NOTE  ON  CITRATE  OF  IRON  AND  STRYCHNIA.  127 
Propylamin  is  prepared  by  taking  any  convenient  quantity  of 
herring  pickle,  obtained  from  the  dealers  in  salt  fish ;  this  is  put 
in  a  retort  or  tight  still  with  sufficient  potash  to  render  the  liquid 
strongly  alkaline,  and  the  liquid  heated.  A  well  refrigerated 
receiver,  containing  some  distilled  water,  being  attached,  heat 
is  applied  as  long  as  the  distillate  has  the  odor  of  herrings. 
This  is  then  saturated  with  hydrochloric  acid,  evaporated  care- 
fully to  dryness,  and  the  dry  crystalline  mass  exhausted  with 
absolute  alcohol,  which  dissolves  the  propylamin  salt  and  leaves 
the  muriate  of  ammonia.  From  the  former,  the  pure  propylamin 
may  be  obtained  in  solution  by  means  of  hydrate  of  lime  using 
strong  precautions  to  refrigerate  and  condense  the  vapors  which 
are  actively  disengaged  almost  without  heating.  When  made 
from  ergot,  Winckler  recommends  that  a  solution  of  the  extract 
of  ergot,  known  as  ergotine,  be  distilled  with  solution  of  potassa, 
using  the  precaution  to  have  some  water  acidulated  with  muriatic 
acid  in  the  receiver  which  should  be  well  refrigerated.  For  medi- 
cal purposes  it  will  be  better  to  employ  herring  pickle,  as  the 
source  of  propylamin. 
NOTE  ON  CITRATE  OF  IRON  AND  STRYCHNIA. 
Pittsburgh,  February  4,  1859. 
Prop.  Procter  : — 
Dear  Sir, — Soliciting,  in  the  last  number  of  your  Journal, 
the  opinion  of  the  medical  fraternity,  in  regard  to  the  new  com. 
bination  of  Citrate  of  Iron  and  Strychnia,  as  to  what  propor- 
tion in  a  therapeutical  and  medical  point  would  be  most  desira- 
ble, permit  me  to  state,  that  I  have  prepared  it  for  some  time 
past,  by  the  request  of  several  of  our  physicians,  in  the  propor- 
tion of 
Strychnise  cryst.  1  part, 
Ferri  Citrat.  100  " 
As  such,  it  seems  to  answer  better  than  the  former  suggested 
preparation. 
The  adoption  of  one  uniform  formula  in  all  medical  com- 
pounds, and  especially  with  such  powerful  agents,  is  devoutly  to 
