Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1894-09-06
IT'S PLAIN OLD PIZEN OAK
DRUGGI0T1 CALL 1T "RHUS
TOxIcODENDRON."

This was Topic tor An Interest
Ing Discussion by The Pharma-
cists-A Number Of Papers Read |
-PersOnal NOtes.
Rhus Toxicodendron did much to make
things interesting for the visiting drug
gists at the Battery Park hotel last
night and considerable time was devoted
to discussion Of its properties. 1t is a
safe guess that Asheville people never
considered such thing worth while, for
although this plant is as familiar to
Western North Carolina people as the
old fashioned dog fennel, they know it
and dodge it only as plain poison oak and
they would feel inclined to resent that
Familiarity of the men Of science which
prompts them to call it "Rhus Tox" for
short. The druggists know and revere
poison oak partly for its medicinal prop
critics and partly for the length of the
scientific name, and these made it an in.
tcresting thing to discuss.
It was in the section of the convention
on scientific papers that Rhus Tox was
considered. DR.. H. M. Whelpley OF st.
Louis was responsible for its interjec-
tion into the meeting. He vase down for
paper bearing on it, and he undertook
to answer the query that had been given
him as to whether or not the poison of
the plant is destroyed when the leaves
are dried. There is difference of opinion
on this subject, some authorities main
taining one thing and Others insisting
that these people know nothing abont it.
To settle this matter Prof. Whelpley
said he had experimental on himself in
the interests of science and found that
the handling Of the dried leaves produced
the eruption that is so familiar to every
small boy who goes fishing and chihque-
pin hunting, and he added that not a
shadow of doubt exists in his mind as to
the poison of the dried leaf. He said he
had learned also that men who handle
the dried drug in making fluid extract
are sometimes poisoned. A list of diseases
for which the drug has been recommended
was given in the paper and included
chilblains, palsy. delirium, herpes zoster,
rheumatism of all kinds, crysipelas,
stings of insects, typhoid fever, eczema
and pemphigus. Remedies for the poison
itself were also given and included, among
many Others, warm water and soap,
strong coffee. opium, lime water and lin.
seed oil, bromine, copper sulphate, alum
bismuth subnitrate, witch hazel, stramo'
mum or plain "iimpson weed" sassa,
fras, alder and boneset.
This paper brought out considerable
discussion and many interesting circum'
stances were related as to the poison. J
U. Lloyd OF Cincinnati cited the case o
a girl employed i'll drug factory who
could not even enter "A room where tht
dried leaf was being handled without
being poisoned. On two occasions sht
was made sick for fortnight by just
stepping inside the room. rhc consen
sus of opinion seemed to be that th'
effects OF the poison in its drv form wer'
merely dependent on individual charac
teristics, some persons being more sus
ceptible than Others.
Other papers read we're as follows
"Advance sheets of an analytical com
parison with United States pharmacG
pia," BY J. B. Naglevoort OF Detroit
"Grain weight, study OF wheat" by
\ U. Lloyd Of Cincinnati; "Oil OF cloves,
} by {. p. T. Fennel o. Cincinnati.
At this morning 3 session of the sectio
on scientific papers DR.. A. X. l.. Dohm
of Baltimore was elected chairman 70
the year to come and George kau!rna
of Columbus, O., was made secretary
Among the papers read we're the follow
ing: IA microscopic and chemical eA
animation of Cloves" by Henry krame
of New York; "Hydrastine and Berbel
Iiue," by A. X. L. Dohme of Baltimore
and 1.-THE relative value OF difftrer
methods Of assayiug alkaloidal drug
II and galenical preparations" by Lyma
II +. kcbler OF Philadelphia.
ii Pharm. Notes.
u Those who did not 60 Vanderbilt's o
: Tuesday carriage ride went yesterda
:. afternoon. There were l7G in the part
} and the tiip was the same as Tuesday
with the addition of a visit to Gonna
ly's.
The younger element OF the Pharm'
ceutical visitors at the Battery Par
erjoyed an impromptu german last mig b
led by Paul c. Sneed OF Durham and Nil
Mildred Phillips Of Jacksonville.
S Halbcrg and Oldberg are two Chlcap
.s bergs who so to all the conventions an
. are always .crapping with each othc
1t is said that an iceberg Is between the
but this is denied by their friends.
John Patton of York, Pa, is a col
l. staut attendant at the conventions. L
=. lis a bachelor, bald-headed and grei
wit.
Plof. David M. R. Culbreth of Bali
more is the newest benedict Of the ass
citation aud has brought his bride wit
u, him. He is a professor of materia medic
' and botany in the American College
Pharmacy at Philadelphia.
D,A. O'Gorman, editor of the Ne
- England Druggist, did more to boo
Asheville among New England druggis
! than anybody else. He distributed 3O(
copies of the Land Of the Sky" pal
phlets through his section. O'Gormau
Irish, it is claimed, and has been all ov
the world. He is a natural wit.
The pharmaceutical newspaper men
the city are as good druggists az the bt
Of them and they have the additional q
vantage of being journalists besld
Chas. w. Blitmer of the National Dirt
gist, St. Louis. Is a very young man
a dancer. Caswell A. Mayo is editor
the American Druggist Of New York a
il native of Mississippi. He is cha
man Of the committee on transportati
, and was an enthusiastic wire puller
Asheville. H. M. Whclpley. OF Me,
Bros Druggist at st. Louis 10 one OF
leading men in the association, q doct
a pharmacist, professor in the st. 10
College Of Pharmacy, secretary OF
Missouri Pharmaceutical association
came very near being elected secretary
the American association. c. S. N. II
= berg Of the Western Druggist ia p
=, lessor of Pharmacy in the Chico
- College of pharmacy, a hnguist
I.oxn coI ooe of the heat tOaat nlast