70 THE ANALYST. NOTE8 OF THE MONTH. The prize of 300 marks offered by the L & p y Pharmaceutical Nim for the discovery of a process of butter analysis, still continues to crop up in various journals, no doubt through the active scissors and paste of the sub-editors. Not the least amusing of these paragraphs is one which win& up with a moral reflection to the effect that our own Chemical Society would be better employed iu offering such rewards for useful processes ofTHE ANALYST.71 analysis, than in subsidising those wtio entirely direct their attention to the discovery of organic compounds with unpronouncable names. No doubt this is to some extent true, as it is a fact that, at Burlington House, the manufacturer of some rare organic salt certainly holds his head higher (at least in his own estimation) than the humble originator of some process of analysis useful for the guidance of nicn engaged in commerce, but, unfortu- nately, thc good moral is attached to a bad illustration.We would suggest that Herr Eohlmann, of Leipsig, should save his 300 marks by investing ten of them in the purchase of back numbers of ‘‘ T h e Analyst,” and therefrom inform his mind on butter analysis, While on the subject of abstrcse organic research umus improvements on practical analpis, we may note that the former has many advantages, of which two are especially prombent, yiz.:-(1) It may secure an invitation to the debates of the selected few who are going (if they can) to proclaim themselves, and those whom they may choose, the only competent analysts in Great Britain, and (2) It has the grand advantage that a man may say pretty well what he likes, as i t is most likely that no one will take the trouble of repeating his experiments ! An awful whisper is going round the laboratories to the effect that the gentlemen who have been privately attempting to form themselves into a proposed Iiistitute of Professionad Chemists (taking care t J keep the power of selection in their own hands, by inviting no one they did not like), are meeting with a most determined opposition, and have already been obliged to drop the word Professional, and become simply an ‘‘ Institute of Chemistry.” As the select nucleus contains Pharmaceutical and manufac- turing, as well as analytical chemists and diilettanti, the raison d’etre of the whole affair evidently becomes dissipated into misty air.Have we not already a “ Chemical Society,” admitting every class of persons interested; and, if so, what need is there for an “Insti- tute of Chemists,” also receiving Pharmacists and manuf‘acturers ? Such a society could scarcely expect t o obtain from Uovernment tile power to dub analysts competent or not.as they please, and we should fancy that the analysts in practice throughout England would think twice bcfore they permittcd thcir qualifications, and consequent existeuce, to be submitted t o the pleasure of a body of’ men who have given no public invitation to their meetings, and who are not ail themselves even, strictly, chemists. I n pleasant contrast to the hole and corner work of‘ attempted private organisdon, stands out the Society of Public Analysts, t o which the ground of admission is, that the ca.rididate for membership shall be an analytical chemist in actual practice, known to a certain number of his cottj%es, who can vouch for his knowledge of his professional duties ; and that the associates shall be the actual assistants of analysts in practice who may be recommended by the Council.Here is a society with a definite object, strictly and properly limited to actual practising analysts, and therefore entitled to insist on the recognition by the public of the competence of its members, who one and all live by their profession. If, as we shortly hope will be the ctlse, the word ‘‘ public ” be definitely dropped from the title, the Socicty will be in theory, as it is now in fact, an organisation of purely professional chemists, which no amount of opposition or backbiting has been able to shake, and which will eventually become the true nucleus of the more extended scheme of iuture examinations or such siniilar tests of‘ competence as may be adopted.We now possess as members most of the practising analysts in England; let the remaining few come forward and join us, and organisation will at once be tcn fcit Prosecutions of tradesmen on such results as those reported by our Coventry contemporary are to be much deplored, but they are not to be wondered at, when local Boards go on appointing Medical Officers of Health as Public Analysts, instead of selecting nien trained to the profession of practical chemistry by a long course of laboratory work as student, assistant, and afterwards master.ncconzp 12.. We abstract from the Coventry local paper the report of a milk case. The Lancet of 16th June, incidentally refers to a subject which bears a certain relation t o this matter. It says, i n reriewing the Handy Book of Forensic Medicine by Drs.Tidy and Woodman. ‘* It is certainly not to be expected of the ordinary medical “ man, that he sliould be able to carry o u t the details of the most difficult of all annljdes,72 THE ANALYST. ( I and it i s certaidy most unfair to the accused that he should attempt t o do so.” We agree with otlr contemporary as regards many analyses, besides poison cases, although we have known ordinary medical men undertake even them.I n a recent note to the Berlin Chemical Society, Herr Stein prTposes to make the beams, &c., of the balance of the future from rock crystal. The idea is certainly novel, and the lightness and unalterable natiire of the substance, appears t o recommend it, but how about the cost, seeing that the difficulty of working the crystal must be immense? We should like t o know more also about its flexibility.We reprint an important case of diseased milk, but, under the circumstances, we must refrain from remarks, simply leaving the evidence to speak for itself. Before our next issuc the question as t o the permissibility of putting copper into preserved peas will have been settled by a rehearing, on appeal, of a case in which the magistrate convicted.We understrind thltt many of the leading members of our Society and several eminent incdical men will give their evidence as t o the danger of permitting the sale of’ vegetables artificially coloured with copper. It will be interesting t o note who will respond to the call of the defence, and come forward and smear that copper administered daily is not only quite inuocent, but an excellent tonic.We hear that there is one gent81cnian who has given his opinion to that effect. Suppose he were t o begin now, and try it for a few weeks on himself; but then he would, of course, object that theory is one thing and practice another ! BECENT CEIEMICAL PATENTS. The following specifications have been published during the past month, and can be obtained from the Great Seal Office, Southampton Row, Chancery Lane, London.1876. Name of Patentee. KO. 3552 R. Applcgarth . . . . . . . . . 3830 F. Tomasi . . . . . . . . . 3885 T. L. Parker . . . . . . . . . 3914 H. C. Ahrbeclter . . . . . . 3946 A. E. A. Detiaque 4006 N. B. Downing & J. E.’Hughes’ 4015 E. Revnolds . . . . . . 40.52 IT. A: Cartcr .. . . . . 4075 G. Fahnehjelm . . . . . . 4085 J. C. H. Sievier. . . . . . 4111 J. H. Johnson . . . . . . 4112 Ditto . . . . . . 4204 G. D. Mcase . . . . . . 4269 G. Schaub . . . . . . 4295 T. Shaw and J. Heap ... 43ul J . H. Johnson . . . . . . 4312 A. &I. Clark 4362 R. Powell and T f I Atkin; 4418 G. W. Von Kawrocki ... 4426 C. Rosway and H. Gcary 4433 A. M. Clark .. . . . . 4516 C. 11. Abel . . . . . . 4673 c ) . Rands . . . . . . . . . 4577 W. R. Lake *.. 4624 J. Harvey 4912 W. V. Viilson a c i H. Cint 4586 H. &I. Whitehead’ ... 0 . . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Title of Patent. Price. Electric Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Uydrothermic motive power engine . . . . . .. . . 8d‘ Treating Tobacco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2d. Fluid hIeters .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Italian Paste Covers for Enclosiilg Medicinal Substances 6d. Evaporating Alkaline Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Centrifugrtls, Pumps, and Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . 8d. Incinerating Furnaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Explosive Compound . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 4d. Manufacture of GRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Sugar . . . . . . . . . ... 6d. Treating Adjmal a i d Vegetable Substances with‘Hydro- Carbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Furnaces for Decomposing Chlorides of Sodium and Electro- hfagnetic Engines.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Refining Saccharine and other Liquids . . . . . . . . . 2d.Electric-Light Buoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. Manufacture of Hyposulphate of Soda . . . . . . . . . Gd. Apparatus for Manufacture of Concentrated Sulphuric Treatment of Impure Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Decolorising and Purifying Saccharine Juices . . . . . . 4d. Purifying Sewage and other Foul Waters . . . . . . 2d. Treatment of Vegetable Substances to obtain Alcoholic Liquids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2d. Salts and Soaps for Preparation of Fabrics . . . . . . 4d. Preserving Meat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2d. l’reserving Meat, Fish, &c. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Aniline Dyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2d. Potassium, Manufacturing Alkalies, &c. . . . . . . 6d. Annealing Pans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Acid, &c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4a. BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED. The Chemist and Druggist ; The Brewers’ Guardian ; The American Chemist ; The British Nedical !ournal; The Medical Examiner ; The Medical Times a i d Gazette; The Pharmaceutical Journal ; The Sanitary Record; The Telegraphic Review ; The Medical Record ; The Geological Bociety’s Proceedings; The htiller ; The Anti-Adulteration Review