472  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {AmsllZ'Sm&Tm' 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Tanghinln. — M.  Gley  (Comptes  rend,  de  V Acad,  des  Sci.,  June  17) 
announces  that  he  has  separated  from  the  nut  of  Tanghinia  venenifera 
25  grn.  of  a  crystallized  principle  to  which  he  has  given  this  name. 
He  exhausted  the  seeds  of  fat  with  sulphide  of  carbon  and  treated 
the  residuum  with  concentrated  boiling  alcohol,  finally  distilling  the 
liquid  and  proceeding  in  the  usual  way  to  obtain  crystals.  The  sub- 
stance fuses  at  182°  C.  (359*6°  F.),  and,  at  higher  temperatures,  burns 
without  ash ;  it  is  soluble  in  about  200  parts  of  water ;  after  several 
hours'  contact  with  water  it  swells  to  a  thick  mucilage.  It  is  very 
soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether  and  deflects  polarized  light  to  the  left. 
Under  dilute  acids  it  decomposes  into  a  resin  and  "a  minute  quantity 
of  a  very  bitter  substance."  Like  strophanthin  and  ouabain,  tanghinin 
does  not  contain  nitrogen.  "It  is  neither,"  says  M.  Gley,  "an  alka- 
loid nor  a  glucoside."  It  is  a  powerful  cardiac  poison  and  is  used  in 
Madagascar  for  the  execution  of  criminals. — Repert.  de  phar.,  July. 
Pyrodine  Must  be  Used  Cautiously. — According  to  M.  Gutt- 
mann  (Semaine  Med.,  May  8),  pyrodine,  or  acetyl-phenylhydrazine 
should  be  administered  only  under  great  precautions  from  the  facts 
that  it  may  be  toxic  in  very  small  doses  and  that  it  attacks  the  blood 
globules.  He  advises  that  the  quantity  administered  daily  do  not 
exceed  10  cgm.  (taken  in  one  or  two  doses),  that  is  if  the  treatment 
is  to  be  prolonged.  He  thinks  however,  that  treatment  with  pyro- 
dine should  not  continue  for  more  than  three  days.  The  Repert.  de 
phar.  for  June,  states  that  in  a  communication  to  the  French  Society 
of  Biology,  Dr.  Lemoine  also  stated  that  the  daily  dose  should  be 
10  cgm.  and  should  never  exceed  15  cgm.,  adding  that  25  cgm.  had 
given  rise  to  grave  toxic  symptoms. 
Purgative  Chocolate. — M.  Giraud  proposes  a  preparation  made 
as  follows :  Cacao  (powdered  and  freed  from  oil),  50  gm ;  sugar 
(pulv.),  100  gm. ;  ol.  ricini,  50  gm. ;  vanilla  (pulv.)  q.  s. ;  make  into 
tablets.  The  oil  should  be  incorporated  with  the  cacao  and  the  sugar 
and  vanilla  added ;  the  ingredients  must  be  well  worked  up  upon  a 
heated  slab  and  allowed  to  cool  in  molds. — Bull.  Soc.  Ph.  Qote-dJOr  ; 
Repert.  ph.,  June. 
Quick  Method  of  Preparing  Riviere's  Potion. — It  is  pro- 
posed by  Eymonnet  and  Kauffeisen  to  keep  on  hand  two  syrups  made 
