stituted for an equal volume of glycerin, the product is too soft to answer the same purposes the old one was fitted for; moreover it has a great tendency to separate after being kept a short time. If made with glycerin alone the plasma does absorb moisture from the atmosphere, and a little water may be an advantage, but 33 per cent. appears far too much.

Guaiacum Resin is occasionally adulter ated with pine resin. This sophistication may, however, be detected, if a terebinthinate odor is exhaled when thrown on burning coals, or if the precipitate caused by the addition of caustic potash solution to the tincture remains undissolved in excess of the alkali.

Infusions.-Bruised leaves are ordered to be used in making infusion of bucł u, and the rhizome in No. 20 powder for infusion of serpentary. In the case of the first-named a mucilaginous liquid is produced, the viscosity of which at times may be so magnified as to render straining almost an impossibility; while the infusion when so made is much more liable to suffer rapid decomposition. In the case of the second, if serpentary infusion is made with bruised material, the hot water takes up an appreciable amount of starchy matter, the result being that if prescribed with tincture of iodine, as it frequently is, a turbid blue mixture is produced, owing to the fixation of the iodine, which is hardly what the prescriber intends. Under these circumstances it would appear advantageous to omit the directions for bruising either drug when ordered to be infused with boiling water.

Per

Rhubarb in powder may be adulterated with turmeric, and it would be useful if a test were inserted for its detection. haps as good a one as any is to add a little saturated solution of boric acid to a weak tincture of the suspected powder, when a brown coloration ensues if turmeric is present.

Sodium Arseniate contains more than half its weight of water of crystallization, part of which may be lost if the salt is exposed, the effloresced salt then contain. ing a varying proportion of water. The anhydrous salt on the other hand is stable and easy to store and weigh, and it would be a distinct gain if it could be substituted for that now official.

Syrup of Phosphate of Iron is peculiarly liable to change, and in spite of many attempts no form has yet been devised yield. ing an unalterable preparation. In the official process sulphate of iron and phosphate of sodium react on each other, forming ferrous phosphate and sulphate of sodium, the resulting free sulphuric acid, which would keep a portion of the iron in solution, being nearly neutralized with bicarbonate of soda. After washing, the precipitate is dissolved in phosphoric acid, and this solution converted into syrup, which is therefore presumed to contain acid ferrous phosphate. But during the washing the original white precipitate has turned blue from the formation of ferroso-ferric phosphate, and this oxidation continues to some extent in the syrup, notwithstanding the protective action of the sugar, thus probably accounting for the change in color on exposure. Under such circum. stances it would appear advantageous to direct a solution to be made directly from iron wire and phosphoric acid, in such proportions that, when mixed with simple syrup, one grain of phosphate should be contained in each fluid drachm. This is by no means a new idea, as it has been recommended by several very eminent pharmacists for a considerable length of time, and no doubt many chemists already manufacture their syrup thus; still it

would be better if authority were given for doing this.

Tinctura Quinine Ammoniata, although so useful, is perhaps the nastiest medicine in the whole pharmacopoeia, combining as it does a sharp alkalinity with such intense bitterness. I wish to show you a specimen containing the full amount of quinine sulphate and solution of ammonia, partially disguised by the addition of glycerin and compound tincture of chloroform. I cannot claim that its admixture with water is any more elegant than that now official, but I think it would be much more readily taken by the fastidious. A fluid drachm forms only a slightly opalescent mixture with a wineglass of water. The suggested form is :

Mix the quinine with the diluted alcohol, and add the tincture and ammonia, previously mixed together; shake and make up with glycerin to one pint. In this, as in the official form, there are nearly 8 minims of ammonia solution in each drachm. This appears somewhat large, and the mixture would be rendered much more palatable if the quantity were reduced to an ounce and a half.

Effervescing Preparations.-The proportions of the two acids in the effervescing preparations in the addendum require a little adjusting to secure strongly cohering granules. As now prepared. they are very apt to crumble to powder during the sifting, or even before such an advanced stage is reached. In effervescent sulphate of magnesia the citric acid should be increased to 61⁄2 ounces. with a consequent reduction of 1⁄2 oz. of the sugar. In effervescent phosphate of soda the amounts of the acids would be better if more nearly equalized, thus : Powdered tartaric acid..... Powdered citric acid...

....

.....12 ozs.

10% ozs.

Mucilages and Injections.-In the three mucilages, and one of the hypodermic in jections, distilled water is employed, the exceptions being made with camphor water, and they are all more or less prone to change if kept any length of time, even protection from light being insufficient to obviate this. Perhaps it is impossible altogether to prevent decomposition, but a vehicle might be used, possessed of such preservative power that solutions made with it would keep unimpaired for a reasonable period. Water that has been boiled with the residue left after manufacturing syrup of tolu has one of the strongest claims in this respect, and could with advantage be employed in many pharmaceutical operations. Injections of ergotin and apomorphine hydrochlorate both keep well when made with it; while morphine injection not only does not turn brown so rapidly, but is less liable to deposit crystals of alkaloids. Mucilage of tragacanth already keeps fairly well, but the mucilages of starch and acacia are noted for their tendency to spoil. Specimens of these preparations with tolu water month or more old, which have been kept at varying temperatures, are here, and I think they are all in a very fair state of preservation. There is perhaps one little drawback if mucilage of acacia is made with this water, and that is, the color is slightly deepened, but it is not too serious to prevent its adoption

a

Pills.-In our present formulæ for pills it appears as if we are trying to combine two practically incompatible conditions, viz., a soft mass which will mix easily with other ingredients, and a pill mass of

sufficient consistence to roll, which when rolled and cut ought to yield pills that will keep their shape. Three masses alone answer these conditions; most of the others are much to soft when first made, and much too hard if kept for any length of time, and the ones that do not come under either category are of such consistence as to adapt themselves with singular exactitude to the shape of the containing vessel. Such pill masses as those of aloes and iron, or aloes and asafoetida if kept for a short time, become almost as hard as the mortar in which they were compounded, while others, as Plummer's pill, are just as unsatisfactory from never really hardening or drying at all. It would be a decided advantage, and a change that would be welcomed by most dispensers, if the official pills, with certain exceptions, were kept in powdered "species," say four grains to equal five grains of mass, the excipient being left to the discretion of the prescriber or dispenser. The exceptions of the pills of iron, iodide of iron, mercury, and phosphorus, none of which would lend themselves to such alteration if it were desirable may perhaps be allowed to suggest the omission in the next edition of the synonym for pil. saponis co., for if one is to judge by recent correspondence that has ap peared in our journals, considerable doubt may be engendered in the mind of the dispenser as to what is meant when pil opii is ordered in a prescription.

I

Ointments -When inguentum cetacei is made without the benzoin it will not keep for more than a week or two under ordinary circumstances. If benzoated it is not entirely satisfactory, for this reason that there are certain persons who cannot apply benzoic acid to the skin without its causing more or less irritation. This may be due to idiosyncrasy, but nevertheless it is the case, and only on the morning before I wrote this a case came under my notice in which much pain and smarting had been experienced after its application to the eyelids. Here it is proposed to make use of oil of theobroma. The following proportions yield an ointment almost indistinguishable from the official one, and probably much blander in operation, while the preservative properties of cacao butter are almost as marked as those attributed to benzoin:

Filtration Methods.-Anyone who has had to manufacture simple elixir and such like preparations knows the difficulty there is in obtaining perfectly bright solutions of the essential oil in water. The use of calcium phosphate, as suggested by the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, partially gets over the difficulty, but if acid liquids are under operation an inert powder must be substituted. Recourse must then be had to kaolin, as directed by the B. P. C. Formulary. But a new difficulty arises from the extremely fine state of division in which kaolin exists; in suspension it can only be removed by filtering through a layer of itself and the constant turning back of the filtrate to secure this involves a great deal of time and trouble. To obviate these disadvantages I have to propose the use of a mixture of powdered paper, asbestos, and kaolin, in some such proportions as the following:

Paper powder (obtained by rubbing dried
white filter paper through a 20-hole
sieve)
Asbestos (sifted)
Kaolin......

........... .......

I OZ.

Mix lightly together, finally sifting. The powder should be shaken up with the

turbid liquid for a few minutes and poured on to the previously wetted filter, the filtrate being returned until it passes through bright, which it does in a short time. Using this admixture, the filtering of such refractory liquids as acid glycerole of pepsin is rendered effectual and expedi tious, while turbid solutions of essential oils in distilled water, etc., are very readily dealt with.

Ancient Egyptian Pigments.*

The red pigment used by the Egyptians from the earliest times is a native oxide of iron. a hæmatite. Most of the large pieces found by Mr. Petrie are an oölitic hæmatite. One specimen, on analysis, gave 79.11 per cent. and another 81.34 per cent. of ferric oxide. The pieces to be used as pigments were no doubt carefully selected, and the samples that I have examined, mostly from Gurob and Kahun, are very good in color. All the large pieces were of a singular shape, having one side smooth and curved; and in all cases this side was strongly grooved with striæ, giving somewhat the appearance to the mass of its having been melted, and allowed to cool in a circular vessel. No doubt the explanation of this smooth curved surface is that these pieces had actually been in part used to furnish pigments, and, having been rubbed with a little water in a large circular vessel, had been ground to this shape. By experiment it was found that these pieces of the native hæmatite yielded, without any further addition by way of medium, a paint which could readily be applied with a brush, as it possesses remarkable adhesive properties, and it resembles exactly, in every particular, the red used in the different kinds of Egyptian paintings.

In addition to these samples of the pigments, all of which are native minerals and in their natural conditions, there are other reds, finer in color and smoother in texture, evidently a superior pigment; these apparently have been made from carefully selected pieces of hæmatite, which have been ground and washed, and dried by exposure to the air. Some of these pieces are very fine in color, and it would be difficult to match them with any native oxide of iron that is used as a pigment at the present day. There is every reason to believe that this is the earliest red pigment which was used, and it remains to this day the commonest and most important one; it is a body unattacked by acids, unchangeable by heat, and even moisture and sunlight are unable to alter its color. At the present time many ar ificial products are used to take the place of this natural pigment.

Yellow Pigments.-These. again, are natural products, and by far the most common yellow used by the Egyptians is a native ocher. These ochers consist of about one-quarter of their weight of oxide of iron. from 7 to 10 per cent. of water, and the rest of their substance is clay. When moist they have a greasy feel, and work smoothly and well with the brush. There is no evidence of these bodies having changed color, but undoubtedly they are chemically not nearly so stable as the red form of oxide of iron. Many of the pieces of this pigment, found at Gurob and at Tel-el-Armarna, are very fine in color.

Some of the specimens of the very earliest colors of which the exact history is known appear to be an artificial mixture of these two colors, the red and yellow,

A lecture delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, by Dr. William J. Russell, F.R S.

thus producing an orange color. These samples were found on a tomb at Medum, which, according to Prof. Flinders Petrie, was built by Nefermat, a high official and remarkable man at the court of Senefru. Senefru is known to have lived in the fourth dynasty, about 4,000 B. C., and to have preceded Khufu, the Cheops of the Greeks, who was the great pyramid builder. Now, on Nefermat's tomb the characters and figures are incised and filled in with colored pastes, which I have been able to examine, and it is of interest to know that this use of colors was a special device of Nefermat, for on his tomb is stated that: "He made this to his godin his unspoilable writing.” In this unspoilable writing the figures are all cares fully undercut, so that the colored pastes so long as they held together, should not be able to drop out. All the pastes used are dull in color, consisting entirely of natural minerals. Hæmatite, ochre, malachite, carbon, and plaster of Paris appear to be the materials used. Chessylite, as a blue, probably was known even at that date, but the artificial blues seem hardly at this period to have come into use; certainly they are not found in the specimens of the Nefermat colors which I have examined. Another yellow pigment, far brighter in color, was also often used. It is a sulphide of arsenic, orpiment; it is a bright and powerful yellow, again a body found in nature, but a much rarer body than ochre, and consequently, probably was only used for special purposes, when a brilliant yellow was required. As far as it is known at present, this pigment did not come into use until the eighteenth dynasty. Gold might even be placed among the yellow pigments, for it was largely used, and with wonderfully good effect Its great tenacity seems to have been fully recognized, for gold is found in very thin sheets, and laid on a yellow ground, exactly as is done at the present day.

These pigments are then simply natural minerals, no doubt carefully selected, and sometimes ground and washed previous to being used; but the blue color which is so largely used by the Egyptians_is_an artificial pigment, and consequently has far more interest attached to it than those already mentioned. It is a body requiring considerable care and experience to make, and thus its manufacture enables us to some extent to judge of the knowledge and ability which its producers had of carrying on a chemical manufacture doubt the splendid blue of the mineral chessylite was first used, but certainly in the twelfth dynasty-that is, about 2,500 B.C.-these artificial blues were used. They are all an imperfect glass, a frit, made by heating together silica, lime, alkali, and copper ore.*

Νο

The number of failures which may have occurred, and how much material may have been spoilt, cannot be known, but all the blue frit which I have examined-and it is a considerable amount, some being raw material, lumps as they came from the furnace, and the rest ground pigment-all has been, though differing in grain and quality, well and perfectly made. Now this implies that the materials have been carefully selected, prepared, and mixed, and that definite quantities of each were taken, this ne

* A sample of the pale-blue frit gave, on analysis, the follow results:

cessitating the carefully measuring or weighing of each constituent. An early application of the fundamental law of chemistry, combination in definite proportion. The amount of copper ore added determined the color; with 2 to 5 per cent. they obtained a light and delicate blue; with 25 to 30 per cent. a dark and rather purple blue: with still more the product would be black; if the alkali was too little in amount, a non coherent sand resulted; if too much a hard, stony mass is formed, quite unsuitable for a pigment. The difficulties, however, did not by any means end with the mixture of the materials. For the next process, the heating, is a delicate operation. Unfortunately up to the present time the exact form of furnace in which this operation was carried on is not known. The furnaces were probably, especially after use, very fragile structures, and have passed away.

Considerable experience in imitating these frits even when using modern furnaces has taught me that the operation is really a very delicate one; the heat has to be carefully regulated and continued for a considerable length of time, a time varying with the nature of the frit being prepared; and, further, in the rough furnaces used it must have been specially difficult to have prevented unburnt gases from coming in contact with the material; but if they did, a blackening of the frit must have taken place However, all these difficulties were avoided, and a frit was made which exactly answered all the necessary requirements It had, for instance, the right degree of cohesion, for many of the large pieces which have been found have, like the hæmatite, a smooth, curved striated surface, and on rubbing in a curved vessel with water, easily grind to powder. The powder is naturally much less adhesive than the hæmatite powder, but on adding a little medium, it could at once be used, without other preparation, as a paint. Some of the pieces vary in color in different parts. This may have arisen from imperfect mixing, or from some parts of the furnace being hotter than others. It hardly appears to be intentional, possibly some of the dark, purplish-colored frits were produced by accident; large pieces of it have as yet, I believe, not been found.

By means of comparatively small alterations these frits could be obtained of a green color. One way was by introducing iron. If, for instance, the silica used was a reddish colored sand, it gave a greenish tinge to the frit; and frit made with some of the ordinary yellowish desert sand was found to give a frit undistinugishable from the most common of the old Egyptian frits. Again, a rather strong green color is obtained by stopping the heating process at an early stage, this green frit simply on heating for a longer time becoming blue. Another way in which even the strong colored blue frits have been converted into apparently green pigments is by their being coated over with a transparent but yellowish colored varnish which has to a remarkable extent retained its transparency, but no doubt become with age more yellow, and although strongly green now, may very likely originally have been nearly colorless and consequently the frit was then seen in its original blue color.

Even as early as the twelfth dynasty the green frits used were dull in color, and if by chance a brighter green was required then they used the mineral malachite. No doubt by far the most brilliant blue used at any time was selected and powdered chessylite, and even down to the twenty-first dynasty they seem to have

The only other pigment to which I can refer this evening is the pink color, which, in different shades, was much used. This is again an artificial pigment, and belongs to an entirely different class from any of the foregoing ones, for it is one of vegetable origin

On simply heating it fumes are given off and the color is destroyed, but a large white residue remains; this is sulphate of lime.

It may here be stated that the white pigments used sometimes were carbonate of lime, but more generally sulphate of lime in form of gypsum, alabaster, etc. This substance is often very white in color, is very slightly soluble in water, and has a singular smoothness of texture, which makes it work well under the brush; and in addition to these qualities it is a neutral and very stable compound, so is well fitted for the purpose to which it was applied. It was easily obtained, being found native in many parts of Egypt. It is also interesting to note that there is an efflorescence consisting of this substance which frequently occurs in Egypt, and is of a remarkably pure white color; probably this was used as a superior white pigment. It was easy to prove then that the pink color was gypsum stained with organic coloring matter, and to try and imitate the color appeared to be the most likely way of identifying it.

Naturally,madder, which it is known has from the earliest times been used as a dye, was the vegetable coloring substance first tried, and it answered perfectly, giv. ing under very simple treatment the exact shade of color to the sulphate of lime which the Egyptian pigment had. Essentially the same coloring matter may have been obtained from another source, viz., Munjeet. In the case of madder it is interesting to note that the_color is not manifest in the plant the Rubia tincto

rum

- for it is obtained from the root, and is even not ready formed there. In the root it exists as a glucoside, and this has to be decomposed before the color becomes manifest. In this root there exist several coloring matters, which are known as madder-red, madder-purple, madderorange and madder-yellow. On breaking up the roots and steeping them in water for some length of time the colors come out, some sooner than others. so that the tints vary. Again, changes of color are easily obtained by the addition of very small quantities of iron,lime, alumina, etc., so that in these different ways a considerable range of colors could be obtained, but a delicate pink color was the one probably generally made. This color is easily obtained by simply stirring up sulphate of lime in a tolerably strong solution of mad der,and adding a little lime, taking care to keep the coloring matter in excess; the coloring matter adheres firmly to the lime salt, and this settles onto the bottom of the vessel; the liquid is then poured off and the solid matter, if necessary, dried, or mixed-probably with a little gum.and used at once without other preparation. That the coloring matter was really madder could also be tested by another method, viz., by means of spectrum analysis. Both the madder-red alazarin and the madderpurple purpurin give, when the light which they transmit is analyzed by the

prism, very characteristic absorption bands; the purpurin bands are the ones most easily seen, consequently it became a point of considerable interest to ascertain whether from a specimen of this pigment, some thousands of years old, these absorption bands could be obtained. A small sample of this pink pigment was taken from a cartonage which was exhibited, and by treating it with a solution of alum the color was thus transferred to the liquid, and by throwing the absorption spectrum which it gave on the screen, and comparing it with the spectrum from a madder solution, it was clearly seen to be identical.

Many specimens in imitation of different colored frits, and a large copy of a cartonage colored with pigments prepared by the lecturer, were exhibited.

Ink Formulas.

In response to requests from several subscribers we reprint the following series of formulas for inks. The formulas have been declared by experts to be among the best ever published, having been devised by Eugen Deiterich, who incorporated them in his "Neues Pharmaceutisches Manual," edition of 1887. The later edition of this admirable work contains a number of new formulas which provide for the use of chemical salts not hitherto employed for the production of writing fluids.

1. INK BODY A.

Macerate 200 parts of coarsely powdered Chinese galls for 24 hours with 750 parts of distilled water, strain and express. Upon the residue pour 350 parts of boiling distilled water and express after one hour. Triturate 5 parts of white bole with the mixed strained liquids, raise once to boiling, removing the scum, and then filter through flannel-bags. Wash the latter

with water, until the total weight of the filtrate is 1,000 parts.

2. INK-BODY B.

Three hundred parts of coarsely powdered Chinese galls, and 100 parts of fustic in coarse powder are extracted, as in the preceding case, with 750 parts of cold and 350 parts of boiling distilled water, the united strained liquids clarified with five parts of white bole, and the weight of the final filtrate made up to 1,000 parts.

In place of the extract of galls, tannin may be used; but in this case, as the other constituents of the extract are absent, it is necessary to add more of the salts, so as to increase the body of the ink. Inks made with tannin require more time to get black

3. SOLUTION OF INDIGOSULPHATE OF

SODIUM.

Introduce 150 parts of fuming sulphuric acid into a flask placed in cold water, and gradually add, avoiding increase of temperature, 20 parts of powdered indigo, previously dried at 212° F. Cork the flask and set it aside for eight days at the ordinary indoor temperature. Meanwhile prepare a filtered solution of 205 parts of carbonate of sodium and 430 parts of distilled water; add this in small quantities, at the end of eight days, avoiding loss by effervescence; warm gently to remove retained carbonic acid, and finally add water to make the total weight 800 parts. 4. SOLUTION OF CRUDE ACETATE OF IRON.

Macerate 10 parts of iron turnings with 100 parts of wood vinegar as long as any gas is given off; then digest two or three hours at a temperature not exceeding

122° F., filter, and adjust the filtrate to the sp. gr. 1.115.

ALIZARIN INK. (Also Copying Ink.)

a. Dissolve 50 parts of green sulphate of iron in 750 parts of ink body B (cold), and then add the following ingredients in the order named: distilled water 100, solution of indigosulphate of sodium 150, solution of acetate of iron 25, chloride of ammonium 20, sulphate of sodium 20, sugar parts.

b. Mix tannin 50, green sulphate of iron 40, chloride of sodium 25, sugar 25, bisulphate of potassium 7.5, benzoic acid 2, dry indigocarmine 3, and picric acid 0.5 parts, with 1,000 parts of boiling water.

Either of these inks is decanted into a bottle which must be well stoppered. After a fortnight the clear ink may be drawn off from the sediment.

These inks will retain their copying quality for a period not exceeding twentyfour hours. Fresh writing furnishes brilliant copies.

BLUE NUTGALL OFFICE INK.

Ultramarine Ink.

a. Mix 500 parts of ink body A with a cold mixture prepared from: distilled water 300 parts, green sulphate of iron 30 parts, sugar 20 parts, hydrochloric acid 2 parts. Also dissolve, with a gentle heat, 2 parts of water-soluble aniline blue in 200 parts of distilled water, and add this when cold to the mixture first prepared

b. Dissolve 40 parts of tannin, 30 of sulphate iron, 32 of sugar and 2 of hydrochloric acid in 900 parts of distilled water, and add it to a solution of two parts of water soluble aniline blue in 100 parts of dist. water prepared by heat and then cooled. Decant as in the preceding inks. RED COPYING INK.

("Imperial Ink,"

"Isatin Ink,” “ Crown Ink,” "Coral Ink," etc.)

Dissolve 50 parts of extract of logwood in a mortar in 750 parts of distilled water without the aid of heat; add two parts of chromate of potassium and set aside. After twenty-four hours add a solution of 3 p. of oxalic acid, 20 p. of oxalate of ammonium, and 40 p. of sulphate of aluminum, and 20 p. of distilled water, and again set aside for twenty four hours. Now raise it at once to boiling in a bright copper kettle and add 50 p. of wood vinegar, and after cooling fill into bottles that must be corked. After a fortnight decant.

This ink is red in thin layers, writes red, gives excellent copies in brownish color, and turns blackish-brown upon the paper.

VIOLET COPYING INK. (Hamatin Ink; Victoria Ink, etc.) Dissolve 40 parts of extract of logwood, 5 of oxalic acid, and 30 of sulphate of aluminum, without heat, in 800 parts of distilled water and 10 parts of glycerin ; let stand twenty-four hours. Now raise the mixture once to boiling in a bright copper boiler, mix with it while hot 50 parts of wood vinegar, and when cold put into bottles. After a fortnight decant it from the sediment.

In thin layers this ink is reddish violet; it writes dark violet, and furnishes blueish violet copies.

Practical Training in Pharmacy.

The current number of the Alumni Report, the journal of the Alumni Associa tion of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy contains the following interesting contribution to the articles printed recently in these columns regarding the relative value of shop and college training:

Quite an interesting discussion has lately arisen in pharmaceutical circles as to the relative value of the practical training in pharmacy of the college laboratories, and that of the shops. On the one hand it is contended that the laboratory of a pharmaceutical college alone is the best place for practical instruction; on the other hand, it is claimed that while college laboratory work may greatly aid the student to a better knowledge of practice, it can never wholly replace shop experience in value. Now, which is right? Is it true that the time-honored practice of serving an apprenticeship of at least four years, with a person or persons engaged in and qualified to conduct the drug business," has lost its original value, and that the hour has come when the laboratory instruction of the college shall wholly supersede shop training?

We doubt it. There is shop training, and there is shop training In the one case you have a qualified pharmacist and a good teacher, and in the other an unqualified pharmacist and a poor teacher. Naturally, the value of an apprenticeship is dependent upon the ability of the preceptor to teach. In the older centers of population, where the proportion of pharmacists qualified and willing to teach apprentices is large, students find little difficulty in securing good preceptors; in the newer centers, where the proportion of pharmacists qualified and willing to teach is small, students must largely depend upon the practical instruction afforded by college laboratories. In such cases, it is evident, that the practical training of the college may be superior to that afforded by the local shops.

But this does not affect the fact, that where proper apprenticeship is easy of execution, it has certain advantages which render it worthy of the high esteem in which it has long been held. One of these is, daily practice in handling drugs and making preparations directly on the lines that the apprentice will follow in the future. The laboratory of a college may be a most efficient aid to theoretical instruction and all that one could reasonably ask-in fact, is indispensable-but there are a hundred and one details in the daily work of a pharmacist which the college cannot teach save only in a general way; and it is, in part, the gradual accretion of these many isolated facts, firmly impressed on the mind by daily work, that go to make up a well rounded and fully-trained pharmacist. Of themselves, they avail little; allied with college training in theory and practice, they are too valuable to be dispensed with.

Further, shop training begets a selfconfidence in meeting emergencies that no college practice alone can possibly give; and self-confidence, based on proper knowledge, means not a little in the successful practice of pharmacy. There is another advantage, and that is, that the apprentice brought daily in contact with a practical work-a-day life, comes to look upon the duties of his profession from a practical standpoint, so that when he goes to college, he does not place an undue value upon theories, but seeks to differentiate between matters of purely theoretical value, and matters of practical value,

giving to each a proper place in his studies.

A short while ago, the editor of the Report addressed a letter to Dr. A. M. Davis, of this city (Philadelphia), a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and in it asked: "Has your practical training in pharmacy been of any

a

b

NewApparatus Novelties, etc.

An Automatic Zero Adjustment for Burettes.

The burette is connected with a threenecked Woulff's bottle in such a manner as to have the tube b, connected with horizontal tube a, reach nearly to the bottom of the Woulff's bottle, and the overflow tube d connected with tube c reach only below the cork and a likewise short tube e connected with a rubber bulb. If stop cock a' is opened, while that of b' closed, and air forced into the Woulff's bottle by means of the rubber bulb, the liquid will rise in the burette, and when the latter is full stop-cock a' is closed and b' opened and kept in action till the liquid in burette has reached the zero point. When many determinations are to be performed this apparatus will save much time.-Phar. Zeit.

A New Chloroform Bottle.*
BY F. OVERHOLT, M.D.

Some people are advocates of the "drop method" of giving chloroform. I mean by the "drop method," a continuous and regular precipitation of chloroform, a drop at a time, on to a thin cotton or linen mask, either rapidly or slowly, as the

judgment of the anesthetizert hinks proper for the case in hand.

So far as I know, it is almost impossible to get chloroform from the socalled chloroform - droppers on the market, a drop at a time. Then earest approach to a dropper that would drop that came to my notice, prior to the present invention, was an ordinary bottle, with a cork having two notches opposite to one another, and that is seldom a success.

The answer was:

In response to query, I would say: Leaving aside all other considerations, such as the advantages had by a physician previously trained in pharmacy in prescribing, there is one feature of a drug store training that I consider of the highest value to a medical man, and that is, that such experience makes a man eminently practical in his thoughts and actions. My experience with medical students has been that the majority come from the higher schools of education to college brimful of theories, and with an absence of that practical knowledge of life which personal contact with the world alone can give.

They enter upon their studies with proper zeal, but they fail to differentiate between matters of theoretical value and matters of the most practical moment. Hence, when they graduate, they are illy prepared to cope with conditions in medical practice -and they are many-which demand for their solution practical methods. To my mind, the superior advantage of a preliminary training in practical pharmacy to a medical man admits of no argument; it is unquestioned.

In addition to this, we have received a letter from Dr. H. Bedell Crane, Ph. G., of Newark, N. J., in which he says: "I would not take hundreds of dollars for my experience in pharmacy as an aid to the successful practice of medicine." Now, if it be true that shop training in pharmacy is of such value to medical men, how much more must it be of value to students in pharmacy?

Aluminum Borofomicate. - Martinson

stated at a recent meeting of the St. Petersburgh Pharmaceutical Society that he had used this salt with the most satisfactory results as a succedaneum for the acetate, the aceto tartrate of aluminum, etc. It was found to act more surely and mcre mildly and also to be a disinfectanty.

With this dropper one can have the chloroform a drop at a time either rapidly or slowly, depending on the amount of inclination given the bottle. It is im. possible to get it "squirt by squirt;" it inust always come a drop at a time. The dropper consists of a three ounce bottle and a cork with two glass tubes in it, one a flow-tube, the other a vent-tube. The flow-tube begins at the inner end of the cork, passes through it, is then drawn to a point, and turned down to a right angle. The vent-tube begins at the outer end of the cork, passes through it, and is bent and of such a length as to nearly reach the inside surface of the bottle at the bulge.

Now, numerous people have used the idea of two tubes, one flow and one vent;

but, so far as I am aware, no one has packed the conical point of the flowtube with cotton to regulate the flow. Herein lies the novelty and the success of this dropper, for by this means the chloroform can be made to flow to suit any purpose. I pack it so that with the chloroform just on a level with the flow, it will drop very slowly, say once every six. to ten seconds; then, by tipping the bottle

*From the Medical Record.

up, it will drop from sixty to one hundred and twenty a minute, which in my experience is as fast as is ever needed, provided the mask be thin and not covered with mucus or sputum.

The advantages are: 1, Anyone who can draw and bend glass tubing can make one in fifteen minutes; 2, it saves chloro form; and 3, it makes possible the giving of chloroform a drop at a time, the merits of which are not under discussion.

A Simple Microtome

BY J. A. FORRET.

A microtome for all ordinary purposes may be constructed with the expenditure of a little time and trouble by any one possessing some knowledge of soldering, glass blowing, etc.

The instrument here figured in section is of the simplest description, yet is capable of producing good work. It is ready for use at a moment's notice, and does not readily get out of order. It is suitable for animal or vegetable tissues, and can be used with the material embedded in paraffin or frozen in mucilage.

The figure showsa cross section of the microtome as arranged for freezing. A and B are brass tubes. A being about three-quarters of an inch in diameter and B a little wider. The lower end of each is closed with as tout piece of brass, that at B being furnished with a screw (C). The upper end of A is notched as shown to allow free evaporation of ether and is surmounted by a piece of ruled copper or zinc. The tube B fits tightly into a piece of half-inch hard-wood (D) about 6 by 3 inches. Rigidity to B is secured by soldering round its upper end a metal collar (a stout piece of copper wire answers perfectly), and screwing down to D by screw nails, the heads of which impinge on the metal collar. Unless procured specially for the purpose, the tubes A and B will require some adjustment; the one must slide into the other tightly without oscillation. A simple means of accomplishing this is to use tubes, the one wider than the other by at least a quarter of an inch. On the outside of the narrow tube three brass or copper wires are soldered along the whole length of the tube, and at equal distances from each other. The best result is obtained by using wire a trifle thicker than is actually required, and reducing with a file when the wires are in position.

For cutting imbedded sections the narrower tube is replaced by one without the notches and ruled plate, but otherwise identical with A, and the paraffin block, carrying the specimen to be cut is fitted tightly into the open end of the tube.

The spray-producer is made from ordinary glass tubing of fine caliber. F is conpected by indiarubber tubing with a bottle containing ether, and a continuous bellows of indiarubber is attached to H. As a very small quantity of ether is sufficient the aperture of B is a mere pin. hole. This tube is easily manipulated by drawing it out in a flame, cutting at the narrowed part, fusing the end, and grinding off the point on a hone. The two tubes are adjusted so as to produce a fine spray, and are then permanently tied together with thin cord or fine copper wire.

A longitudinal slit is cut in A and B, through which the spray tubes are passed, the latter being kept in position by an indiarubber band attached to D. The ether bottle is conveniently suspended *From the British and Colonial Druggist.

tremity and has four holes, c, on the side. In use this stirrer, which can make 5,000 revolutions per minute, draws up the fluid through the bottom opening and ejects it through the holes on the side. The mixing is thus done thoroughly without making any foam as when stirrers with wings are used.

Medical Notes.

Lozenges to be used in congestion of the pharynx and larynx :

Chloride of ammonium, in powder.....
Tragacanth, in powder...
Refined sugar, powder....

..700 gr. .......740 .280

Black current paste, as much as is sufficient.

Mix the ingredients, and add the paste until the whole mass weighs 1 pound. Divide into 350 lozenges of 20 grains each, and dry in a hot air chamber at a moderate heat. Each lozenge will contain about two grains of chloride of ammonium,

Mercurial Ointment in the Treatment of Erysipelas.-In the Medical Reporter of Calcutta Dr. A. S. Sandel says that he has recently employed mercurial ointment in a case of erysipelas with extensive sloughing of the integuments of 'the chest and abdomen, after free incision and the usual constitutional treatment had proved insufficient to arrest the progress of the disease. Its use in this case was attended with such decided advantage that he determined to give it another trial as soon H as a favorable opportunity occured. Within three weeks a similar case came under his observation. The pa tient was an Ooriah and rather aged, but he recovered under the treatment. The ointment was spread on fine linen, and with that the whole of the inflamed surface was kept covered. It was not applied on the open sores.

F

Tannin as an Intestinal Antiseptic.Tannin is one of the most efficient of all germicides for use as an intestinal antiseptic. We have for several years employed this agent as an antiseptic in intes tinal catarrh, and with most excellent effects. When administered by the mouth we have usually given 3-5 grains in capsule two or three times a day; but most useful results are also to be gained, especially in cases of pseudo membranous catarrh of the intestines, by first washing out the bowels with a large quantity of hot water, and then injecting a solution of tannin of the strength of one drachm to a pint.-Dr. Braczkiewick.

The Antiseptic Treatment of Burns.In the Centralblatt fur Chirurgie for February 17 we find an abstract of a Paris thesis on this subject by Madame (or Mademoiselle) Nageotte. After a very interesting historical introduction concerning the methods formerly employed in the treatment of burns the authoress states that the best results possible are attained by maintaining on aseptic condition of the wound She says that, especially in very painful burns, it is best to employ general anesthesia, in order that the application of the antiseptic proc be may not interfered with. After the wound has been rendered aseptic she endeavors, wherever it is possible, to procure its healing under a dry dressing whether the burn is of the first, the second, or the third degree, and uses as disinfectant agents iodoform, thiol, ichthyol, and particularly bismuth subnitrate as recommended by von Bardeleben. She adds histories of forty-five

cess

cases.