THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[March 1,1873, 
G8T 
in glycerine under various conditions; one gram of 
tlae quinine salt being used in each case:— 
Quantity of 
Glycerine. 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
Cooled suddenly 
to 0° C. 
Cooled slowly to 
15° C. 
Nature of Salt. 
1 grain. 
Boil¬ 
ing. 
30° 
c. 
Time 
em¬ 
ployed. 
Effect on 
Solution, j 
Sulphate 
2gr. 
sol. 
ins. 
ins. 
10 min. 
Deposited 
in a mass. 
12 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
ins. 
1 day 
A few 
crystals. 
24 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
S days 
Remained 
clear. 
Hydrochlorate 
1 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
8 hours 
Crystals 
in mass. 
3 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
15 hours 
Remained 
clear. 
5 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
8 days 
Remained 
clear. 
Lactate 
1 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
4 hours 
Remained 
clear. 
2 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
24 hours 
Remained 
clear. 
4 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
4 days 
Remained 
clear. 
Acetate 
4 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
] 0 hours 
Remaiued 
clear. 
4 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
3 days 
Deposited 
in a mass. 
12 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
8 days 
Remained 
clear. 
Sulphovinate 
2 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
4 hours 
Remained 
clear. 
4 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
1 day 
Remained 
clear. 
Formate 
2 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
8 hours 
Remained 
clear. 
4 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
3 days 
Remained 
clear. 
Hypophosphite 
4 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
4 days 
No crys¬ 
tals. 
Tannate 
3 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
3 days 
Cloudy 1 
without 
crystals. 
5 gr. 
sol. 
sol. 
sol. 
1 month 
Remained 
clear. 
M. Schlagdenhauffen has found the tannate of 
quinine to be more soluble than lias been previously 
stated* he having obtained both warm and cold so¬ 
lutions containing 0'33 gram in each cubic centi¬ 
metre of glycerine. It is necessary, in preparing 
these solutions, to heat the glycerine to boiling point, 
but once dissolved, the tannate is retained in solution 
during upwards of two months if kept hi stoppered 
bottles. Exposed to the air the syrupy liquor com¬ 
mences to form a whitish crust, which augments 
rapidly after a few days, and consists of amorphous 
tannate. So concentrated an infusion would be too 
thick for injections, but one containing 0‘22 gram to 
the cubic centimetre might be used. 
The conclusion drawn by the author from his ex¬ 
periments is that a glycerine solution of a salt of 
quinine may be used for hypodermic injection some 
time after its preparation, since a sufficiently con¬ 
centrated solution remains perfectly clear without 
deposit of crystals. The following table shows the 
length of time during which glycerine solutions of 
the different solutions remain serviceable :— 
Sulphate containing 
0-04 
gram per c.c. 
1 day. 
Hypophosphite 
99 
0-25 
9 ) 
99 
4 days. 
Hydrochlorate 
99 
0-33 
99 
99 
16 hours. 
F ormate 
99 
0-50 
99 
99 
8 hours. 
Acetate 
99 
0-25 
99 
99 
10 hours. 
Sulphovinate 
99 
0-50 
99 
99 
19 hours. 
Lactate 
99 
0-50 
99 
99 
1 day. 
Tannate 
99 
0-33 
99 
99 
3 days. 
The necessity for using these solutions shortly 
after their preparation, because of their tendency 
to crystallize,* is undoubtedly an inconvenience, but 
if they be kept at a temperature of 30° C. (80° F.) 
they will remain perfectly clear and fit for use during 
a week or a fortnight. 
The glycerine solutions of quinine are precipitated 
by water, and also in the presence of albuminous 
liquids, for which reason they would appear to be 
unsuited for use hypodermically, lest nodosities 
should be formed. But careful experiments in the 
civil hospitals of Strasbourg appear to have shown 
that in using the liypophosphite, hydrochlorate, sul- 
phovinate and lactate no such inconvenience has 
resulted. Experiments with the tannate, however, 
have not at present been made. 
FENNEL FLOWER SEED, OR BLACK 
CUMIN SEED. 
BY P. I. SIMMONDS. 
In the very interesting paper “ On Some Drugs 
from Morocco,” read by Dr. Leared and published 
in the Journal of the 8th ult., under the name of 
Sanous, an unidentified seed is mentioned. From a 
sample of it shown me by Mr. T. Greenish, there ap¬ 
pears to be no doubt that it is that of Nigella sativa, a 
pungent seed much used in Northern Africa, India, 
and Turkey. Commander F. Jones, whilst surveyor 
for the Hon. East India Company in 1857, included it 
in his catalogue of the articles of the materia medica 
sold in the bazaars of Baghdad, under the Arabic 
name of Hubbeli es Sauda. Mr. M. C. Cooke, in a 
descriptive article on these drugs in my ‘ Technolo¬ 
gist ’ (vol. iv. p. 537), sa} r s that the Hub-sindie of 
Egypt is identical with the Siah-daneh of Persia 
and the Mugrela of Bengal. The Singalese name is 
Kallodooro, and it is used as a condiment in Ceylon. 
I stated in my work on ‘ The Commercial Products 
of the Vegetable Kingdom’ (1853), that the aroma¬ 
tic seeds of some of the species of fennel-flower were 
formerly used instead of pepper, and are said to be 
still employed in Europe in adulterating it. A dark 
and fragrant oil is extracted from the seeds in India, 
* Another possible source of inconvenience might exist in 
the rise of temperature which takes place when concentrated 
glycerine comes in contact with water. In a paper read 
before the American Pharmaceutical Association, Mr. J. P. 
Remington stated that under certain circumstances this 
amounted to 10° F., and the late Professor Parrish said that 
lie had met with cases when the use of concentrated glycerine 
in preparations for the eye had caused such pain as to give 
rise to a charge against the druggist of having used 'sul¬ 
phuric acid for the purpose of dissolving the alkaloid (see 
Pharm. Journ. [3] vol. ii. p. 903 ).—Ed. Phabii. Jotjen. 
* See Journ. Pharm. et de Chim. vol. xii. p. 211. 
