Am.  Jour.  Phariu.  \ 
September.  1902.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
441 
NUMBER  OF  NEW  REMEDIES. 
In  this  connection  a  list  or  catalogue  of  the  newer  materia  medica 
that  is  just  appearing  in  the  Pharmaceutische  Centralhalle  is  of 
interest.  A  rather  literal  translation  of  the  title  is:  "A  list  of  the 
newer  remedies  arranged  according  to  their  trade  names  and  also 
their  scientific  or  chemical  titles.  By  Hugo  Mentzel,  Dresden." 
We  can  get  some  idea  of  the  number  of  new  remedies  that  have 
been  foisted  on  an  unsuspecting  public  when  we  consider  that  this 
list,  including,  as  it  does,  the  references  to  notices  that  have  appeared 
in  the  Centralhalle  during  the  past  ten  years,  presents  under  the 
single  letter  A,  from  Abrastol  to  Azurin,  418  separate  titles,  cover- 
ing 16  closely  printed  pages.  That  our  own  American  products  are 
not  very  effectively  covered  is  evidenced  from  the  fact  that  a  cursory 
comparison  of  this  catalogue  with  an  American  price-list  of  a  recent 
date  showed  that  upward  of  fifty  American  remedies  were  not 
included  in  this  single  letter.    This  is  certainly  food  for  thought. 
Of  the  drugs  and  preparations  that  have  been  especially  noticed 
in  recent  pharmaceutical  journals  we  might  enumerate : 
Acetone  Sulphite. — This  is  being  introduced  as  a  substitute  for 
sodium  sulphite,  or  potassium  metabisulphite.  Among  the  advan- 
tages that  are  claimed  for  this  preparation,  as  a  preserver  of  photo- 
graphic developers,  is  that  it  may  be  made  in  solutions  as  concen- 
trated as  50  per  cent. ;  it  has  the  property  of  being  itself  perfectly 
stable  and  keeping  photographic  -  developing  solutions  clear  and 
colorless. 
Acetozone  is  the  name  given  to  a  powerful  oxydizing  agent  and 
germicide,  formerly  known  or  sold  as  benzozone.  Chemically,  it  is  said 
to  be  Benzoyl  acetyl  peroxide.  From  a  pharmaceutical  point  of  view 
it  is  particularly  interesting,  from  the  fact  that  it  readily  decomposes 
when  brought  in  contact  with  glycerin,  alcohol  or  other  organic 
solvents.  The  manufacturers  particularly  caution  buyers  not  to 
bring  it  in  contact  with  organic  matter,  nor  even  keep  it  in  a  warm 
place.  Several  cases  have  been  reported  where  the  container  has 
been  broken  with  explosive  violence,  due  no  doubt  to  a  disregard 
of  some  portion  of  the  special  caution  that  accompanies  the  packages 
as  sent  out  by  the  manufacturers. 
Alcohol. — The  increasing  use  of  alcohol,  for  technical  purposes,  is 
attracting  considerable  attention  in  several  of  the  European  coun- 
tries.   In  France,  the  possibility  of  using  alcohol  as  a  source  of 
