granulating he considers a distinct advance. — Am. J. Pharm., Phila., 
1906, v. 78, p. 11. 
MALTUM. 
Francis, John M., says the average malt prepared for brewers’ 
use will seldom ever meet the pharmacopceial requirements or pro- 
duce a malt extract of high diastasic power; the malting process is 
not carried on long enough and is usually at too high a temperature. 
Barley grown or sprouted six or seven days gives the best results. 
The practical test, omitted by the pharmacopoeia, is to macerate a 
drachm of crushed malt for half an hour in warm water and test 
this infusion on warm starch paste. One grain of prime extract of 
malt will digest starch paste equivalent to 4 grains of raw starch 
in ten minutes, so that it will not strike a blue color with a drop of 
very dilute solution of iodine. — Bull. Pharm., Detroit, 1906, v. 20, 
p. 98. 
Leger, E., describes the method of isolating hordenine and the 
characters of its salts and derivatives. Clinical results are reported 
by Camus to the Academy of Sciences. — J. de pharm. et de chim., 
Par., 1906, v. 23, pp. 177-181. 
This alkaloid is isomeric with ephedrine, but is a tertiary base, 
melts at 177.8°, is without action on polarized light, and crystallizes 
in orthorombic prisms. — Ibid., v. 23, p. 211. 
Camus says that hordenine sulphate is slightly toxic ; when injected 
or ingested in large dose gives rise to cortical and bulbar symptoms. 
Death is from paralysis of respiration. Recovery complete, rapid, 
and without loss of weight. — Ibid., v. 23, p. 218. 
Has no hsemolysing action, retards more or less the coagulation of 
the blood ; for equal weights the retardation is the same as that pro- 
duced by sodium chloride. — Ibid., v. 23, p. 219. 
Leger submits a structural formula. — Ibid., v. 24, p. 323. 
Frankel and Hamburg report on their experiments to isolate pure 
diastase by separating the substances not possessing diastasic action, 
(from Hofmeister’s Beitriige, 1906, v. 8, pp. 389-398). — Biochem. 
Centralb., Leipz., 1906-7, v. 5, p. 604. 
Harrison and Gair outline the qualities that malt extract should 
possess and record the results of a systematic examination of a num- 
ber of commercial samples. Total solids, maltose, proteids, and 
diastase. — Year Book of Pharmacy, 1906, pp. 279-284. 
H. R. describes the production of extract of malt as observed by 
him in one of the larger establishments in Germany. — Pharm. Ztg., 
Berl., 1906, v. 51, p. 86. 
Ohliger, Willard, reports a sample of diastase of malt which had 
a starch-converting power of 1:15 in ten minutes, while the manu- 
facturers claim 1 : 150. Another brand was found capable of con- 
