Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Apri],1889. 
Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals. 
175 
the  disease/'  He  adds  :  "  Physicians,  on  account  of  the  scant  inform- 
ation we  have  as  to  the  physiological  action  of  chlorate  of  potassium, 
use  this  medicament  with  the  same  imprudence  and  the  same  indiffer- 
ence as  they  have  formerly  shown." 
Prof.  Ball's  Purgative  Pills. — The  Repert.  de  Phar.,  Feb. 
10,  gives,  by  permission,  the  formula  of  a  pill  which  appears  to  have 
become  popular  with  Parisian  prescribers.  It  is  as  follows :  Aloes 
(soc),  1  gm. ;  res.  scammony  and  jalap  of  each,  50  cgm. ;  calomel,  50 
cgm. ;  ext.  belladonna  and  hyoscyamus  of  each,  25  cgm. ;  medicinal 
soap,  q.  s.  (about  2  gm.).    Make  50  pills.    Dose,  3  to  5  daily. 
Petrolatum  Cerate. — M.  Nicot  (Bull.  gen.  de  The'rap.,  Feb. 
15),  praises  this  composition,  which  he  describes  as  being  "a  very 
unctuous  and  homogeneous  preparation  of  immaculate  whiteness." 
He  adds  that  petrolatum,  which  is  a  good  excipient  in  most  ointments, 
need  not  be  thought  out  of  place  for  cerate.  His  formula  is  :  White 
petrolatum,  500  gm.  •  oil  of  sweet  almonds,  50  gm. ;  white  wax,  50 
gm.  Melt  with  gentle  heat  and  mix  in  a  warm  mortar,  adding 
slowly,  50  gm.  of  rose-water.  For  cold  cream  the  white  wax  should 
be  replaced  with  spermaceti. 
Detection  of  Acetone  in  Urine. — Add  to  the  urine  a  few 
drops  of  a  concentrated  solution  of  nitro-prussiate  of  soda,  and  make 
the  solution  alkaline  by  adding  potash.  A  red  coloration  appears  and 
then  goes  off ;  add  acetic  acid,  and,  if  acetone  be  present,  we  get  a 
dark  violet  color.  To  find  diacetic  acid,  perchloride  of  iron  is  used  ; 
it  gives  a  dark  red  color.  Urine  containing  thalline,  antipyrine  and 
salicylic  or  phenic  acid  gives  the  same  reaction  with  perchloride  of 
iron,  but  with  diacetic  acid  the  color  disappears  on  boiling.  If  urine 
be  boiled  before  adding  the  perchloride  of  iron,  the  reaction  does  not 
take  place  in  the  case  of  diacetic  acid,  but  occurs  as  usual  with  the 
other  substances.  Urine  should  be  subjected  to  analysis  as  soon  as 
possible,  lest  the  diacetic  acid  decompose  into  acetone  and  carbonic 
acid. — Bull,  de  la  Soc.  de  Phar.  de  Bordeaux  ;  Nouv.  rem.,  Feb.  24. 
Preparation  of  Iodoform.— Fifty  parts  of  potassium  iodide,  six  parts 
of  acetone  and  two  parts  of  sodium  hydroxide  are  dissolved  in  one  or  two  litres 
of  cold  water.  Into  this  mixture  there  is  poured,  drop  by  drop,  with  con- 
stant stirring,  a  dilute  solution  of  sodium  hypochlorite.  Iodoform  is  quickly 
produced  and  precipitated.  Further  addition  of  hypochlorite  is  made  until 
the  acetone  or  all  of  the  iodine  has  disappeared. — H.  Sulliot  and  H.  Ray- 
naud, in  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  Chimique  de  Paris,  Vol.  2,  No.  1. — C.  B. 
