60 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
November, 1882. 
with the value of science to the farmer, and ran through the 
various points of interest in agriculture. The effects of dis- 
foresting, deficient drainage, manures, rotation, food of plants, 
functions of their organs, the applications of geology, meteor- 
ology, botany, and chemistry were severally discussed. A 
word was said on behalf of the birds ; the value of chemical 
fertilisers, the utilisation of waste, the formation of new 
industries, & c., were forcibly spoken of. A vote of thanks, 
cordially responded to by the audience, showed their apprecia- 
tion of the lecturer’s remarks. 
(Eomspcnbcnie. 
To the Editor of The Australasian Supplement to the Chemist 
and Druggist . 
Sir — Respecting the assertion of your amusing correspondent 
“ Natrium,” in your October number, that “ if the chemists 
and druggists of Otago could have foreseen the position of 
pharmacy in New Zealand in September, 1882, there would 
have been neither Pharmacy Act or Pharmacy Board in exist- 
ence,” I would simply repeat the remark of Sir Joseph Banks 
when he boiled a potful of fleas, and the result was unsatisfac- 
tory to that distinguished naturalist — “ Fleas are not lobsters.” 
So Otago is not New Zealand, nor its pharmacists omnipotent, 
Pakeha Tacoota. 
Wellington, N.Z., 4th November, 1882. 
poles anb Abstracts. 
Carbolic Acid turning Red. — The cause of this change 
is not exactly known, but is generally attributed to the 
presence of ammonia and nitrous compounds in the atmo- 
sphere. A deep red colour would not be admissible, but 
a slight pinkish tint is not considered objectionable in car- 
bolic acid intended for internal use. 
Utilising Liquid Carbonic Acid.— Krupp, the great gun 
manufacturer, is said to be employing at his works a very 
ingenious way of recovering the coils of guns which have 
become useless. He heats the barrel to redness, and then 
introduces liquid carbonic acid. The cold thus produced 
causes shrinkage, and allows the coils to be removed. 
Thrift and Science. — The Univers professes to explain 
the mystery of the collection of used postage-stamps. It states 
that the indigo used in printing them being rather expensive, 
the French post-office itself buys back the old stamps, and 
skilled chemists are employed to extract the indigo, so that it 
may be again employed in making new stamps. 
To Pulverise Zinc. — Zinc becomes exceedingly brittle 
when heated to nearly its melting point. To reduce it to 
powder, therefore, the best plan is to pour melting zinc into a 
dry and warm cast-iron mortar, and as soon as it shows signs 
of solidifying pound it with the pestle. In this way it may 
be reduced to a very fine powder. 
To Detect Alkalies in Nitrate of Silver.— Stolba 
recommends the salt to be dissolved in the smallest quantity 
of water, and to add to the filtered solution hydrofluosilicic 
acid, drop by drop. Should a turpidity appear an alkaline 
salt is present. But should the liquid remain limpid, an 
equal volume of alcohol is to be added, which will cause a 
precipitate in case the slightest trace of an alkali be present. 
Removal of Plaster-of- Paris Bandages.— Dr. F. H. 
Murdock, of Bradford, Pa., says:— “A very convenient way 
to remove a plaster-of- Paris bandage is as follows Take a 
strong solution of nitric acid, and by means of a camel’s hair 
pencil paint a strip across the bandage at the most desirable 
point for division. The acid will so soften the plaster that it 
may be readily divided by means of an ordinary jack-knife.” 
Absorption of Poisons by Plants.— Late experiments 
by Prof. Phillips appear to confirm the theory of Freytag, 
that plants absorb all soluble matters indiscriminately through 
their rootlets, and that the absorption of poisonous metals 
causes no disturbance until a certain degree of concentration 
is reached, when the plant rapidly withers and dies. It is 
thus of the greatest importance to prevent any crop-growing 
soil from becoming impregnated with any poisonous elements. 
Indelible Aniline Marking Ink,— Dissolve 1 oz. of 
cupric chloride in 3£ ozs. of distilled water, and add 1J ozs. 
of common salt, and 1£ ozs. aqua ammonia. One volume of 
this solution is then mixed with four parts of a solution pre- 
pared as follows : Aniline hydro-chlorate, 3| ozs.; distilled 
water, 2£ ozs.; gum arabic solution (gum 1 oz., water 2 ozs.), 
2£- ozs.; glycerine, 1£ ozs - Die greenish liquid resulting is an 
excellent indelible ink for linen, although the characters 
written with it do not develop a full black colour until after 
exposure to the air for a day or two if not hot pressed. 
Use of Pyrogallic Acid.— M. Vidal, after using pyro- 
gallic acid with care in the treatment of psoriasis, has tried a 
salve with good effect to heal phagedenic ulcers and to 
cicatrise chancres. He applied it to the ulcer daily for three 
days, and states that the pain caused is only moderate, and 
lasts but from eight to ten minutes. The formula he recom- 
mends is acid pyrogallic 20 grams and lard or vaseline 100 
grams. — Bull, Soc. de Therap. 
Iodoform Insanity. — According to Max Schede ( Central - 
hlatt fur Cliirurgie , No. 3, 1882) the use of iodoform ex- 
ternally, particularly in children, has been attended by marked 
psychical symptoms, even at times amounting to true insanity. 
General mental confusion has in at least two instances been 
traced to it, recovering when local applications of iodoform 
to wounds have been removed, and reappearing on their 
reapplication. He has had also one case of deep melancholia 
result from its use, two cases of raptus melancholicus, and the 
three cases of simple depression. It is probable that iodoform 
only has these effects in patients of a neuropathic diathesis. — 
Chicago Med. Review, 15th March. 
Mosquito Oil. — A correspondent from Sheepshead Bay, a 
place celebrated for the size of its mosquitoes and the number 
of its amateur fishermen, recommends the following as a very 
good mixture for anointing the face and hands while fishing : 
Oil of tar 1 ounce. 
Olive oil 1 ounce. 
Oil of pennyroyal £ ounce. 
Spirit of camphor £ ounce. 
Glycerine \ ounce. 
Carbolic acid 2 drachms. 
Mix. Shake well before using. 
MM. Weber and Thomas, of the French army ( Lancet , p. 
152), state that they have prepared tow in a chemically pure 
state, of perfect whiteness, soft, very elastic and readily 
absorbent, easily impregnated with antiseptics, and cheap. It 
is obtained by treating ordinary tow with caustic soda, and 
afterwards washing with solution of hypochlorite of soda to 
bleach it, the alkali being subsequently removed by 
hydrochloric acid. The cost of the tow is stated to be 1£ fr. 
to If fr. per kilo, or when carbolised 2 fr. to 2\ fr. per kilo. 
To impregnate it with carbolic acid, a solution of three parts 
of the acid in two of alcohol is sprinkled on sheets of filter 
paper laid between sheets of tow and placed in a closed box. 
In forty-eight hours the acid is said to pass entirely into the 
tow. The tow is thus made to contain 10 per cent, of carbolic 
acid. The medical papers are now largely discussing phthisis 
from various aspects, and it is within the limits of possibility 
that the pharmaceutical chemist may be called upon to 
provide test solutions for detecting the Bacillus tuberculosus. 
It may be as well for him to know therefore that Dr. H. 
Gibbes, curator of the King’s College Museum, London, 
publishes, in the Lancet (p. 183), a new method of detecting 
the Bacillus tuberculosus in phthisical sputa, which he says 
he has found more successful than either Koch’s or Ehrlich’s 
process. The solutions he uses are those of magenta crystals, 
and chrysoidin, and the formula given is: — Magenta crystals, 
2 grams ; pure aniline, 3 grams; alcohol, specific gravity *130, 
and distilled water, 20 cubic centimetres. The aniline is 
dissolved in the spirit and then rubbed up with the magenta 
in a glass mortar, adding the spirit gradually until all is 
dissolved, then adding the water slowly while stirring. The 
solution should be kept in a stoppered bottle. The solution of 
chrysoidin is a saturated one in distilled water, a crystal of 
thymol being added to preserve it. Dilute nitric acid, made 
of one part of commercial acid and two of distilled water, is 
used to remove the excess of colour after using the magenta 
stain. According to Dr. Gibbes the bacilli, when mounted, 
can be detected with daylight by an ordinary quarter-inch 
objective, and a one-eighth dry glass will show with the same 
illumination that they are rows of spherical bodies. 
