442 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
{  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1  September.  1902. 
motive  power,  especially  for  automobiles,  is  being  actively  discussed. 
In  Germany  the  use  of  alcohol  for  illuminating  purposes,  in  connec- 
tion with  incandescent  mantles,  has  made  considerable  progress. 
In  addition  to  this  several  patents  have  been  recently  issued  for  pro- 
ducing alcohol  practically  in  a  solid  form.  These  blocks  of  alcohol, 
or  alcohol-impregnated  materials,  are  now  on  the  market,  and  are 
convenient  for  heating  small  quantities  of  liquids. 
Aloes. — A.  Tschirch \Schweiz.  woch.  f.  Chem.  u.  Phar.  1902)  con- 
firms his  previous  statements  that  Cape  aloes  is  obtained  largely,  if 
not  entirely,  from  Aloe  ferox  Miller.  According  to  Tschirch's 
informant,  other  species  of  aloes  are  not  used,  chiefly  on  account  of 
the  fact  that  the  juices  they  contain  are  too  thin  and  limpid  to  offer 
a  remunerative  quantity  of  aloes.  Another  reason  is  that  the 
leaves  do  not  stack  well  on  account  of  the  absence  of  the  thorny 
edges,  which  tend  to  hold  the  leaves  of  Aloe  ferox  in  their  proper 
position  when  placed  over  and  around  the  depression  or  receptacle 
in  which  the  juices  are  collected. 
According  to  Tschirch,  a  considerable  amount  of  the  juice  is  now 
being  sold  by  collectors  to  factories,  where  with  modern  appliances 
the  process  of  evaporation  has  been  modified  to  a  considerable 
extent,  resulting  in  an  improved  product  that  is  being  marketed  as 
Crown  aloes,  and  brings  a  correspondingly  better  price  than  the 
inferior  qualities  of  Cape  aloes. 
Anesthesin,  the  Ethyl  ester  of  para  amido  benzoic  acid,  has  been 
recommended  by  different  observers  as  an  efficient  local  anesthetic^ 
especially  in  cases  of  painful  ulcers,  or  where  a  surface  is  to  be  sub- 
sequently cauterized.  It  is  a  white  powder,  odorless  and  tasteless, 
having  a  melting-point  of  about  89-5  ;  it  is  slightly  soluble  in  hot 
water,  almost  insoluble  in  cold  water,  freely  soluble  in  acetone^ 
benzol,  chloroform  and  the  fixed  or  volatile  oils.  All  of  the  result- 
ing solutions  are  said  to  be  quite  permanent.  It  has  also  been 
given  internally  in  doses  of  0-30  to  0*50  two  or  three  times  a  day. 
Aspiwt,  or  Acetyl  salicylic  acid,  appears  to  be  finding  consider- 
able favor,  if  we  are  to  judge  by  the  number  of  notices  or  articles 
that  we  meet  with  in  the  current  medical  journals.  The  dose  is 
variously  given  as  being  from  0-05  to  2-00  four  or  five  times  a  day. 
It  is  said  to  be  an  extremely  unstable  compound,  being  readily 
decomposed  by  solvents  like  water  or  alcohol.  Wielch  (Wiener  Med. 
Press,  1902)  warns  against  the  indiscriminate  use  of  this  compound, 
