396 
Pharmaceutical  Notes. 
I  Am.  .Toxir.  Pliarrn. 
(       Aug.,  1881. 
box  by  means  of  a  chain  fastened  to  an  India  rubber  ring  around  the 
neck  of  tlio  vial  or  to  a  tag  pasted  on  the  bottom  of  the  box.  It  cer- 
tainly forms  a  very  distinctive  feature  in  designating  articles  of  a  dan- 
gerous character,  as  the  packages  containing  such  could  scarcely  be 
handled  without  warning  being  given  by  the  ^^Acme  Poison  Guard/' 
a,s  they  term  it. 
Cement  for  Ilending  Pestles^  etc. — One  of  the  strongest  cements  that 
I  have  ever  used,  and  one  that  can  be  very  readily  made,  is  obtained 
when  equal  quantities  of  gutta  percha  and  shellac  are  melted  together 
and  well  stirred.  This  is  best  done  in  an  iron  capsule  placed  on  a  sand- 
bath,  and  heated  either  over  a  gas  furnace  or  on  the  top  of  a  stove.  It 
is  a  combination  possessing  both  hardness  and  toughness,  qualities  that 
.make  it  particularly  desirable  in  mending  pestles  and  mortars.  I  found 
it  very  useful  for  securing  the  handles  to  the  wedgwood  ware,  and 
some  old  ones  that  were  much  chipped  and  split,  when  thus  mended, 
have  been  quite  as  useful  as  new  ones,  and  have  stood  several  months' 
wear  without  any  apparent  cliange.  Of  course,  when  this  cement  is 
used  the  articles  to  be  mended  should  l)e  warmed  to  about  the  melting 
point  of  the  mixture,  and  then  retained  in  proper  position  until  cool, 
when  they  are  ready  for  use. 
Compressed  Granules  for  Hypodermic  Use. — Of  the  various  forms 
in  which  powerful  medicines  are  dispensed  for  hypodermic  use  per- 
Iiaps  none  are  so  convenient  as  the  small  compressed  granules  or  tab- 
lets that  are  now  being  introduced  to  the  notice  of  physicians  (see  a 
recent  article  on  this  subject  in  the  last  December  number  of  the 
"Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,"  page  593).  As  the  uses  for  which  these  are 
intended  have  of  late  increased,  and  as  this  method  of  administering 
medicine  has  grown  in  favor  both  with  the  physician  and  patient,  a 
mention  of  the  care  that  ought  to  be  taken  in  their  preparation  may 
Jiot  be  out  of  place.  The  advantages  of  convenience,  accuracy  and  of 
being  presented  in  a  form  not  liable  to  undergo  change,  will  doubtless 
bring  them  into  general  use. 
These  pellets  are  small  disks,  weighing  from  ^  grain  to  a  grain,  and 
are  of  the  same  shape  as  compressed  pills,  and  made  in  the  same  man- 
ner. In  making  them  great  caution  and  precision  are  necessary,  not 
•only  in  thoroughly  mixing  the  ingredients,  but  in  using  such  as  are 
prepared  especially  for  the  j)urpose,  the  reasons  for  which  will  be 
presently  explained.  The  medicinal  ingredients  they  contain,  such  as 
morphia  hydrochlorate  or  sulphate  or  the  atropia  salts,  etc.,  are  mixed 
