8.2 
VARIETIES. 
either  valerian  or  belladonna  for  these  reasons  :  first,  because  it  is  not  liable 
to  the  inconveniences  that  attend  the  use  of  the  plants,  the  alcoholic  ex- 
tracts and  powders  of  which  are  almost  always  so  uncertain  in  their  action 
even  when  recently  prepared,  to  say  nothing  of  the  disagreeable  odor  of 
valerian,  which  renders  it  inadmissible  to  some  patients;  and  secondly  on 
this  account,  that,  like  all  other  active  principles,  it  acts  when  adminis- 
tered in  very  minute  doses,  and  most  frequently  with  a  certainty  that  may  be 
depended  upon.    Annals  of  Pharmacy,  Nov.  1853. 
Production  of  Iodine  in  France.-  According  to  Payen,  the  manufacture  of 
iodine  in  France  affords  300.000  kilogrammes  of  sulphate  of  potash,  340,000 
kilogrammes  of  chloride  of  sodium,  3,450  kilogrammes  of  iodine*or  an  equi- 
valent quantity  of  iodide  of  potassium,  and  250  kilogrammes  of  bromine  or 
bromide  of  potassium,  and  2,000,000  kilogrammes  of  dry  lixivated  residue. 
The  consumption  of  iodine  in  the  last  year  has  risen  so  high  that  the  quanti- 
ty produced  in, France  is  not  sufficient  for  French  consumption,  and  on  that 
account  foreign  iodine  must  be  introduced. —Annals  of  P harm. }  July.  1853. 
New  Cement — By  L.  Relford.— This  improved  cement  is  formed  by  the 
admixture  of  the  following  ingredients;  viz. — 64  parts  by  weight  of  gutta 
pei  ©ha,  16  parts  of  caoutchouc,  8  parts  of  pitch,  4  parts  of  shellac^  and  8  parts 
of  oil.  The  ingredients  are  melted  together,  the  caoutchouc  having  pre- 
viously been  dissolved.-  This  cement  is  used  for  uniting  the  parts  of  boots 
and  shoes,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  articles  of  dress  in  which  cement  is  re- 
quired.— IbtcL 
Improvements  in  Deodorizing  Cod-Liver  Gil.  By  Sir  James  Murray,  knt,7 
m.d. — This  invention,  for  which  a  patent  has  been  obtained,  consists  in  sub- 
jecting cod-liver  oil,  placed  in  high  pressure  cylinders  made  of  silver  or 
other  suitable  material,  to  the  influence  of  carbonic  acid  gas  in  combination 
with  continuous  agitation.  For  this  purpose  an  apparatus  of  a  similar  kind 
to  that  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  soda-water  is  made  use  of,  which 
should  be  sufficiently  strong  to  withstand  a  pressure  of  200  lbs.  on  the  square 
inch.  By  means  of  agitators  or  beaters  attached  to  the  revolving  axle  of  the 
cylinder,  the  carbonic  acid,  injected  by  a  force-pump,  is  brought  into  contact 
with  every  particle  of  the  oil,  which  thus  becomes  deodorized,  the  unpleasant 
odor  or  flavor  being  discharged  by  suitable  contrivances  into  the  atmosphere. 
Instead  of  oil  alone,  any  admixture  of  it  with  alkaline,  mucilaginous,  or 
other  solutions,  maybe  treated  in  a  similar  manner  to  that  above  mentioned. 
— London  Pharm.  Journal,  Oct.,  1853. 
The  Solubility  of  Biniodide  of  Mercury  in  Cod-Liver  Oil. — I  find  by  experi- 
ment that  cod-liver  oil  possesses  the  property  of  dissolving  biniodide  of  mer- 
cury, and  as  both  are  often  administered  at  the  same  time,  the  medical  piac- 
titioner  will  find  it  convenient  when  these  remedies  are  required  to  be  gives 
