442  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {AmsiXi887arm 
Inhalations  of  carbolic  acid  have  been  found  serviceable  in  whoop- 
ing-cough by  Dr.  R.  Pick,  Dr.  W.  Jakobski,  and  others.  The  latter 
(Brit.  Med.  Jour.,  April  30)  devised  an  instrument  like  a  toy,  consist- 
ing of  a  pasteboard  tube  ornamented  and  provided  with  a  handle. 
Within  the  tube  are  two  thread  nets  and  between  them  a  layer  of  cot- 
ton wool  moistened  with  the  solution.  With  this  Dr.  Jakobski  found 
no  difficulty  in  getting  the  little  patients  to  take  the  inhalation.  A 
fifty  per  cent,  solution  of  carbolic  acid  was  used  and  the  inhalations 
continued  for  ten  minutes  every  two  hours. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
[Translated  for  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy.] 
Peptone  de  serine. — A.  Raynaud,  a  French  pharmacist,  gives 
this  name  to  a  peptone  for  hypodermic  use,  which  he  describes 
in  the  Bull.  Gen.  de  Therap.,  July  30th.  He  says  that  while  the 
the  peptones  in  use  answer  for  use  as  peptonates  of  mercury,  iron, 
etc.,  they  often  give  so  much  pain  when  united  to  other  drugs  that 
their  use  has  to  be  discontinued.  He  proposes  the  following  :  Albu- 
men from  pure  blood,  5  gm. ;  extractive  pepsin,  dialysed,  75  centigm. ; 
distilled  water,  75  gm. ;  hydrochloric  acid,  pure,  19  drops.  This  is 
digested  for  three  days  at  46°  C.  The  liquid  is  then  clear,  and 
analysis  shows  it  to  contain  : 
Insoluble  residuum  c   0*490 
Syntonine   0-125 
Dry  peptone   3*940 
Salts  separated  by  dialysis   0-96 
After  purification  by  dialysis,  concentration  and  evaporation  by 
heat,  on  sheets  of  glass,  this  peptone  appears  as  light-colored  hygro- 
metric  scales.  Taken  up  by  distilled  water  and  precipitated  by  abso- 
lute alcohol,  a  very  pure  white  powder  is  obtained,  which  would 
replace  advantageously,  the  peptones  of  fibrin  as  having  a  composi- 
tion approaching  as  nearly  as  possible  to  that  of  the  blood  and  having 
the  qualities  needed  for  ready  absorption. 
Radix  Hellebori  viridis  has  been  studied  by  Tschistowitsch 
(Nowosti  Ther.,  No.  3,  1887;  Bull.  Gen.  de  Therap.,  July  15th,  1887), 
to  ascertain  its  value  in  various  cardiac  affections  daring  the  period  of 
non-compensation.     His  conclusioas  are  as  follows :  In  six  cases  the 
