for the work of their subordinates. It is unblushingly done. The steward is regarded as a sort of personal perquisite of the medical officer who has a moral and actual right to the credit of the work of his head and hand. I have in mind a man (now in service, I believe) who, besides being an accomplished pharmacist, is an efficient heating, ventilating and electrical engineer, as well as an able superintendent of building operations. His talent in these matters has always been in demand and his work satisfactory, yet he has never, to my knowledge, received either recompense or credit for these extraordinary qualifications, not mentioned or contemplated by official regulations as among the duties required of a hospital steward. He could, undoubtedly, better himself materially in civil employment, but evidently lacks the nerve to "get out of the rut." The piracy of a man's mental work does not appear to me to be a whit more honest or honorable than stealing his purse, but by ancient precedent it is looked upon, officially, as the perfectly correct thing.

I agree with your correspondent, that the self-respecting young pharmacist should keep away from public service until his profession is recognized (both socially and financially) by the general government by suitable legislation. Further, I believe it to be the duty of every pharmacist in civil life to advance his own interest and promote the dignity of his chosen profession, by pushing to recognition the claims of the pharmacist in public service to decent pay and respectable treatment.

The pay and rank of a hospital steward in the marine hospital service, owing to the superior requirements, complex duties and great responsibilities, should not be less than that given to assistant surgeons. [A Well-Wisher for the Pharmacists in the United States Employ.

Prosperous Oklahoma.-The year 1899, just closed,

has been one of general growth and prosperity to the drug trade of Oklahoma. Crops of all kinds were excellent. Oklahoma's resources in this line are probably as abundant as those of any section of the United States. Wheat, corn, cotton, castor beans and broom-corn are all grown in Oklahoma, all of which are wealth producers to the farmer who properly tills the soil; and it is upon him that the pharmacist, as well as all other] trades and professions, must depend for support.

F. B. LILLIE.

Railroad Building in the Territory has been active, and many new towns have been started, creating a demand for more drug stores. The supply, however, has been equal to the demand, and the ever-active "pill roller" has let no opportunity escape him as a pioneer. If

not the first on the ground, he has not been far behind in establishing his business.

During the Year, Thirty Registered Pharmacists have been added to the rolls by the Territorial Board of Pharmacy, and there are now 205 registered pharmacists in good standing in the Territory. The fact that not a single failure of a druggist in business in the Territory has occurred during the year speaks for the general prosperity shared by the druggists.

The "Cut-Rate Evil" has not reached Oklahoma, and for this the profession can thank their association work. The Oklahoma Pharmaceutical Association was organized the year following the opening of the Territory, and has been an active organization ever since. Through its efforts an excellent pharmacy law was passed at the first session of the Territorial Legislature, which, for a new country, was fairly well enforced. Through the efforts of the association an entire new law was passed at the third session of the Legislature, containing the best parts of the old law and a provision prohibiting merchants from selling patent medicines, except by license from the Board of Pharmacy. This feature has, to a large extent, protected us from the cutting of prices on patents.

The Prospects for the Future of the Oklahoma pharmacist are bright-even brighter than the past, for the reason that the country's development will increase in the next two or three years in a much greater ratio than in the past; and the pharmacist who lives up to his opportunities has a bright future in store for him in Oklahoma. This prosperity can be greatly enhanced if every pharmacist in the Territory will help by putting his name on the roll of the O. P. A., and aid to make our association a unit in everything that pertains to the welfare of our profession.

The Next Meeting of the association will be held at Shawnee, Okla., April 4 and 5, and it should be the banner meeting of our history. The official programme will be published soon by the local secretary, J. M. Remington, of Shawnee.

For the Information of those who think of locating in Oklahoma, it is well to say that the Board of Pharmacy grants certificates of registration only upon examination. The board meetings are held quarterly, the next regular meeting being at Shawnee, on April 3. Blank applications and any needed information can be obtained by request from the secretary, enclosing stamp for reply.-[F. B. LILLIE, Secretary Board of Pharmacy, Guthrie, O. T., January 8, 1900.

A Lesson of Patience for Pharmacists.-Drug clerks sometimes feel that the demands of pharmaceutical manipulation are exacting and tiresome. By comparison, the training may seem child's play if such discontented druggists think of the Chinese who are employed in sorting hogs' bristles. 600,000 kilograms were exported from one section of China during 1897. Each one was picked out by hand, measured and placed in a bundle of hairs of corresponding length. The different lengths by which the hairs are sorted are almost too numerous to mention.

Anilin Stains (17).-Try soap liniment to remove them.

Glycerole Ferri Chloridi (18).-Who can give a formula?

Fumigating Tea Leaves (19).—We do not answer anonymous communications.

Incompatibilities in Prescriptions (20), by Ruddiman, is the best work on the subject.

To Kill Bugs in Drugs (21).-You fail to sign your name and we refer you to the head of this department.

Blue Compound (22).—This is a mixture of sulphate of copper and sulphate of iron. It is used in England under the name of "agricultural sulphate of copper."

Toothache Drops (23).—A thirty per cent solution of tannic acid is recommended.

The subject of toothache preparations was very fully considered on pages 9, 10 and 83 of the MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST for 1892.

To Scare Off Mice (24).—Various methods have been suggested, and one of the most recent is to place cotton saturated with oil of peppermint in the places frequented by mice. Rat and mice poisons have been considered in previous issues of this journal.

The Arkansas Board of Pharmacy Questions (25) are not available for publication. The questions for a number of other boards have already been published in these columns, and you will find a most excellent article on "How to Prepare for the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy Examination," on page 110 of our 1898 volume.

"Dehorning Sticks" (26).—I sell caustic or fused potash, which comes in sticks. By wrapping one end of stick with paper it can be held in the hand; the other end is moistened and rubbed over the "button" or horn excressence. It takes but a small amount of potash to do the work. A good plan is to grease or oil the surrounding flesh. The "dehorning fluid," is a strong solution of caustic potash.-[GEORGE C. BARTELLS, Camp Point, Adams Co., Ill.

A Simple Corn Remedy (27) is the following: Seven parts of alcohol and one part of chloroform are mixed, and, by means of a plug of cotton, placed over the callous part of the corn for one minute, when the corn may be removed with a needle or knife, without pain.

Many formulas have appeared in the MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST. See Vol. XII. (1891), page 304; Vol. XVI. (1895), page 414; Vol. XVIII. (1897), page 262.

Easter Eggs (28).-The writer, having had occasion to dye some rabbits for an Easter window, offers the following suggestions to an exchange: "The rabbits should be white to give the best effect. The ordinary egg dyes answer well. To protect the hands rubber gloves should be worn. Wash the rabbits well with soap and water. While they are wet the dye should be applied with a sponge. The wash water, as well as the dye, should be warm, and the animals should be kept warm while drying."

Permanent Gases (29) were supposed to be gases which cannot be liquified. More than twenty years ago, Raoul Pictet, of Geneva, announced that he had liquified hydrogen, the last one of the so-called permanent gases. Quite recently, Prof. Dewar, who has experimented much with liquid air, has succeeded in making liquid hydrogen in sufficient quantities to fully determine its physical properties. Thus, the term permanent gas should become obsolete.

The Moth Nuisance (30) is responsible for many of the trials and tribulations of domestic life. It is unnecessary for us to enter into details in order to explain further on this point. The practical question is how to get rid of the moths and how to keep them out. A number of items on this subject have appeared in previous issues of this journal. A writer asks whether there is anything except cold storage which will eventually shut out moths. Garments placed in sealed boxes or paper bags are moth proof. Such articles, however, may contain moth eggs when put away. They must be carefully renovated before packing.

Hypodermic Quinine (31).-The Pharm. Centralhalle says that, in the following formulas for hypodermic solutions of quinine, advantage is taken of the solvent powers of urethane and phenocoll on quinine:

To Make Balls of Fire (33).—Popular Science says that if a crystal of ammonium chloride is thrown into fusing potassium nitrate, the crystal assumes the form of a brilliant globule which becomes incandescent, then burns and disappears with a feeble detonation. If ammonium sulphate is used instead of ammonium chloride, the luminous effect is more intense. Ammonium nitrate in contact with fusing potassium nitrate produces the most remarkable luminous phenomena. If nitrate is used in the state of crystalline powder, a series of phosphorescent spots is noticed on the surface of the bath of potassium nitrate, but if a crystal is used it immediately forms an incandescent globule surrounded by a phosphorescent ring, having a very rapid circular motion. After a few seconds it disappears, burning with a violent flame.

To Clean Cloth (34) and take out paint, grease, etc., try the following: Four ounces of castile soap are cut into fine shavings and, by means of heat, dissolved in one quart of water. To this solution add one pint of water of ammonia, two ounces ether, four ounces alcohol and enough water to make one-half gallon. The spots should be thoroughly treated with the above mixture and finally washed with clean water.

F. P. Brigham, of Jeffersonville, Ind., says this is the best cleaning mixture he ever saw to remove grease, paint, etc.:

Also, see MEYER BROTHERS DRUGGIST, Vol. X. (1889), pages 232 and 130; Vol. XI. (1890), Page 54 ; Vol. XIV. (1893), Page 268; Vol. XVIII. (1897), Pages 109 and 183.

Cement for Labels on Tin (35).-"Please give best preparation for gumming salve labels on tin boxes, that won't dry and loosen where there is a trace of vaseline on lid."

A paste which will stick anything is said, by Professor Winchell, to be made as follows: Take two ounces of clear gum arabic, one and one-half ounces of fine starch and one-half ounce of white sugar. Dissolve the gum arabic in as much water as the laundress would use for the quantity of starch indicated. Mix the starch and sugar with the mucilage.

Then

two-inch ice will sustain a man or properly spaced infantry; four-inch ice will carry a man on horseback, or cavalry, or light guns; six-inch ice, heavy field guns, such as eighty-pounders; eight-inch ice, a battery of artillery, with carriages and horses, but not over 1,000 pounds per square foot on sledges; and ten-inch ice sustains an army or an innumerable multitude. On fifteen-inch ice, railroad tracks are often laid and operated for months, and two-footthick ice withstood the impact of a loaded passenger car, after a sixty-foot fall (or, perhaps, 1,500 foot tons), but broke under that of the locomotive and tender (or, perhaps, 3,000 foot tons). Trautwine gives the crushing strength of firm ice as 167 to 250 pounds per square inch. Col. Ludlow, in his experiments in 1881, on six to twelve-inch cubes, found 292 to 889 pounds for pure hard ice, and 222 to 820 pounds for inferior grades, and on the Delaware river, 700 pounds for clear ice and 400 pounds or less for the ice near the mouth, where it is more or less disintegrated by the action of salt water, etc. Experiments of Gzowski gave 208 pounds; those of others, 310 to 320 pounds. The tensile strength was found by German experiments to be 142 to 223 pounds per square inch. The shearing strength has been given as seventy-five to 119 pounds per square inch. The average specific gravity of ice is 0.92. In freezing, water increases in volume from 1-9 to 1-18, or an average of 1-11; when floating, 11-12 is immersed.

Essence of Pepsin (37) is a name sometimes applied to preparations similar to the liquor pepsini aromaticus of the National Formulary, which is made as follows:

Pass enough water through the filter to make the filtrate measure twelve fluid ounces. To this add the

or a little oil of cloves.

Another useful paste is made as follows:

pepsin (N. F.).

Liquid Bronze (38).-For the production of liquid bronze, acid-free varnish should be used, as bronze ground with ordinary varnish will form verdigris. For the de-acidification of damar-resin, pour 1,000 grams of petroleum-benzine over 350 grams of finely ground damar-resin, and dissolve by repeated shaking. Next, add to the solution 250 grams of a 10 per cent aqueous solution of caustic soda and shake up well for ten minutes. After standing for a short while, two strata will have formed, the upper one consisting of benzine-resin solution and the lower, aqueous one, containing the resinic acid dissolved as soda salts. Pour off the benzine layers and agitate again assiduously with 250 grams of the 10 per cent caustic soda solution. Now set aside for a complete classification and separation of the two liquids. The damar solution siphoned off will be perfectly free from acid. To obtain gold bronze varnish, add to the de-acidified damar solution about 250 grams of bronze or brocade per liter.

Or else carefully mix 100 grams of finely ground damar-resin with thirty grams of calcined soda and heat to fusion, in which state it is maintained two to three hours with frequent stirring. Now let cool, grind the turbid mass obtained and pour 9 Cm. 3 of coal benzine or petroleum benzine over it in a flask. By repeated shaking of the flask the soluble portion of the molten mass is dissolved; filter after allowing to settle. Into the filtrate put 300-400 grams of bronze powder of any desired shade, the brocades being especially well adapted for this purpose. If the metallic powder remains distributed over the mass for a long time, it is of the right consistency. If it deposits quickly, it is too thin and a part of the solvent must be evaporated before stirring in the bronze powder.-[Illustrirte Zeitung for Blechindustrie. Worcestershire Sauce (39).-There are many formulas for this popular preparation; one is as follows:

practically intended as a vehicle for the administration of asa fetida. The carminative aromatics employed successfully mask the taste of that gum. This is an interesting instance (I believe one of the first) of the "modern" tendency to make nauseous drugs palatable.

If any of your readers want to prepare this sauce, they should remember that age improves the same materially. It should stand, with occasional agitation, at least a month before being strained through a coarse sieve and bottled. This adds to the peculiar twang of the "ripe" sauce.

The purpose of these lines is to point out the old truth again that many druggists in the smaller communities, while rapturously engaged in the contemplation of their sheepskins, allow many an opportunity to gather in the shekels to slip by. I insist upon it, that one of the best means to build up a good trade,

especially in smaller cities and farming communities, lies in selling, whenever possible, in permanent packages with name of druggist conspicuously displayed. Such articles as bicarbonate soda, compound licorice powder, epsom salt and other bulk chemicals, as well as the commonly called-for herbs, etc. wash powders, proprietary preparations, should, if possible, never be sold in wrapped packages. Even if the cartons, etc., cost a trifle more, the value of the advertisement and the convenience of a permanent package to the customer is an offset to the difference in price. Remember that the customer is reminded of the druggist just when sending for a new supply. As to the Worcestershire sauce, I take it that the appearance of the druggist's name in connection with a good sauce three times a day, touching, as it were, the most tender spot of horrid man-the stomach, is not a bad advertisement and just as professional as the sale of paints, crockery, postage stamps and putty.

The same journal says:

In the Chemist and Druggist of October 20, 1894, appeared an account of what seems to be the true history of the origin of this now world-famed condiment, being told by Alfred Cheeke Worthington, a nephew of the inventor G. Cheeke, of Evesham in Worcestershire. It appears that George Cheeke and Lord Sandys were old cronies and bon-vivants to-boot, and between them they concocted this sauce. They used to get it made up by Lea, a chemist, in Worcestershire. Subsequently, Mr. Lea asked for permission to sell it, promising to keep the formula Little thinking what they were giving away, they consented. The rest is known. Lea died a millionaire, and big fortunes have been made out of the sauce since. On each bottle may be read, "Prepared from the recipe of a nobleman in the county." That was Lord Sandys; but it was Mr. Cheeke who suggested the ingredients which really made the sauce what it is. The extract also states that Mr. Lea used to send each of the two individuals named a dozen bottles of the sauce every

secret.

year.

However, the editor of the Chemist and Druggist gives another version. He says: The story, as we have heard it on good authority, is, that Mr. Lea had made a quantity of this sauce for Lord Sandys, who either died or ceased to buy. A gallon or so was left in stock for some years. One day an old Indian officer asked Mr. Lea for some sauce different to any he could get elsewhere. Mr. Lea bethought him of the old stock and sup plied some. This gave so much satisfaction that it was thought advisable to make a business of it.

Perhaps He Was Once a Pharmacist.-We refer to the author of nursery rhymes recently published in England, relating to the various shopkeepers. The following is from the pen picture given of the druggist:

Though but a half-penny you spend,
He treats you like his dearest friend;
He stands beside his tiny light,

And hurries not a bit,

And folds the paper smooth and white,
And sealing-waxes it,

And hands it to you with the air

Of one who serves a millionaire.

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT.

BY W. W. KERR, SECRETARY ARKANSAS BOARD OF PHARMACY,

BATESVILLE.

that the work in that direction will be steadfastly kept up until it becomes a permanent feature of the association's mission. There is a large class of pharmacists scattered all over the country, in the smaller towns, for whom the purely scientific has comparatively little interest. Not that it is beyond their com

The Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy meets in Little Rock, on Tuesday, June 12, 1900.

The Next Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Association of Pharmacists will be held in Little Rock, beginning Wednesday, June 13, 1900, the last year of the nineteenth century (I don't care what you say) and not in the first year of the twentieth; so don't come up with the excuse for not being present that you got the centuries mixed up.

Papers.—The life of an association meeting is the reading and discussion of short, practical papers on pharmaceutical subjects and trade interests. The committee on papers, of our association, earnestly invites members to give some attention to this matter, and come to the meeting June 13, 1900, prepared to contribute liberally to this feature of the program. The committee would do well to correspond personally with members, with the view of working up an interest in this direction.

The Committee on Pharmacy and Queries, of the State Association, are anxious to secure as many papers for the next meeting as possible, and it is to the personal interest of each one that they should succeed. The life of the association depends largely upon this very thing, so if you have not already selected a subject and gone to work on it, do so at once. If you have nothing to write about, study up a list of questions you would like to ask, fire them at the committee, and be present in Little Rock on June 13, next, to hear the answers. The members of the committee are: R. B. King, Helena; John B. Bond, Jr., Little Rock, and E. C. Hart, Hot Springs.

"The Committee on Ancient History" of the State Association is a kind of an innovation on the usual list of committees of such institutions, but in the present case it is a highly important one, as it is charged with the duty of getting up a history of the association from the time of its organization up to the date of the destruction of its records by fire, in the store of the then secretary, Mr. J. W. Beidelman, in 1889. It is composed of J. W. Beidelman, chairman, Dr. John B. Bond, of Little Rock, and W. W. Kerr, of Batesville. Any information any one may have as to the proceedings of any of the meetings, especially prior to 1886, will be gladly welcomed if communicated to either member of the committee.

The A. Ph. A. Meeting at Put-in-Bay seems to have been a perfect success, both in the matter of attendance, new accessions and amount of work done. We were particularly struck with the report of the committee on Practical Pharmacy, and we do hope

peculiar character of their business does not require a very deep dive into its depths. They are, in the broadest sense of the word, practical pharmacists, and need and want practical information. Many of them are members of the A. Ph. A., and their claims are entitled to consideration; and we really rejoice to see that they are beginning to be recognized. Let the good work go on.

Are You a Member of the A. Ph. A. ?-By "you" in this question we mean you Arkansas pill rollers, and not some of the boys up in Maine. The list of members from Arkansas, as shown by the proceedings of the 1899 meeting at Put-in-Bay, has actually fallen off instead of increased. This is sad to tell, but no sad

der than the fact. Why is it? Amongst the names that do not appear are those of our most competent pharmacists-the ones above all others who would be supposed to best appreciate the advantages of membership, and the last to relinquish such advantages; and, stranger still, those who are best able financially to maintain such a relation. We strongly suspect that it is due to a giving up of professional pharmacy and an adoption of the modern fad of buying all their pharmaceuticals ready-made, upon the plea that they "have not time to make them; and, besides, they are cheaper, anyway." We do not propose to discuss the question with them, for when a fellow has his nose turned in a given direction, he is bound to follow it until it lands him up against a stump; and we will just wait until after the collision, and then say "I told you so." By the grace of the powers that be, I have been continued a member of the committee on membership for Arkansas, and would be glad to correspond with any one who contemplates joining, and give them any information in my power with regard to same. -[W. W. KErr.

A Ten Cubic Centimetre Graduate.-Dr. Wm. H. Seaman, of Washington D. C., whose article on drops appeared on page 376 of our December issue, has devised a very useful ten Cc. graduate. It is accurately made, and so constructed that it is easily cleaned. The doctor's idea is to secure uniformity in the dispensing of metric prescriptions. It is manufactured by Emil Greiner, 62 Center Street, New York City.

Pure Blue is the natural color of water according to the report made by a recent experimenter. It is interesting to know that the perfectly colorless water observed in streams and lakes is due to the effect of a reddish mud, whose complimentary color neutralizes the natural blue or artificial green which the water may otherwise possess.