December 14,1872.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
470 
“ Beef Tea. —Take 2 lb. of beef, free from all fat; mince it 
as fine as you can, and put it into ajar, with one pint of cold 
water, to stand inside the fender for a couple of hours; now 
strain off the water, and put it by, replacing it by another 
pint of tepid water. Put the jar nearer the fire, or on the 
kitchener, so as to keep the water hot without boiling. After 
the lapse of another couple of hours strain this off, and mix 
it with the first pint you strained off. Transfer the minced 
meat into a saucepan : add one pint of boiling water to it, and 
let it boil for one hour; strain and mix with the first two 
pints. Let the whole give one boil; add salt, and the beef 
tea is ready for use.” 
“ The theorique of the above process is this. Meat contains 
various substances, all of them nourishing; but some, as 
albumen, are only soluble in cold water, others tepid water 
alone will dissolve, and others again can be brought out by 
the action of boiling water alone. By treating the meat with 
cold, tepid and boiling water separately, all that is to be got 
out of it is obtained; and the result is, as it must be, the 
best beef tea that can be made.” 
As might have been expected, the preserved Australian 
meat is referred to, and'although it was not likely to he 
quite suited to the taste of “ The G.C.,” who complains 
•<sf its being over-cooked, he describes several very appe¬ 
tizing dishes which can be made from it. 
An interesting chapter on salads calls attention to a 
subject very much neglected in this country. Boldly 
rejecting that great favourite of the British greengrocer, 
mustard and cress, the author mentions several com¬ 
paratively unused salad plants, especially the dandelion, 
and states generally that any vegetable which is not 
positively unwholesome when uncooked may form the 
foundation of a salad. Those who wish for further in¬ 
formation upon this subject may consult an article, 
reprinted from Nature, in the present series of this Jour¬ 
nal, vol. I. p. 167. 
One point—too often neglected—that adds to the 
reader’s comfort and confidence in the writer of this book 
is, that the orthography and accentuation of the French 
names are generally correct. In one line, however, there 
is the double trip of “celeri” and “creme.” 
The second book upon the list is addressed to a diffe¬ 
rent class of readers. Written by an author who has 
.recently been attempting to demonstrate “ How to live 
on sixpence a day,”—a proceeding that might be supposed 
to do away with the necessity for cooking, —it is not 
surprising that the recipes as a rule are more suited for 
persons of straitened means than those in the manual 
first-mentioned. It would perhaps characteristically 
illustrate both books, though in somewhat an exaggerated 
manner, to quote a flavouring from each. In ‘ Round 
the Table ’ the addition of a bottle of sherry to the water 
a ham is boiled in is recommended; in ‘ How to Cook,’ 
.the final touch to a Poor Man’s Potato Pie is a boned 
bloater cut up with the fat as a nice change of flavour. 
There is, however, in the introductory chapter of ‘ How 
to Cook ’ a great deal of much-wanted information on 
the. food question, and, considering the low price at 
which it is published, the book is certainly a good one. 
The following journals have been received The ‘ British 
Medical Journal,’ December 7; the ‘Medical Times and 
Gazette,’ December 7; the ‘ Lancet,’ December 7; the 
1 Medical Press and Circular,’ December 7 ; ‘ Nature,’ De¬ 
cember 7; the ‘Chemical News,’ December 7; ‘English 
Mechanic,’ December 7; ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ December 
7; the ‘ Grocer,’ December 7; the ‘Journal of the Society of 
Arts,’ December 7; ‘ Grocery News,’ December 7; ‘ Bulletin 
de l’Academie de Medecine for November 19 ; Evans, Lescher 
and Evans’ ‘Monthly Price List,’ ‘Western Lancet’ for 
October; ‘Journal of Applied Science’ for December; 
‘ Scientific American,’ November 30; ‘ Neues Repertorium 
fiir Pharmacie; Malk Journal tor December; ‘iVTomteur 
Scientifique for December; ‘British Journal of Dental 
■Science ’ for December; ‘ Practitioner ’ for December; ‘ Food, 
Water, and Air ’ for December; ‘ Michigan University 
Medical Journal ’ for November; the ‘ Hull Packet and East 
Riding Times,’ from a correspondent. 
CumspitirtKa. 
Ao notice can he taken of anonymous communica- 
tions. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily 
for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. 
Pharmacy in Germany. 
Sir,—Many of your readers are probably aware of the 
monopoly that exists at the present time throughout Ger¬ 
many, in the acquirement and possession of pharmacies. 
This is naturally esteemed by many as an injustice to the 
bulk of the profession. At a meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3, of the 
Berlin branch of the German Chemists’ Asssistants’ Associa¬ 
tion,. the subject was brought forward in the shape of a 
petition, proposed to be presented next session to the ‘Bun- 
desrath,’ requesting its early attention to the state of phar¬ 
macy in the empire, especially in relation to the principle of 
free trade. The petition states that in the course of the 
year 300 men pass their examinations, and that in the same 
period thirty assistants (at the most) become proprietors by 
“concession,” and about 100 by “purchase.” This leaves 
annually 170 as assistants, many of whom in preference to 
remaining as such for probably a very considerable period, 
devote themselves to another calling. This accounts in a 
large measure for the great scarcity of assistants. The petition 
also maintains that as the greater portion of prescriptions 
are dispensed, and the most important operations conducted 
by the assistants, the public are as much, or even more de¬ 
pendent on them than on the proprietors themselves. Never¬ 
theless, the only men to whom the pharmaceutical profession 
opens a career of independence, are either those who are 
already in possession of considerable means for the pm-chase 
of the few businesses for disposal, or those who expect a 
“ concession ” of a pharmacy from a father or near relative. 
After looking at the matter from other points of view, the 
petition closes with the remark, that the longer legislation on 
the point of free trade is postponed, the more difficulties will 
it present; as every year by the concessions granted for new 
pharmacies, there will be a proportionately greater number of 
proprietors requiring compensation for existing rights and 
privileges. 
How this and similar petitions will be received by the 
German Parliament will be seen in the course of a short 
time. Walter Hills. 
Berlin, December 6th , 1872. 
Disinfectants and Disinfecting. 
Sir,—In your editorial article of 9th November on “Deo¬ 
dorizers, Disinfectants, and Antiseptics ” you very properly 
point out the fact that, “ In spite of the highly poisonous 
nature of carbolic acid, it is generally preferred as a disinfec¬ 
tant.” You also suggest, that could some harmless and effi¬ 
cient variety of carbolic acid be introduced to the public it 
would be readily adopted. Permit us to point out that such 
preparations have for many years existed in the form of 
“ M‘Dougall’s Patent Carbolic Disinfectants,” which are now 
coming into general use. These preparations, whilst possess¬ 
ing all the valuable antiseptic properties of carbolic acid, 
have also the powerful deodorizing effects of sulphurous 
acid, both these substances being in a neutral form, i.e., as 
combinations of carbolate of lime and sulphite of magnesia. 
The public should be informed that carbolic acid acts as a 
poison simply through its powerful causticity, which destroys 
the skin and the mucous membrane, and that may be neu¬ 
tralized by admixture with lime, soda, or other alkali. 
This causticity, whilst most useful to the surgeon, in no 
way increases the antiseptic properties of carbolic acid, and 
the carbolates are as efficacious in this respect as the raw 
carbolic acid, whilst perfectly free from danger. 
We have for many years endeavoured to instil this fast into 
the public mind ; and since carbolic acid in combination with 
sulphurous acid (in a neutral form) was recommended by the 
Royal Commission on Cattle Plague as the best disinfectant, 
it is time that these harmless and efficient preparations should 
be universally adopted. 
It is supposed by many that because the soap prepared 
with carbolic acid instantly destroys insect life, that it must 
therefore be poisonous to animals. Such is not the case. It 
destroys these parasites not by poison, but by coagulating the 
albumen of which they are chiefly composed (instead of 
blood), thus stopping their circulation and causing death. 
