124  GLEANINGS  FROM  AMERICAN  JOURNALS. 
about  2  per  cent,  of  quinia  and  one  of  cinchonia,  bruise  it  finely 
and  add  to  it  half  its  weight  of  hydrated  lime  in  powder.  Treat 
the  mixture  with  boiling  alcohol  till  exhausted,  and  distill 
off  the  alcohol  from  the  resulting  -  tincture  by  aid  of  a  water  or 
steam  bath  to  dryness.  The  residue  is  quinium,  which  contains 
33  per  cent,  of  its  weight  in  cinchona  alkaloids.  It  is  therefore 
very  much  richer  in  alkaloids  than  the  best  extracts  of  cinchona, 
and  the  preparations  made  from  it  are  of  course  easily  made  more 
active,  and  as  it  is  graduated  in  strength,  more  uniform. 
Wine  of  quinium  is  prepared  by  dissolving  4J  parts  of 
quinium  in  1000  parts  of  white  wine,  such  as  sherry  and  maderia  ; 
this  is  about  equal  to  about  35  grains  to  the  pint.  M.  Dorvault 
says  the  dose  is  from  three  to  six  fluidounccs  in  24  hours  as  an 
antiperiodic  in  fevers,  and  from  an  ounce  and  a  half  to  three 
ounces  per  day  as  a  tonic. 
We  do  not  know  the  precise  solubility  of  quinium,  but  may 
hazard  the  opinion  that  a  stronger  solution  with  a  less  dose  would 
be  preferable  when  the  stimulating  effects  of  the  alcohol  are  not 
needed. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  AMERICAN  JOURNALS. 
By  The  Editor. 
Bite  of  the  Centipede. — Dr.  Rounsaville,  of  Bluffton,  Arkansas, 
(in  Nashville  Jour.  Med.  and  Surg.,  Jan.  1868),  describes  a  case 
where  a  man,  24  years  old,  was  bitten  by  a  centipede  on  the  arm, 
the  insect  having  been  caught  between  his  arm  and  a  rail  he  was 
lifting.  The  animal  had  sunk  every  foot  into  the  skin,  causing  a 
double  row  of  black  dotted  impressions  nine  lines  apart  and  five 
inches  in  length;  the  arm  was  greatly  swollen,  having  an  erysipe- 
latous blush  over  half  its  extent,  with  deep,  dull  pain  and  nausea. 
The  part  was  cupped  and  scarified  and  tincture  of  chloride  of  iron 
applied,  with  16  grs.  doses  of  bromide  of  potassium  every  half 
hour  until  7  doses  were  taken.  The  patient  recovered  without 
serious  inconvenience  about  the  6th  day  after.  The  author 
believes  that  each  foot  of  the  animal  is  charged  with  poison,  but 
he  does  not  appear  to  have  based  this  opinion  on  any  micro- 
scopic examination  of  its  anatomy. 
