^jSS'ilwf1111"}    Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  297 
1.374  gm.  of  solids  constituted  chiefly  of  the  lime.  A  discovery  of  the 
fact  led  to  a  modification  of  the  official  statements  concerning  the  adul- 
teration of  wines  in  France. 
Vinum  Ferratum  Amarum. — This  preparation  forms  a  com- 
ponent part  of  a  formula  which  has  been  largely  called  for  in  Paris  of 
late  on  account  of  its  great  success  in  the  treatment  of  anaemia,  especially 
where  the  latter  is  deeply  seated  and  occurs  with  anorexia.  It  appears 
in  the  Ann.  Clin,  of  Masius,  as  follows  :  Vim*  ferrat.  am.  120  gm. ; 
Tr.  nucis  vom.  8  gm. ;  sol.  Fowleri  4  gm.  (5i.  t.  i.  d.,  after  eating). 
The  formula  for  vinum  ferratum  amarum  used  in  the  above  is  given 
in  Le  Prog.  Med.,  April  9th.  American  physicians,  it  is  said,  are 
likely  to  prescribe  it.  Cinchora  bark,  300  ;  gentian,  200;  iron  citrate, 
300;  Marsala  wine,  11,700;  brandy,  900;  alcohol,  900;  essence  of 
orange,  18  ;  sol.  ferric  sulphate  (10  percent.),  1800  ;  sugar,  1800  ;  am- 
monia q,  s.  The  essence,  with  a  little  alcohol  is  mixed  with  the  wine 
and  brandy.  With  this,  macerate  the  cinchona  and  gentian  until 
13,500  gm.  have  been  displaced  with  water.  Dilute  the  solution  of 
ferric  sulphate  with  twice  its  weight  of  water,  and  add  ammonia  to 
excess.  Wash  the  precipitate  and  let  it  drain  ;  mix  this  with  the  tinct- 
ure obtained,  stirring  often,  until  a  yellow  color  is  obtained,  which  does 
not  darken  with  tincture  of  ferric  chloride.  Then  dissolve  in  it  the 
ferric  citrate  and  the  sugar,  and  dilute  to  14,400  gm.  Thirty 
grammes  contain  0.60  cinchona  ;  0.40  gentian  and  0.60  citrate  of  iron. 
Colchicine.  Some  very  important  researches  as  to  the  toxicity 
of  colchicine,  are  given  in  the  Jour,  de  Med.  1.  The  symptomatic 
tables,  and  the  microscopic  aspects  show  that  colchicine  acts  as  an  irri- 
tant poison,  powerful  enough  to  make  its  action  felt  in  all  the  organs, 
but  whose  predominating  influence  is  exerted  upon  the  digestive  tract 
and  the  kidneys.  2.  The  minimum  toxic  dose  varies  according  to 
the  mode  of  administration.  Hypodermically  it  is  0.000571  gm. ;  by 
the  stomach,  0.00125  gm.  per  kilo,  of  the  living  body.  2  The  toxic 
action  is  more  rapid  in  hypodermic  injections.  4.  It  is  eliminated  by 
many  emunctories — especially  by  the  kidneys — but  the  work  is  slow  ; 
hence,  non-toxic  and  relatively  weak  doses  (0.00016  gm.)  per  kilo  ot 
body  weight,  may  cause  death  in  five  days.  5.  It  congests  the  artic- 
ular extremities  and  the  medulla  osseum.  6.  In  therapeutic  doses  it 
acts  as  a  purgative  or  diuretic  (according  to  strength),  in  consequence 
of  its  congestive  and  irritative  action  on  the  kidneys  and  the  digestive 
tract.    7.    Man  is  three  times  more  sensitive  to  its  action  than  cat  or 
