474 Scientific Intelligence. [Dec. 



acid, and the phosphoric acid in solution determined. When the 

 mineral water contains earths and oxide of iron dissolved in carbonic 

 acid, these will be precipitated by the ammonia. It is, therefore, 

 best to boil a portion of the water, and to subtract the weight of the 

 precipitate of earthy and iron carbonates thus precipitated from the 

 weight of the product which is produced by the ammonia, added to 

 the solution of the barytes or lime precipitant. Carbonates of lime 

 and barytes, as must be observed, are not wholly insoluble in water, 

 and, therefore, the quantities in solution should be appreciated. 



II . — Pharmaceutical Preparations. 



1. Thb Ballota lanata (Leonurus lanatus, Pers Panzer a mul- 

 tifidtty Monch), grows in Siberia and China. In Siberia it is used, 

 according to Pallas, in headache and ascites. Professor Brera re- 

 commends it especially in ascites proceeding from gout and rheuma- 

 tism. The best form for administering it is the decoction. This is 

 formed by boiling half an ounce of the root for a quarter of an hour 

 with eight ounces of water ; half of this should be taken morning 

 and evening. — Gazetta eclettica di Farrnacia, Anno iii. 189. 



2. The Carragaheen or Irish Moss, (Chondrus crispus) has 

 been strangely overlooked in this country. On the Continent f/owr/i. 

 de Chim. Medic j i. 184) it is extensively employed, and forms an 

 excellent mucilage j in the proportion of 1 oz. carragaheen to 3 lbs. 

 water. The mixture is to be boiled for 15 or 20 minutes in a basin 

 over a slow fire, and then withdrawn and passed rapidly through 

 linen. Although it contains only 1 in 30 parts of the sea- weed, yet 

 it possesses as much consistence as the mucilage of gum arabic, with 

 ten times as much gum. It is not precipitated by alcohol, which is 

 the case with gum-arabic and Iceland moss. Irish moss is an analeptic, 

 and is used in pthisis, general debility, as well as in dysentery 

 and chronic diarrhea, either in the form of decoction or jelly. 

 The jelly is formed by mixing .5 ounces of the mucilage with 4 

 ounces of lump-sugar, and boiling down to 8 ounces. When cooled 

 it forms a jelly of fine consistence. The analeptic milk of Thodunter 

 is made of 24 ounces of cow's milk, 4 scruples of Irish moss, white 

 sugar an ounce, bruised cannella 1 scruple. Boil for 10 minutes, and 

 express. When cooled this jelly may be used at table, and eaten 

 with cream. 



The Chondrus crispus grows plentifully on our coasts, especially 

 in Ireland and Scotland; and is used as a jelly in the former country. 

 The frond is dichotomous, plain ; margin, entire ; segments spread- 

 ing, linear, with bifid apices ; capsules, subhemispherical, imbedded in 

 the disk of the frond. It grows in tufts, from two to four inches 

 high. — {Johnston's Flora of Berwick). 



3. In some Pharmacopeias, instructions are given to rectify spirt- 

 tus etheris nitrici over calcined magnesia. Rottscher, apothecary 

 at Wiedenbriick, prefers caustic potash, in the proportion of 80 ounces 

 of spirit to 4 ounces of solution of caustic potash. The distillation 



