72 
THE CHEMIST AND DEUGGIST OF AUSTEALASIA. Apr. 1st, 1886. 
iinb Jattings. 
OLIVE GROWING IN FRANCE. 
During the last season there has been a most abundant 
harvest of olives in the south of France. Some idea of the 
importance of this industry, may be formed from the fact that 
the average value of the crop in the five departments where 
they flourish best, is £1,200,000. This year it will be in 
excess of that amount. The olive tree requires very little 
attention and attains a great age.' There are many in Provence 
which are known to be three or four hundred years old, and if 
you ask an Italian how long an olive tree will last, he will 
jteply “ for ever.” 
HOW TO TAKE A PILL. 
It is very common for patients, especially women, to say 
that they cannot swallow pills, as they “go the wrong. way,” 
or “stick in their throat.” A useful suggestion has laeen 
made by Dr. Samuel E. Wells, of Maryland, U.S.A.,. who 
observes that the common habit of throwing the head back- 
ward, and endeavouring to swallow the pill in that position, 
is often accountable for the difficulty; for if, while eating 
food, the head is thrown back, some difficulty in swallowing 
■will be experienced. He therefore directs patients, when 
swallowing a pill, to look downwards — for instance, to keep 
the eyes fixed on the toes; and he finds that thft"simple 
manceuvre is commonly attended with success. 
SELECTED DISINFECTANTS FOR CHOLERA. 
The International Sanitary Conference at Rome, Italy, has 
recommended as the best means of disinfection against 
cholera : — 1. Steam at 100 deg. C. (212 deg. F.) ; 2. Carbolic 
acid, and chlorinated lime ; B. Aeration. It is understood 
that Dr. Koch preferred carbolic acid to any other chemical 
disinfectant, and that chlorinated lime was recommended by 
Dr. Sternberg, of the U.S. army. The solutions to be nsed 
are as follows : Weak solution of carbolic acid 2 per cent. ; 
strong solution of carbolic acid 5 per cent. ; weak solution of 
chlorinated lime 1 i)er cent. ; strong solution of chlorinated 
lime 4 per cent. 
TREATMENT OF ECZEMA AND ALLIED CUTANEOUS 
AFFECTIONS. 
XjC Progres Medical oi the value of a new product, 
Icthgol, which when ai^plied to the skin, after being moistened 
in warm water, forms a suitable artificial epidermis. It 
should be laid on in imbricated strips, so as to alfect a 
uniform pressure upon the surface of the skin. In chronic 
eczema, j^soriasis, prurigo, lichen, and other cutaneous 
affections, the first application gives relief, and if renewed 
every few hours produces a speedy cure. It does not preclude 
the use of other remedies, and is readily removed by softening 
it with hot water ; an edge being raised the hot water should 
be apj)lied beneath until the entire pellicle is detached. 
SUBSTITUTE FOR COPAIBA. 
Tsuchiakabi is the euphonious name of a new drug hailing 
from Japan, which is to supersede copaiba, cubebs, and all 
medicinal preparations of that class. It is said to be the fruit 
of a kind of orchid, possesses a bitter acid taste, but not of 
an unpleasant flavour. In Japan an aqueous extract is 
made use of, but a spirit-extract has also been prepared. It 
remains to be seen whether reliance may be placed upon 
Tsuchiakabi as a remedy. 
A HALF-CENTURY’S LABOURS. 
We observe that after teaching obstetrics more than fifty 
years in the Medical Department of the University of Georgia, 
Dr. Joseph A. Eye has resigned his post. 
POSTAL TRANSPORT OF PLANT SLIPS. 
The following letter from Baron von Mueller on the transport 
of cuttings w'as lately published in the Gardeners' Chronicle : — 
“ To show the facility with which cuttings also of rather hard- 
wooded plants can be sent to very long distances, I may 
mention that an experiment lately instituted by me in sending 
cuttings of Buddleia Madagascariensis and B. globosa simply 
packed in wax-cloth, by post, all the way to Madras, proved 
perfectly successful, as stated by Mr. Lawson and Mr. Gamble, 
while cuttings of the large-flowered Hypericum shrubs of 
Upper India, and of some other kinds of plants, reached me 
in return also quite safely by the same simple in’ocess. The 
time required for the sending of these cuttings was four to five 
■weeks.” 
STRANGE CAUSE OF DEATH. 
An inmate of Earls wood Asylum died suddenly not long 
ago. On a i^ost mortem being made it was found that his 
stomach contained over two pounds of cocoanut fibre, horse- 
hair, human hair, and decayed leaves. The blocking up of 
the gastric organs by such indigestible foreign substances had 
caused death. 
APOPLEXY. 
Of all the troubles that flesh is heir to, this one is perhaps 
the most fatal, and is an affection of the circulatory system. 
It is ordinarily associated with high living. This does not 
seem to have been the cause in the case of the late Vanderbilt, 
the millionaire, and according to Dr. Maclean, the common 
opinion is quite erroneous in most instances. 
g is j3 ens i Jig g iffi t u Iti cs . 
^‘Juciindi acti laborcsy — Cicero. 
We purpose devoting a portion of our columns each month 
for the solution of problems that may i-)erplex the tyro at the 
dispensing counter, or for the clearing up of any difficulties 
that even the experienced compounder of prescriptions may 
encounter in the course of his daily routine. 
It is a known fact that in (dispensing a mixture, emulsion, 
or liniment, different results may obtain with different opera- 
tors, depending in most instances on the order in which the 
ingredients are put together. Again, incompatibles may be 
prescribed, and from some chemical decomposition, precipi- 
tates may be formed ; then the question naturally arises, shall 
this deposit be filtered off or not? It is to facilitate the 
elucidation of the proper course to pursue, when such a 
dilemma may occur, that we throw open our pages to our 
readers for the procurement of extraneous help ; and we hope 
that the younger section of the drug trade -will take full ad- 
vantage of the opportunity thus afforded them. 
We w’ill be glad to receive queries respecting the modus 
operandi, or best excipient, or otherwise, in cases of doubt. 
We further invite replies from our readers to the questions 
brought forward from time to time. 
Correspondents in this department should endorse their 
communications “ Dispensing Mem.,” and address them to 
the Editor. 
QUERY. 
[1.] How should this prescription be made up and sent 
out? 
15 . Plumbi Acetatis . . . . gr. iv 
Zinci Sulphatis . . . . gr. ij 
Aqu® Ros® . . . . 
M. ft. collyrium. Bis die applicand. 
X.Y.Z. 
