9 6 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 



i. The Greater Luminary. An excellent 

 work, most necessary to all physicians and 

 spice dealers (the druggists of that time). 



2. The Treasury of Spice Dealers. Not less 

 useful and necessary. An alphabetical index of 

 both simple and compound medicines is ap- 

 pended at the end of each work. 



THE MOST RECENT WORK. 



Sandalwood Oil Pills.— Calmel {Apoth. ZeiL, 

 1894) recommends : Melt 4 Gms. of rosin and 

 add 5 Gms. of the oil previously ground with ]/ 2 

 Gm. magnesia. Mix well and when cold divide 

 into pills. 



Aroma tin.— According to Schweissitiger, this 

 powder which is said to be the aromatic extrac- 

 tive of the hop, is coarsely powdered gentian 

 root. Apoth. Zeit., 1894,519. 



Pepsin Wine. — This preparation is official in 

 the German Pharmacopoeia, glycerin being 

 employed as a preservative. In the second 

 edition of that work the formula was as follows: 

 Pepsin, 50 Gm.; glycerin, 50 Gm. ; water 50 Gm.; 

 acid hydrochloric, 5 Gm.; white wine, 1845 Gm. 

 That in the later edition, however, is different, 

 being: pepsin, 24 parts; glycerin, 20; acid hydro- 

 chloric, 3; water, 20; syrup, 92; tinct. auraut, 2; 

 sherry wine, 839, or enough to make 1000 parts. 

 The first four ingredients are directed to be mixed 

 together and allowed to stand eight days. Fil- 

 tration is then performed, and the other ingre- 

 dients are added. Schmiedeberg objects to the 

 addition of glycerin as being injurious, and 

 other writers have objected to the use of wine, 

 alleging that the alcohol present might hinder 

 the action of the ferment, though no satisfactory 

 evidence appears to have been produced on 

 either of these points. The addition of syrup is 

 strongly recommended by several of these indi- 

 viduals, but a writer in the Bull Pharm. de 

 Bruxelles suggests that the proportion of syrup 

 should never exceed 20 per cent, as it may check 

 the digestive action of the pepsin, Vulpius having 

 shown that whereas albumin 10 Gm. may be 

 digested in one hour by pepsin 0.10 Gm. in the 

 presence of hydrochloric acid; 10 drops, diluted 

 with water, 100 Gm., the addition of sugar, 10 

 Gm. prolongs the period of digestion one to five 

 hours. The presence of alcohol, 1 Gm., or sweet 

 wine, 4Gm., prolonged the period to one hour 

 and twenty minutes only. — Pharm. Jour. Trans. 



Chromic Acid and Cocaine Hydrochlorate. — 

 James McBain on the dispensing of the follow- 

 ing prescription : 



\\ Acid, chromic. ... 4 Grs. 

 Cocain. hydrochlor - - 7 " 

 Aquae - - - - - 3 ii 

 Solve. 



The acid was dissolved in 3*1. of water, and the 

 cocaine hydrochlorate in the other 31. of water. 

 On mixing the two solutions the whole became 

 thick from the separation of an orange-yellow 

 precipitate. The action seems similar to that of 

 the United States Pharmacopoeia test, in which, 

 on adding 5 Cc. of as per cent, solution of chro- 

 mic acid, to 5 Cc. of a 2 per cent, solution of 

 cocaine hydrochlorate, a yellow precipitate is 

 produced, which re-dissolves on shaking, and 

 again separates as a permanent precipitate on 

 the addition of 1 Cc. of hydrochloric acid. In 

 this case the precipitate did not re dissolve on 

 shaking, and the alkaloidal salt on examination 

 was found to be slightly acid. On applying to 

 the prescriber, he said the cocaine could be 

 omitted, as it was intended to mitigate the pain 

 produced by chromic acid, applied as a caustic. 

 Mr. Hill said this was somewhat analogous to 

 the use of cocaine along with nitric acid. Per- 

 haps the object of the prescriber could have 

 been attained by applying a solution of cocaine 

 first, and after giving time for the production of 

 local anaethesia, apply the chromic acid solu- 

 tion.— Brit, and Col. Drug., 1893, 132. 



Chtysarobin.—C. H&. Sage finds that if the 

 powders are quite dry and are kept away from 

 the light they do not materially change in color, 

 even when wrapped in paper only; neither do 

 they alter much when damp if they are placed 

 in bottles and securely corked; but if they are 

 moist and are left exposed to the air they soon 

 begin to assume a darker color. 



The samples examined consisted of lumps of 

 crude chrysarobin of a pale yellow color, mixed 

 with wood, powder and moisture. The figures 

 comprise the results of the following estima- 

 tions : 



1. Moisture : The loss after drying the pow- 

 dered drug for 12 hours at ioo°C was taken to 

 represent this factor. 2 . Ash : This was estimat- 

 ed by igniting 2 Gms. of the previously powder- 

 ed drug 3. Chrysarobin. By this is meant the 

 product obtained by extracting with boiling 

 benzol or chloroform ; this was also estimated 

 in 2 Gms. of the previously dried powdered 

 drug. 



1. The average amount of moisture found in 

 72 samples was 12.7 per cent.; the lowest figure 

 obtained being 1.7 per cent, and the highest 

 39.7 per cent. Three of the samples contained 

 over 30 per cent, of moisture, 11 between 20 and 



