Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1887. 
Varieties. 
473 
cardiac  sedative,  having  an  action  upon  the  heart  like  digitalis.  Upon 
the  bronchial  mucous  membrane  it  acts  as  a  moderator  of  the  secre- 
tions and  as  an  anti-proliferator  (pardon  the  word)  of  the  epithelium 
cells.  3rd.  It  is  a  febrifuge,  and,  4th,  an  anti-putrid  parasiticide.  5th. 
It  is  anti-blennorrhagic,  the  active  principles  eliminated  by  the  urine, 
acting  more  powerfully  than  copaiba  and  oil  of  sandal-wood. 
It  may  be  taken  in  water  or  milk,  or  spread  upon  bread.  Locally 
he  has  used  it  as  an  injection,  dissolved  in  the  decoction  of  dulcamara, 
with  excellent  results. 
YAEIETIES. 
Belladonna  against  iodism. — M.  Aubert,  of  Lyons  (F.  Plan.  Lyon,  12o,  p. 
14),  finds  that  the  coryza  and  other  troubles  which  are  caused  by  the  admin- 
istration of  iodide  of  potassium  to  those  who  are  intolerant  of  it,  may  be 
prevented  by  the  simultaneous  exhibition  of  belladonna.  He  records  a  case 
in  which  the  iodide,  both  in  small  and  large  doses,  caused  the  usual  symp- 
toms of  iodism,  and  after  long-continued  administration  of  the  drug  toler- 
ance was  in  no  way  established.  As  soon  as  "pilules  of  belladonna" 
were  given  with  the  iodide,  the  unpleasant  effects  were  no  longer  felt. 
Aubert  affirms  that  the  tolerance  sometimes  continues  when  the  belladonna 
is  omitted. — Med.  Chronicle. 
Cocaine  as  an  antidote  to  strychnine. — Bignon  ("Genio  Med.  quir.")  finds,  as 
the  result  of  experiments  on  dogs,  that  hypodermic  injections  of  cocaine, 
kept  up  until  the  strychnine  has  been  eliminated,  prevent  a  fatal  result  in 
cases  where  the  dose  of  strychnine  administered  is  not  excessive,  and 
retard  it  when  large  doses  are  used. — N.  Y.  Med.  Jour.,  Aug.  13. 
Influence  of  infused  beverages  on  digestion. — Dr.  James  W.  Eraser  has 
studied  experimentally  the  action  of  our  common  beverages  on  gastric  and 
intestinal  digestion.  [Jour.  Anat.  and  Physiol.)  These  are  his  Jconclusions  : 
(1)  It  is  better  not  to  eat  most  albuminoid  food-stuffs  at  the  same  time  as 
infused  beverages  are  taken,  for  it  has  been  shown  that  their  digestion  will 
in  most  cases  be  retarded,  though  there  are  possibly  exceptions.  Absorp- 
tion may  be  rendered  more  rapid,  but  there  is  a  loss  of  nutritive  substance. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  digestion  of  starchy  food  appears  to  be  assisted  by 
tea  and  coffee ;  and  gluten,  the  albuminoid  of  flour  is  the  principle  least 
retarded  in  digestion  by  tea,  and  it  only  comes  third  with  cacao,  while 
coffee  has  a  much  greater  retarding  action  on  it.  From  this  it  appears  that 
bread  is  the  natural  accompaniment  of  tea  and  cacao  when  used  as  the 
beverage  at  a  meal.  Perhaps  the  action  of  coffee  is  the  reason  why  it  is 
usually  drunk  alone  or  at  breakfast — a  meal  which  consists  much  of  meat, 
and  of  meats  (eggs  and  salt  meats)  which  are  not  much  retarded  in  digestion 
by  coffee.  (2)  Eggs  are  the  best  form  of  animal  food  to  be  taken  along 
with  infused  beverages.    Apparently  they  are  the  best  lightly  boilded  if  tea, 
