204 
GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Am.  Jour.  Pharmacy. 
Dear  Sir. — In  the  March  number  of  your  excellent  Journal, 
p.  127,  you  profess  to  quote  me,  saying,  "  He  considers  atropia 
cumulative  in  its  action."  For  twenty-five  years  I  have  taught 
the  folly  of  this  bug-bear — cumulative  action.  I  have  never  once 
seen  this  effect,  nor  can  I  find  an  individual  who  has.  Let  me 
quote  in  full  what  I  did  say.  "  The  efiects  of  atropia  remain 
longer  in  the  system  than  any  medicine  of  its  class.  If  we  com- 
pare it  with  the  narcotics  we  find  that  they  are  all  eliminated 
from  the  system  in  a  quicker  time  than  atropia.  If  we  compare 
it  with  the  sedatives  we  find  the  same  result.  Medicinal  doses 
of  atropia  of  of  a  grain  will  produce  effects  that  will  not  sub- 
side in  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  and  frequently  they  last  for 
double  that  time.  Caution,  therefore,  need  be  used  in  administer- 
ing this  remedy,  and  doses  must  not  be  repeated  too  often, 
otherwise  the  system  may  be  overwhelmed  by  the  accumulated 
influence  of  one  dose  given  before  the  effects  of  previous  doses 
have  sufficiently  passed  over."  In  my  monograph  on  digitalin, 
p.  35,  this  subject  of  cumulative  action  is  discussed,  and  Dr.  A. 
Fleming,  in  Ed.  Med.  Jour.,  1862,  has  written  a  very  able  and 
lucid  paper  on  this  subject. 
It  hardly  looks  well  that  you  make  me  say  one  thing  in  your 
journal  when  I  have  for  years  taught  the  contrary. 
Yours  respectfully, 
S.  R.  Percy. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editoe. 
On  the  emulsion  of  medicinal  oils. — M.  Nougaret,  of  Bordeaux, 
(Jour,  de  Pharm.,  Jan.,  1869,)  proposes  to  emulsionize  oils  in 
the  following  manner  :  Take  a  perfectly  dry  bottle  ;  introduce 
a  troy  ounce  of  castor  oil,  for  example,  and  75  grains  of  pulver- 
ized gum  arable,  and  agitate  them  until  the  powder  is  mixed  with 
the  oil ;  then  add  a  troy  ounce  of  orgeat  syrup  and  three  drachms 
of  water.  Agitate  again  with  the  addition  of  small  quantities  of 
the  vehicle.  In  about  five  minutes  the  emulsion  is  complete.  The 
success  is  constant  when  care  is  taken,  first,  to  envelope  the  gum 
