carefully transfer with a spatula a little root at a time into the cup, packing it in gently with a large, smoothly- rounded glass rod, finally shaking off any particles of root adhering to the rod and spatula.
Prepare a small wad of absorbent cotton for the top of the packed root, moisten it with some of the mixture and use one side of it as a mop to take up the last particles of the moistened root from the porcelain dish, spatula and rod.
Now place this cotton on top of the root packed in the glass cup, putting the side downwards that was used as a mop.
On top of the whole place sufficient clean lead shot to cover it and to hold it down.
24
Assay of Belladonna Root.
/ Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901.
Now set up the reflux condenser, add the rest of the 60 c.c. or 70 c.c. alcohol-chloroform and heat on a water- bath, extracting for seven hours. Presuming the rate of percolation to be 60 or 70 drops per minute, there will pass through the 20 grammes root about 1,500 c.c. of the hot menstruum or about seventy-five times its weight, a much larger proportion than is ever used in a slow cold extraction.
The above-described method of moistening and packing (the granu- lated root) is sufficiently accurate if reasonable care is exercised in carrying it out.
The percolate containing the alkaloid is now transferred to a sep- aratory funnel and the alkaloid dissolved out by shaking with 20 c.c. dilute H2S04 (j£ per cent.).
Sometimes the fluids seem to mix and there is no separation or line of demarcation. If this is the case, add 10 c.c. or 15 c.c. water, shake again and the chloroform layer will be precipitated on stand- ing about a minute, leaving eventually a clean-cut line between the liquids.
Since the chloroform solution separates as a bottom stratum, it must be drawn off first into a clean beaker, after which the acid solu- tion is run out, well drained and put aside and the chloroform solu- tion returned to the separator.
The chloroform solution is then shaken again with 15 c.c. dilute acid, separated in the same way and shaken again with 10 c.c. of the dilute acid. Quite frequently it will be found that the third shaking out will cause emulsification of the two liquids. If this happens it can be instantly remedied by adding 10 c.c. or 15 c.c. more of the original mixture of alcohol and chloroform in equal volumes and shaking up again after adding it.
There is no use in carefully washing out the stem of the funnel, etc., between each of these operations, as the minute quantity of solution adhering to it is simply carried over and is again separated in a much diluted condition next time.
There is usually a small quantity of flocculent precipitate and dirt collected at the line of separation in these acid extractions, and wherever such occurs to any appreciable extent, the dirt should be run out with the chloroform stratum, bringing the clean edge of the acid layer down to the bottom of the opening in the stop-cock. Sometimes a minute amount of the acid solution has to be allowed to go through with the dirt, but this again will be diluted and
Aj^uTy,Pi9oirm-} Assay of Belladonna Root. 25
reseparated next time, so that the loss will not be appreciated if the operation is carried out with care.
If in the third separation there is so much dirt present that there is danger of a very incomplete separation, then it is well to make a fourth extraction, using 10 c.c. acid again, but three extractions are usually amply sufficient.
This procedure leaves the acid solutions clear of insoluble matter,, and thereby the alkaline extraction next carried out will be uncom- plicated by its presence.
The three mixed acid solutions are now put into a clean separator, 20 c.c. 10 per cent, ammonia and 20 c.c. chloroform added, the whole violently shaken for several minutes and then allowed to stand.
The chloroform layer should fall down in five or ten minutes', leaving a clean-cut line between the two strata. The chloroform solution is then drawn off and set aside and the extraction repeated with 15 c.c. and again with 10 ex. chloroform. Twirling and rock- ing the separator will greatly assist the rapid separation of the two liquids and sometimes the separation takes place almost instantly.
Sometimes an emulsion is formed and great difficulty is experi- enced in causing a separation, in which case an easy remedy is at hand in the very valuable suggestion of Moerk (Am. Jour. Phar., March, 1899), to put a few small flakes of stearic acid in the sepa- rator and shake up violently again. It is remarkable to witness the immediate separation of the two fluids, and as Moerk has proved that the stearic acid does not influence the result, this method has been used many times with great satisfaction, more especially, how- ever, in extract assays, as it is seldom needed in direct root assays made as above.
In these alkaline extractions any sediment that collects at the line of separation should not be drawn off, but must be left in the upper aqueous stratum, and, after the third extraction, washed by adding a small amount of chloroform and running it out without shaking, but leaving the dirt behind, the chloroform being added to the rest. Care must be taken to draw off only the clear solution. This also rinses out the stem and should not be omitted.
The chloroform solutions are now all filtered through absorbent cotton into an Ehrlenmeyer flask of about 300 c.c. capacity and evaporated on a water-bath to a brown varnish-like residue, finally
26 Assay of Belladonna Root. {A™klll^ml™
blowing air into the flask to remove all chloroform and to carry out any free ammonia which may be present. Now add about io c.c. chloroform, shake up and evaporate down again as before, to assist in driving off any ammonia. This residue is then titrated as directed later on. Ether should not be substituted here for chloroform, as the writer has found ether to be almost invariably acid, which being the case, it will ruin the result.
The water-bath should be heated by steam, as any open flame nearby will decompose the chloroform vapors to hydrochloric acid, filling the room with its fumes and possibly neutralizing some of the alkaloid in the flask. The operation can, however, be carried out over a bath heated by a flame, if there is a good ventilation to remove the vapors, and the contents of the flask are kept boiling hard.
In the shaking-out process the writer experienced considerable trouble with the spitting of the solutions from the mouth of the separator when the stopper was removed after shaking. The U.S.P. advises that the best way to control this in these separators is to shake the contents slightly before putting in the stopper, but this scheme was not at all successful in preventing the trouble, due probably to the warmth of the hand in shaking the very volatile contents of the separator. An easy solution of the difficulty, how- ever, was found in putting the stopper in tightly, shaking up as usual and allowing to separate without relieving the pressure, and then, when ready to draw off, opening the outlet cock slightly and allowing the pressure to exert itself in gently blowing out the lower stratum through its natural outlet. After a few cubic centimetres have been expelled the pressure will have expended itself, the cock can be closed and the stopper removed without harm, after which the solution can be run off as usual.
As to the method of titrating the alkaloidal residue from the three mixed chloroform solutions, the writer finds that the best way is to dissolve the brown residue in about 5 c.c. neutral alcohol in the cold, then add about 100 c.c. distilled water and three drops of 1 per cent, alcoholic haematoxylin solution. This is then titrated
at once with twentieth normal hydrochloric acid HQ J to a
pure yellow color, the neutral point being indicated by the absence of any trace of red.
Am. Jour. Pharm. ) January, 1901. J
Assay of Belladonna Root.
27
With a little practice on alkaline solutions this point can usually be read to a drop, but it is well to note the neutral point and then
N
run over it and titrate back with — alkali to the first indication of
20
any tint, thus confirming the former reading. The number of cubic
N
centimetres acid used multiplied by '0145, the — . factor for atropine,
20
gives the weight of alkaloid present in the 20 grammes root.
It seems to have been the practice among some chemists to dis- solve the alkaloidal residue in a measured excess of the standard acid and titrate back with alkali, but solution in alcohol is very much easier and quicker and also gives more accurate results, for the writer has found that the acid dissolves the thick gummy resi- due very slowly and leaves a quantity of flocculent insoluble matter floating in the solution, rendering a close color-observation practi- cally impossible. By dissolving in alcohol this does not take place until an excess of the acid has been added and by that time the operation is finished.
The accuracy of this method compared to the direct acid solution was tested by taking a chloroform solution from an assay and divid- ing it in half, each half being evaporated down in a separate flask, N
one dissolved in HC1 and the other in alcohol. The results were
20
exactly alike, except that the correct neutral point was much more easily seen in the alcohol solution. The presence of the small amount of alcohol, therefore, has no influence on the result and its use is very beneficial both in regard to time and accuracy.
For some reason which has not been ascertained, the alkaloidal solution colored with hematoxylin will sometimes turn a greenish or purplish color as the acid is added to it, but this apparently does not influence the result, as the point of disappearance of the color is as clearly defined as though the color were a clean red, the final yellow being the same as usual.
ASSAY OF THE SOLID EXTRACT.
The best method of procedure in assaying the solid extract has proved to be as follows :
Weigh out in a tared beaker 4 or 5 grammes extract and with a glass rod rub it up smooth with 10 c.c. or 15 c.c.-J^ per cent. H2S04,
28
Assay of Belladonna Root.
I Am. Jour. Pharm. ( January, 1901.
pouring the mixture into a separator. Rinse out the beaker several times in the same way with smaller quantities of the dilute acid, transferring each portion to the separator. Now wash the acid mixture in the separator by shaking with 20 c.c. and again with 1 5 c.c. chloroform, running the chloroform out as waste. Take care to draw off only the clear solution. Next rinse this waste chloroform by shaking very gently in another separator with 10 c.c. dilute sul- phuric acid, throwing away the chloroform and returning the acid to the rest of the acid washings in the first separator.
Neutralize the acid solution in the separator by adding 20 c.c. IO per cent, ammonia and extract the alkaloid by shaking with 20 c.c, 15 c.c. and 10 c.c. chloroform exactly as in the root assay. There will be a very considerable quantity of brown flocculent material collected at the line of separation, floating in the chloroform and extending down through it so that sometimes only very little clear chloroform solution can be drawn off at first. As nothing must be removed but this clear solution, it will often require as much as an hour to complete each separation, although it can be done more quickly with some samples. The use of stearic acid is usually neces- sary in these separations, for in many cases emulsification is so com- plete that the liquids would never separate without its aid.
When separation begins the only way to work is to draw off the first clear part, bringing the floating material down to the top of the hole in the stop-cock; then by rocking, twirling and tapping, fol- lowed by several minutes' standing, the floating material will draw up or float to the top of the chloroform, packing together or solidi- fying so to speak, and leaving some more of the clear chloroform to be drawn off as before.
The same procedure is repeated generally five or six times with each separation until the bulk of the flocculent sediment is reduced in size as much as possible, after which the next portion of chloro- form is added to the separator, shaken up and separated little by little in the same way.
After the third separation is done add about 10 c.c. chloroform and draw it off without shaking, adding it to the rest as before, this being done to dilute the small amount of alkaloid solution remain- ing in the separator, so that the loss will be inappreciable.
Shaking out the extract in this way consumes considerably more time than is the case with the assay of the root direct, due to the
Aljanw>fi9oim'} Note 011 Benzoinated Lard. 29
presence of resinous matter and other inert materials. It can, how- ever, be accomplished with extreme accuracy if the operator will work patiently with the alkaline extractions as directed.
These chloroform solutions of the alkaloid are now mixed, evapor- ated down and titrated exactly as described above in the assay of the root.
J. Ellwood Lee Company Laboratory.
NOTE ON BENZOINATED LARD. By Me^vin W. Bamford.
Having recently had considerable trouble with benzoinated lard made from commercial lard because of the impurities in it, the writer visited a pork-packing establishment in order to obtain some information on the subject, and while there secured a quantity of what is known to the trade as " Pure Leaf Lard," which really is the leaf fat as it is obtained from the hog.
From this fat there was made a quantity of lard by the process recommended by Professor Redwood, and adopted by the British Pharmacopoeia. After removing as much of the membrane and tissue as possible, the fat is simply heated at a temperature not exceeding 1500 F., and as the lard separates from the membrane, it is strained through flannel into another vessel. It will be noticed that there is no water used in the process, the advantage being that the lard thus made contains absolutely no water.
This lard was then benzoinated by the United States Pharmaco- pceial process, and the resultant product was found to be perfectly sweet and smooth, and to have an agreeable odor of vanilla.
The actual cost of the preparation, making an allowance of 10 per cent, for waste and 20 per cent, for labor, is about 12*4 cents a pound. There are several makes of benzoinated lard on the market which are fully as good as this product; but the cost of these is from 20 to 25 cents a pound, so that the saving should be sufficient inducement to the pharmacist to make it himself. In addition to this* he will have the satisfaction of knowing that he has an abso- lutely pure preparation.
30 Note on Warburg s Tincture. {A jiiSSfyJwof.111"
NOTE ON WARBURG'S TINCTURE.1
By Ferdinand A. Sieker.
The first and second editions of the National Formulary state that "each fluid ounce contains 10 grains of quinine sulfate."
The first edition of the National Formulary directs 1,280 grains of quinine sulfate in 8 pints of tincture, which is equivalent to 10 grains of quinine sulfate in each fluid ounce.
The second edition of this work directs 100 grammes (1,543-2 grains) of quinine sulfate in 5,000 c.c. (169-07 fluid ounces), which is equivalent to 9-131 grains of quinine sulfate in I fluid ounce, and not 10 grains as is intended.
The original formula for Warburg's tincture directed 10 ounces (Troy) of " quinia" for the amount of tincture resulting from 500 fluid ounces of proof spirit. If the yield is regarded as 480 fluid ounces, then 1 fluid ounce contains 10 grains of "quinia." There- fore, 10 grains in I fluid ounce may be regarded as correct.
The amount of quinine sulfate in my formula (Amer. Jour. Pharm., Vol. 72, p. 573) is based on the quantity directed by the second edition of the National Formulary, which is not quite cor- rect. My formula should therefore be corrected as follows :
Use 219 grammes of quinine sulfate instead of 200 grammes, and 24 grammes of sulfuric acid instead of 22 grammes.
The formula for the modified tincture (Amer. Jour. Pharm., Vol. 72, p. 575) should therefore read: Use 73 grammes of each, cin- chonine sulfate, cinchonidine sulfate and chinoidine pure, instead of 66-66 grammes.
The quantities of fibrous vegetable drugs, etc., given in my for- mula are also somewhat larger than directed by the National For- mulary. The quantities are computed according to the original formula published in England, where in compounding the Troy ounce is used for solids and the fluid ounce for liquids.
Laboratory of Lehn & Fink, New York.
1 Refer to Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1900, Vol. 72, pp. 571 to 575.
Am.
'm-} Recent Literature Relating to Pharmacy.
FORMULA FOR ELIXIR OF HEROIN AND TERPIN
HYDRATE.1 By T. B. McCuntock.
Powder the terpin hydrate and dissolve it in the glycerin by the careful application of heat. Dissolve the heroin in 2 fluid ounces of the alcohol, adding to the solution the spirit of bitter almond and the compound spirit of orange. When the solution of terpin hy- drate has cooled, mix the two solutions and then add the syrup of wild cherry and sufficient alcohol to make I pint of the finished elixir.
RECENT LITERATURE RELATING TO PHARMACY.
This is a silver white alloy composed of aluminum and magne- sium. It is not affected by air and water, and even withstands the oxygen acids to a great extent, but is attacked by alkalies. The specific gravity ranges from 2 to 2-2 at 150 C. It can be rolled into sheets and drawn into wire. The reflective power is very high, and it does not absorb the ultra-violet. These properties, together with its low density and high rigidity, make it a very superior ma- terial for specula. — Brit. Jour. Phot., 1900, 47, 2090.
The recently opened up mining district near Iterbira, Brazil, is producing a large quantity of very pure black oxide of manganese. This ore is apparently the remains of a manganiferous limestone from which the limestone has been removed. It is a hard metallic- looking ore, interstratified with about 20 per cent, of the hydrated manganese, which seems to contain the greater amount of the im-
Heroin
Terpin hydrate
Spirit of bitter almond (5 per cent.) Compound spirit of orange ....
Syrup of wild cherry
Glycerin . :
Alcohol, q. s
3 dr., 12 gr.
10 m. 15 m.
. 2 fl. oz.
11 fl. oz. 1 O.
MAGNALIUM.
L. F. Kebler.
MANGANESE DIOXIDE IN BRAZIL.
JThe above formula was received from the author and was recommended as having proven quite satisfactory in the hands of some of the physicians of his acquaintance. — Ed.
32 Recent Literature Relating to Pharmacy. {A j^aryfigoi.111'
purities. The dried (ioo° C.) material from a cargo will assay from 50 to 55 per cent, of metallic manganese. The moisture varies from 10 to 20 per cent. The quality seems to be the same deeper down in the mine. It is estimated that the amount of ore in sight on one property is 2,000,000 tons. The ore outcrops on hills; can be mined without motive power, and run directly into railway bins, without picking, by means of shoots. — H. K. Scott, Iron and Steel Inst., spring meeting, 1 900. L. F. K.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SALA AMALGAM.
The oldest known natural silver amalgam is found at Sala, Sweden. Two distinct varieties have been analyzed, correspond- ing to the formula Ag2Hg3 and Ag5Hg6. The gold amalgams of Columbia and California correspond to the formula Au2Hg3. — H. Sjogren, from Chem. Ztg. Rep., 1900, 24, 151. L. F. K.
THE PROTEOLYTIC ENZYME OF GERMINATED BARLEY.
Whether germinated barley contains a proteolytic enzyme or not is a much mooted question. Eminent investigators have arrived at different results. The workers below, being dissatisfied with the present state of affairs, determined to remove the darkness if possi- ble. A 10 per cent, solution of gelatine was treated with the sub- stance under examination. The material was rendered antiseptic by means of thymol and the mixture kept in an incubator at 20° to 400 C. The gelatine solution was cooled from time to time to 5° C. and examined for the first appearance of liquefaction at this temperature. It was found that an enzyme capable of liquefying gelatine is certainly present in malt. The enzyme may be extracted by very dilute acetic acid or digestion with water at any tempera- ture below 320 C. It is almost, if not quite, destroyed by mashing at 700 C.
The presence of acetic acid favors its growth, but liquefaction of gelatine is much more rapid if the extract is slightly alkaline. The enzyme appears to be of a trypsin nature. Only traces of the enzyme occur in the ungerminated barley, but the increase is marked when germination begins and continues until the seedling be- comes green. — W. Windisch and B. Schellhorn, Woch. fur Brau., 1900, 23, 334. L. F. K.
A"janua?yfi9oim'} Recent Literature Relating to Pharmacy. 33
THE PRODUCTION OF CRYSTALS OF MERCURIC AND MERCUROUS IODIDE
IN THE WET WAY.
By adding ethyl or methyl iodide (preferably the latter) to an aqueous solution of mercuric acetate or mercurous nitrate, then shaking and allowing the mixture to stand in the cold, there are slowly formed crystals of mercuric or mercurous iodide. The former are bright red transparent plates and the latter are bright yellow needles.— F. Bodroux, Co nip. rend., 130, 1622.
L. F. K.
CERIC SULPHATES.
Two eerie sulphates exist, the one yellow in color and the other red. The former is of simple constitution, the latter of a complica- ted structure. By dissolving cerium hydroxide in concentrated sulphuric acid and evaporating the solution, then recrystallizing from water, the yellow sulphate is always obtained in the first crys- tals and the reddish-brown sulphate then generally comes down afterwards as large crystals. Careful analysis shows the yellow sul- phate to have the formula Ce(S04)2,4H20 and that the red salt is Ce2(S04)3,2Ce(S04)2,2H20.
In the red salt the metal exists in both the trivalent and tetrava- lent forms in equal amounts. The yellow compound dissolves to a cleat yellow solution in water, but the red salt is at once decomposed by water into insoluble basic compounds.— -W. Muthmann and L. Stutzel, Ber. d. Chem. GeseL, 33, 1763. L. F. K.
LITHIUM PEROXIDE.
On mixing hydrogen peroxide (what strength ?) with a 5 or 6 per cent, solution of lithium hydroxide, then adding an equal volume of absolute alcohol and allowing the whole to stand, beautiful colorless crystals are deposited, having the following formula : Li202.H202.- 3H20. When placed into a vacuum with phosphorus pentoxide, these crystals gradually lose water and leave practically nothing but anhydrous lithium peroxide, Li202. — de Forcrand, Comp. rend.y 130, 1465. L. F. K.
TO PREVENT THE INTOXICATING EFFECT OF ALCOHOL.
L. Meyer, Eng. Pat. No. 6453, Apr. 6, 1900. This patent covers a preparation consisting of burnt powdered coffee bean and olive oil (neither of which is new), to be taken
34 Recent Literature Relating to Pharmacy. { A j^arryfi9oi.m'
either directly or in the form of capsules, pills (?), lozenges (?), etc. L. F. K.
GLYCERO-SODIUM BORATE.
This compound of the Russian Pharmacopoeia has been shown to be a mixture of the tri- and tetra-glycero-sodium borate and not a true chemical compound. A less hygroscopic preparation can be produced as follows: Mix 120 grammes glycerin (sp. gr. 1-255) with IOO grammes of borax and heat until the glassy mass becomes thready. It is then partially cooled and rolled into sticks. This compound is tetra-glycero-sodium borate of the formula (C3H5)4- (H2B03)2(HNaB03)2(OH)60, is readily soluble in alcohol and water and melts at 1530 to 1540 C— E. Schazki, Chem. Ztg. Rep,, 1900, 24, 148. L. F. K.
CRYSTALLIZATION OF AMORPHOUS SUGAR.
The presence of crystals, acting as nuclei, is conducive to the crystallization of amorphous sugar. Alkali salts, which to a cer- tain extent prevent the formation of invert sugar, induce crystal, lization, while the other organic salts do not exert this influence. Light assists crystallization, but invert sugar retards it, and the retardation is proportional to the amount of invert sugar present. — F. G. Wiechmann, Bull. I' Assoc. des Chim. de Sucr. et de Dist, 1900, 17, 745. L. F. K.
THE PREPARATION OF ETHYL AND METHYL ALCOHOLS FROM THE COR- RESPONDING HYDROCARBONS.
A German patent has been taken out for the production of the above alcohols by the direct union of the corresponding hydrocar- bons and oxygen. These gases are mixed with a quantity of oxygen or air insufficient for complete combustion and the mixture passed through a tube containing a red-hot catalytic mass. If plat- inum is employed as the catalytic agent, oxidation proceeds too far, and the result is fatty acids only. The less energetic catalytic agents, such as asbestos, pumice stone, the various forms of copper or certain mixtures of the above, are the most suitable. — From y. Soc. Chem. Ind., 19, 684. L. F. K.
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901. J
Editorial, EDITORIAL.1
55
THE SPECIALIST AND THE PHARMACOPOEIA.
In the Pharmaceutical Journal for May, 1900, p. 523, Mr. E. M, Holmes comments upon and takes exception to some of the state- ments in an editorial note on " Vegetable Drugs in the U.S.P.," which appeared in the American Journal of Pharmacy, May, 1900, p. 236, and which was reprinted in the Pharm. Jour., June 23, 1900, p. 669.
It may be well to state at the outset that the editor lays no claim to being considered a specialist, or an authority or critic on botanical nomenclature, or the subject of the origin of foreign drugs ; and any statements which he may have made must, of necessity, have been based upon the authority of some one else.
In a previous editorial note (Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1900, p. 138) the writer sanctioned the view of an American botanist2 (Proc. A, Ph. A., 1898, p. 242) that Engler and Prantl's " Pflanzenfamilien " should replace Bentham and Hooker's " Genera Plantarum " as our authority. It so happens that the statements to which Mr. Holmes takes exceptions are for the most part those which have received the sanction of the aforesaid authority, viz., Engler and Prantl, and which have been prepared by the numerous experts in systematic botany who have contributed to this monumental work. I pre- sent herewith the language used by these experts in their descriptions of certain of the drugs considered by me, as also the exact references, and a careful comparison with the editorial note referred to will show the origin of the information therein presented. The exact references were not given previously, as it was considered sufficient to merely mention the names of the experts who had con- tributed this information.
1 The substance of this editorial has already appeared in the Pharm. Jour,, July 21, 1900, p. 58, in a signed article. Since that time Mr. Holmes has written another article in reply for Pharm. Jour. y 1900, p. 443.
2 After carefully comparing the merits of Bentham and Hooker's "Genera Plantarum " with Engler and Prantl's " Die naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien," the author says : "In view of the considerations above set forth, the writer has no hesitation in urging upon the Pharmacopoeia Committee that they sustain their progressive record by adopting the authority of the modern work " [viz. : the work of Engler and Prantl.— H. K.].
36
Editorial.
( Am. Jour. Pharrru \ January, 1901.
MYRRH.
In the consideration of myrrh, H. Engler (in E. and P., III. Theil, 4. Abth., Bog. 16-18, p. 255) says:
" C. abyssinica (Berg), Engl., liefert wie durch Deflers und Pro- fessor Schweinfurth festgestellt ist, die echte Myrrhe, Myrrha oder Gummi Myrrhae. C. Schimperi (Berg), Engl., enthalt reichlich Balsam und wiirde gute Myrrhe liefern konnen ; es ist auch nicht unwahrscheinlich, dass ein Teil der arabischen Myrrhe von dieser Art abstammt."
COPAIBA.
P. Taubert, in the consideration of the genus Copaiba in E. P., III. Theil, 3. Abth., Bog. 8-10, p. 131^ says: " Die Mehrzahl der ameri- kanischen Arten liefern den als Copaiba, Balsam bekannten Harz- saft : besonders geschatztist derjenige von C. officinalis y Jacq. ; ebenso wertwollen Balsam liefern C. guyanensis (Desf.), O. Ktze., und C. ntul- tizuga (Hayne), O. Ktze., C. confer Hflora (Benth.), O. Ktze., C. coriacea (Mart.), O. Ktze., C. Langsdorffii (Desf.), O. Ktze., und C.oblongifolia, Mart. (O. Ktze.)."
TAMARIND.
After describing 7. indicay L., as yielding Pulpa Tamarindi conda, P. Taubert says (in /did., p. 140): "Auch aus Westindien und Ecuador wird Tamarindenmuss, als amerikanische Tamarinden, bezeichnet, ausgefiihrt und in England bevorzugt. Dasselbe stammt von 7. indica, L., var occidentalism Gartn."
BALSAM OF TOLU.
The same author (Ibid., p. 191) says: "Auch 7. peruifera (L. fil.), Baill., in der nordbstlichen Halfte Sudamerikas heimisch, liefert geringe Mengen eines festen aromatischen, den Tolubalsam ahnlichen Harzes."
SUMBUL.
The correction made by Mr. Holmes in his comment on this drug is apparently warranted, as there seems no question but that Indian sumbul is yielded by Ferula sumbul (Kffm.), Hook, fil., the roots of which are said to resemble those of F. Narthex, Boiss., the Bombay sumbul being the product of Dorema Amntoniacum. (See E. P., III. Theil, 8. Abth., Bog. 13-17, p. 232; and Pharma- cographia, p. 312.)
Am. Jour. Pharrn. \ January, 1901. J
Editorial.
37
AMMONIAC.
In the consideration of Ammoniac, O. Drude (in E. and P., III. Theil, 8. Abth., Bog. 13-17, p. 233) says: " Seit dem Jahre 1825 weiss man das seit Dioscorides also Ammoniacum bekannte Gum- miharz der Gatt. Dorema entstammt, und zwar haupsachlich der einen, mit grosser Verbreitung von Persien bis tief in die Balchasch- Alakulwiiste begabten Art, von welcher verschiedene Varietaten existieren; diese ist Dorema Ammoniacum, D. Don. Gleichfalls liefern Ammoniak gummi D. aucheri, Boiss., und D. aureum, Stcks,"
STORAX.
F. Niedenzu, in the consideration of the genus Liquidambar (E. and P., III. Teil, 2. Abth., a., Bog. 7-9, p. 124), says : "Alle Artenfer Liquidambar (und Altnigia) liefern Storax. Am meisten geschatzt ist der von L. otientalis stammende, officinelle ' Storax liquidus.' Im amerikanischen, dort gleichfalls officinellen Storax wies Miller Storacih, zimmtsaurephenylpropylester und storesin nach ; als " (Southern) sweet gum " ist das Balsamharz von L. styraciflua ein bejiebtes Kaumiltel in Centralamerika und den siidatlantischen Unionsstaaten."
IPECACUANHA.
In the editorial note upon Ipecacuanha no attempt was made to consider the nomenclature of the subject, as this had already been done by another writer (see Proc. A. Ph. A., 1898, p. 243). It is apparent that in citing the present U.S.P. name a typographical error occurred. The authority for Cephaelis Ipecacuanha is (Brotero) A. Richard. The other point that Mr. Holmes takes exception to is a matter of opinion. But the results of experiments which will throw more light upon this subject, we have reason to believe, will be forthcoming during the next year.
SARSAPARILLA.
In the consideration of the genus Smilax, A. Engler (in E. and P., II. Teil, 5. Abth., Bog. 4-6, p. 90) says: " Da in den Handel nur diese und nicht die dazu gehorigen Stengel und B. gebracht werden, so ist schwer zu sagen, zu welchen Arten die einzelnen, anatomisch recht gut unterscheidbaren Handelssorten gehoren. Doch wird S. medica, Schlecht. et Cham., als Stammpflanze der
33
Editorial.
(Am. Jour. Pharm» \ January, 1901.
Oitmexikanischen oder Veracruz-Sarsaparille. S. officinalis, H. B. K., als die der von Jamaika verschifften Sarsaparille, S. papyraceat Duham.,in Guiana und Brasilien als Stammpflanze der Para-Sarsa- parille angesehen ; sicher ist mir die Zugehbrigkeit der Veracruz- Sarsaparille zu S. medica"
RHUBARB.
U. Dammer, after considering the systematic features of the genus Rheum and the historical facts pertaining to rhubarb (E. and P., III. Teil, i. Abth., Bog. 1-3, p. 22), says:
" Zu unterscheiden ist zwischen Kron1- u. Canton2-Rhabarber. Erstere stammt, wie durch Przewalski unzvveifelhaft festgestellt wurde, von Rheum palmatum tanguticum (s. "Gartenflora," 1875, p. 3, und 1882, p. 166), letztere von Rheum officinale, Baill. Vielleicht geben aber auch andere Rheum-Avten echte Rhabarber-sorten. So wurde lange zeit Rheum australe, Don, im Himalaya als echte Rhabarber betrachtet und wahrscheinlich liefern auch einzelne in Centralasien wachsende Arten, wie R. leucorrhizon, Pallf> und die klein- urd dickblattrigen Formen von R. rhaponticum, L., des Wes- etnes Chinas echte Rhabarber, d. h., Wurzeln, die mehr wonder- iger die gleichen Eigenschaften haben."
Not only were the results of these authorities considered, but also the investigations of others, as is seen, particularly, in the paragraphs relating to Myrrh,3 Balsam of Tolu4 and Storax.5
It is not a question, however, as to which of these experts is right, as this cannot be definitely settled at the present time; but what shall be the attitude of the Pharmacopoeia in regard to the results of the labors of the different experts ? The writer said, in the editorial note referred to, that " the question of the origin of
1 Moskowitsche, russische oder Kronrhabarber (Radix Rhei moscowitici s. optimi).
2 Chinesische, ostindische oder Canton-Rhabarber.
8 Myrrh. — E. M. Holmes in Pharm. Jour., 1899, p. 295.
*In the National Dispensatory, p. 321, is the statement that "Professor Baillon regards the tree yielding Peru Balsam as identical with this [the tree yielding Tolu Balsam. — H. K.], and the difference of the two products as due to the manner in which they are extracted."
5 Under Iyiquidambar, the National Dispensatory (p. 946) contains the state- ment that : "It will be observed that sweet gum agrees in composition with Storax, which, in addition, contains water mechanically mixed with it."
Am. Jour. Pharm,\ January. 1901. J
Editorial.
39
drugs is in some cases still obscure, and in other cases greater freedom should be given in the selection of commercial varieties." Why should the U.S.P. say that Rheum is " the root of Rheum officinale, Ba'illon, and not recognize with the B.P. and other authorities that the commercial rhubarb is likely to be the product of a number of species of Rheum ? " Why should the B.P. say that Jamaica sarsa- parilla is yielded by Smilax ornata, Hook f., when experts seem to recognize that the origin of all the sarsaparillas, except the E. Mexican or Vera Cruz root, is open to question ? Why should not the pharmacopoeial authorities recognize that in some cases more than one species may yield the commercial drugs and take cogni- zance of all the results of acknowledged experts ?
Instead of limiting the number of species, when questions of doubt exist as to that number, the Pharmacopoeia should append to its definition of such drugs a clause that " probably or possibly other species also yield the drug ;" such as, for instance, in the case of Myrrh, Copaiba, etc., as the B.P. has done.
If there is any difference in the Myrrh, Copaiba or other drug frorn different species and sources, this can be provided for under descriptions, tests, etc.
Surely no objection can be raised to this attitude on the question, as it represents the actual conditions, and one which is not only in accord with, and worthy of pharmacopoeial authority, but which will create additional confidence in the work as being nearer the truth.
Another point touched upon in the editorial note is one that Mr. Holmes does not ir'er to, but which is also of importance from the practical consideration of definitions in the Pharmacopoeia. The U.S.P. defines Belladonnse Folia as « the leaves of Atropa Belladonna, Linne," and describes under this drug only the leaves. The B.P. defines Belladonnse Folia as " the fresh leaves and branches of Atropa Belladonna, Linn., collected when the plant is in flower," and describes the stems, leaves and flowers. The commercial drug con- tains generally not only stems, leaves and flowers, but also fruits, and the Pharmacopoeia would do well to limit the amount oi these different parts of the plant, as at times the drug is made up almost entirely of stems and some leaves, few if any flowers being present, while at other times there is an abundance of flowers and immature fruits.
40
Editorial.
J Am. Joar. Pharra. (. January, 1901.
Investigators of drugs too frequently do not seem to recognize that other parts of the plant yielding the drug, as well as parts of entirely different plants, are present in the commercial drugs- — not necessarily as adulterants, but because the price of labor does not warrant evidently a careful garbling.
Not long ago a series of experiments were carried on by one of the students of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy on Crocus {Amer. Jour. Pkarm., 1900, p. 119), and it was shown that none of the commercial drug was more than 90 per cent, pure {i. e., contained only 90 per cent, stigmas) and that the commercial article ranged in purity from 46 to 90 per cent. (*. e.y contained 46 to 90 per cent, of stigmas). A reviewer, in commenting upon these results, said that he presumed they referred to powdered saffron, as the crude drug examined by him had been exceptionally pure. This com- ment shows still further the liability to err on this subject and how frequently even those who handle drugs continually are deceived as to their actual quality and value.
It is to be regretted that the Pharmacopoeia gives sanction to the deception by presenting a standard which it is impossible to attain in many instances. In view, then, of this condition of affairs I still maintain that " there are a number of groups of drugs to which rather stringent definitions, descriptions and limits of admixture may be applied, as in seeds, fruits, roots, barks and flowers. In other cases, the difficulty of giving specific definitions is very clear, as for example, in the case of leaves and herbs, rhizomes and plant exu- dations. To say that certain drugs consist ' chiefly ' of certain parts covers the ground a little better, e.g., Crocus, chiefly of stigmas; Chondrus, chiefly of Chondrus crispus, etc. It would be better, however, if the amount of actual drug present in the commercial product could be given."
CONCLUSION.
Every botanist appreciates the difficulties connected with the no- menclature question and there should be some one guide that we can in the main follow. In the United States at least, the work of Engler and Prantl is becoming to a certain extent recognized as the authority on this question.
This is true also in regard to the origin of drugs, but neverthe-
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901. J
Reviews.
41
less, every expert investigator should be given credit for his work, and where differences of opinion hold the Pharmacopoeia should be more general in its definitions and define the drugs to which these ■differences apply as being obtained from " probably other species " and as " consisting chiefly of" certain plant parts. Furthermore, in the description of properties and tests the limit of impurity or admix- ture could be defined ; or, in other words, definitions and descrip- tions, as well as tests, should be based upon the article in the market.
REVIEWS AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
A Handbook of Industrial Organic Chemistry adapted for the use of manufacturers, chemists and all interested in the utiliza- tion of organic materials in the industrial arts. By Samuel P. Sadtler. Third revised and enlarged edition. Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott Company.
The first edition of this work was published in 1891 and the sec- ond in 1895. At the time of the publishing of the first edition there was no concise work in the English language treating of applied organic chemistry, and the book was a welcome addition to works on chemical technology. Since that time the value of the work has been shown by the necessity for two revisions and the translation of the book into German.
The contents of the book consist of a concise treatment of fourteen different classes of industries, including the following particulars of each : (a) Raw Materials ; (b) Processes of Treatment ; (c) Products ; (d) Analytical Tests and Methods ; (e) Bibliography and Statistics. The classes of industries treated of are the following : (1) Petroleum and Mineral Oil Industry ; (2) Industry of the Fats and Fatty Oils ; {3) Industry of the Essential Oils and resins; (4) The Cane Sugar Industry ; (5) The Industries of Starch and its Alteration Products ; (6) Fermentation Industries, including : (a) Nature and Varieties of Fermentation ; (6) Malt Liquors and the Industries Connected There- with ; (c) The Manufacture of Wine ; (d) Manufacture of Distilled Liquors or Ardent Spirits; (e) Bread-Making ; (/) The Manufac- ture of Vinegar ; (7) Milk Industries ; (8) Vegetable Textile Fi- bres, including : (a) Paper-making; (J?) Guncotton, Pyroxyline, Collodion and Celluloid ; (9) Textile Fibres of Animal Origin ; (10)
*
a ? RfiDi finis / Am- Jour. Pharncu
4^ reviews. ( January, 1901.
Animal Tissues and Their Products, including : (a) Leather Indus- try; (£) Glue and Gelatine Manufacture; (u) Industries based up- on Destructive Distillation, including : (a) Destructive Distillation of Wood; (6) Destructive Distillation of Coal; (12) The Artificial Coloring Matters; (13) Natural Dye Colors ; (14) Bleaching, Dye- ing and Textile Printing. In the appendix are given : (#) The Metric System ; (£) Tables for Determination of Temperature ; (r) Specific Gravity Tables ; (d) Alcohol Tables ; (e) Physical and Chemi- cal Constants of Fixed Oils and Fats.
It will be seen that this handbook is not only a technology, but also an analytical industrial organic chemistry. The manner of treatment of the industries considered is clear, concise and from the point of view of one having a large amount of practical experience. There are 126 illustrations and 16 diagrams showing outlines of processes employed in the different industries. The book is not only valuable from the standpoint of the manufacturer and chemist, but is equally valuable as a text-book for universities and schools of technology where industrial organic chemistry is being taught.
The present revised edition has been brought up to date by the incorporation of the results of progress in the different industries during the past five years. Some of the chapters, in fact, as those on the natural and artificial dye colors, have been largely rewritten. The progress in the applied sciences is so remarkable that books become antiquated in a comparatively few years. O.i the other hand, there is so much being published in regard to methods which at first seem plausible, but which in a few years may be found to be wholly erroneous or impracticable. It is therefore necessary, in order for books to be safe, that revisions be not too frequent. On the other hand, if they are to be up-to-date revisions they must not be delayed too long. The experience of the past 10 years indicates that in not only the conception of this handbook, but in its revisions, the author has been singularly fortunate, and the third edition, which has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date, is to be recommended.
Students' Edition, a Practical Treatise of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, with special reference to the clinical application of drugs. By John V. Shoemaker. Fifth edition. Thoroughly revised. 6^ x 9^ inches. Pages vii-770. Extra cloth, $4 net sheep, $4.75 net. F. A. Davis Company, publishers, 1914-16 Cherry Street, Philadelphia.
Am. Jour. Pharm. i January, 1901. J
Reviews.
43
The author's experience has led him to change the scope of the fifth edition of his Materia Medica and Therapeutics, and he has decided to divide the work into two independent issues : (a) the students' edition, which has been just issued ; (b) and the physi- cians' edition. In the students' edition the drugs are limited to those of the Pharmacopoeias of the United States and Great Britain. The physicians' edition, it is presumed, will be much more compre- hensive.
The present students', edition is a valuable work on the clinical application of drugs. One of the most fortunate things in the book is the author's preface concerning the use of the metric system of weights and measures. The author says : " It is, no doubt, destined eventually to supersede the older system so long employed in English-speaking countries. The metric system has the important advantage of establishing a uniformity of notation throughout the civilized world. In order to facilitate its universal adoption, it is desirable that the student should be trained in its use from the be- ginning of his professional course." The book is divided into two parts, Part I treating of (a) General Considerations Concerning Reme- dies and Systems of Treatment ; (b) Pharmacology and the Pharmaco- poeia ; (c) Materia Medica ; (d) Pharmacy ; (e) Prescription Writing and Formulae ; (/) Poisons and Antidotes ; (jr) General Therapeu- tics and Classification of Remedies. In Part II are given the phar- macology, physiological action and therapy of drugs of the U.S.P. and B.P. The work is in reality one treating primarily of the clinical application of remedial agents. The author unfortunately does not make clear the distinction between medicines and drugs, and uses the term pharmacology as meaning the description and physical properties of drugs. The book has incorporated into it the results of the more recent clinical investigations, contains nu- merous formulae and much valuable information concerning the clini- cal application of remedial agents.
General Vegetable Pharmacography. By Albert Schneider. Chicago : Chicago Medical Book Company.
This book of 1 36 pages is designed to serve as a supplement to any of the existing text-books on vegetable pharmacography, and treats of the following subjects :
(1) General Discussion of the Senses.
44
Revieivs.
f Am. Jour. Pharm, I January, 1901.
(2) Special Discussion of the Senses with Reference to the Ex- amination of Vegetable Drugs.
(3) Causes Modifying the Characteristics of Drugs.
(4) The Histology of Vegetable Drugs.
The book will no doubt prove of value to students who are engaged in a study of vegetable drugs.
A Text-Book of Chemistry. By Samuel P. Sadtler and Virgil Coblentz. Being the third revised and enlarged edition of Sadtler and Trimble's Chemistry. In two volumes. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company.
The appearance of another revised and enlarged edition of this well-known chemistry in two years speaks for the value of this book. The new edition is characterized by an enlargement of the part dealing in elementary physics, electrolysis and electro-metal- lurgy and the periodic system. In the chapters on physics over fifty new illustrations alone have been added. In thus developing the part on elementary physics, the authors have shown excellent judgment. The student in pharmacy and the applied sciences can- not have too much of the fundamental training in physics — indeed, a physical laboratory is to-day almost to be considered essential to the proper understanding of natural phenomena and the application of such knowledge in the construction of apparatus for use in the arts and sciences. No man can be a successful manufacturer who is not familiar, both theoretically and practically, with the general and special properties of matter and energy, and who is not well ac- quainted with the nature and application of heat, light and electricity. Probably the most fertile of all the departments of physics is that relating to electricity. The applications of electricity are seen on every hand. In chemistry it is applied to electro-chemical analysis, electrotyping, electroplating, electric refining of metals, electrolysis of alkali chloride, electrolytic preparation of hypochlorites, chlor- ates, caustic alkalies, metallic arsenic and antimony, ozone, white lead, the carbides, phosphorus, iodoform, chloral, chloroform, nitro- compounds, saccharine, organic colors, etc. The present edition contains a concise treatment of the processes involved in the above- enumerated applications.
The new edition, which has been enlarged and thoroughly re- vised, contains all of the valuable features of the earlier editions,
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901. J
Pharmaceutical Meeting.
45
and it is highly probable that there is no chemistry published in the English language for the use of medical and pharmaceutical students that treats so concisely, thoroughly and accurately of the departments of physics and chemistry and their application in medicine and the arts.
MINUTES OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING.
The third of the series of pharmaceutical meetings of the Phila- delphia College of Pharmacy, for 1900-1901, was held on Tuesday, December 18, 1900. James T. Shinn,a well-known member of the College, presided. The meeting was an exceptionally valuable one owing to the number of practical matters that were discussed. Dr. Henry Leffmann spoke on the subject of high and low explosives, exhibiting samples of the powders used in modern warfare ; also giving a few practical demonstrations of the mode of action of explosives. His address was in part as follows :
" Various mixtures of a more or less explosive character were used in ancient times. Greek fire is believed to have been a mix- ture of bituminous matters, nitre and sulphur. This would burn under water and was used with great destructive effect before the invention of firearms. Cannon were used over five hundred years ago. It is stated that the cannon used at the siege of Constanti- nople in 1453 was fired only about eight times a day.
"The increase in the size of cannon in modern times has neces- sitated increase in the size of the grains of powder, because a very fine grain powder would be too powerful. I have here specimens of the large hexagonal grains of ordinary black powder, also the brown powder, the latter containing a charcoal of lighter color. These specimens are intended for the large cannon. Here are cubi- cal grains about the size of common dice intended for rapid-fire guns, also spherical grains about y2 inch in diameter. Another interesting class is that in which sodium nitrate is substituted for potassium nitrate. Contrary to what I have always been taught, this powder is not appreciably deliquescent. The use of the sodium compound is, of course, for the sake of economy. These powders are used for mild blastings, such as getting out coal. Here is a sample of Dupont's CCC grade, the grains of which are nearly as large as peach-kernels.
46
Pharmaceutical Meeting.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. I January, 1901.
" Modern high explosives are essentially nitro-compounds,forms of nitrocellulose or nitroglycerin. The solubility of nitrocellulose in volatile solvents permits of forming it into any shape or mixing it with any substance. Some of the common smokeless powders are similar to celluloid. The formulae are often secret, but nitrocellulose is the foundation ingredient. Here is one of the ribbon forms. Cordite is in cylindrical sticks. Here are short, thick cylinders of the Maxim-Schupphaus type, perforated as you see with longitudi- nal openings to permit the free rush of flame through the mass. Several sizes of these are on the table, the largest about 3 inches long by T inch in diameter, the smallest I inch long by less than a half inch in diameter. When burning in the open air these smoke- less explosives do not show much energy, although there is evidently 1 large gas disengagement with little smoke and very little solid residue. In connection with this experiment it is interesting to note the effect of heating ammonium dichromate, in which an active internal combustion occurs, but the fact that one product, chromic oxide, is solid, greatly diminishes the energy of the combustible, though the action is analogous to that which occurs in guncotton."
J. Percy Remington exhibited and described " A Pharmacist's Apparatus Stand " (seepage 19). The chairman, Mr. Shinn, com- mended the apparatus as having certain very admirable features, and said that when he was actively engaged in the drug business he had constructed a stand for use in a closet in which the space in a vertical direction was utilized.
F. W. Haussmann read a paper on " The Discoloration of Syrup of Iodide of Iron," and exhibited numerous specimens. (See page 1 6.) Dr. Leffmann, in commenting on the paper, said that possibly the metallic salt caused an inversion of the sugar with consequent discoloration of the syrup, as has been shown in a paper recently by Dr. J. H. Long, of Northwestern University. In reply to a question by Mr. Shinn, as to the use of glycerin in preserving the syrup, Mr. Haussmann said that the question of chemical action arose when this substance is used, as glycerin, being glyceryl hydrate when acted upon by iodine or its compounds, possibly forms allyl compounds as allyl iodide. Mr. Joseph W. England exhibited a specimen from the Museum of the College, which had been made by Professor Procter (this Journal, 1868, p. 108), January 15, 1865, using glycerin, and which was not discolored. He also stated that in making the syrup
Am. Jour. Pharm. > January, 1901. J
Pharmaceutical Meeting.
47
care should be taken that the grease should ba removed from the iron, and that he had found iron card teeth preferable to iron raspings; also that it was necessary to heat the solution to ensure the end reaction.
Mr. Shinn remarked that he used to put a coil of iron wire in the bottles containing the syrup to ensure the iron being kept in the ferrous state.
Melvin W. Bamford read a paper on " Benzoinated Lard," and exhibited some specimens. (See page 29.) Mr. Wiegand said that he found it best to expose as great a surface as possible to the finely powdered benzoin at as low a temperature as possible, and then strain the product through canton flannel. Professor Lowe referred to Mr. Beringer's remarks made at a previous meeting (see Vol.72, p. 559), and also to the method of making benzoinated lard which was employed by Mr. Webb. The principle was the same as that referred to by Mr. Wiegand, in that alternate layers of powdered benzoin and lard were digested at a temperature just sufficient to melt the lard. Mr. Shinn remarked that he used to dissolve the benzoin in alcohol and then digest this with the melted lard until the alcohol evaporated, after which the powder was allowed to settle, and when cool the upper part was removed. Mr. Haussmann said that, in his experience, the benzoin in either an alcoholic or ethereal solution was likely to become shredded, particularly in an ointment consisting of lard and wax.
Mr. Bamford said that there was one point to which he desired to call particular attention, that in making leaf lard from the fatty tissues no water was employed, this being the process proposed by Professor Redwood and adopted by the British Pharmacopoeia. The usual custom by manufacturers of lard is to wash the lard with water, and some of it is then removed by heat.
In discussing the subject, Professor Kraemer remarked that he was heartily glad that Mr. Bamford had taken up this subject, as it demonstrated what could be done if pharmacists' really desired to secure good materials wherewith to make pharmaceutical prepara- tions. It has been supposed that a good leaf lard was very difficult to obtain, and it would appear that the method of making the lard from the animal tissues was an expensive process, whereas Mr. Bamford showed that it was an economical one.
Mr. Kebler read a paper on " The Testing of Essential Oils,"
4«
Pharmaceutical Association.
/ Am. Jour. Pharm, ( January, 1901.
which was a joint paper by himself and Dr. Pancoast. (Seepage i.) Mr. England referred to a commercial specimen of oil of sandal- wood, which was found to contain 90 parts of sandalwood oil, 7 parts of alcohol and 3 parts of chloroform. This oil had the same specific gravity as the U.S.P. required, and also answered the tests for solubility. Professor Lowe referred to the fact of the enormous quantity of cloves which is distilled in this country and also to the fact that one large manufacturing house, in order to ensure the purity of oil of sandalwood, imports the sandalwood for distillation. He also referred to the fact of oil of rose being adulterated with oil of gin- ger-grass, and finally stated that he did not see any great harm, therapeutically, in the substitution of oil of birch for oil of winter- green, as the oil of birch contained nearly all methyl salicylate and the oil of wintergreen 90 per cent. Mr. Kebler further remarked that kerosene is often used to adulterate essential oils, the low boiling kerosene being employed to adulterate the oils having low boiling points and the high fraction kerosene with those having a high boiling point. H. K.
AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION.
The next meeting of the Association will be held at St. Louis, September 16-21, 190 1.
The Section on Practical Pharmacy and Dispensing announces the following :
Through the generosity of Dr. Enno Sander, Ex-President of the American Pharmaceutical Association, the Practical Pharmacy and Dispensing Section is enabled to offer a Cash Prize of Fifty Dollars for the most worthy paper or report presented to it, upon the follow- ing conditions: (1) All competitors must be members of the American Pharmaceutical Association, and actively engaged in the retail drug business — principals and assistants equally acceptable — and shall not be connected with the teaching department of any school or college of pharmacy. (2) The subject discussed or re- ported upon shall be within the scope of pharmaceutical manipula- tions, dispensing or the actual doings of a retail drug store. (3) All competing papers or reports must be in the hands of the Secretary of the Section, F. W. E.Stedem, Corner Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa., on or before July I, 1901, and must be marked "For competition."
* CLASSES *
OF THE
Philadelphia College or Pharmacy,
Eightieth Annual Session, 1900=1901.
FIRST YEAR CLASS LIST.
Name. Place.
Adams, John Howard, Reading,
Albert, Howard, Freeland,
Allen, Robert Wallin, Philadelphia,
Ames,< Arthur Garfield, Vineland,
Anthony, Herbert Spencer, • Reading,
Armstrong, Joseph Massey, Church -Hill,
Atkinson, Mary Elizabeth, Altoona,
Baas, Charles Wesley, Scranton,
Baker, Victor Louis, Bridesburg, Phila
Bachman, Harry Stanley, Philadelphia,
Babbitt, Theodore Perley, Brattleboro,
Bailey, Clarence Matthews, Zanesville,
Banta, Edwin, Jr., Lansdowne,
Berry, Lawrence Frank, Charlestown,
Bibby, David Boone, Catawissa, Billetdoux, Chester Augustus, N. Adams,
Billups, James Sykes, Bonta, Clarence LaRue, Boyd, Guy Stephen, Brunhouse, Harry Franklin, Buchert, Charles Frederick, Burkholder, Lloyd Amadore, Burt, Arthur Henry, Chambers, Francis J., Coleman, William Fogg, Cooney, William Francis, Cooper, Clyde, Corn well, Joseph Clark,
Columbus, Hanover, York, York,
Philadelphia, Shippensburg, Elmira, Atlantic City, Nicetown, Phila. Florence, Lancaster, New London,
Cossaboom, Herbert Solomon, Bridgeton,
Crossley, Samuel Wallace, Currinder, Alva, Curtis, Frank Duezze, D'Alemberte, Herbert Harry, Dana, Clyde, Daub, Charles Melvin, Davis, Howard Sherman, Davis, John Hall, Davis, Thomas Carroll, Decker, Harry Francis, Desher, Edward Winert, Dilks, John,
Donnelly, William Michael,
Corpus Christi, Wilmington, San Jose, Pensacola, Caledonia, Norristown, Reading, Lansdowne, Thorndale, Johnstown, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Salem,
State.
Pa.
Pa.
Pa.
N. J.
Pa.
Md.
Pa.
Pa. , Pa.
Pa.
Vt.
Ohio.
Pa.
W. Va Pa. Mass. Miss. Ind. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N. Y. N.J. , Pa. Mass. Pa. Conn. N. J. Tex. Del. Cal. Fla. Ohio. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N
Preceptor. W. Scott Adams. M. E. Grover. Funk & Groft. Bidwell & Co. P. A. Dietrich, P.D. Dr. R. L. Lindsay. Dr. G. W. Wood. S. L. Foulke. Wm. Morrett. Samuel Evans, Jr. Geo. E. Greene. Bailey Drug Co. Harry M. Davis. Robert T. Berry.
George A. Hastings. Freeman & Petty j ohm A. B. Morse. Dale & Co. F. Brunhouse. John B. Reynolds. Fleming & Fleming. J. P. Kelly. E. S. Reed's Sons. Mahlow Kratz.
H. M. Snyder. Moon's Pharmacy. Wm. Clarence Berger* Andrew Blair & Co. N. B. Danforth.
Ernest W. Pettersom C. E. Kelly. Bunting & Yeakle. Smith, Kline & French Co. Harry M. Davis. G. N. Thompson. Chas. Griffith.
J-
Harmon Dilks, C. A. Eckels.
Jr.
50
Catalogue of the Class.
/ Am. Jour. Pharm. I January, 1901.
Name. Dubbs, Carbon P., Ebert, James Monroe, Eccles, Ityron Jackson, Edwards, Lawrence, Kichold, Bernard Herbert, Eldridge, Roy Kerr, Everham, H. Valentine, Jr. Eyster, Geo. William, Fox, Miss Jamella, Fox, Morris Wayne, Fralinger, John Joseph, French, Leroy Brown, Frantz, Geo. Adam, Gable, Edmund James, Galbraith, Wm. H., Jr Galer, Fread. Joseph, Gamer, Albert Chas. C, Garvey, Joseph Peter, Geiger, Fredk. Luther, Geisking, John Leroy, Ger=on, Dora Goldie, Glaspell, Wm. English, Gould, Lewis Elms, Gladfelter, Wilford Stanley, Griggs, Alfred, Guier, Luis Javier, Guthrie, Ira Culpepper, Harbold, John Tilden, Harbaugh, Duncan James, Harkness, Edw. Gehring, Harmening, Fredk. H., Harris, James Nixon, Hayn, Herman Ernest, Hecker, Andrew Ned, Hemmersbach, Henry Wm., Herflicker, Walter Esterley
Place. State. Pittsburg, Pa. Gordon, Pa. DeLand, Fla. Track ville, Pa. Mobile, Ala. Cold water, Mich. Ambler, Pa. York, Pa. Tamaqua, Pa. South Bethlehem, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. Houlton, Me. Lebanon, Pa. Reading, Pa. Germantown, Phila., Pa. Philadelphia, Tamoca, Philadelphia, Pillow, Harrisburg, Muscow, Bridgeton, Presque Isle, Seven Valley, Sandwich, Cartago, Temple, York, Haverford, Carlisle, Defiance, Mill ville, Springfield, Carlisle, Philadelphia, Reading,
Hetherington, Jas. Norton C, Philadelphia,
Hoerner, Guy Hoover, Hoey, Alexander, Holcombe, John Heisler, Holstein, Geo. Leon, Hoover, Robert Adams, Howard, Carrie Elizabeth, Johnson, Edw. Thomas, Johnson, Chauncey Nicholas, Jones, Edw. DeMaur, Jones, Clarence, Jones, Virginia Violetta, Keener, James Blaine, Keller, Martin Luther, Kempte, Floyd Budd, King, Grant Wagner, Kisner, Geo. Williamson, Klein, Frank Bengler, Koons, Chas. Eyster, Leaman, John Benjamin, Lebo, Chas. Spears, Lee, Robert Edward, Light, Chas. iVugustin, Linde, Flenry Mohre,
Mechanicsburg Philadelphia, Bridgeton, Lebanon, Du Bois, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Uniontown, Philadelphia, Doe Run, Wilkesbarre, Middletown, Steelton, Mt. Holly, Lafayette, Belmar, Henderson, Harrisburg, Strasburg, Lebanon, Carlisle, Lebanon, Philadelphia,
Pa. Wash. Pa. Pa. Pa.
Russia. N. J. Maine. Pa; England. Costa Rica. Texas. Pa. Pa. Pa. Ohio. N.J. Mass. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N.J. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N.J. Ind. N.J Ky. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa.
Preceptor.
J. E. Gregory. Geo. W. Fisher. Dr. David Taggart. Mobile Drug Co.
W. E. Boose. N. A. Porter. M. M. Buss. Dr. T. H. McFarland. O. F. French. Pretzel's Pharmacy. Harry J. Schad. W. H. Galbraith. H. G. Kalmbach. Dr. W. H. Kellogg. J. Francis Hauck. E. E. Wilson & Co. J. Wilson Hoffa.
Chas. S. W.
F. Dare & Son. Boone & Co.
I. E. McNair. Guillero Guier. W. E. Willis. R. W. Zeigler. W. L. Harbaugh. Dr. B. F. Emrick. N. G. Wcodward. M. L. Branin. J. H. Manning. John E. Sipe. E. W. Hermann. Wm. P. M. Zeigler. Thos. Hetherington. C. A. Eckels. Edw. C. Stout. David H. Holcombe. Geo. W. Schools. Mr. A. P. Holland. Carrie E. Howard. Wm. B. Lentz. H. S. Clark.
W. R. Sharp.
John W. Renalt. W. K. Martz. Elmer D. Prickett, M.D. Wm. A. Musson. Bloomfield Hulich. W. S. Johnson & Son. E. Z. Gross. J. M. Tronsfield, Jr. Chas. H. Blouch. J. E. Seebold. John F. Loehle Robert McNiel.
Ana. Jour. PhariD. 1 January, 1901. f
Catalogue of the Class.
5i
Name. Place.
Lisser, Joseph North, Haddonfield,
Lord, Geo. Washington, Jr., Haddonfield,
Loyer, Marcus Brownson, Philadelphia,
McGuire, Jos. Francis, Mahanoy City
McHale, Chas. Joseph, Shenandoah,
Mader, James Wilson, Shenandoah,
Malloy, Westley General, Philadelphia,
Markle, Howard Overholt, New Haven, Marvin, Joseph,
Mayers, James Curtis, Piney Creek,
Mayerson, Frances Rose, Philadelphia,
Mershon, Ray, Baston,
Michael, Horace, Lebanon, Monroe, Frank D. Montague, Logan,
Montgomery, John Hinks, Bucksport,
Moore, Augustine Curtis, Portsmouth,
Morgan, Harold Bertram, Philadelphia,
Moyer, Lewis Nathan, Reading,
Musson, Katharine Johanna, Philadelphia,
Neiler, Wm. Mackie, Philadelphia,
Newman, Marguerite May, Ontario,
Newhard, Jas. Gillespie B., Fernwood,
Newton, Clyde Burdick, Findlay,
Pitts, Milton Warren, Lynn,
Plaster, John Edgar, Charlotte,
Prosser, Elmer Oscar, Hellertown,
Prowell, Tolbert, Steelton,
Raker, Edward Heller, Pillow,
Reburn, Albert Randolph, Oxford,
Reading, Augustus R. , Lambertville,
Reed, James Garfield, Taffin,
Roth, Emil Krieger, Johnstown,
Rothwell, Eugene, Willow Grove,
Rubin, Dora, Oremburg,
Schmidt, Otto Waldemar, Canton,
Sniffer, Daisy Rhodes, Hudson,
Shillito, Chas. Emmert, Waynesboro,
Shrenk, Murray Hamilton, Harrisburg,
Shull, David Frank, Jr., Philadelphia,
Shulte, Frank Xavier, Philadelphia,
Smith, Clarence, Philadelphia,
Smith, Frank G. D., Grand Forks,
Smith, Henry Addison, Binghampton,
Smith, Jacob Schall, York,
Snyder, David Stahl, Somerset,
Sognis, Michael James, Trenton,
Stallsmith, Walter Edward, Parsons,
Still, Israel Thomas, Boston,
Stimmel, Irvin Sigfried, Kutztown,
Stine, W. Earl, Williamsport,
Stolz, David, Syracuse,
Strayer, Francis Williard, York,
Stuck, Williard Stearns, Miffinburg,
Stump, Frank Arthur, Harrisburg,
Sutliff, Jacob, Bloomingdale, Taggart, Alexander H. Supplee, Norristown,
Tripmaker, Walter Wm. , Tuohy , James Louis, Van Dyke, James P., Walmsley, Chas. Edward, Welsh, Ralph Lignori,
Philadelphia, Woodstown, Sunbury, Philadelphia, Altoona,
State. Preceptor.
N. J. Frank P. Rogers. N.J.
Pa. Chas. A. Eckels, Ph.G.
Pa. Thos. E. McGuire.
Pa. Paul W. Houck.
Pa. J. B. Moore.
Pa. Addington LaDow.
Pa. T. J. Connell, P.D.
Germany.
Md. C. Carroll Meyer.
Pa. M. Peissakovitch.
Pa. Edward K. Cope.
Pa. Charles A. Boger.
O. F. W. E. Stedem.
Me. Richard B. Stover.
Va. C. J. Brownley.
Pa. Frank E- Morgan.
Pa. E. M. Boring.
Pa. Wm. A. Musson.
Pa. Wm. A. Whitten.
Ore. Snyder & Newman.
Pa. Chas. E. Keeler.
O. Newton Bros. Mass.
N. C. Woodall & Sheppard.
Pa. Cyrus Jacoby.
Pa. Dr. W. R. Prowell.
Pa. John W. Raker.
Pa. Miss Millie Baker.
N. J. Geo. M. Shamalia.
O. D. S. Fergerson.
Pa. Kredel & Farrel.
Pa. Robert S. Doake.
Russia. Dr. Joffe.
O. Henry Mueller, M.D.
Pa. Bert B. Shiffer.
Pa. Mentzer & Clugston.
Pa. W. R. Laird.
Pa. D. F. Shull & Co.
Pa. Dr. Emil Jungmann.
Pa. G. Y. Wood.
N. D.
N. Y. C. W. Knape.
Pa. Wm. Smith & Co.
Pa. G. W. Benford.
N. J. Mary M. Tidd.
Pa. Henry H. James.
Mass. H. C. Blair.
Pa. N. F. Weisner.
Pa. R. P. Blackburn.
N. Y. Geo. E. Thorpe.
Pa. Wm. Smith & Co.
Pa. J. H. Sterner.
Pa. J. W. Cotterel.
Pa. E. F. Swartz.
Pa. G. C. Taggart.
Pa. E. H. Fienhold.
N. J. Geo. M. Andrews.
Pa. James Van Dyke.
Pa. \quila Hock, Ph.G.
Pa. R. E. Welsh.
52
Catalogue of the Class.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. 1 January, 1901.
Name. Wilson, Harry William, Wolford, Walter James, Wolf, Wm. Aloysius,
Place. State. Wappinger's Falls, N.
Allen, Reading,
Woodside, Jno. Montgomery, Danville,
Young, Samuel, Zimmerman, Chas. Sumner,
Philadelphia, York,
Tex. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa.
Preceptor. Geo. H. Howarth. J. P. Harding. F. X. Wolf. W. J. Pechin. L. C. Funk. W. L. Smyser.
SECOND YEAR CLASS LIST.
Name. Ackerman, Wm. Brown, Allen, Edwin Cullom, Alston, Wm. Algeron, Anderson, L. C, Ashmead, Virden P., Bacon, Vela, Baer, Herbert Oscar, Baker, Daniel, Beegle, David Blmer, Bair, Edward Elmer, Bell, Herman Alonzo, Berberich, Joseph Herman, Binder, Arthur Henry, Blew, Robert Sinclair, Blough, Elijah Robert, Bornemann, John Alexander Boyer, Walter Ernest, Brown, Horsey P., Brown, Joel Daniel, Bryant, James Robeson, Caden, Alice Beatrice, Catlin, Jos. Albert, Clemmer, John Krupp, Craven, Alfred Young, Crawford, Thos. Foster, Croft, Clarence, Crothers, Anthony Brooks, Dickinson, Ralph Brinton, Dix, Robert Youngs G., Douglass, John Xavier, Downs, Wm. Joseph, Dufford, J. Albert, Eckels, Nathaniel Ort, Evans, Thomas John, Eves, Charles Scott, Evrard, John Joseph, Faust, Peter Wenner, Fetterolf. Clarence F. G., Filman, Walter Theodore, Fitch, James Clarence, Fleischer, Wm. Paul, Fox, Irvin Berry, Fox, Joseph Peter, Fried, Percy, Gage, Luther Hendrick, Gearhart, Malcolm Zieber, Gehringer, Edwin Franklin, Geron, Yeatman, Gettel, John Ralph E.,
Place.
State.
E. Mauch Chunk, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Haygood, S. C.
Reading, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Freehold, N. J.
Wheeling, W. Ya.
Bellevinon, Pa.
Bedford, Pa.
York, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa. Stein, Germany.
Titusville, Pa.
Bridgeton, N. J.
Holsopple, Pa.
W. Philadelphia, Pa.
Danville, Pa.
Wilmington, Del.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Stroudsburg, Pa.
Lexington, Ky.
Church Hill, Md.
Lansdale, Pa.
Bridgeport, Pa.
Camden, N. J.
Chambersburg, Pa.
Zion, Md.
Parkesburg, Pa.
Moorestown, X. J.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Coaldale, Pa.
West Sunbury, Pa.
Shippensburg, Pa.
Plymouth, Pa.
Millville, Pa.
Bethlehem, Pa.
Claussville, Pa.
Ashland, Pa.
Warwick, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Lebanon, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Allentown, Pa.
Luraysville, Pa.
Reading, Pa.
Allentown, Pa.
Huntsville, Ala. J
Shippensburg, Pa.
Preceptor. Geo. L. Cainan. Dr. O. E. Henritzy. J. B. Cook. H. H. Kline. Anna S. Ashmead. Bacon & Pittinger. W. S. Dickson.
Heckerman Drug Co. John S. Weakley. Theodore Campbell. James Moffet, Jr. F. W. Renting." P. W. Shull. A. D. Yoder, M.D. Dr. W. H. Hickman.
F. Ross Horner. Z. James Belt.
W. H. Umstead. Mc Adams & Morford. Jos. J. Kellv. C. J. Biddle. Harrv Lee Randall. C. B." McLaughlin.
C. L. Giger & Co. J. L. Crothers. Charles Leedon.
G. H.Wilkinson.
D. J. Reese. John H. Bailev. J. T. Miller. W. G. Xebig. Geo. J. Durbin. Charles S. Eby. Geo. D. Kressler.
H. L. Kiper. H. C. Stiles. H. L. Klopps. Dr. P. Fitch.
Dr. Frank E. Johnson. J. L. Lemberger & Co. Peter P. Fox, Sr. Frank P. Semmel. W. D. Johnson. S. S. Stevens. O. B. J. Haines. . D. Humphrey & Son. J. C. Altick & Co.
Am. Jour. Pbarm. \ January, 1901. j
Catalogue of the Class.
33
Name. Place. Goodman, Edith Morton, Goring, Myatt Edward, Grove, Harry Ross, Handwork, Francis C, Hanington, Bertram John,
Hawkins, Louis J., Coatesville,
Hayes, John Gilbert, St. Clair,
Heffelfinger, Wm. Edward, Reading,
Hendrickson, Raymond, San Francisco,
Hertzler, Norman Eberley, Philadelphia,
Hertzler, Oliver Henry, " Lancaster,
Hilliard, Bayard, Vincenttown,
Hibbs, Wm, Buckman, Newtown,
Hougendobler, Harry Smaltz, Columbia,
Irwin, John Henry, Jago, Harry W. Garfield, Jefferis, Charles Albert, Jones, Howard Harlan, Kane, Augustin Francis, Kellar, William Albert, Kirk, Frank H., Knabb,' Daniel Milton, Knauss, Howard James, Koller, Charles Joseph, Kyle, Christian B., Lebegern, Barton, Lescure, Anna Rosalie, Lewis, Herbert Williard, Lide, Leighton Elba, McGarrah, Wm. Henry, Jr. McGregor, Albert Dell,
McLaughlin, Harry Aloysius, Philadelphia,
Marcus, Simon, Margolin, Mrs. Fannie B. Martin, Charles Edward, Martin, Frederick Adam, Martin, John M., Matlack, Walter Ball, Meals, Ira Dale, Meredith. Wilbur Curtis, Metzler, Oscar Leroy, Miller, Roy L., Myers, Luther M., Noble, Harry Carty, Oberly, John S., O'Hanlon, Joseph Thornley, Parker, James Heber, Phillips, Elliott Earl, Quinn, Vincent De Paul, Ramsaur, David Wilfong, Raum, Harry Angle, Reeve, Alfred Warfield, Reice, Isaac Stephen, Rhodes, Geo. Washington, Robinson, David Crogman, Robinson, Thomas Holmes, Jr Roeder, Morris Albert, Roessler, Harry L., Rudolph, Harold Clarence, Schiesser, Harry William, Scott, Walter Edward,
State. Denver, Col. Wappinger Falls, N. Y. Alexandria, Pa. Birdsboro, Pa. New Brunswick, Canada.
Pa. Pa. Pa. Cal. Pa. Pa. N. J. Pa. Pa. Pa. N. J. Pa. Pa. N. Y. Col. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Mass. Miss. Pa. 111. Pa. Pa.
Russia. Pa. N. J. Ala. N.J. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N. J. Pa. Pa. Pa. Fla. Pa. N. J. Pa. Del. Pa. Va.
Philadelphia, Millville, Philadelphia, Norristown, Brooklyn, Denver, Curwensville, Limekiln, Allentown, Altoona, Middletown, Columbia, Philadelphia, Springfield, Columbus, Scranton, Maywood,
Philadelphia Jico,
Columbia, Atlantic City, Birmingham, Bridgeton, Harrisburg, Coatesville, Harrisonville, Philadelphia, Carlisle, Manayunk, Phila. Bethlehem, Pennington, Reading, Philadelphia, Lansford, Palatka, Shippensburg, Elmer, Bloomsburg, Newark, Philadelphia, , Bealeton,
Schuylkill Haven, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. Pottsville, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. Pomeroy, Pa.
Preceptor. Dr. Susan Hayhurst. George Howarth. Russell T. Blackwood. R. Clark.
Mr. Yeaby, Manager. W. S. Young. I. Cohen. J. H. Stein. W. H. Gano. Fred. Brown Co. C. A. Heinitsh. F. F. Hilliard. Walter R. Elliott. L. H. Hirst. Alex. Wilson. R. L. Haus. Funk & Groff. Atwood Yeakle.
F. F. Drueding. Dr. Ballantine. Shinn & Baer. W. H. Reeser. Dr. R. C. Peters. C. G. Neeley. Chas. E. Bauer. Eberly Brothers. Dr. John B. Chapin. Harry P. Elsey. Mayo & Weaver.
T. D. MacPhee.
G. M. Beringer. N. Richardson. W. A. Shannon.
H. J. Hackett. W. L. Bucher. J. V. Townsend. W. R. Gunn. Geo. Y. Wood.
C. T. George, Ph.D. R. H. Lackey. J. A. Fergusson.
G. B. Evans. Howard M. Levering. Walter Crawford.
G. W. Scarborough. J. H. Stein.
W. P. Bender. J. A. Quinn. Ackerman & Stewart. Fleming & Fleming. Jos. M. Garrison, Jr. Moyer Brothers. Dr. J. B. Butler.
H. M. Minton, Ph.G. L. F. Ringer.
Dr. A. A. G. Stark. Harry A. Smith. John P. Frey.
Jas. Grier Long.
54
Catalogue of the Class.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. \ January, 1901.
Name. Seal, John Horace, Seeley, Chester Belting, Shaw, Saml. Frederick, Shaw, Wm., Slobig, Charles Henry, Smith, Harry Wm., Smith, Karl Walter, Smith, Wm. David Harris, Soken, Joseph Louis, Strauss, Robert Franklin, Stuver, Henry Wm. , Swineford, Ernest Clarence, Swartz, Wm. L., Thomas, George Carroll, Toulson, Jno. Milbourn, Trost, Wm. Christian, Tyler, Ephraim Shaw, Ulrich, Ralph Thomas, Waldenberger, William, Walther, Phillip, Weidemann, George Buzby, Weigester, Wilson, Welch, William Herbert, Williams, Morrison Patton, Wilson, Oscar Herman, Winkler, Max Edwin, Winstanley, John, Wisegarver, Oscar Kline, Wollaston. Byron Parker, Woodill, Robt. Franklin, Worthington, Warren W. Ziegler, Chas. Norman, Ziegler, Wm. Lodge,
Place. State.
Swarthmore, Pa.
Bridgeton, N. J.
Philadelphia, Pa.
St. Louis, Mo.
Reading, Pa.
Pottstown, Pa.
Marietta, Pa.
Jonesboro, Tenn.
Zitsmir, Russia.
Womelsdorf, Pa.
Fort Collins, Col.
Miffinburg, Pa.
Carlisle, Pa.
Lima, Pa.
Chestertown, Md.
Ashland, Pa..
Bridgeton, N. J.
Manheim, Pa.
Manayunk, Pa.
Meadville, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Troy, Pa. Frankford, Phila., Pa.
Charlotte, N. C.
Frankford, Phila., Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
German town, Phila., Pa.
Quarryville, Pa.
Wayne, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Gettysburg, Pa.
Steelton, Pa.
Preceptor. A. R. Morton, M.D.
G. H. Whipple & Son. Geo. B. Evans.
R. J. Williams. E. S. Beshore. R. W. Cuthbert.
E. B. Jones. Geo. Seldes.
F. T. Landis. A. W. Scott.
T. B. Brubaker, M.D. Geo. W. Sipe. W. P. Wingender. M. A. Toulson.
A. Schoenenbergh. W. A. Rumsey. Dr. E. E. Gibble. Louis Waldenbergei V. W. Eiler.
Dr. C. A. Weidemann. Carpenter & Pierce. M. J. Wilson, M.D. Shinn & Baer. R. J. Siegfried. O. C. Winkler.
B. A. Wissler.
T. M. Rohrer, M.D.
H. C. Hadley. Chas. E. Keeler. Chas. H. Clark. Lewis Genois. W. L. Ziegler.
THIRD YEAR CLASS LIST.
Name. Anstock, Arthur David, Alden, Harley Roscoe, Barnett, Eldredge Ewing, Bell, Robert Nevens, Bender, Arthur Clarence, Benner, Fredk. James, Boesch, Theodore Karl, Boltz, Paul Kline, Bosler, Harry Ellis, Boy sen, Theophilus H., Jr., Branin, Manlif Lewis, Brenner, Frederic A., Buckman, William Watson, Cather, Frank L., Collins, Lane Verlenden, Cone, Earl Hobart, Converse. Howard R., Davis, William Brown, Doan, Chester Clayton, Dunn, Edwin Alfred, Eckels, Paul,
Place. State.
Mahanoy City,
Auburn,
Cape May City,
Kearney,
Shenandoah,
Bethlehem,
York,
Lebanon,
Olean,
Egg Harbor,
Millville,
Kylertown,
Newtown,
Chester,
Gloucester,
Batavia,
Picture Rocks,
Kingston,
Coatesville,
Meadville,
Decatur,
Pa. Me. N. J. Neb. Iowa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N. Y. N. J. N. J. Pa. Pa. Pa. N. J. N. Y. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. 111.
Preceptor.
E. M. Piatt. Dr. A. T. Pollard. D. C. Guthrie. S. A. D. Henline.
D. Ford Barr. Paul Kempsmith. A. H. Lafean & Bro.
E. K. Boltz. J. C. Welch.
Dr. T. H. Boysen. C. B. McLaughlin. Lawson C. Funk. Harry Cox. L. J. Farley. John A. Frey. W.S.& J.J. Patterson. Moyer Brothers. W. H. Breisch. W. E. Lee. P. H. Utech. C. A. Eccles.
Am. Jour. Pharm. ) January, 1901. J
Catalogue of the Class,
55
Name. Eddy, Roswell Martin, Eppler, George Theodore, Fegley, Florence Augusta, Fegley, John Stauffer, Fischer, Adolph Gustav, Fisher, George Galvin, Fleming, Samuel Clarkson, French, Rolland Hall, Garber, Elmer Franklin W., Gleim, Harry Charles, Goodyear, Harry Jacob, Graham, Willard Rice, Harbord, Kittie Walker, Harris, Wm. K. Garfield, Hassinger, Samuel Reed, Haydock, Mabelle, Headings, Prestie Milroy, Highfield, Herbert Monroe, Hoffert, Charles Edward, Hoffman, Ira Calvin, Houston, Franklin Paxson, Hubler, Guy Garfield, Jetton, James Stuart, Klopp, Edward Jonathan, Knerr, Charles George, Kraus, Otto Louis, Lacy, Burdet Seldon, Leib, Wilbur John, Leiby, Howard Edward, Levering, John H., Lewis, Fielding Otis, Liebert, Louis Williams, Luebert, Fred'k George, Luddy, James D.
Place. Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Allentown, Allentown, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Salem, Mt. Joy, Hazleton, Cornwall, Philadelphia, Salem, Altoona, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Reedsville, Zanesville, Lancaster, Scalp Level, Philadelphia, Gordon, Dyer, Reading, Allentown, New Haven, Philadelphia, York, Ashfield, Norristown, Hebbardsville, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill, Phila.
State. Preceptor,
Pa. H. C. Eddy.
Pa. E. E. Wilson.
Pa. Fegley Bros.
Pa. Fegley Bros.
Pa. Albert Oetinger.
Pa. E. K. Fisher.
Pa. J. C. Perry.
Ohio. Bolger & French.
Pa. Howard Smoker.
Pa. McNair & Hoagland.
Pa. L. Lemberger & Co. Pa. Smith, Kline & French Co.
McChntock, Geo. Washington, Key West,
McClurg, Benjamin Hoffer, McDermott, Rob't Joseph, McFadden, Warren Lester, MacPhee, John James, Mauger, Harry Filman, Metcalfe, Hiram Kennedy, Michels, Victor Clyde, Murphey, Edwin Mason, Musser, Guy Musselman, Nauss, George Hill, Penrose, Thomas William, Picking, Jacob Sylvester, Jr. Pittinger, Charles A., Pflieger, Adam William, Pollins, Harry George L., Post, Arthur Edward, Raser, Wm. Heyl, Reynolds, Clarence Hyatt, Rhoads, Luther K. , Rinker, William, Roberts, Geo. William, Rogers, Walter Clyde, Ryan, Thomas A., St. Jacques, Gaston, Saul, Irvin Ellsworth, Schmerker, Adolph Alex. B.
Elizabethtown, Trenton, Williamsport, Glasgow, Pottstown, Greencastle, Albion, Macon, Witmer, Steelton, Philadelphia, Somerset, Freehold, York,
Greensburg, Towanda, Reading, Reynoldsville, Reading, Hellertown, Philadelphia, West Chester, Susquehanna, St. Hyacinthe, Windsor Castle Allentown,
Ore. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Ohio. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Tenn Pa. Pa. Conn. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Ky. Pa. Pa. Pa. Fla. Pa. N. J. Pa.
Nova Scotia. Pa. Pa. 111. Miss. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. N. J. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa. Pa.
Canada Pa. Pa.
Danl. J. Fry. A. F, Shimberg. S. E. R. Hassinger. Susanna G. Haydock. J. C. Perry. Bailey Drug Co. Chas. E. Keller. H. B. Heffley. R. T. Young. J. E. Gregory. Hayes & Griggsby. H. C. Blair. G. W. Shoemaker & Co. Otto Kraus. Harry Cox. John P. Frey. F. G. Mumma. Eugene Fillman. R. M. McFarland. Dr. Thos. H. Price.
E. F. G. Mickley.
F. P. Streeper. H. C. Blair. Alfred H. Bolton.
A. S. Wickhaoi. Duble & Cornell. F. D. MacPhee. J. D. Seiberling. Sands Drug Co.
B. F. Michels. T. S. Murphey. R. W. Cuthbert, Ph.G. W. K. Martz. F. W. E. Stedem. Dr. F. C. Kress. Edward G. Bacon. A. L. Ziegler. S. P. Brown. F. E. Post. John B. Raser. S. Reynolds, M.D.
C. H. Randenbush. F. E. Jacobson. Dr. J. L. Sands. Frank P. Rogers. Dr. W. S. Mitchell. Dr. E. St. Jacques. Jesse W. Pechin. J. L. Crothers.
56
Catalogue of the Class.
( Am. Jour. Ptaarm. I January, 1901.
Name.
Schneider, Bmil Sebastian, Schoolev, Joseph Griggs, Scott, Henry William, Shafer, Clarence Eugene, Shannon, Byron Guest, Shaver, David Oscar, Sheffer, William Waiter, Shenkle, Albert Philip, Shields, Percy Way, Skillman, Lionel Gilliland, Slocum, Chas. Eben, Spears, Edward Gibson, Steever, Wm. Forsaith, Stoudt, Irwin Sylvester, Stout, Benjamin Franklin, Strathie, Alex. John, Texter, Charles Henry, Tingle, John Beard, Urffer, Samuel, Van Gilder, Levi, Walker, Joseph Franklin, Watson, Herbert James, Wolfer, William Conrad, Wolfinger, John Philip, Ziegler, C. Harry,
Place.
State.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Montgomery, Pa. Waynesburg, Pa. Altoona, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa.
Altoona, Pa.
Dillsburg, Pa.
Phcenixville, Pa.
West Chester, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa.
Ouray, Col. Reading, Pa.
Millersburg, Pa.
Obold, Pa.
Quakertown, Pa.
Sussex, England.
Perkasie, Pa.
Dayton, Ohio. South Bethlehem, Pa.
Petersburg, X. J.
Bridgeport, Pa.
Wilmington, Del.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Reading, Pa.
York, Pa.
Preceptor. Philip Goll. T. W. Strank. Dr. Brock. H. L. Stiles. A. C. Schoneld. F. L. Akers. Lawson C. Funk. M. R. Shenkle. W. W. Bowman. Shoemaker & Busch. C. C. Stratton. Harry H. Kline. C. E. Steever. Wm. Proctor, Jr., Co. N. S. Steltzer. Wm. J. Jenks. Harry Neamand. E. M. Boring. H. W. Sheets. George J. Pechin.
H. K. Watson. Edward C. Stout. H. J. Schad. Nelson B. Fry.
SPECIAL STUDENTS.
Name. Andrews, W. C, Boss, A. C, Capwell, H. M., Carter, F. P., Cavanaugh, F. A., Cone, Earl Hobart, Cooney, Wm. Francis, Crawford, W. H., Jr., Dubbs, Carbon P., Ehman, J. W., Everham, Harry V., French, Rolland Hall, Gagan, George, Hoffman, N. B., Jaeger, W. C, Kane, J. K., Lord, Geo. W., Jr., McMahon. Joseph Alphonsus Michels, V. C, Pitts, M. W., Roberts, John Austin, Staley, F. W., Stolz, Louis, Suess, Ignatz, Smith, F. D. G., Ph.G., Thompson, Samuel, Walker, J. T., Whitaker, W. E. , Winters, O. E.,
Place. State. Department.
Woodstown, X. J. Chemistry.
Philadelphia, Pa. Chemistry.
Philadelphia, Pa. Chemistry.
Philadelphia, Pa. Chemistry.
Ashbourne, Pa. Chemistry.
Batavia, N. Y. Chemistry.
Florence, Mass. Chemistry.
Ashbourne, Pa. Chemistry.
Pittsburg, Pa. Chemistry.
Philadelphia, Pa. Chemistry.
Ambler, Pa. Chemistry.
Salem, Ohio. Chemistry.
Wilmington, Del. Chemistry.
Fairview, Pa. Chemistry.
Philadelphia, Pa. Chemistry.
Brooklyn, N. Y. Chemistry.
Haddonfield, X. J. Chemistry.
Lock Haven, Pa. Chemistry.
Albion, 111. Chemistry.
Lynn, Mass. Chemistry.
Wilmington, Del. Chemistry.
Middletown, Pa. Chemistry.
Syracuse, N. Y. Chemistry.
Gr. Meseritch, Austria. Chemistry.
Grand Fords, X. D. Chemistry,
Germantown, Phila., Pa. Chemistry.
Bridgeport, Pa. Chemistry .
Frankford, Pa. Chemistry.
Germantown, Phila., Pa. Chemistry.
THE AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF PHARMACY
FEBRUARY, igoi.
THE CHEMISTRY OF IPECACUANHA. By Dr. B. H. Paul and A. J. Cowni/by.
Ipecacuanha is probably, next to opium and cinchona bark, one of the most important drugs in the official materia medica. Its chemi- cal history, however, has been for a long time very imperfect, and although some of its medicinal effects have been ascribed to the presence of an alkaloid, there has been hitherto considerable doubt whether that was always the case. In prosecuting an inquiry as to the amount and nature of the alkaloid in ipecacuanha to which the name emetine has been given, reference was, of course, made to the observations of previous experimenters. Instead, however, of deriv- ing much assistance from the statements of their results, we found that they led to considerable uncertainty resp'ecting the chemical identity of the alkaloid described as emetine.
The investigation of ipecacuanha from a chemical point of view was first undertaken by Pelletier,1 shortly after Sertlirner's discovery 6f morphine. Pelletier showed that the medicinal properties of the drug were due to a " proximate principle or matiere vomitive," to which he gave the name of Emetine, from efieco to vomit. A for- mula for its preparation was introduced into the French Codex in 1 8 1 8.2 The product so obtained — amounting to 1 6 per cent, of the drug — was little more than a concentrated alcoholic extract. It had the form of transparent scales of a reddish-brown color, acid reaction and bitter taste, was very deliquescent, soluble in all propor-
1 A?males de Chim. et de Pkys., IV, 172, and Joicrn, de Pharm., », III, 145 ; IV, 322, 1817.
2 Codex Med., 1818, 179.
(57)
5S
Chemistry of Ipecacuanha.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. I February, 1901. ,
tions in water or alcohol, but insoluble in ether. The aqueous solu- tion gave a green color with ferric salts and copious flocculent pre- cipitates on the addition of basic lead acetate or infusion of nutgalls. It was, in fact, a pharmaceutical preparation rather than a distinct chemical substance, and was essentially a compound of the basic con- stituents of ipecacuanha with a substance somewhat analogous to tannin.
Subsequently Pelletier succeeded, in conjunction with Magendie, in obtaining a product of distinctly basic character, which was sub- mitted to analysis by Dumas1 and its composition was represented as corresponding with the formula C15H24N04.
Found. Calculated.
C 64-57 64-24
H 777 8-39
N 4"3o 4*96
O 22-95 22"6l
99*59 100*20
This base was described as a white pulverulent substance some- what yellowish and becoming colored on exposure, but not deli- quescent. It melted about 500 C, was very slightly soluble in cold water, freely soluble in alcohol and insoluble in ether.
It had a marked alkaline reaction and neutralized acids, but ap- parently did not form crystallizable salts, though "acid solutions some- times showed signs of crystals." An aqueous solution was not pre- cipitated by basic lead acetate. It was, therefore, very different from the emetine of the French Codex, and Magendie found it to be three times as effective medicinally.
Various methods of preparing emetine were subsequently sug- gested by Calloud, Merck, Reich and Leprat, but none of them furnished a perfectly pure and chemically individual substance. The examination of the alkaloid obtained from the official Brazilian ipecacuanha by Reich2 is chiefly noticeable for the results of the ele- mentary analysis leading to the formula C20H30N2O5 :
Found. Calculated.
C 63-114 63-49
H 7*99i 7*93
N . 6*109 7-40
O • r 22786 2I'l8
ICO' lOO*
xAnn. de Chim. Phys.y 2, XXIV, 180. 2i863. Archiv der Pharm., 2, 113, 193.
Am. Jour. Pbarru.) February, 1901. J
Chemistry of Ipecacuanha.
The ipecacuanha then employed for medicinal purposes in France was probably the officially recognized drug imported from Brazil, under the name of Rio ipecacuanha, the product of a plant belonging to the genus Cephaelis, and growing in the province of Mato Grosso, situated in the basin of the river Paraguay.1 The Codex of 1758 enumerated three kinds of the official drug2 — ipecacuanha fusca, ipecacuanha cineriia and ipecacuanha candidior — which would probably correspond with the three varieties, brown, gray and white, mentioned by Pelletier in his memoir as being the kinds most used.3 The botanical source of these varieties is uncertain, for Pelletier's statement that the brown ipecacuanha examined by him was the product of Psyclwtria emetica was subsequently corrected by Guibourt.4 In addition to the varieties attributed to the genus Cephaelis, two other kinds of ipecacuanha appear to have been official at that time, the " striated "5 and " undulated."6 Other kinds of ipecacuanha were imported from Para and Bahia, under names taken from the provinces of Brazil whence they were collected. Some of them no doubt were derived from plants of the genus Cephaelis and others from species of Ionidium, etc.
The gradually increasing scarcity and high price of the Brazilian drug, as well as the success attending the importation of cinchona bark from New Granada, subsequently led to the introduction of a drug from that part of South America, under the name of Cartha- gena ipecacuanha, obtained from a plant growing in great abund- ance on the banks of the Magdalena River, and considered by Gui- bourt to be a different and botanically undetermined species of ' Cephaelis J In 1869 Lefort directed attention to this drug,8 point- ing out that, although differing in appearance from Brazilian ipe- cacuanha, it might be equally useful medicinally, and could, in that case, be recognized officially as a valuable supplement to the Bra- zilian drug. But before its use in pharmacy could be adopted,
1See Weddell, Ann. des Sciences Naturelles, II, 193. 2 Codex Med., 1758, p. 63. *Jdurn. de Pharm., Ill, 148.
4 Guibourt, " Histoire abrege des Drogues Simples." Second edition. I, 298.
5 Described by Guibourt as Radix Psychotricc. Ibid., p. 301.
6 Referred by Guibourt to a species of Richardsonia. Ibid., p. 302. 7 "Histoire Naturelle des Drogues Simples," III, 82, 1850. 8Carthagena ipecacuanha was imported into France in boxes or casks by way of Havre, while the Brazilian drug was imported in serons by way of Bordeaux.
6o
C lie mis try of Ipecacuanha.
/Am. Jour. Pharm. I February, 1901.
better knowledge was requisite as to its components, and of its actual behavior to the official drug as a therapeutic agent. Lefort,1 in order to solve that problem, and with the view of definitely settling the question whether the ipecacuanha of New Granada could be sub- stituted for the official drug, made a comparative examination of the two kinds by determining the amount of alkaloid contained in them.
Lefort had recourse to the method suggested by the observations of Pelletier and Dumas that the alkaloid of ipecacuanha formed with tannin a compound characterized by its very sparing solubility in water. The powdered drug was extracted by strong and weak alcohol successively; the alcoholic liquor evaporated to a syrup and the residue mixed with a large quantity of water. Tannin in slight excess was then added to the filtered liquid and the precipitate so produced well washed, dried and weighed. In that way Lefort arrived at the conclusion that the ipecacuanha of New Granada con- tained rather less alkaloid than that of Brazil, the relative amounts ot tannate obtained being 1-34 and 1-44 percent. Another method adopted for comparing the two kinds of ipecacuanha as to their con- tents in alkaloid was based on the sparing solubility of the nitrate of the base in water. The results thus obtained were very similar, so far as the amount of alkaloid was concerned ; but Lefort too readily assumed the chemical identity of the basic constituents of the two different kinds of ipecacuanha. In a subsequent memoir, published during the same year, Lefort gave the results of a more particular study of the properties and composition of the alkaloid obtained from ipecacuanha.2 The method then adopted for its extraction consisted in treating the syrupy residue of an alcoholic extract with caustic potash and chloroform. A product was obtained from the chloroform solution consisting chiefly of a base mixed with a resinous substance. These were separated by treatment with a very dilute acid, and, by adding to the clear solu- tion just enough ammonia, the base was precipitated almost free from the resinous substance, the last portion of which was removed by digesting the washed and dried precipitate with ether. The base thus obtained was a very light powder of a white or gray
xJourn. de Pharm. et de Chimie, 4, IX, 167. "-Journ. de Pharm. et de Chimie, 4, IX, 241.
-FebWyTiwif1'} Chemistry of Ipecacuanha. 61
color, according to the degree of purity, almost inodorous and of bitter taste. It melted at yo° C. and on exposure acquired a brownish color, but did not deliquesce. It was sparingly soluble in cold water — I : 1,000 — readily soluble in alcohol and in chloroform, but very slightly soluble in ether, and it was uncrystallizable. That base was readily dissolved by caustic potash or soda and the solu- tions rapidly absorbed oxygen from the atmosphere. It was less freely soluble in ammonia, and when mixed with lime or magnesia it became yellow on exposure to air. It was readily dissolved by most acids, neutralizing them and forming soluble uncrystallizable salts ; with nitric acid it formed a very slightly soluble salt and this was considered to be the most distinctive characteristic of the base. Potassium iodide and alcoholic solution of iodine gave precipitates which were very sparingly soluble in water. Mercuric chloride and potassium mercuric iodide gave white precipitates insoluble in water and soluble in alcohol. The platinochloride was soluble in water, but only sparingly soluble in alcohol, whilst ammonium molybdate and basic lead acetate both gave precipitates. Lefort did not analyze the base so obtained ; but with the aid of the analytical data given by Pelletier and Dumas he endeavored to ascertain its molecular weight from the saturating capacity and the composition of its salts by determining the amounts of combined acids in the neutral sulphate and hydrochloride. On that basis, and assuming the alkaloid to be identical with the substance analyzed by Dumas, it was inferred that its formula was C^H^NX^.
Calculated. Found.
C 64-28 64-57
H ■ 7-86 • 777
N 5 '00 4-30
O 22-85 22-95
99'99 99"59
The subject was next taken up by Glenard,1 who applied the method of treatment with lime and ether for extraction of the alka- loid, obtaining it colorless and in relatively large amount, a result that was not consistent with the description of emetine then accep- ted. Glenard obtained the alkaloid by mixing a dry alcoholic ex- tract of ipecacuanha with an equal quantity ofMvater and one and
1 "Recherches sur l'alcaloide de l'ipecacuanha," Ann. de Chim. et de Phvs., 5, VIII, 233
62
Chemistry of Ipecacuanha.
( Am. .Jour. I'harm. I February, 1901.
one-half times its weight of lime, then percolating the mixture with hot ether in the proportion of I litre of ether to 100 grammes of the extract. That ethereal solution was then shaken with sufficient weak hydrochloric acid to form a salt and, after separating the ether, the base was precipitated from the aqueous solution by am- monia. By careful evaporation of an aqueous solution of the hydro- chloride the salt was obtained in a crystalline form. That result — contrary to the experience of Lefort and others, that all the salts of emetine were uncrystallizable — enabled Glenard, by repeated crys- tallization, to prepare a product of greater purity than had hitherto been obtained. Analysis of the purified base gave results very dif- ferent from those obtained by Dumas, as shown below:
Glenard. Durnas.
C 72-43 72-o8 64-57
H 8-64 8-59 4-30
N 5-28 5-42 777
O . 13-65 13-91 22-95
ioo- 100- 99-59
Glenard's data leading to the formula C15H2,N02 were further con- firmed by the analysis of the crystalline hydrochloride.
Calculated for Found. C15Ho2NOo,HCl.
C 63-00 63-26
H 8-15 8-o8
N 4-75 4-92
O .11*64 11-24
CI 12-46 12-47
From these results Glenard was led to the conclusion that the substance analyzed by Dumas, as well as that subsequently obtained by Lefort, could not have been sufficiently purified.
As a result of the question raised by Glenard as to the purity and individuality of the substance obtained by previous experimenters, a further paper was published by Lefort and Wurtz1 in which they suggested a method of preparing emetine by mixing an aqueous solution of the alcoholic extract of ipecacuanha with a saturated solution of potassium nitrate. The washed precipitate of the nitrate which required ioo parts of water for solution was dissolved in hot
^"Memoire sur la Preparation et la Composition de rEmetine," Ann. Chim. Pkys., 5, VIII, 277.
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ February, 1901. J
Chemistry of Ipecacuanha.
63
alcohol mixed with lime and, after evaporating off the alcohol, the dry residue was extracted with ether. The base was then further purified until almost colorless and it was then assumed to be abso- lutely pure. Analysis corresponded with the formula C28H40N2O5.
|
1 |
Found. 2
|
3 |
Calculated. |
||
|
6979 |
69-47 |
69-01 |
69-42 |
||
|
H |
8-i5 |
8-i8 |
8*14 |
8-27 |
|
|
5*15 |
5-84 |
5 49 |
578 |
||
|
O |
16-30 |
16:51 |
17*36 |
16-53 |
In further confirmation of that formula, an analysis of the nitrate showed that its composition was represented by the formula C28H40- NA.2NO3H.
Whatever may have been the chemical character of the substances subjected to analysis for the purpose of the investigations already referred to, there can be little doubt that commercial emetine was impure and sometimes contaminated with a considerable amount of resin or of the constituent of ipecacuanha which to some extent re- sembles tannin.
Podwyssotzki,1 who pointed out that fact, proposed to remove the impurity by means of ferric chloride. The product thus obtained was snow white, it melted at 62°-6$° C, had a strongly alkaline reaction, was readily soluble in ether and very sparingly soluble in water. By the slow evaporation of an ether solution of the base partial crystallization occurred, but none of the salts were obtained in a crystalline form. The base was sparingly soluble in cold petro- leum spirit or benzine, but easily soluble when heated, separating again, on cooling, in white flocks.
Some years after, the alkaloid of ipecacuanha was again submitted to investigation by Kunz,2 who adopted a modified form of the method of preparation suggested by Podwyssotzki. Kunz's product was amorphous and colorless, but it rapidly became yellow on ex- posure. It was " by no means insoluble in caustic alkalies," very sparingly soluble in cold water, cold petroleum spirit or ether, but
1 Pharm. Zeits.fur Russland, XIX, 1 ; Pharm. Journ., 3, X, 642.
2 " Beitrage zur Kenntniss des Emetine," Archiv der Pharm., XXV, 461.
64
Chemistry of Ipecacuanha.
f Am. Jour. Pharru. (. February, 1901.
more freely by heating. By rapid evaporation of a concentrated ether solution of the base distinct acicular crystals were sometimes obtained. When free from moisture or adherent petroleum ether, it melted at 68°-74° C.
The retention of minute traces of solvent was also considered to have been the cause of the differences between the analytical results of previous observers, and when that was provided against, analysis gave numbers leading to the formula C30H40NoO5.
In none of the memoirs above referred to is there any statement as to the kind of ipecacuanha operated on, and it was probable that some of the discrepancies they present might be ascribed to differ- ences in the drug examined. The general probability that ipecacu- anha might contain more than one alkaloid was also recognized by Glenard as well as by Lefort and Wurtz, but in neither case was any definite conclusion arrived at on that point, so that the alkaloid ob- tainable from ipecacuanha has hitherto been always regarded as one substance, having distinct chemical individuality.
On the contrary, we find that ipecacuanha resembles cinchona bark, a product of the same natural order, containing at least three alkaloids, and probably other alkaloids in small proportions.
Of the three alkaloids which we have isolated, one is uncrystal- lizable, but capable of forming salts which are crystalliz xble, though for the most part very freely soluble. For this base we have re- tained the name emetine. The second alkaloid, named cephaeline, is crystallizable, less soluble in ether than emetine, but freely solu- ble in alcohol or chloroform; much more soluble than emetine in hot petroleum spirit, and readily soluble in solutions of caustic alkali. The third alkaloid, termed psychotrine, has been isolated in only small quantity, and exists in the drug in very small amount, relatively, to emetine and cephaeline.
The failure of most previous observers to arrive at correct conclu- sions in regard to the ipecacuanha alkaloids presents some features of interest as showing how largely the results of such investigation may be influenced by accidental circumstances.
Lefort's method of extraction with chloroform in the presence of caustic potash furnished a product consisting of an uncertain mix- ture of all the alkaloids, and, in the absence of any ascertained dis- tinction between them, their separation by Lefort was impossible. Therefore, the formula assigned to emetine by Lefort, on the basis of
AFebruUaryTi9aoim'} Chemistry of Ipecacuanha. 65
Dumas' analysis, was necessarily inaccurate. The result arrived at by Lefort and Wurtz in their subsequent investigation was also defect- ive for the same reason, although the mixed alkaloids were then ob- tained in a condition of greater freedom from impurity by extracting the drug with ether in the presence of lime.
Podwyssotzki's result obtained by employing ferric chloride to remove the tannin constituent was vitiated by using petroleum spirit for extraction. The product thus obtained was consequently an indefinite mixture of cephaeline and emetine from the action of the petroleum spirit on both the alkaloids, whilst probably the greater part of the emetine was not extracted at all. Kunz also used petroleum spirit and with a similar result, as is shown by the fact that the alkaloid obtained is described as (partially ?) soluble in caustic alkalies. The formula deduced from analysis by Kunz was therefore necessarily incorrect, as the material operated upon by him must have been a mixture. The experiments made by Kunz for ascertaining the constitution of emetine were also, for the same reason, fallacious, and therefore no importance can be assigned to the conclusions that were arrived at by him. The observations of Blunt,1 that a so-called emetine of the molecular weight 508, as assigned to it by Kunz, requires one equivalent of a dibasic acid for neutralization, do not in any way advance the chemistry of the subject, inasmuch as Glenard had already shown that pure emetine assumed to have a combining weight of 248 is monobasic ; hence it naturally follows that if the base were assumed to have a combin- ing weight twice as great it would appear to be dibasic. Blunt, like Kunz, failed to obtain emetine hydrochloride in a crystalline form, for the simple reason that both chemists were dealing with a mixture of the two bases emetine and cephaeline.
Glenard, however, was more fortunate in his investigation. That was due to the care taken in obtaining the alkaloid in the state of a crystalline neutral hydrochloride, after extraction, by treatment with lime and ether. As a consequence of adopting that method of treatment, the cephaeline was eliminated and emetine was isolated in a pure condition, as shown by the results of Glenard's analyses, which correspond very closely with our own. Indications of the existence of another alkaloid were observed by Glenard, but they were not followed up by him.
XT. P. Blunt, Pharm. Journ., 3, XX, 809.
66 Pharmacy Legislation. { ^iryffgoi."0'
Glenard's observations have received, however, very little notice, and in most chemical books the formula assigned to emetine by Kunz has been adopted as the most satisfactory. That view, how- ever, must now be abandoned, since the results of our investigations show that the substance to which Kunz refers could not have been a definite substance.
( To be continued.)
PRACTICAL POLITICS APPLIED TO PHARMACY LEGISLATION.
By J. H. Beai,, Scio, O. THE PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF PHARMACY THE GODMOTHER OF PHARMACY LEGISLATION IN THE UNITED STATES.
It is especially fitting that the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy should take an active#part in the discussion and advocacy of phar- macy legislation, since this institution may properly be regarded as the godmother of practically all the existing pharmacy laws in the United States. Our present laws are largely built upon the Ameri- can Pharmaceutical Association model of 1869, which was mainly prepared by a member of the faculty of this institution, and was discussed and approved by the College before it was presented to the Association. This model is often referred to as if it were a mere copy of the English statute of 1868, but aside from the fact that, like the English law, it sought to restrict the practice of pharmacy to registered persons, it was built upon wholly original lines, and proposed an entirely different form of machinery for carrying the law into effect.
THE AWAKENING OF PHARMACY.
It must be evident to every observer of pharmaceutical affairs that we are in the midst of an extraordinary movement that promises to place the practice of pharmacy upon an entirely differ- ent footing from that which it has hitherto occupied.
After a long lethargy, the pharmacists of the United States are apparently just awakening to the fact that collectively they are capable of exerting a tremendous force in securing for themselves a position in the social and economic scale more befitting the ser- vice they render society than they have enjoyed in the past.
Am. Jour. Pharro.\ February, 1901. J
Pharmacy Legislation.
67
Everywhere there are signs of activity among the pharmaceutical fraternity, new associations are forming, and old ones are becoming more active. Renewed interest is being taken in pressing for State and National legislation tending to relieve pharmacy from unduly burdensome taxation, and in movements tending to secure fairer and more profitable trade relations between the manufacturing and jobbing interests on the one hand and the dispensing and retail interests on the other.
THE INCREASING ACTIVITY IN PHARMACY LEGISLATION.
One of <the most important features of this awakening of the phar- maceutical body politic is the gradual evolution, through the joint efforts of the courts and legislatures, of a rational system of phar- maceutical jurisprudence ; one which shall protect the public inter- est withoat imposing upon the natural and constitutional rights of the pharmacist, and which shall secure to the latter the opportunity of exercising his calling with the hope of reasonable profit, without infringing upon the rights of the public.
To secure this devoutly wished-for consummation, pharmacists must be active, not passive, factors. Plato says " that the punish- ment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the govern- ment is to live under the government of worse men." The penalty imposed upon pharmacists if they fail to take a proper interest in the enactment of pharmacy legislation is that they must live under laws enacted by men much less competent than themselves to pre- pare such legislation.
THE OBSTACLES TO PHARMACY LEGISLATION MAINLY FROM PHARMACISTS.
While we have heard much concerning the opposition of legisla- tors to the enactment of appropriate pharmacy laws, it is the writer's opinion, based upon actual experience in advocating measures before the General Assembly, that the prime difficulty in the way of phar- macy legislation is the active or passive opposition of pharmacists themselves.
This opposition is of three kinds:
(1) The opposition of those who, without knowing why, stupidly imagine that the law will in some way interfere with their business, or who, being conscious of their own unfitness, or that they are
68
Pharmacy Legislation.
f Am. Jour. Pliarm. I February. 1901.
conducting their business in an immoral or improper manner, are opposed to any measures which might possibly interfere with them.
(2) The opposition, or what amounts to such, of those pharma- cists who insist upon extreme or radical provisions which, if inserted in the measure, would most likely secure its defeat before the assembly, or, if it should chance to be enacted, would endanger it in the courts because of its interference with constitutional pro- visions. The overcoming of this species of opposition, for such it is in effect, is especially difficult from the fact that it comes from those who claim to be friends of the pharmacy law and therefore entitled to especial consideration.
(3) The third obstacle is found in the great mass of druggists who are poorly informed as to the nature of the legislation which should be sought, or are indifferent to the whole subjects These, when asked, generally profess to be in favor of pharmacy legisla- tion, but limit their efforts in this respect to criticising the measures prepared by others, and count themselves liberal supporters of a bill if they do not openly oppose it.
Thus it appears that those who advocate the reform of the phar- macy laws must first overcome the opposition of those members of their own profession who are totally opposed to such legislation, must defeat the mischievous efforts of those who are in favor of radical and impractical provisions, must be able to carry with them the dead weight of the great number who are entirely indifferent, and then must still have left, sufficient energy to beat down the opposition from the extra-pharmaceutical forces which are naturally expected to array themselves against such reforms.
A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENACTMENT OF A PHARMACY LAW.
It has been the writer's fortune, or misfortune, to have been en- gaged in advocating or opposing pharmacy legislation at every session of the legislature of his own State for the past eight or ten years. This experience has convinced him that failure to procure the enactment of desirable pharmacy laws generally results from a lack of experience on the part of the persons who are delegated to look after the interests of the measure, or from a neglect to set about the work in the thoroughgoing and systematic manner which is indispensable to the successful passage of a bill through the
AFebSyfSr-} Pharmacy Legislation. 69
legislature when any opposition is manifested. Assuming that this assemblage is more interested in practical results than in literary composition, and at the risk of being prosy, the writer will attempt to formulate a simple plan of campaign which, in his opinion, should be followed by those who attempt to procure the enactment of a pharmacy law.
LEGISLATION SHOULD BE UNDER CONTROL OF THE STATE ASSOCIATION.
Without stopping to argue the point, it is taken for granted that the State pharmaceutical association should assume the initiative, and should have full control and direction of all legislation affecting pharmacy. This organization is properly regarded as representing the best elements of the profession *in the State, and as probably expressing in the measures prepared by it the consensus of opinion of the druggists of the commonwealth, and its representatives, if they proceed discreetly, will be accorded a degree of attention by legislatures and by legislative committees that individuals or local societies could not expect to receive.
AROUSING THE INTEREST OF THE STATE ASSOCIATION.
The first great effort should be to thoroughly enlist the State association in favor of the proposed measure. This can best be ac- complished by calling a special session for the express purpose of considering a draft of the law, at which session all other business should be tabooed. Preferably this meeting should be held just before or just after the opening of the State legislature, in order that the measure approved by the association may be put in in time to secure a good position on the calendar.
The draft should be presented to the association by some one who has made a thorough study of its provisions, and is therefore qualified to answer the objections which will invariably be raised by those who have not studied it, and will naturally want to know why this or that provision has been inserted or omitted. Gener- ally the association's endorsement can be obtained with very little discussion, but as the prime object of the meeting is educational, the fullest possible debate should be encouraged. The draft should be read and discussed by sections, and every person present should be invited to participate, so that every member shall go home an advocate for the bill, and prepared to meet and answer the objec- tions which may be brought against it.
JO Pilar mac y Legislation. { AF4br°uYrV!i9aoim*
THE FORM OF LAW TO BE INTRODUCED.
If an entirely new law is to be submitted to the general assem- bly, it should be modelled on the lines of the draft approved by the American Pharmaceutical Association at its meeting at Richmond in 1900, and whatever changes are made in this should be inserted by a competent attorney, who has been employed to give the mat- ter his careful attention. If this is not, done, the probability is that some inconsistency will be introduced which will ruin the chances of the measure before the legislature, or render it useless if passed. Many a good measure has failed of enactment because of the pres- ence of a single objectionable clause or phrase.
AMENDMENTS.
As amendments to a bill after it has entered upon its legislative course are almost always dangerous, and frequently fatal, it. should, before its introduction, be brought as nearly as possible into the shape in which it will have the best chance of passing. Those who insist upon the insertion of radical provisions, with the argument that if the legislature does not like them they can be stricken out, should have their attention called to the fact that the amendment of a bill while in the act of going through the legislature always means delay, and more often than not it means defeat. Bills in the legislature cannot be amended with the same readiness that they can in a debating society or in a pharmaceutical association. H Re- ferred back to committee for amendment " has been the epitaph of many a brave pharmacy bill which, if properly prepared in the first place, would have had bright prospects of enactment. All provisions likely to imperil the bill should be rigorously excluded, and if of sufficient importance may afterwards be introduced into the assem- bly as separate measures.
THE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION.
The final work of the association will be the important one of selecting the Committee on Legislation, or the committee which is to look after the interests of the bill before the legislature.
The task of this committee is one of labor and vexation, requir- ing rare tact and patience, eternal vigilance and unceasing industry. To such an extent does the success of the bill depend upon the per- sonnel of the legislative committee that it would not be far from the
Am. Jour. Pharru. \ February, 1901. /
Pharmacy Legislation.
71
truth to say that its fate is settled when this committee is selected. State associations have numerous offices wherein merely ornamental members may be safely lodged, but on its legislative committee it needs its most resourceful, most energetic and most earnest men.
WORK UPON THE ABSENTEES AND NON-MEMBERS.
Immediately following the adjournment of the State meeting a circular letter should be addressed to the druggists of the State, whether members of the association or not, stating briefly what has been done and asking their co-operation in securing the passage of the bill. The principal changes proposed in the law should be explained, and care should be taken to state that the interests of those already in business will not be affected deleteriously by its enactment. The circular should be conciliatory in tone, and calcu- lated to allay the opposition of those druggists who are always on the alert to discover evil in measures proposed by others than them- selves.
SELECTING A SPONSOR FOR THE BILL.
The next important step is the selection of the proper person to introduce the bill into the general assembly. This is a matter of vital importance, since a mistake in the selection of a champion may jeopardize or even defeat the measure.
In fixing upon the proper person to introduce the bill the follow- ing considerations should be kept in mind :
He should be a man of learning and ability, popular with his associates and preferably one who has had prior legislative expe- rience.
He should be personally interested in the bill, a believer in its merits, and willing to devote time and energy toward securing its enactment.
He should be a member of a strong delegation, i. e.y should be from some city or district which has a large representation in the general assembly. As a member can usually command the unanimous support of his own delegation, and as the influence of a large delegation is important, other delegations having measures to pass will be chary of opposing the pharmacy bill.
The bill should be first introduced into that branch of the general assembly which it would have the most difficulty in passing if
72 Pharmacy Legislation. {A^SSS^mL'
much opposition be manifested. This is recommended for the reason that -the opposition will not at first have had time to organ- ize their forces, and also because those who are opposed to legisla- tive measures generally make their greatest effort when the bill is put upon its final passage. If the bill is successful in this part of its course, it will have added prestige and the advantage of being in the house of its friends when the strongest assault is made upon it.
WORK AFTER THE BILL IS INTRODUCED.
The real work of the committee on legislation begins after the bill has been introduced into the general assembly. This work is to convert a majority of the members of both houses to the belief that the bill is a clean, honest measure, that its enactment will prove a public benefit, and that it is generally desired throughout the State by those who are in the practice of pharmacy. If this impression can be made upon the minds of a majority of the assem- blymen, success is assured.
It must be remembered that not one member in ten will read the bill, unless he has been specially requested to do so by some interested constituent. Most of them will rely upon the statements of those who have the bill in charge for their information as to its contents and purpose. If the measure seems to be generally popu- lar with men in whom they have confidence, they will conclude that it is a meritorious one, and will give it their support. Other- wise they will either hold aloof from it or vote with the opposition.
Among the most efficient means of favorably influencing the members of the legislature are the following :
(1) Resolutions by local associations and the colleges. Every pharmaceutical association and every college and school of phar- macy in the State should meet and adopt resolutions in favor of the bill, and forward them to the delegation from the county or dis- trict in which the society or college is located.
(2) Personal letters from prominent pharmacists in every part of the State to the members from their respective districts, soliciting their support. Nothing is so effective with a member of the as- sembly as a letter, or several of them, from one or more of his constituents. It matters but little what the form of the letter is, provided it expresses the fact that its writer is in favor of the
AFebr°uaryT^r-} Pharmacy Legislation. 73
measure and desires his representative and senator to support it. Even if the member has previously made up his mind to oppose the bill, he will oppose it less vigorously, or possibly not at all, if he receives a few letters from his constituents in its favor.
To secure those letters is really the most difficult part of the work of the committee.
The temptation is usually great to send out printed letters to the druggists throughout the State, requesting them to sign and for- ward the same to their members in the legislature. At the best, this plan is a waste of postage and white paper. Members of the legislature usually regard such methods as an attempt on the part of some person or committee to manufacture fictitious sentiment, and very justly consider that if their constituents do not have suffi- cient interest in the bill to compose a letter in its favor, they must care very little what becomes of it. The best way is for the com- mittee on legislation to make a direct appeal to prominent phar- macists throughout the State to write to their senators and repre- sentatives. If, say, fifty such men can be induced to write to their members in the assembly, and the endorsement of the local societies and colleges has been secured, the bill, if it is a good one, is almost sure to pass.
Not only should retail pharmacists be appealed to to write such let- ters, but wholesalers, manufacturers, physicians, and in fact any good citizen who by virtue of his social or political position should have influence in the legislature. It is all the better if persons entirely disconnected with pharmacy can be induced to interest themselves, as this is justly regarded by the legislature as evidence of the fact that the measure is really of public interest, and not a merely selfish effort on the part of druggists to create a monopoly for themselves.
CONCILIATING THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
If the passage of a pharmacy bill through the general assembly is to be free from hard knocks the influence of the medical profes- sion must not be lost sight of. The members of the latter profession, by virtue of their greater activity in politics, have proportionately a much larger influence in moulding legislation than pharmacists, and there is probably not a legislature in the United States which does not contain from three or four to a dozen or more physicians. Out of courtesy to the profession, these are generally all placed on the
74
Pharmacy Legislation.
{Am, Jour. Pharm. I February, 1901.
" Committee on Medical Colleges and Associations," to which com- mittee all bills in any way affecting the practice of medicine, dentis- try or pharmacy are usually referred. If this committee reports unanimously, or by a good majority, in favor of a pharmacy bill, it, is properly regarded as a very favorable beginning, while if it reports adversely, the bill has a very small chance of ever appearing on the statute books.
This fact is argument enough for the conciliation of the medical members of the general assembly, and of their professional brethren outside, and is also a good reason why those visionary members ot the pharmaceutical craft who are always anxious to insert in the pharmacy law some clause to prevent the dispensing of medicines by physicians, except in emergency, and to leave the druggist the judge of the emergency, should be promptly headed off. When a bill of this character makes its appearance in the committee room it very properly goes into the bottom drawer of the chairman's desk and stays there until the end of the session, or if it gets back from the committee room, is usually in such a mutilated condition that its framers have to look the second time to recognize it.
On the other hand, if the pharmacy bill leaves the business of the physician strictly alone, the medical committee is usually inclined to be friendly, and this friendliness can frequently be increased by promising the support of the pharmaceutical interest to any medical bills which may be pending.
THE USE OF MONEY IN THE LEGISLATURE.
According to popular repute a liberal use of money among the members of the general assembly is almost indispensable to success with any measure; but this is certainly a base and unjust slander upon a very honorable class of men. There is not a general assem- bly in the United States the majority of whose members are not trustworthy, patriotic citizens, earnestly desirous of enacting such measures as will be of benefit to the State. If they sometimes fail it is because they have misjudged the character of a measure and not because of corrupt principles. Doubtless there are members in every legislature who are ready to solicit and accept bribes for their votes and influence, but such men are in the minority.
In the writer's opinion, the corrupt use of money in the legisla- ture is not only wholly unnecessary, but harmful. The men who will
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ February, 1901. /
Pharmacy Legislation.
75
accept it are generally well understood by their fellow-members, and the honesty of a bill is at once open to suspicion when such men become active in its support. They really possess very little influence beyond the partners with whom they work. No greater mistake can be made by the promoters of a bill than to secure the championship of these men. If they are willing to vote for the bill, well and good, but their active support should not be solicited, as it is more likely to injure than to benefit. If any attempt is made to extort money it should be met by the statement that the committee, is without funds for this purpose. If one such demand is complied with, the recipient passes the word along to his brother pirates, and then each one will demand a share of the blood money, while if the impression is given out from the start that, the committee has no money to spend, they will be spared the annoyance of having to refuse corrupt solicitations.
SUBSIDIZING THE NEWSPAPERS.
Another place where money is frequently demanded is by the newspapers. In nearly every capital city there are one or more newspapers which directly or indirectly solicit money in exchange lor their support of bills before the legislature, and some of them will threaten opposition if their demands are not complied with. While this practice is little better than blackmail, it is usually justi- fied by the journals on the ground that the writing up of a measure occasions extra expense and that it is no more than fair that the advocates of the measure should bear some of the cost. As a rule it is not advisable to pay newspapers for their support, though there may be occasions where such a course would be justified by necessity, as when some other organ has come out in opposition and by misrepresentation or misstatement of facts is liable to create a wrong impression with the public. On the whole, unless the sub- ject is first brought into the public prints by the opposition, a news- paper discussion had better be avoided, as it may and generally does arouse antagonism without materially adding to the strength of the measure before the legislature.
THE LEGITIMATE USE OF MONEY.
While we have deprecated the use of money in the legislature or for subsidizing the press, there is, nevertheless, a legitimate place
76
Phar macy L egis I a tion .
(Am. Jour. Pharaj. I February, 1901.
for its use, since it is only under exceptional circumstances that a pharmacy bill can be passed without liberal expenditures lor post- age, circulars, attorney fees, typewriting, and the travelling and other expenses of the committee on legislation. The right sort of a committee is not liable to make any unnecessary expenditures, and should therefore be its own judge of what expenses are neces- sary. Its members must necessarily devote a large amount of time and effort to the work of the bill, and should not be expected to meet their own travelling and hotel bills, nor be hampered by lack of funds for correspondence and printing. After paying all of these the association will still be deeply in the debt of the committee for its sacrifice of time, patience and energy in behalf of a matter in which the whole profession is interested.
DANGER OF OVERCONFIDENCE.
A danger to be specially guarded against is overconfidence on the part of the committee. It will frequently happen that the opposition is so well concealed that it may appear as if the bill would pass by a nearly unanimous vote, but if the committee per- mits itself to be influenced by these appearances the chances are that it will awaken some morning and find that some sharp old campaigner has put the bill into a corner whence it cannot be extricated during the remainder of the session. The only safety lies in unremitting vigilance until the law is upon the statute books. Bills have failed, even after passing both branches of the legisla- ture, because of a failure of the proper officers to sign the record.
RECAPITULATION.
In the foregoing the writer has endeavored to give a homely and matter-of-fact statement of his opinion as to the best method of procuring the needed reforms in pharmacy legislation, which opinion is based upon actual experience in the advocacy of measures before committees of the general assembly.
The conclusions to which we have arrived may be recapitulated as follows :
The movement for pharmacy legislation should be made by the State pharmaceutical association, since this is the organization best calculated to reach and influence the druggists in all portions of the State, and is the one whose endorsement is most effective with the legislature.
Am. Jour. Pharm.l February, 1901. J
Pharmacy Legislation.
77
The campaign should be begun by a special meeting of the asso- ciation for the purpose of thoroughly discussing a draft of the pro- posed law, and unifying opinion upon its sections, electing the special committee which is to look after its interests, and to provide funds for necessary expenses.
The bill should be along the lines suggested by the A. Ph. A. model, should be finally pronounced upon and put in shape by a competent attorney, and should not seek to secure special privileges to the pharmacist in opposition to the general public or to the rights of the physician.
The draft should be put in the shape in which it can reasonably be expected to pass before it is introduced into the general assembly. Those who have extreme measures to advocate should be compelled to withhold them until the principal part of the law is enacted^ and then bring them in as new bills.
The special advocacy of the bill before the general assembly should be in the hands of a committee on legislation, the members of which should be specially selected because of their fitness for the work.
The bill should be introduced by a strong member of a strong delegation, because of the vote-getting influence of such delega- tions.
The existence of the bill and the arguments in its favor should be brought to the attention of the members of the legislature indi- vidually by the committee on legislation.
All the pharmaceutical colleges and local pharmaceutical associa- tions should meet and adopt special resolutions in favor of the bill, which should be communicated to the legislative delegations from their respective districts.
As many as possible of the influential druggists in different parts of the State should be induced to write their senator or representa- tive endorsing the measure.
If any demand is made for money in exchange for legislative influence the committee should reply that the measure is for the public good, and that no funds are available for such expenditures.
Newspaper discussion of the bill should not be encouraged, unless the bill is first attacked through the public prints, when a suitable reply should be made.
The committee should not permit itself to become overconfident
78
Adulterations in Drugs.
i Am. Jour. Pharm. 1 February, 1901.
as to success, and should never relax its efforts until the bill has re- ceived the signatures of the officers of the last house through which it passed.
When a pharmacist produces a new formula he must expect the question, "What evidence have you that your formula will work ?" and the same question may properly be asked concerning the plan proposed by the present paper. The answer is that it has had a practical trial and has been eminently successful. For years the pharmacists of Ohio tried in the usual desultory fashion to procure an amendment of their pharmacy law, meeting with worse defeat at each succeeding session of the legislature. Three years ago a new attempt was made. The program which has just been out- lined was followed in detail, beginning with a special session of the State Association to consider the draft of the proposed law, and followed by constant and systematic work on the part of the com- mittee on legislation. Not a cent of money was spent in the legis- lature or with the newspapers, and although the measure was more bitterly fought than any of its predecessors, it passed both branches of the General Assembly without the change of so much as a punctuation point.
From the experience gained in that and other contests, the writer is convinced that, given a good draft of a law, a good committee on legislation, and systematic work along the lines which have been indicated, a pharmacy law can be passed in any State in the Union, or at least that a failure to secure its enactment would be due to extraordinary and very unusual conditions.
THE DETECTION OF ADULTERATIONS IN DRUGS BY MEANS OF THE X-RAYS.
BY M. I. WlIvBERT.
It is well known that different substances are more or less opaque to the X-rays. This opacity is apparently due to the difference in the atomic weight of the elements entering into the composition of the particular substance under observation. We consequently find that materials having a low atomic weight offer little or no resis- tance to these rays, while other articles, composed of elements of high atomic weight, are nearly, if not entirely, opaque.
If we take, for example, equal parts by weight of lithium, sodium,
Am. Jour. Pharrn.\ February, 1901. J
Adulterations in Drugs.
79
calcium, iron, lead and bismuth carbonates, we will find that the first two are quite easily penetrated by these rays, the second two offer rather more resistance, while the last two are comparatively opaque. This bears out the statement made above that the trans- parency of a substance is closely related to its atomic weight and density.
Vegetable substances, being composed chiefly of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen, with little or no earthy materials, or elements hav- ing a high atomic weight, would of course offer little or no resis- tance to the X-rays, consequently we have in these rays a ready means of detecting the wilful or malicious admixture of the various substances that would ordinarily be used as adulterants, such as clay, sand or gravel.
This proposition, to use the X-rays as a means of detecting adul- terations of this kind, is not by any means original. Numerous sug- gestions have been made from time to time, and quite a number of articles have appeared, especially in France, detailing or describing the use of these rays for detecting adulterations in different drugs and foodstuffs.
The class of drugs that are especially adapted to this examina- tion by means of the X-rays are those that are not so well adapted for examination by means of the microscope, or whose macroscopical appearance does not give much indication of their composition, namely, such drugs as have no organized cellular structure, like the inspissated juices, gums and resins. Drugs belonging to this class usually occur in irregular masses, and very often offer considerable difficulty to the estimation of their quality.
As an illustration, we may call your attention to opium. Many and various are the substances that have been found in this drug, small stones and leaden bullets being the favorite articles • used to give additional weight to this well-known drug. As another illus- tration we may mention asafcetida. This drug, as it occurs in this market, is always more or less adulterated with sand or clay, so much so that it is almost impossible to obtain a supply of the drug that will meet the requirements of the Pharmacopoeia. An exam- ination of some of the specimens in the College collection would indicate that this admixture of absorbent clay or sand to asafcetida has been practiced for a very long time, as all of the specimens ex- amined were evidently adulterated in the same way. One especially,
8o
Adulterations in Drttps.
o
f Am. Jour. Pharm. I February, 1901.
a sample of so-called stony asafoetida, was found to consist almost entirely of solid stone, with a small quantity of gum adhering to it.
The required technique is simplicity itself. Having the necessary apparatus, all that is required is to look at the interference offered by the earthy materials as indicated on a fluorescent screen, or, if we should desire a permanent record of the examination, we simply replace the fluorescent screen with a photographic plate and give an exposure of from ten to twenty seconds. Subsequent development will show us at once whether or not any appreciable amount of foreign matter is present. By making a comparative ex- posure of a drug of known quality, we can estimate, roughly of course, the amount of adulteration, and at least say definitely whether or not it is better or worse than the sample, the com- position of which is known. Among the drugs that have been examined for foreign matter we have found that gum-arabic, gum- senegal and manna are comparatively free from admixtures of inorganic materials. Asafoetida, as mentioned above, is constantly and grossly adulterated. Myrrh is another drug that has a more or less constant admixture of adulterating materials, not necessarily clay or sand, however, as one sample of Turkey myrrh, from the College collection, was found to be a piece of bark coated on the outside with myrrh. Of the three specimens of guaiac that were examined, one was a specimen of purified guaiac from the College collection. This seems to be free from inorganic matter. The other two specimens have a slight amount of foreign material mixed with the resin.
Several specimens of benzoin were examined ; of these, one had small masses of yellow clay mixed with the drug, and another con- sisted largely of bark and chips of wood.
The commercial samples of aloes that were examined were all free lrom sand and dirt. Several old specimens, obtained from Pro- fessor Kraemer, were grossly adulterated. One specimen labelled Socotrine aloes was a flat cake and consisted largely of sand or clay that had been mixed with the melted gum. Another sample labelled caballine aloes also contained a large amount of inorganic material.
Scammony, galbanum and gamboge all seem to contain a small amount of foreign material mixed with the natural exudation of the respective plants.
AFebJ™VPi9aor^•} Remington Pharmaceutical Stills. 81
In addition to their use in this connection, the X-rays would seem to offer an interesting field for application in the examination of coal, asphalt and other hydrocarbon compounds that have a more or less constant admixture of siliceous or earthy materials. In the case of these compounds they not only indicate the amount of ad- mixture, but also give us considerable information as to the nature of the admixture and the exact location of the same.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE REMINGTON PHARMACEU- TICAL STILLS.
By J. Pkrcy Remington, B.S.
Pharmaceutical stills have been in use for many years, some have had a short life, others have answered well the requirements of their time, and have then been superseded by those of more modern construction whose merits were at once recognized.
The still which is the subject of this paper was first devised by Professor Joseph P. Remington in 1872 and subsequently improved and developed as described in the American Journal of Pharmacy, 1878, page 15, and 1879, page 225. These stills have had a large use and are to be found in many parts of the world. It was with a view of introducing some further improvements that the writer took the subject up, and now ventures to present the still with the latest improvements.
The important factors in the construction of the still are that the vessel which holds the water to be distilled should present a large heating surface to the flame, that the passage from the still to the condenser should be small and direct so as to prevent any condensa- tion at that point, and that the condenser should offer as large a cold surface to the vapor, on entering, as possible. The material of which it is composed, its strength and durability of construction, the ease with which it may be taken apart and cleaned are also im- portant considerations.
The idea of reversing the principle of the tubular boiler and apply- ing it to distillation as seen in the Remington condenser was a happy one. In a tubular boiler the flame circulates around the numerous tubes and evaporates the water. In this condenser the water circulates around the tubes and condenses the steam; thus the old block tin worm, which was very difficult to clean, has been
82 Remington Pharmaceutical Stills. {A§vg}fi&£i5fiL'
superseded by a condenser which may be thoroughly washed out by running a swab through the seven short tubes.
The fact which has often been overlooked in considering the condensation of vapors is that a tube, either straight or spiral, 10 leet long and of y2 inch inside diameter, has not the same con- densing power as ten tubes, I foot long and y2 inch inside diameter, although both have the same extent of surface. That containing the ten tubes would present an inlet for the vapor ten times as
Improved Remington Still.
large as that containing the one tube and would thus allow the vapor to pass into and condense in the tubes that much faster. In the ten short tubes the vapor is cooled suddenly by exposure to a large cold area.
Another important point which must not be overlooked is that the two methods of distillation, by the alembic form and the retort form, are radically different in principle. In the alembic the con- densation takes place in the inside surface of the head, in the retort
AFebr°u^yT59aoim'} Memorials to American Pharmacists. 83
form all condensation should take place in the condenser and none whatever in the head, therefore the head should be small and near enough to the source of heat to get warm and thus prevent the loss due to distilled liquid dropping back into the still body. By having the outlet for the vapors at the side the condensation in the top of the Remington still is almost completely obviated.
These stills have been used for nearly twenty-eight years, and so far very little chance for improvement has been discovered. In the improved still, which is here presented, a tight joint between the still top and body is made by tightening up the thumbscrews, which are hinged to the still body. When the still is to be put away, the unscrewing of these bolts quickly effects separation.
As the condenser, when in use and full of water, is rather heavy, it was found advisable to encircle it with a clamp, which is capable of being adjusted and can be made secure at any point.
These are the only improvements that have been made in this still since it was first used. The rapidity of action of this still seems remarkable and only serves to prove the principles upon which it is built to be correct. It will distil two gallons of diluted alcohol per hour, or one gallon of water per hour, using the heat of an ordinary gas stove. It is made of tinned copper throughout, so that there is no danger of rusting, and durability is secured.
By means of the self-feeding attachment it can be run continu- ously, simply requiring to be looked at occasionally to see that the liquid is not getting too low.
MEMORIALS TO AMERICAN PHARMACISTS.1 By Dr. Fr. Hoffmann.
It has been proposed to take some appropriate action in com- memoration of the semi-centennial anniversary of the American Pharmaceutical Association at the occasion of its fiftieth annual meeting to be held in Pniladelphia in 1902. Among the several practical suggestions, there is, in the first place, the very proper one uf having elaborated and published an historical sketch of the asso- ciation, or perhaps, better, of American pharmacy and the rise and
1 This communication, having been originally received by Albert E. Ebert, Chicago, from Dr. Hoffmann, is here presented by permission of the former.
84 Memorials to American Pharmacists. {^ebKSy^iSS^
progress of the association, including biographical notes and por- traits of the principal pioneers and representatives of American pharmacy during the nineteenth century. Provided that the right man can be found to compile a worthy literary monument of this kind, such a work would be an appropriate, useful and enduring contribution to the literature of American pharmacy and a worthy credit to the association.
Precedents of this kind, although less comprehensive and speci- fied, are the similar memoirs: " Historical Sketch of the Progress of Pharmacy in Great Britain," compiled by Jacob Bell and Theo- philus Redwood, published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain at the occasion of the Fifth International Pharmaceutical Congress, held in London in 1 88 1 ; "Festschrift zur Erinnerung an die 25 jahrige Stiftungsfeier des Schweizerischen Apotheker Vereins am 16 und 17 August, 1893;" and u Festschrift des Deutschen Apotheker Vereins zur Feier der 25 ten Jahresversammlung, 1896."
The establishment of scholarships and fellowships has also been proposed. Such endowments, however, can be of real use and benefit in a country of so vast an extent and population only if they are based upon very considerable funds, else their usefulness will be too slight and limited to far too small a number of recipients.
Another proposition seems to have been the erection of some public monument in memory of one or more of the foremost pio- neers of American pharmacy. Well-founded doubts, however, may be raised whether pharmacy and its past and present position among the professions and the modern factors of intellectual culture and technical and industrial progress entitles its representatives to be ranked among the great master minds of the exact and applied sciences and arts, as well as the glorious political and military heroes whose monuments adorn the historical arenas and cities of both the old and the new world. In cases where gifted men risen from the ranks of pharmacy, such as Scheele, Liebig and others, have been honored by posterity with public monuments, this has been done in recognition of their scientific discoveries or special accom- plishments only. Whether the recently erected monument of Pel- letier and Caventou reflects exclusively on their scientific merits or not less on national pride also, may be a matter of doubt.
When monuments to American pharmacists are to be erected, they may more properly be placed in some museum or public hall
Arebr°uarrv>i9oim'} Memorials to American Pharmacists. 85
at the centres of education and erudition than on public squares or in parks. A proper Walhalla for the monuments of American pharmaceutical celebrities would be the hall of the pioneer school of American pharmacy, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and the busts of Procter and Squibb might be among the foremost ones to be erected.
One of the most appropriate, useful and creditable memorials, however, may be the institution of a prize medal to be granted by the American Pharmaceutical Association in recognition of superior discoveries or literary accomplishments in the domains of theoreti- cal and applied pharmaceutical sciences and arts. By bearing the impress and names of eminent and distinguished men and per- petuating their memory, this form of commemoration has been in use since antiquity. More modern memorial medals of this kind are, among others, the Copley, Rumford, Davy, H anbury} Fliicki- ger2 and Pasteur* medals, while others have been made for once only at special occasions in memory of eminent scientists and instruc- tors, as for instance the memorial medals of TrommsdorfP and Scheele.5
xThe H anbury medal was instituted by voluntary contributions in 1879 in memory of the distinguished British pharmacognosy Daniel Hanbury, who died in 1875. Copies of the medal in gold are granted every three years for eminent services or discoveries in the domain of pharmacognosy. The grant is made by the Presidents of the Iyinnean Society, the Pharmaceutical Society and the Pharmaceutical Conference of Great Britain.
2 The Fliickiger medal was established in 1893 in honor of the distinguished Swiss pharmacognost, Fr. A. Fliickiger, at the occasion of his retirement from the professorship at the University of Strassburg. It i,« granted for special merits in the domains of pharmaceutical and cognate sciences and arts.
3 The Pasteur medal has recently been instituted as a premium for eminent work in bacteriological research.
4 The Trommsdorjf medal has been coined for once only at the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the entrance into pharmacy of the famous pharma- ceutical educator, Joh. Barthalom. Trommsdorff, in Erfurt. The medal is of bronze, showing on the front a relief bust of Trommsdorff and on the reverse a symbolic figure of Prometheus and of two youths, representing chemistry and pharmacy, with this inscription : "Pax divina coquit succos morbisque mede- tur."— " Tessara amicorum, 1834."
5 The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences had a memorial medal coined in 1790 in memory of its member Scheele ; it showed a relief portrait of Scheele and on the reverse a symbolic representation of the discovery of oxygen, and had this inscription : " Ingenio stat sine morte decus." — "Socio prematura morte erepto Regia Academia Scientiarum Stockholmiensis."
86
A Procter Memorial.
j Am. Jour. Pharm. \ February, 1801.
The suggestion of establishing a Procter- Squibb memorial prize medal at the occasion of the semi-centennial anniversary of the American Pharmaceutical Association, therefore, may be worthy of consideration. Such a medal may bear on one side the relief por- traits of Procter and Squibb and their names and dates of birth and death, and on the other the emblem of the association and a pro- per device. Both contemporaries, united in close friendship and fellowship, have been typical and eminent representatives in their special domains of application, of the prime and ideal aims and aspirations of the earlier stages of American pharmacy and the American Pharmaceutical Association. Their joint memory, there- fore, may be properly linked with the fortunes and the fame of the time-honored representative association of American pharmacy.
The question may be left open whether such a prize medal may be conferred at stated intervals, or at any of the annual meetings of the association, and whether its bestowal shall be confined to Americans only.
Berlin, December 8, 1900.
A PROCTER MEMORIAL. By Wilbur L> Scovm,E. I have been invited to offer my views as to what may best serve as a memorial to Professor Procter. It is a subject which requires much thought, for it involves the dove-tailing of two factors. A suitable memorial is, to my mind, something which will of itself recall the man whom it memorizes, and which will appeal to those whom it aims to attract. It should not only recall or stand for the man, but it should represent his character and ideals in as at- tractive a manner as possible, so that his endeavors may receive in
On the occasion of an academic anniversary in 1827 another medal was coined by the academy, showing on the front Scheele's bust and on the reverse a veiled figure of Isis, whose veil Hermes tries to disclose.
When a monument was erected at the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Scheele's birth in 1892, the Swedish Apothecaries' Society had an aluminum medal made showing on one side a relief bust of the Scheele Monument, with this inscription: "Carolo Guilmo Scheele, pharmaceutae chemico grati cultores Ordo pharmaceutia Suecia." The reverse shows a relief picture of Scheele's house in Koeping and the inscription : " Domestici parietes ipsum non famam continuerunt."
^etouarVT?^'} A Procter Memorial. 87
it a fresh and continuous impulse along the lines which he strove to uphold.
It is difficult to present an ideal in a way which will command at- tention. We do not have time to indulge much in sentiments in these days, and it is only the most vigorous and compelling en- deavors that succeed in stirring up a true sentiment.
We are intensely utilitarian. The David Harum style of senti- ment is the popular style to-day. An apple maybe rotten through- out, but so it be gilded it is sought after. And so even the sound apple must be "gilded, or it is disregarded. It's the gilding that counts and is wanted. It will not do to forget that. But how to honor the ideal and still be utilitarian is the problem. It is not a worthy memorial to gild an unworthy remembrance.
Sometimes it is wise to carry a thought or a tendency to an ex- treme in order to defeat it. There is sure to be a reaction. If we can put a utilitarian gilding on everything, the thoughtful ones will turn their attention to what is underneath, after a time. And so a memorial which best accedes to the demand lor the serviceable now may in the end prove the best stimulus toward a worthy and hon- orable ideal.
•Jfr * * * -x- % *
One of the greatest needs in pharmacy to-day is an established and authoritative research laboratory. I do not mean one which will delve in chemical relationships, reactions and syntheses. That is foundation work, all-important and creditable, but it is being done by the university investigators, and we can afford to leave it to them. But not all men are able to build soundly on a sound foun- dation. Not all can see the relationships of the seemingly abstract to the practical. There is room for a large work in the purely pharmaceutical applications of chemical facts. The pharmacists who most strongly feel the need of a sounder superstructure are not in a position to know and keep up with the increase in funda- mental facts. The few who are enabled to keep in touch with the more scientific progress lack a stimulus and oftentimes an opportu- nity to connect them with the common needs of to-day. There is a field for the bridging of the need and the foundation' fact. A laboratory in which the everyday problems of pharmacy would be worked out by competent minds and hands additional to what the
88
Correspondence.
< Am. Jour. Pharm \ February, 1901.
Committee ol Revision of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia is doing would meet a want.
-* * * * * . * * *
It is the custom of our larger universities to honor the memory of their scientists by naming a laboratory after them. All of our leading universities thus have one or more chemical laboratories named after one who has proved his love lor chemical science by either making his influence felt in that line by his own attainments, or by buying an influence with an endowment. I do not know of any pharmaceutical laboratory thus honoring or honored. A Proc- ter laboratory seems to me as fitting and influential a memorial as anything that could be bestowed.
By this I do not mean simply a room or building equipped and stocked and with Professor Procter's name over its doors.
The real memorial would consist in the spirit and policy within the laboratory. It should have a definite policy, with provision for carrying that policy out. And all investigations should be pub- lished as contributions from the Procter Laboratory, wherein the real memorial would appear. It would be not a local but a national memorial.
Whether the investigations should be carried on by post-gradu- ate students through scholarships or by a director and assistants is a matter of detail ; but a continuation of the work and aims of Professor Procter in this way would, it seems to me, be a fitting memorial.
Boston, Mass., January 3, 1901 .
CORRESPONDENCE.
PROCTER MEMORIAL.
In response to a letter from the Editor of this Journal concern- ing the most appropriate way of memorializing the life and work of Prof. William Procter, Jr., the following are some of the replies which have been received :
Dear Sir: — In no other way than by appropriate memorials can those who live and heir the good works of those who have gone honor their names and testify to the appreciation of their worth.
And in this direction we who live to heir the works of the phar- macists who served us loyally and well can do no greater tribute than to testify to the works of Professor Procter. No more patient,
Am. Jour. Pharm. \ February, 1901. J
Correspondence.
89
self-sacrificing, modest name appears on our records. In a neat memorial to him we will honor ourselves and credit our calling. Let it be neatly, artistically and well done.
John Uri Lloyd.
Dear Sir : — Yours of December 18th was duly received. On the subject of a memorial to Prof. Wm. Procter, Jr., I am afraid I have nothing new to add to your able editorial in the November number of the American Journal of Pharmacy. You bring out very clearly the comparative value of the different forms which such a memorial might take.
My individual opinion would be in favor of No. 2, a scholarship or a fellowship. I should like to see the American Pharmaceutical Association take hold of the matter. The honor would be reflected upon itself. While his working field was Philadelphia, his memory is a priceless one to American pharmacy.
It is not too early to canvass the matter, for we should be ready at the next annual meeting to give it specific form.
J. M. Good.
Dear Sir:— -As a memorial to the life and work of Professor Proc- ter it seems to me that the endowment of a Fellowship for graduate work in pharmacy would be of the greatest benefit to the interests for which he labored and of largest advantage to the pharmacists of the United States. If such a memorial should be placed in charge of the American Pharmaceutical Association it would be in all respects a national benefaction.
Albert B. Prescott.
Dear Sir: — I am in receipt of your favor of the 1 5th inst., referring to a memorial to Professor Procter.
I would suggest a scholarship as a suitable form of memorial. When the matter is in more definite shape, we shall be pleased to have you call upon us for a contribution.
S. W. Fairchild.
Dear Sir: — I do not know what has been talked about in refer- ence to the memorial to Professor Procter, but in view of the proba- bility that a scholarship or any other form which would be centered in or connected with the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy would tend to sectionalize and narrow the scope of the movement, I think a bronze monument erected in a park or square in Philadelphia might be the most practical.
9o
Correspondence.
f Am. Jour. Pharm. 1 February, 1901.
For myself, I would like to have the memorial a part of the Col- lege in some way, but there are many pharmacists who think the whole country has a claim on the " Father of Pharmacy " and who would be more willing to contribute to its success as a public under- taking.
You may put me down as one who will gladly do his share in a private capacity.
Horatio N. Fraser.
Dear Sir: — The proposal to memorialize the life and work of Wil- liam Procter, Jr., meets with my hearty approval. That this should be a feature of the fiftieth anniversary of the American Pharmaceu- tical Association is also most appropriate. The form of memorial is-not so easy to determine.
(1) My first preference would be for a bronze statue. More than anything else I know, it memorializes the man. Continually and per- petually it says, " Ecce Homo !" All kinds of people see it — children, youths, men, women; pharmacists, present and prospective; la- borers, artisans, small traders, merchants and professional men ; the rich and the poor; the heedless and the thoughtful. To all it says : " Behold a man who elevated his calling: go you and do likewise."
(2) My next preference would be for a fellowship. This should be granted each year to a graduate lor the purpose of providing him the means to prosecute or continue research in some pharma- ceutical subject. I can imagine some jealousies that might interfere with the raising of the necessary funds for this project, which all pharmacists would be asked to participate in, and there might be friction at times over the bestowal of the honor. If all trouble on these grounds could be avoided, this scheme would serve to revive the memory of the man whose name it would bear in a more pointed way than the other plan.
Other methods of memorializing Professor Procter have suggested themselves to my mind, but these seem the most appropriate and feasible.
W. M. Searby.
Dear Sir: — Replying to yours of December 15th, I would say, let the memorial be something permanent — as a bust, a crayon oortrait, an oil painting — something that will be at once an object lesson to those who shall see it and show to them that the
1
A*SS5£3ff'} Cwttspondence. 91
American Pharmaceutical Association appreciates the good work done for pharmacy by Prof. William Procter.
S. A. D. Sheppard.
Dear Sir: — Your question pertains to a subject to which I have devoted but little thought, so that I scarcely know what my own opinion would be. In a general way I think the best means of hon- oring a man is to provide for a continuation of the work in which he was most interested. Two ways of doing this readily suggest them- selves :
One is to provide a scholarship which shall involve research in the particular subject, and another to provide for an annual medal or money reward for meritorious work in the same line.
As between the two, I hardly know which I would prefer. The scholarship would probably be most productive in results, while the annual conferring of a medal would probably awaken a wider inter- est in the work of the person in whose name the medal was be- stowed,
I am sure the services of Professor