370 
Varieties. 
Am.  Jour.  Pliarrn. 
July,  1881. 
the  stearopten  fuses  at  8r4°F.  Possibly  paraffin  wax  would  more  easily 
escape  detection. 
The  adulterations  by  means  of  other  essential  oils  are  much  more  diffi- 
cult of  discovery,  and  much  more  general ;  in  fact,  it  is  said  that  none  of 
the  Bulgarian  otto  is  completely  free  from  this  kind  of  sophistication.  The 
oils  em])loyed  for  the  purpose  are  certain  of  the  grass  oils  [Andropogon  and 
Cymbopogrm  spp.),  notably  that  afforded  by  Andropogon  Schce7ianthus, 
called  idris-gaghi  by  the  Turks,  and  commonly  known  to  Europeans  as 
"geranium  oil,"  though  quite  distinct  from  true  geranium  oil.  The  addi- 
tion is  generally  made  by  sprinkling  it  upon  the  rose  leaves  before  distil- 
ling. It  is  largely  i:)roduced  in  the  neighborhood  of  Delhi  and  exported 
to  Turkey  by  way  of  Arabia;  it  is  sold  by  Arabs  in  Constantinople  in 
large  bladder-shaped  tinned-coj^per  vessels,  holding  about  120  lbs.  As  it  is 
usually  itself  adulterated  with  some  fatty  oil,  it  needs  to  undergo  purifica- 
tion before  use.  This  is  effected  in  the  following  manner  :  The  crude  oil 
is  repeatedly  shaken  up  witli  water  acidulated  with  lemon  juice,  from 
which  it  is  poured  ott'  after  standing  for  a  day.  The  washed  oil  is  placed 
in  shallow  saucers,  well  exposed  to  sun  and  air,  by  which  it  gradually 
loses  its  objectionable  odor.  Spring  and  early  summer  are  the  best  seasons 
for  the  operation,  which  occupies  two  to  four  weeks,  according  to  the  state 
of  the  weather  and  the  quality  of  the  oil.  The  general  characters  of  this 
oil  are  so  similar  to  those  of  otto  of  roses — even  the  odor  bearing  a  distant 
resemblance — that  their  discrimination  when  mixed  is  a  matter  of  practi- 
cal impossibility.  The  ratio  of  the  adulteration  varies  from  a  small  figure 
up  to  80  or  90  per  cent.  The  only  safeguard  against  deception  is  to  j^ay  a 
fair  price  and  to  deal  with  firms  of  good  repute,  such  as  Messrs.  Papasoglu, 
Manoglu  &  Son,  Ihmsen  &  Co.  and  Holstein  &  Co.,  in  Constantinople. 
The  otto  is  put  up  in  squat-shaped  flasks  of  tinned  co})per  called  kunku- 
mas,  holding  from  1  to  10  lbs.  and  sewn  up  in  white  woolen  cloths.  Usu- 
ally their  contents  are  transferred  at  Constantinople  into  small  gilded 
bottles  of  German  manufacture  for  export.  The  Bulgarian  otto  harvest, 
during  the  five  years  1867-71,  was  reckoned  to  average  somewhat  below 
400,000  metloals,  miskals  or  midkals  (of  about  3  dvvt.  troy),  or  4,226  lbs. 
avoirdupois  ;  that  of  1873,  which  was  good,  was  estimated  at  500,000,  value 
about  £700,000.  The  harvest  of  1880  realized  more  than  £1,000,000,  though 
the  roses  themselves  were  not  so  valuable  as  in  1876.  About  300,000  meti- 
eals  of  otto,  valued  at  £932,077,  were  exported  in  1876  from  PhillipjDopolis, 
chiefly  to  France,  Australia,  America  and  Germany. — Phar.  Jour,  and 
Trans.,  April  30,  1881,  from  Jour.  Soc.  Arts,  Feb.  11,  1881. 
YAEIETIES. 
PuLVis  ALUMiNis  CoMP.  (Hebra.) — Prof.  A.  L.  Duliring  furnishes  to  the 
Medical  Bulletin,"  May,  the  following  fornmla: 
R    Pulv.  aluminis  plumos.  (asbestos),     .            .  .  ,^ii 
Pulv.  zinci  oxidi,            ....  .^iv 
Pulv.  rad.  iridis,                  .            .    ^^g^  •  •  Jii 
Pulv.  amyli,                                       IHI^^  J^iii 
M.  S.    Apply  locally  (in  eczema).  jjj^^Hf 
