. Jour.

mended to prepare it by decocting the drug two or three times in water, evaporating and adding honey, and that the entire root was used. Professor Maisch thought that the bark was probably the efficacious part of the drug, since the woody part of the root was nearly tasteless. Mr. Schroeter stated that the whole root had been employed in his experiments. Professor Maisch in reply to a query, stated that the Hydrangea arborescens was indigenous to this country and grew wild in the neighborhood of Philadelphia; but that the ornamental garden flower was the Hydrangea hortensis, a Chinese plant, the natural color of whose flowers was pink, the bluish shade frequently seen being due to the absorption of iron in the soil. The paper of Mr. Schroeter was illustrated with a number of samples, showing the reactions of hydrangin with different tests.

The third paper was by Mr. F. B. Quackenbush, of the present senior class upon Asdepias Cornuti and A. tuberosa; and Dr. Lowe read a short paper upon immature cubebs. All these papers were referred to the Publication Committee. In answer to a question Professor Maisch stated that the ovary of the cubeb flower was at first sessile, but later on, probably after fertilization produced the so-called stalk.

Dr. Lowe stated that he was not yet prepared to make a report upon the question referred to him last month, relative to the quality of the tar now supplied, but some enquiries had been made and enough had been learned to show that nearly all that is offered to the trade is a mixture of wood tar with coal tar.

There being no further business a motion to adjourn was put and carried. T. S. WIEGAND, Registrar.

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT.

The Alumni Association of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy will celebrate their 25th anniversary by holding in the College Hall an exhibition representing the progress made in pharmacy, and allied arts and sciences, by its members. The exhibition will be held on the 13th, 14th and 15th of March, during the day and evening, from 10 A. M. to 10 P. M., and from the number of graduates and members who have already engaged space there will certainly be an interesting exhibition. It is also the intention to place upon the tables many objects illustrating the pharmacy of the past.

Filters.-Mr. Edo Claassen calls our attention to a clerical error which remained uncorrected in proofreading of his paper published in our February number. By substituting the word millimeters for centimeters on page 74, and the designation mm. for cm. referring to the illustrations on page 75, the dimensions will be more correctly indicated.

Mr. Claassen also states, that it will be found advantageous in many cases to again fold the narrow strip (indicated in the figures by dotted lines) by bringing its lower end, commencing at the angle, over to the inner crease, thus forming a small triangle; and in case the neck of the funnel should be

. Jour. Pharm

March,

unnecessarily large, to support the filter in a cone of writing paper, folded like a plain filter, but having the point cut off sufficiently for permitting the lower end of the filter to project through the aperture.

The excursion to the Pacific Coast in connection with the meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association, to be held at San Francisco, June 24th, has been announced to start from Chicago, St. Louis and Memphis on Friday, June 14th, and to reach Denver Sunday morning at 7 o'clock. After a trip through Clear Creek Cañon to Idaho Springs, Georgetown, Silver Plume and Graymount, the train will leave Denver on Tuesday evening for Salt Lake City, where it is contemplated to spend two days, and then continue the journey westward so as to reach San Francisco on Sunday, June 23, at 11 A. M. The tickets on this train are limited to 150, and the price for each ticket has been fixed at $160 from Chicago, $150 from St. Louis or Memphis, and $140 from Kansas City, for the round trip; the ticket entitles for the outward trip to sleeping car and first-class hotel accommodations, meals, special carriage drives, transportation of 150 pounds of baggage, and all the necessary transfers until the hotel at San Francisco is reached. The return ticket will be good for six months.

This special train has been designated as the Western and Southern Official train of the Association. No arrangements appear to have been made for members residing east from the points mentioned above, but we presume that they will be announced at some future time.

OBITUARY.

Imformation of the death of the following graduates of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy has been received:

Richard Price, class 1835, died in Philadelphia, November 27, 1888, aged 74 years. His thesis on senega was published in this Journal, vol. viii. p. 92. Benjamin B. Davis, class 1850, died at Willow Grove, Pa., August 18, 1888. For a number of years he had been a resident of Eufaula, Ala.

C. Collins Hughes, class 1857, died December 4, 1888, at his late residence, Eighth and Race streets, where he had been in business for several years. Jos. Vincent Wingert, class 1878, died at Pottsville, Pa., January 29, last. He had been in business in his native town for nearly ten years.

Thos. M. Galbreath, class 1880, a native of Maryland, died January 25, last, at Atlantic City, N. J., where he had been in business for some time. Robert L. Hesson, of Philadelphia, class 1884, died at Curllsville, Clarion county, Pa., May 25, 1885.

John George Engler, class 1885, lost his life in his native city Hartford, Conn., on the morning of February 18, when through the explosion of the steam boilers the Central Park Hotel was wrecked and twenty-three persons were killed. Mr. Engler was a faithful student and at the time of his graduation, was awarded the John M. Maisch prize.

Everett V. Alexander, class 1886, died at his home in McConnellville, Ohio, February 19, 1889.

THE AMERICAN

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY.

APRIL, 1889.

BISMUTHYL IODIDE.

COMPARATIVE VALUE OF METHODS PROPOSED HERETOFORE, WITH AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR ITS PREPARATION.1

BY CHARLES E. GREENE.

Bismuthyl iodide was introduced into hospital practice in New York by Dr. A. Sidney Reynolds, about ten or twelve years ago under the name of " Bismuth-subiodide or oxyiodide." It was used for the local treatment of chronic ulcers, syphilitic sores, eruptions, etc., etc. It was said to be more efficient than iodoform, with none of the saffron-like and almost intolerable odor, so characteristic of the latter. Dr. Reynolds also claims that it will "control inflammation, allay irritation, suppress suppuration, promote granulation and induce cicatrization ;" and that it is "almost a specific in gonorrhoea, and general mucous inflammations," etc. Internally it is strongly recommended in gastric ulcers, gastritis, and typhoid fever.

The objects had in view in the prosecution of the work as presented by this paper were, first, to ascertain the amount of true BiOI in the commercial article sold by the name "Subiodide of Bismuth;" second, to test the various methods proposed for the manufacture of the compound, and also to ascertain the percentage found in the products obtained by these methods; and third, to devise, if possible, a new method for its preparation that would yield a better result than any as yet known to myself.

The information which I was able to obtain, both as to the effect and as to a satisfactory mode of preparing bismuthyl iodide, was not 1 From an inaugural essay presented to the Maryland College of Pharmacy,

1889.

Jour. Pharm

, 1889

Although con

only very meagre, but very unsatisfactory, indeed. siderable has been written on the mode of preparation, yet, after a great number of experiments, no one seems to have obtained a thoroughly satisfactory result. None of the products obtained were of sufficient purity, and none of the methods employed were without some serious objection; yet these investigations were made by some of the best pharmacists in our land. How far I may have been successful in my efforts in this direction I leave for others to judge. At the time of Dr. Reynolds' experiments the high cost of the compound prevented its general adoption; therefore the main point for consideration was a process by which a chemically pure compound could be obtained at a price sufficiently reasonable to bring it into general

use.

The first commercial sample which I examined, was of a very dark brown, almost chocolate color, with nothing of the characteristic brick red color which it should have, indicating the presence of a considerable quantity of iodine in other form of combination than BiOI, most probably as BiI,. When boiled with an excess of water it assumed a much lighter color, finally a bright brick red, owing to more perfect oxidation, one atom of oxygen from the hot water replacing two of iodine forming a molecule of BiOI. When heated to 100° C. no apparent change took place, only a slight odor of iodine becoming perceptible. As the heat was slowly raised to cause partial decomposition and as the iodine was slowly liberated the compound gradually assumed the brick red color. By analysis I found that it contained 48.36 per cent. of iodine, or about 12 per cent. more than a pure article should contain, and we may justly draw the conclusion that this is a very indefinite and, therefore, unsatisfactory compound.

The next sample examined was, like the first, of American manufacture. It was dark-red in color, dense and heavy, and exhibited a few lumps of a lighter color. It contained 91.83 per cent. BiOI, with a small amount as BiONO, H2O. One other sample was examined, but it did not differ from the one just spoken of, except that it had been more carefully powdered and contained 92.61 per cent. BIOI, and a small proportion of BiONO,.H2O.

Of the various processes set forth in journals and books of reference, I have tried several with varied success. The first tried was the so-called method of "precipitation," proposed by Jos. W. England, in AMER. JOUR. PHAR., Jan., 1887, pp. 9-15. The product

. Jour

by this process was of a fairly good color, but slightly darker than some other specimens, cakey, and very difficult to pulverize finely. The chief disadvantages of this method are, that the water being hot and the acid solution not being sufficiently diluted, a very appreciable quantity of iodine was liberated as vapor, giving the supernatant liquor a distinctly violet color, and readily recognizable both by the odor and by the starch test. By analysis I found the compound made by this process to contain 97.65 per cent. BiOI.

The next method was devised by R. Rother (AMER. JOUR. PHAR., Aug., 1887, pp. 390-391). Theoretically this is certainly a good method. It yields a product of a dark red color, heavy, dense, and rather hard to pulverize finely. It contains 95.3 per cent. BiOI, with 3 or 4 per cent. BiONO,.H2O; but, to say the least, the process is rather tedious and the resulting compound not so satisfactory as desired.

The

The next method tried was that of precipitation with hydriodic acid and freshly prepared bismuth hydroxide, as proposed by Frank X. Moerk (AMER. JOUR. PHAR., June, 1887, pp. 273–274). author states, "the oxyiodide so obtained is of very fair color, and contains no water of crystallization." In this product, as in all others which I examined, I found no water of crystallization. That which I obtained was very tough, almost unpulverizable, heavy and cakey. So far as chemical composition is concerned it was as good as the average samples found upon the market, containing 92.9 per cent. BiOI, with some BIONO,.H2O, as in the others. But the process not only occupies too much time, but requires a great deal more skill and care than is necessary to produce a very much better article.

The next process tried was devised by the same author as the preceding one, and consists in boiling certain quantities of BIONO,.H2O and KI together without the presence of an acid; and, as the preceding one was remarkable for being complicated, so this one is justly celebrated for being extremely simple. In devising these manipulations. the author has surely touched both extremes. "The (supposed) advantages of this method are, first, the avoidance of free acid; second, its definite composition; third, a higher percentage of BiOI." The first advantage (?) I readily admit; there certainly is no free acid present. Yet this could be considered a good method provided the two latter advantages claimed were true for the resulting compound. The samples made by myself, after boiling for more than an