Am.  Jour  Pliani',) 
Sept.,  1881.  J 
Varieties. 
475- 
water;  the  weaker,  of  two  and  a  half  parts  of  oil  of  wintergreen,  one 
hundred  alcohol  and  one  hundred  water.  No  toxic  effect  or  caustic  action 
resulted  from  the  use  of  these  solutions.  It  is  probable  that  while  the  cost 
of  this  antiseptic  solution  may  be  as  claimed  by  Gosselin  and  Bergeron, 
still  physicians  engaged  in  rural  practice  may  find  in  the  use  of  these  alco- 
holic solutions  of  wintergreen  oil  an  economical  means  of  practising  anti- 
septicism,  as  wintergreen  is  an  exceedingly  common  plant  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river. — Chic.  Med.  Bev.^  May  5. 
Oil  of  Cajeput  in  Eczema. — Dr.  Claiborne  ("  Gaillard's  Medical  Jour- 
nal," April,  1881)  claims  to  have  secured  very  good  results  from  the  use 
of  the  oil  of  cajeput  in  infantile  eczema.  The  drug  was  used  in  the  form 
of  a  lotion  composed  of  oleum  cajeput  four  drachms,  sapo  viridis  four 
drachms  and  alcohol  two  ounces,  with  which  the  eczematous  patches  were 
washed  at  least  once  a  day.  An  ointment  composed  of  two  ounces  of 
oxide  of  zinc  ointment  and  two  drachms  of  oil  of  cajeput  was  kept  locally 
applied  to  the  eczematous  patches.  The  oil  of  cajeput  has  often  been  used 
in  other  dermatoses,  though  without  much  effect,  but  this  is  perhaps  the 
first  contribution  to  its  use  in  any  form  of  eczema. — Chic.  Med.  Rev.^  May  5.. 
Ergotin  in  Chronic  Eczema. — Dr.  Lassar  (quoted  in  "  International' 
Journal  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,"  March  10,  1881)  claims  that  there 
exists  in  patients  affiicted  with  eczema  a  morbid  condition  of  the  vaso- 
motor nerves,  which  results  in  frequent  spasms  of  long  duration,  and 
against  this  he  has  used  ergotin  internally  with  very  good  results.  He 
has  prescribed  it  for  patients  who  had  been  under  every  form  of  treatment 
for  a  decade,  with  great  success.  Externally  he  chiefly  relied  on  the 
oleum  cadini  (1  to  10).    The  average  length  of  the  treatment  of  eczema 
had  been  much  reduced  since  the  internal  use  of  ergotin. — Chicago  Med. 
Review^  April  5. 
New^  Method  of  Applying  Croton  Oil.— A  new  method  of  applying 
croton  oil  to  ringworm,  etc.,  has  been  described  by  Dr.  Ladreit  de  Lacha- 
rifere.  He  uses  a  mixture  of  one  hundred  parts  of  croton  oil  with  fifty 
parts  of  wax  and  fifty  of  cacao  butter,  and  makes  it  into  sticks  like  cos- 
metic by  the  aid  of  a  mould,  so  as  to  apply  it  with  great  accuracy  both  as 
to  extent  and  depth. — British  Med.  Journal ;  Louisv.  Med.  News. 
Chaulmoogra  and  Gurjun  Oil  in  Leprosy.  —  John  D.  Hillis,. 
F.R.C.S.I.,  West  Indies. — I  have  tried,  and  with  much  success,  chaul- 
moogra oil  in  true  leprosy.  I  give  it  internally  in  doses  commencing  with 
ten  minims  in  emulsion  with  milk  ;  and'  externally  I  apply  a  liniment  of 
one  part  of  chaulmoogra  to  fifteen  of  olive  oil  to  the  eruption,  the  diseased 
nerves  or  the  tubercular  surfaces.  I  find  that  the  oil  causes  constipation  ; 
and  in  consequence  I  am  in  the  habit  of  administering  it  with  castor  oil. 
I  have,  however,  obtained  much  better  results  at  the  General  Leper 
Asylum  with  gurjun  oil — wood  oil.  The  cases  in  which  gurjun  oil  has 
failed  have  either  been  too  far  advanced  or  with  hereditary  taint,  or  where 
the  disease  had  been  preceded  by  small  pox,  syphilis  or  yaws  (framboesia)  i 
these  are  much  less  amenable  to  treatment. — N.  Y.  Med.  Abstract. 
