62  Pmdicdl  Notes  from  Foreign  Journals.  {^"^Y^^'-^^^f'^- 
the  maximum  of  activity,  tliat  is  to  say,  digesting  about  two  hundred 
times  its  weight  of  moist  fibrin.  It  is  left  to  digest  during  twenty- 
four  hours  at  a  temperature  of  45°C.  (113°F.),  either  in  a  water-bath 
or  a  stove  ;  it  is  then  decanted  into  a  porcelain  capsule,  brought  to  boil- 
ing point ;  and,  whilst  the  liquid  boils,  an  alkaline  solution  is  .poured 
into  it  (250  grams  of  carbonate  of  sodium  to  1,000  grams  of  water) 
until  it  shows  a  very  slight  alkaline  reaction.  About  165  to  170  cubic 
€entimeters  of  this  solution  must  be  added  to  it.  AVhen  this  result  is 
obtained  the  boiling  liquid  is  passed  through  a  fine  linen  cloth,  the 
insoluble  residue  being  expressed ;  and  this  liquid,  which  amounts  to 
-about  2J  liters  (3  pints),  is  reduced  in  the  water-bath  to  1,500  or  1,800 
€ubic  centimeters.  Half  of  it  is  administered  every  day  in  three  ene- 
mata,  adding  200  grams  of  white  sugar  for  the  24  hours.  The  whole 
of  the  meat  is  not  dissolved ;  the  fat,  the  tendons,  the  connective  and 
elastic  tissues  form  an  insoluble  residue,  amounting  to  about  a  third  of 
the  meat  used. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans. ^  Nov.  12,  1881.  From  Paris 
Medical,  No.  29. — Reprinted  from  the  British  Medical  Journal. 
Ammoniacal  Peptonate  of  Iron. — Jaillet  and  Guillart  propose  the 
following  formula:  Dissolve  dry  peptone  5  grams  in  cherry  laurel 
water  50  grams,  and  add  pure  glycerin  50  grams,  afterwards  a  mixture 
of  solution  of  ferric  chloride  6  grams  (spec.  grav.  1*26  and  containing 
26  per  cent,  of  anhydrous  ferric  chloride)  with  cherry  laurel  water  25 
grams.  Now  add  ammonia  water,  drop  by  drop,  until  the  flocculent 
precipitate  is  dissolved,  taking  care  to  avoid  an  excess  of  ammonia, 
and  with  cherry  laurel  water  make  the  liquid  measure  200  cubic  cen- 
timeters. The  solution,  sufficient  to  fill  the  syringe  of  Pravaz,  contains 
2'5  millii^rams  of  metallic  iron. 
This  preparation  has  not  the  inky  and  styptic  taste  of  ferric  chloride, 
produces  neither  pain  nor  inflammation  under  the  skin  if  the  injection 
is  made  at  37  or  38 °C.,  and  does  not  give  the  reactions  for  iron  with 
the  ordinary  reagents. — Bull.  gen.  de  Therap.,  Dec.  30,  1881,  p.  536. 
Sucrocarbonate  of  Iron. — Dr.  Dauvergne  regarding  this  preparation 
(see  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1881,  p.  360)  as  being  not  a  true  chemical 
oompound  on  account  of  its  being  decomposed  by  water,  and  claiming 
for  himself  the  combination  in  1842,  of  sugar  with  carbonate  of  iron; 
Dr.  Dujardin-Beaumetz  refers  to  the  numerous  chemical  compounds 
which  are  decomposed  by  water  and  briefly  reviews  the  history  of  sac- 
charated  carbonate  of  iron,  which  was  proposed  by  Dr.  Becker,  of 
Mulliausen,  and  prepared  in  1837  by  C.  Klauer,  pharmacist,  of  the 
