ApebraarVT?9a(cm'}  Progress  in  Pharmacy.  91 
drug  in  cases  of  poisoning  by  carbolic  acid.  He  has  given  015 
hypodermatically  with  immediate  favorable  results. 
Calcium  iodate  has  been  recommended  as  a  substitute  for  iodo- 
form. Mackie  (Merck's  Archives)  considers  it  to  be  an  excellent 
antiseptic,  preventing  hypergranulation  and  the  formation  of  pus. 
It  can  also  be  used  in  solution  for  washing  out  the  bladder,  vagina 
and  uterus.  It  may  also  be  used  in  gargles  and  mouth-washes,  or 
may  be  given  internally  to  check  fermentative  processes  in  the 
stomach.    Dose,  0-2  to  0  3. 
Carbolic  Acid. — The  use  of  alcohol  instead  of  water  to  liquefy  this 
chemical,  gives  a  solution  that  mixes  readily  with  fixed  oils  without 
separating  or  producing  a  turbid  mixture.  It  is  also  more  per- 
manent, not  crystallizing  in  cold  weather. 
Formaldehyde. — The  increased  use  of  this  compound  has  increased 
the  possible  danger  of  poisoning  from  accidental  or  other  causes. 
Therapeutische.  Monatshefte,  1901,  recommends  the  use  of  liquid 
ammonia  well  diluted,  aromatic  spirits  of  ammonia,  or  even  liquid 
ammon.  acetate,  the  theory  being  the  reduction  of  the  formaldehyde 
to  hexamethylene  tetramine,  a  comparatively  harmless  substance. 
Horse-Chestnuts. — Schurmeyer  (Therap.  Monatsh.,  1901)  recom- 
mends a  fluid  extract  of  horse-chestnuts  as  an  external  application 
in  cases  of  rheumatism,  neuralgia  and  painful  affections  of  the 
skin ;  also  as  a  gargle  in  1  and  2  per  cent,  solutions.  The  author 
also  claims  that  the  saponin  contained  in  the  horse-chestnut  is  not 
poisonous. 
Hydrocyanic  acid  gas  has  been  recommended  as  a  disinfecting 
agent  and  germicide.  It  has  been  in  use  as  an  insecticide,  especially 
in  greenhouses ;  also  in  sleeping  cars,  to  rid  them  of  vermin. 
Ipecac  root  has  been  the  subject  of  much  investigation  and  dis- 
cussion. It  appears  that  the  total  alkaloids  of  Brazil  and  Carthagena 
ipecac  are  about  the  same,  but  their  composition  varies  considerably, 
the  Brazilian  root  being  richer  in  emetin,  while  cephaelin  predomi- 
nates in  the  Carthagena  variety.  Both  these  compounds  are  emetics, 
with  the  consensus  of  opinion  in  favor  of  cephaelin  as  being  the 
more  active.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  interesting  to  note  that 
the  Carthagena  root  is  excluded  from  the  German  Pharmacopoeia  by 
the  limitation  of  the  size  of  the  starch  granules,  the  starch  granules 
of  the  Carthagena  root  being  much  larger  than  those  of  the  official 
Brazilian. 
