I 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS.  221 
toms  died  in  five  minutes  when  one-twentieth  of  a  grain  of  strych- 
nia was  put  on  its  tongue.  This  modification  of  the  poison- 
ous properties  of  strychnia  appears  to  he  due  to  methyl,  because, 
as  the  author  remarks,  the  hydrocyanate  of  methyl  is  per- 
fectly inoffensive. 
Methyl-strychnia  is  prepared  by  placing  strychnia  in  fine 
powder  in  contact  with  iodide  of  methyl  forming  a  new  combina- 
tion which  is  an  iodide  of  methyl-strychnia.  Its  formula  is 
Q44jj24Q4£[2L  It  is  very  soluble  in  hot  water,  but  requires 
212  parts  at  the  ordinary  temperature.  The  salts  of  silver  de- 
compose it,  and  by  contact  with  oxide  of  silver  the  base  is  set  free, 
It  is  obtained  most  easily  by  decomposing  the  sulphate  with 
baryta  water,  filtering  and  crystallizing  in  long  yellow  crystals 
containing  16  or  17  per  cent,  of  water.  In  this  hydrated  state 
it  is  very  soluble  in  water  and  alcohol,  but  insoluble  in  ether. 
The  translator,  M.  Nickles,  queries  whether  the  methyl  bases 
derived  from  quinia,  conia,  and  nicotine  may  not  be  thus  altered 
in  their  toxical  relations. — Journ.  de  Pkarm.  et  de  Ch.,  March, 
1860. 
Urate  of  Quinia. — Dr.  E.  Perayre,  of  Bordeaux,  has  suggested 
this  salt  for  use  in  medicine  on  the  ground  that  many  cases  of 
intermittent  fever  have  been  cured  by  the  ingestion  by  the  pa- 
tients of  a  certain  portion  of  their  own  urine.  Urate  of  quinia 
is  prepared  as  follows  :  10  parts  of  quinia  and  20  parts  of  crys- 
tallized uric  acid  are  employed.  Into  a  suitable  vessel  500  parts  of 
distilled  water  is  poured  and  heated  to  ebullition,the  quinia  added, 
and  boiled  ten  minutes  ;  the  uric  acid  is  then  added  in  fractions, 
and  the  mixture  agitated  with  a  spatula,  and  the  boiling  continued 
an  hour,  adding  water  to  preserve  the  measure ;  the  liquid  is  then 
poured  off  and  filtered  and  an  equal  measure  of  water  poured  on, 
boiled  20  minutes  and  filtered.  Unite  the  liquors,  and  evapo- 
rate to  dryness  by  a  gentle  heat.  A  yellow  colored  salt  results, 
partly  amorphous  and  partly  crystallized  in  brilliant  tables. 
Urate  of  quinia  is  soluble  in  boiling  and  hot  water,  but  much  less 
easily  in  cold  water. 
The  author  attributes  to  this  salt  the  advantage  of  curing  in- 
termittents  better  than  the  sulphate,  in  a  smaller  dose,  and  has  less 
tendency  to  produce  the  singing  in  the  ears  and  cerebral  excite- 
