Am.Jour.Pharm.l  Q^^^^  SaVClkin.  155 
April,  1881.  J 
It  may  be  dispensed  either  in  capsules  or  solution,  a  very  good  form  of 
the  latter  being : 
R    Calcii  benzoat.,        .  .  .    gr.  cxxviii 
Aquse  destillat.,  .  .  f^vi 
Syr.  aurantii,  .  .  .    f.^ii : 
M.  Ft.  mist. 
This  makes  a  solution,  by  the  aid  of  heat,  containing  8  grains  to  half  a 
fluidounce,  which  is  the  usual  dose. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  County  Medical  Society  Drs.  Smith  and  O'Hara 
spoke  of  the  great  benefit  this  preparation  had  been  in  cases  of  albu- 
minuria during  pregnancy,  and,  as  the  salt  may  be  called  for  and  is  not 
on  the  price  lists  of  the  chemists,  a  formula  for  its  preparation  may  be 
useful.  The  first  crop  of  crystals  can  be  taken  out  and  dried  on 
bibulous  paper  within  an  hour  of  the  receipt  of  the  prescription  by  the 
apothecary. 
GUM  SAVAKIN. 
By  George  Reimann,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
This  gum  is  gathered  near  the  west  coast  of  the  Red  Sea,  further 
east  than  the  other  varieties  of  gum  arable,  and  is  shipped  from  the 
port  of  Suakin  or  Savakin,  hence  its  name.  It  appears  in  commerce 
as  sub-globular  tears,  which  are  more  or  less  broken,  have  a  conchoidal 
glass-like  fracture  and,  in  consequence  of  numerous  fissures,  quite 
opaque.  It  is  imported  in  considerable  quantity  and  not  unfrequently 
sold  for  medicinal  use. 
A  mucilage  made  with  8  ozs.  of  this  gum  to  one  pint  of  water  was 
found  to  be  very  thick  and  viscid,  a  great  deal  of  the  gum  remaining^ 
as  it  seemed,  undissolved ;  this  was  strained  out.  On  diluting  the 
mucilage  with  w^ater  it  was  noticed  that  what  appeared  to  be  small 
transparent  globules  separated,  and  upon  repeated  shaking  would  not 
dissolve.  Some  of  these  globules  were  collected  by  diluting  the  muci- 
lage with  water,  stirring  constantly,  allowing  to  settle,  decanting  the 
water,  and  repeating  this  operation  until  all  the  soluble  matter  had 
been  removed.  The  globules  were  found  to  be  insoluble  in  boiling 
water,  but  on  the  addition  of  solution  of  caustic  potassa,  or  other 
caustic  alkali,  they  were  dissolved,  but  the  salts  of  the  alkalies  were 
without  action,  A  quantity  of  the  globules  were  spread  on  j^anes  of 
glass  and  dried,  yielding  thin  transparent  scales.    On  boiling  these 
