146 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



vered crucible, there is always procured a button which is an alloy 

 of potassium and antimony. 



When well dried oxalate of lead mixed with very small portions 

 of potassium, perfectly freed from naphtha, is put into the bottom 

 of a glass tube, air being carefully excluded, by excess of the ox- 

 alate a violent detonation suddenly takes place, before the heat is 

 sufficiently great to effect the decomposition of the oxalate, when 

 no potassium is present. The tube is spotted with metallic lead, 

 the potassium is oxidized, and there is no carbon deposited. An 

 examination of the gas resulting from this instantaneous decomposi- 

 tion may elucidate the nature of the oxalates ; but hitherto the ap- 

 paratus employed has always been broken by the explosion. Ox- 

 alate of copper treated in the same way also occasions strong de- 

 tonation, and metallic copper appears. — Journ. de Pharm. Nov. 

 1826. 



SEIDLITZ POWDERS. 



M. Planche, one of the editors of the Journal de Pharmacie, re- 

 marks that Dr. Paris in his Pharmacol ogia has given the composi- 

 tion of what are termed Patent Seidlitz Powders, as consisting of 

 Rochelle salt, bicarbonate ofsoda,and tartaric acid. And M. Planche, 

 after stating the surprise of M. Robinet that any powders so named 

 should contain no sulphate of magnesia, proposes the following for- 

 mula as an improvement : 



Take of Sulphate of magnesia, in fine powder, ^ij 



Bicarbonate of soda 3ij 



Mix carefully, and mark it Powder No. 1. 



Tartaric acid in fine powder, gr. xl. 

 Mark it Powder No. 2. 

 There then follow the usual directions for mixing in water and taking 

 during effervescence. 



Previously to giving this improved formula, M. Planche favour^ 

 us with the following tirade against the English Government, for 

 suffering Patent Seidlitz Powders to be sold without containing sul- 

 phate of magnesia : " The English Government, which receives a 

 considerable duty from all secret remedies, takes but little trouble 

 to inquire whether the remedy is new, efficacious or dangerous ; it 

 is sufficient that it be productive to the revenue, to allow of its 

 being authorized." Does not M. Planche know that the spirit of 

 quackery is the same on both sides of the Channel ! For whose be- 

 nefit, but that of the apothecaries, is the Codex medicamentariiis au- 

 thorized by the French Government, stuffed with such disgusting 

 preparations as frog, lizard, viper, and snail broth ? 



One word more to M. Planche. In his short notice he has had 

 occasion to mention two English names, and he has made two ri- 

 diculous blunders. First we have " la Pharmacologic du Dr. John 

 Ayrton, Paris, edition de 18^0." By thus using italic type for 

 Dr. John Ajjrton, and roman type for Paris, with a comma between 

 them, M. Planche's countrymen may suppose Dr. John Ayrton's 

 work had been printed at Paris, instead of the author's name being 



John 



